This fanfic is my year long project fic for Ouran High School Host Club! This fic is set in a fantasy type alternate universe (AU). If you are looking for deep romance, I am sorry to say this is not the fic for you. There will only be hints of pairings, like OHSHC is normally. I'll be trying my best with the action, so cheer me on, hm?

Title: The Seashell of Wishes (alternatively, Haruhi Fujioka and the Seashell of Wishes, yet that would be stealing from Harry Potter)

Rating: PG (K?) to PG-13 for violence. May have sexual connotations and some vulgar language later on.

Disclaimer: I own the concept. Even there, as this fic is mostly, as Ouran is, a parody, so. I am sorry to say I did not create this wonderful manga. :P

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Adventure(Humor)

Summary: AU, Haruhi Fujioka is a normal villager girl, living calmly with her father, up until she learns that her destiny is much greater than she ever expected. Starting on a journey to save the world of Ouran, will she survive the hardships on her journey and, most importantly, her companions?

Added notes: There will be no japanese in this fic unless it is the name of a person, place or weapon. (So if a name sounds odd, it's because it's missing the 'Senpai', 'kun', 'chan', 'san' and 'sama' suffixes.) The names in this chapter are in French, other towns name will be in other languages than that.

Haruhi: Mother in Heaven, since you've been gone, Dad and I have always lived a calm life. Helping him around the house, living a normal commoner's life in our time. Our life was never exciting and I was fine with that. I lived days as they came, unfazed. Until one day, my daily life itself became extraordinary ... that day, mother, was supposed to be like the others, but I think it may have changed my life forever.

------------------------------------------- LA CROISÉE DES MONDES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beginning of a journey is always the most difficult part

La Croisée Des Mondes, a peaceful, small village, where nothing adventurous ever happened. This village is the home of humans, one of the rare villages where species do not intertwined. This village has never seen anything but peace and calm ever since it's creation. Its villagers live peacefully under the protection of their Lord.

Yet, this peaceful, unadventurous village is where journeys begin. We are about to see the beginning of one of these journeys...

----------------------

Fujioka Haruhi sighed as she moved the bags of fresh vegetables in her arms slightly. It seemed her usual route back home was being taken by the royals coming for a visit, causing a commotion. This was annoying, but she would just have to change route, it seemed. She looked around and noticed an alley behind her. Haruhi tilted her head and blinked slowly -- had this been here before? She shrugged, uncaring, moving towards it. A small detour couldn't hurt and she wanted her vegetables to be fresh. It would be impossible to do so if she waited for hours under this hot sun.

She walked into the alley, grateful for the shade it provided.

'Haah, child... I was waiting for you,' a voice boomed from behind her. Haruhi turned to look bewilderingly at an old woman covered in drapes of multiple colours that hid her body. She wasn't there a minute ago, Haruhi could have sworn it on her head. Haruhi blinked at the table and crystal ball.

Oh, no way. Not a Seer!

'Haa, I know what you are thinking of, my child,' the woman said when she saw Haruhi's slightly put-off look, 'Another one of those crazy Seers, thinking they know the future and selling prospects of romance to girls such as you all over the world. Yet, child, be warned that I am no such crazy old Seer! I am here to tell you your destiny, child.'

Haruhi looked at the vegetables in her bag. The alley was cold enough that she could always humor the woman. It would be easier than running away. She had seen some pretty crazy Seers before and they had trouble letting go of potential clients.

Haruhi nodded and smiled at the Seer, quipping a small 'Really, now,' to make the other woman continue in her train of thought.

'Yes! You see, though this small town is in peace, the world is not. Our world is about to undergo great tragic changes and only one person can change that.'

Haruhi pondered if carrots would be better with the beef they had in the fridge. Maybe potatoes, instead?

'That person, my dear, is you! You are the one to be changing the world, the Chosen One! The prophecy said it, a girl born with a practical mind in Croisée des Mondes, the place where journeys began, shall be the one to save us from the terrible danger. You will have to meet six new people in your quest, my dear!'

Or maybe she could make ham and peas. She also had some corn, so then, corn and chicken?

'Your quest is to be the most difficult one of all! Your world will be changed forever as you continue on your way to find the Seashell of Power, for you see, only one of pure heart can make the wish it would take to save our world from the evil doings of your enemy and you are that person! I, and only I, am born with the power to fore-come and warn the Chosen One!'

Oh, a seashell? Did she have any seafood? Haruhi tried to remember if there was any fish left. She didn't want to go back to buy some.

'Yet, everyone knows the Chosen is a woman, so you, with your androgynous body, will have to pass as a man! I, as your guide and helper, will do this for you.'

Right, they'd ate the last fish last week. She'd buy some tomorrow, she didn't want to go back right now.

Suddenly, the old woman had grabbed her by the back -- when had she moved? Haruhi struggled to get free and felt sharp metal against her neck. She froze, unsure and then...

Snip. Snip. Snipsnipsnip.

The woman was moving to her forehead now.

Snipsnipsnipsnip.

Haruhi looked at the hair laying on the pavement in silence.

'Ha, yes. You look very much like a boy now! All you need is the clothes.'

Silence. Haruhi looked at the hair still. The Seer looked at her brightly, smiling. Haruhi raised deadpan eyes at her.

'... Chosen One?'

Haruhi's look did not waver.

'... I could tell you of all the possible romance included in your quest?'

She looked at her still, unmoving and unblinking. The Seer started to sweat.

'It seems my duty for today is done! You shall see me again, my dear, once you have met the Prince of Faes!'

And faced with Haruhi's unemotional face, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Haruhi looked at the hair on the floor of the alley.

Well. This was going to be difficult to explain to her father.

-------------------------

Haruhi sighed as she walked towards the marketplace. Her father really had made too much of a fuss over some hair. It's not like it was a job impossible to make better and hair grows back, after all. It was also easier to take care of, now.

She tugged on her tee-shirt absent-mindfully, looking at the road signs. She'd never seen it before, but the names of the roads were pretty odd. 'Entrée d'un Monde', 'Le Commencement', 'Il était une fois' ... She shrugged, uncaring. Probably they had been making inner-jokes with each other when naming the roads, long ago. Now, where was the fish again?

Haruhi suddenly stopped in her tracks, blinking as she saw a royal -- she was sure of it, nobody else around town had clothes like this -- running towards her, stopping to catch his breath. The man -- the teenager, she corrected as he lifted his head -- beamed at her and straightened up.

'Ha, excuse me, my good sir! Would you have seen some rather odd Seer pass by? She stole something very important from me, you see,' the stranger said, smiling at her.

He thought she was a boy ? Huh. Well, maybe with her hair she looked like that. It didn't matter. She shook her head. Seers seemed to be going dangerous these days. She'd have to warn her father.

'Oh, I see,' the prince said, looking disappointed. Then his face changed abruptly, his mouth opened wide and he seemed ready to scream out something--

He pushed her down just as a wall hurtled to where they were standing. It would have crushed both of them, she thought with her eyes wide. What was going on?

The blond rolled off of her, looking around in alarm. She sat up, doing the same, unsure of what they were searching. What could have happened? Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something white that had come with the flying wall. What were those --

She got up at the same time as the other boy when she heard the roar. A monster? What exactly was this? She looked at the prince next to her. Was he the one being targeted?

'Stay back and don't move. It's a wyvern, it'll kill you on sight,' he said, taking out his sword -- she hadn't noticed he was carrying one at all, she realized belatedly -- and taking on a defensive stance. She racked her brain for the definition of a wyvern. They didn't leave nearly close enough of Croisée to be here, and how could it have thrown a wall? They didn't have anything except for wings and hind legs. They wouldn't have attacked unless they're territory had been invaded, either. This was completely crazy.

She was about to say this to the knight -- if he had a sword with him, he was probably a knight and not a prince, after all -- when she heard the screams of the villagers. Haruhi's eyes widened as she saw the children huddled in the corner and the Wyvern, huge and imposing and ready to tear off their heads, batting its wings, move closer to them. She saw the knight running towards them, sword ready trying to stab at the creature, getting it to move away from them and towards him instead. She heard the Wyvern give out a roar while the teen was trying his best to fight it, even if it was twice his size. She made a move to get to the children to move them away when she saw the other Wyvern -- there had been two, she thought in horror -- moving towards them.

She didn't think at all. She ran to where she had seen the white things -- they were disks and they were glinting because they had blades attached to them -- dropping down on the road to get at them faster and she threw one at the Wyvern, slicing its wing.

The monster screamed in pain and turned to look at her, yellow eyes wide in rage and his wing bleeding on the road. She looked back at it defiantly, one of the disks still in her hand. The blond yelled at her to get away, she wasn't qualified for fighting such a thing. She stayed put, taking in a defensive position, ready to throw the disk at the beast's head. It advanced towards her and she threw it, sure it would hit the mark like before --

The Wyvern moved away, the disks completely missing its target. She gulped. This wasn't looking good at all.

She took a step back as it moved forward. What could she do? She was weaponless and the road was blocked behind her by -- she turned her head around quickly to look -- yet another Wyvern.

How many of them were there, anyway! She stopped backing away, trying to think of a way out of this. In her lessons, she remembered a legend on Wyverns, that they were fearful of courageous souls who opposed them and told them to stop. Of course, it was just a legend. Mainly because nobody had been stupid enough to ever try it.

She looked at the creatures advancing towards her. Well, it was worth a try. Either way, if she failed, she died, if she didn't try it, she died. A chance in a billion was better than nothing, no?

She straightened and looked at them.

'Stop this right this instant! I will not let anybody hurt those who are defenseless, especially not in my own village! We have done nothing to hurt you. You attacked us first, back away now and you may get out of this alive,' she bellowed. The three wyverns -- and the blond -- were looking at her in awe. Had it worked?

The Wyverns advanced towards her once more, roaring.

Okay, so that hadn't worked at all. The Wyvern was close enough to hurt her and as it lifted its tail to strike out, she ducked, arms above her head, screaming --

She heard a slicing sound and the sound of something somewhat... squishy? dropping next to her. She opened an eye and looked there.

The head of the Wyvern stared back, eyes dull. She looked up and saw the disk somewhere further away. It had -- come back? Was this some kind of boomerang?

The other two Wyverns had stopped in their paths, looking at her in awe. The blond had stopped fighting, too.

Why were they looking at her like tha -- Oh. They thought she had made it happen. With the speech before, combined with the dead Wyvern... Well, what they didn't know couldn't hurt them but it could certainly save her and the rest of the village!

'See what I am able to do? Now go, before this happens to you too,' she searched for a way to finish the speech, 'I'm ... not afraid to use this power!'

Maybe she shouldn't have added the ending. Not that it mattered, she realized as they both started to fly away and out of Croisée.

Villager started pouring out of everywhere as other Wyverns, seemingly having understood the message, left from the other parts of the village. The children ran to her, huddling around, screaming how she was their hero. The villagers congratulated her, boasting how brave she was. Before she knew it, they had started chanting a chorus -- 'Haruhi! Haruhi! Haruhi!'.

The blond looked as confused as she felt, at least. He moved to her, like the rest of them and held out his own hand.

'Well, Haruhi, it's nice to, ha, meet you isn't quite the word, I suppose,' he said, smiling, 'Let me introduce myself. I'm Tamaki Suou.'

To think she had just wanted to buy some fish.

-----------------------------------

When the villagers finally left Haruhi alone, some time after she had decided this was all taking too long, the prince, Tamaki, was still standing with her. He hadn't been able to speak to her after introducing himself, what with the whole village harassing Haruhi. She turned over to him and smiled.

'Haa, I'm sorry about that,' she said sheepishly, hands behind her back, 'They can be quite aggressive when they feel like it, the villagers, I mean. I'm Haruhi Fujioka. It's nice to meet you.'

Tamaki smiled brightly, bowing to her and extending his arm. Royals were always exaggerated but was he serious? Bowing seemed a bit extravagant, especially to someone you had just met.

'No, no, my dear young warrior, it is I who is pleased to meet you,' Tamaki said and got up, grin threatening to split his face.

He seemed a bit exuberant but she guessed he had good intentions. He was probably also a bit dim, since he didn't seem to have caught on she was a girl yet.

She was about to answer him when she heard the tickling of bells from behind her. She turned and saw yesterday's Seer, sitting calmly at her table with her crystal ball and looking at both of them expectantly. Haruhi raised an eyebrow. Where in the world did she come from?

'Ha! You!'

Now she looked questionably at Tamaki. He was pointing at the Seer angrily. Had he met her before, too? He had been speaking of an odd Seer stealing something from him...

'Give me back my beaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar,' she heard him wail.

Just when Haruhi had decided she didn't want to know, the Seer threw out a small brown teddy bear at Tamaki's face. Where had she been keeping it? Nevermind, it wasn't something she truly wanted to think about.

'Yes, yes, here you go, Prince. I had to force Faith a little, but in the end, my brilliant plan worked and you two are on the way to a great journey,' the Seer said, arms thrown over her head and laughing maniacally.

Haruhi and Tamaki tilted their head to the side at the same time. Plan?

'I can see what you are thinking, children,' the Seer started and before she continued, Haruhi interrupted her.

'If you're about to say it's your fault Tamaki met me, the Wyverns attacked the village and this means I am on my way to start my journey as the Chosen One with him, I'm going away.'

The Seer looked quite put-off. Haruhi stared at her.

'Well. I. Of course, you may not have understood it the first time, my fair maiden, but I am ready to explain it to you again,' the Seer said after some time.

Before Haruhi could respond, Tamaki had cried out.

'F-Fair maiden! Surely you must jest! Haruhi is ... Haruhi,' he said, then he looked at her for a while before continuing in a drastic tone, 'is so evidently a woman! The fair beauty of my heart! A princess worth more than anyone, she is simply outstandingly beautiful and how did I miss this I am so sorry Haruhi I was blinded by the woes of the common folk and did not think to look past your clothes! Not that your clothes are not extremely elegant for a commoner but they are quite, ah, boyish and - '

Before he could dig himself a bigger grave, Haruhi stepped on his foot.

'It's fine. Stop talking, please, Prince,' she muttered.

Tamaki looked at her like a kicked puppy and she felt her eyebrow twitch. She looked at the Seer again, only to find her sharpening her nails.

Wait.

Sharpening her nails!

At the completely befuddled look on Haruhi's face, the older woman spoke up.

'You weren't paying attention to me. My time schedule is quite busy, you know!'

Haruhi failed to see how this proved an explanation but decided not to argue. She lifted her eyes to the sky and mouthed an 'I see'. She looked at the prince, instead, trying to find some logic, any logic in this absurd scene.

She decided that trying to understand the plan of the Seer was far easier than finding logic, as she found Tamaki quite busy sulking off in a corner.

'Alright, I'm willing to listen to you,' she told the Seer, sighing. 'Why, exactly, am I the chosen one?'

She tried really hard to ignore the maniacal laughter. It was getting grating.

'Let me tell you the story, child... It goes as follows,' she started.

A long time ago, Ouran was separated into Seven Nations. These nations, ones with a hero each, lived in great hate of each other. Peace was rarely found in this old Ouran. One day, the manifestation of evil itself came. The Seven Nations had but one choice, to fight together. The seven heroes, each with different talents and powers, fought long and hard together to defeat this monster, but its powers seemed unending. In order to seal it, the heroes became the Seven Guardians of the Seals. The Monster reverted back where it once came, the Seashell of Wishes.

Prophets foresaw that, long after a thousand years of peace, another creature of Evil would come to free this Monster and only the Maiden of Pure Heart could stop this second coming of Armageddon, by taking hold of the Seashell and wishing for its destruction before the Creature could.

Haruhi stared at the Seer. Tamaki stared at the Seer. The Seer put her story book back into place.

'Look, I'm only doing a summary, here,' the Seer hastily explained as she tried to fit the giant book back into wherever it had come from.

'This doesn't explain anything at all,' Haruhi muttered.

Tamaki nodded, having gotten out of his corner when the Seer had begun her story.

'Haruhi is obviously right! This does not tell her, the Pure Maiden of Heart ("Maiden of Pure Heart," muttered the Seer) what she needs to do on her quest,' he explained eyes wide and expression slightly scary, in Haruhi's own opinion.

'Ha, please, wait. I'm sure you've got the wrong person,' tried to say Haruhi tentatively, only to be cut off by the Seer.

'Well, we aren't quite clear on that, just that the Chosen needs to defeat evil by unlocking the seven Seals by some mean or another, probably walking in the temple or some such, find six companions like the heroes of back then and take a hold of the Seashell before the Creature does.'

Tamaki put an hand on his chin pensively and then nodded, speaking up.

'I see, I see! So, Haruhi is the heroine and I am her first companion, the main love interest! First we must find the homo side characters, then the location of these temples, defeat the challenges inside each of the seven temples, unlock the seals, find the Seashell's location, get the Seashell before the corrupted creature of evil, destroy the Seashell and finally defeat the Creature! Yes, yes, such a wonderful story!'

Haruhi shook her head dismissively. They were completely nuts, the both of them.

'I personally think you both read too much fantasy stories. I'm sorry, I'm going home,' Haruhi said, turning back and walking away quickly.

'If you do not believe me, my sweet, then how do you explain the Wyverns, those normally simply territorial creatures, attacking your village? I know that you are aware they live quite far-off from here! They are aware of what is going on, they are being corrupted one by one, all the beasts of Ouran,' the Seer exclaimed.

Haruhi had to wonder whether both she and Tamaki needed to breathe once in a while. They could talk for long enough to warrant the question, after all.

And hadn't the Seer said she was to blame for the Wyverns? She shook her head, sighing at the other two, planning the journey. As if she was going away for that long without any proof of being the so-called 'Chosen One'!

Just as she was about to tell them just so, the Seer took out two bags and thrust one to her and the other Tamaki.

'In this, you have sets of clothes, food, water, enough to go by until the next town at least. A map and those 'disks' you found, Haruhi dear,' she said, smiling at both of their befuddled faces.

Haruhi opened her mouth to speak, eyebrow twitching once more.

'If you want some proof, I could always show you the destruction happening in the rest of the world but I think seeing it face to face when you get out will be far enough proof! Unless you are okay with the destruction of the world as you did nothing, of course,' the Seer was smiling so hard Haruhi thought she might crack her face open.

Tamaki looked at her excitedly.

'Don't you think we should go? Saving the world, after all, is spectacularly important,' Tamaki said as he nodded at his own words.

Haruhi wasn't sure why, but she had a strange, nagging feeling that this was the right thing to do. She looked at his hopeful face and the Seer's smirking one and decided she couldn't be bothered to argue much more than that.

'Fine! But if after one day I don't see any of that destruction of the world you speak of, I'm going back home,' Haruhi said decidedly, putting the bag on her shoulders.

Tamaki practically jumped on her before she was finished. He hugged her tightly, twisting her around, screaming happily utter nonsense that her current completely squashed self could not comprehend.

When he finally let go, the Seer was gone. Haruhi blinked but Tamaki did not seem particularly bothered. Had he even noticed?

'I know just the place where to go to start our most wonderful journey,' Tamaki declared, holding her wrist and walking away.

Haruhi had not even yet asked the question that he responded, as if reading her mind.

'To the number one specialist in journeying, Kyouya Ootori!'

And like that, they were gone on a most magnificient journey.

'... You know, Prince Tamaki, I still don't even know if you're a prince or a knight...'

... Which would probably be full of hardships, misunderstandings and most of all, oddness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- LA CROISÉE DES MONDES, fin ----------------------------------------------------------------

Haruhi: This is how it all started, Mother, but I'm afraid that's only what it is, the beginning. I'll speak to you about Kyouya next time.

Next step; Kyouya Ootori's guide to a Beginner's Journey!

-------
OMAKE ONE; Ranka's Distress, the first

It was ten at night. Haruhi had been gone since three in the afternoon. Her father paced the house, ready to scream.

Which he did.

'SOMEBODY KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER!'

They had forgotten to warn Ranka.

OMAKE ONE; end.
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This is the end of chapter one! Please review, for it is always appreciated, but I'm not forcing anyone. Critcism is ALWAYS welcome! Until next time.