Shards

After the events of last week, Haruhi's hosting had been relatively normal. She had picked up a few regulars who were all nice, if not somewhat oblivious to the average world, girls.

A clock chimed and she swiftly closed her book.

She was going to be late!

Goodness knew she would never hear the end of it should she turn up late, and she packed up her thing before speed walking through the halls of Ouran. Hesitating for a moment, she opened one of the ornate double doors

...and found herself in the middle of a jungle, staring at six shirtless boys.

"Welcome!"

She twitched

'Mother, please tell me you're seeing this right now. What the heck have I gotten into?'

A fat bird latched onto her head.

"There you are Haruhi, you're so late." The twins chimed from where they stood

It was still spring, wasn't it?

Apparently she had voiced this, as the host club king stood

"We needn't indulge in such nonsenities as huddling under a kotatsu for warmth, the heating system we have is state of the art!"

Haruhi groaned

"I would be careful Haruhi, do remember the eight million yen you owe us"

A shiver ran through her. After all, how could she possibly forget the very reason she was putting up with this insanity?

"Gentleman such as ourselves don't bundle up in bulky clothing, even if it is cold out there in the real world. For here in our world of beauty, our cold little kittens will be graced with a tropical paradise! As such, here is your costume."

She looked at the outfit placed in front of her

"It's..."

"Gorgeous isn't it? I just knew you would love it! We're a matching pair you know, you're the queen to my king!" Tamaki smiled brightly

"...No thanks senpai."

The girls seemed particularly happy today, and Haruhi honestly couldn't figure out why. They were stuck in the heat in those stuffy yellow uniforms (She had tried it herself, snd could not say she approved), while the hosts did the same thing they always did.

She stood besides Kyoya before any guests of hers arrived

"Why do they all seem extra... melty today?"

"Showing some skin does seem to strike a cord with the ladies."

"I don't get it, you guys really aren't showing that much skin." In all her earliest memories, plenty of people were showing just as much. Even now, she was no stranger to her father walking around the house in only pajama pants.

He turned his body toward her "It really doesn't affect you? Make you think about how we all must look when we're not wearing those pesky uniforms? After all, our usual attire has at least three layers, this hardly has one."

"No, not really. This is how you guys always are, you just haven't thrown the same cloth over yourselves. I don't suppose this was your idea?"

"Oh no, as I stated the day we met, I am but the vice president. Our president and resident king decided upon todays theme."

"Oh, huh."

"...Though it was likely in part due to the balinese travel guide that he found on his desk."

Ah, so he was the real brain here.

It made sense she supposed.

"That doesn't explain the buzzing excitement."

"Well, it could be the excitement of the upcoming formal party."

"Party? What pa-"

"You'd best be off Haruhi, one of your regulars has arrived. You wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"Why aren't you all dressed up Haruhi-Kun?" One of her guests asked

'Because our president wants to expose me on my third week in.'

"Well it just doesn't seem right, wearing something so summer when it's still spring."

'Nevermind that it's verging on cultural appropriation...'

"You're so loyal!" Another smiled

"I do hope that the cherry blossoms bloom in time for that party, can you imagine it?"

"Oh yes, Haruhi-Kun and me, dancing beneath the sakura!"

"How dreamy!"

"You really think so? I don't actually know how to dance, but if it would make you ladies happy, I'll do my best to learn."

As the girls simultaneously sighed at Haruhi's Haruhi-ness, a girl with short light brown hair walked up to her.

"Excuse me," She said in a rich tone "I believe it's time for the hosts to receive their next guests."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be my next appointment Miss.-"

"Kanako, Kasugazaki Kanako*. You're very cute, much more than I ever could've expected. In fact... I do believe I'll keep you." She touched a gentle hand to the other side of Haruhi's jaw, and angled it towards her.

Once all the guests had left, Haruhi turned to Tamaki.

"Alright Senpai, you've been all gloomy and eating ramen since just after the beginning of club, what is it?"

"The reason Tono won't put down that commoner's food and help plan-"

"-is because he's bother that princess Kasuga has taken quite the shine to you."

"He really shouldn't be surprised, she's had the disease for quite a while at this point." Kyoya did not look up from his laptop as he spoke.

"Disease?"

"She's a host hopper,"

"Never the same guy twice." The twins explained

"Often our customers choose one host and frequently visit. In contrast, Princess Kanako switches between us on a regular basis."

"MhhhM!" Hunny came up behind her and Kyoya to continue the explanation "Before you, she was with Tama-chan, and even before him she would ask for Hika-chan and Kao-chan."

"Ah, so he's annoyed I took her from him."

"That isn't it at all!" Tamaki yelled "Haruhi, you have to start acting like a girl!"

"What?"

"I can't even fathom how the ladies love you so much, You're a lady! No one besides those of us in this room are aware of your secret, it's not right!"

The twins backed him up

"She chose not to do gym class," Hikaru said

"And since the attendance numbers mix together, nobody can even tell that she's a girl."

Tamaki rushed off and returned with a trunk. He rifled through it and pulled out a large portrait that had a ridiculously much frame around it.

"That's enough Haruhi, you're daddy demands that you return to how you were then!"

The picture had been taken in middle school, back when she wore her contacts and her hair still reached her back.

"Don't blow up my photos!"

"The more I see this picture, the more amazed I am. She looked like such a sheep dog when she showed up..." One twin noted

"Haru-chan, you look so pretty!"

"Well some kid put gum in my hair, and getting it out would've been a lot of work. Instead I just cut it off, who even cares if I look like a dude?"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that ladies don't use the word dude?!"

Kyoya froze where he stood and turned to the blond "Tamaki, I suggest you cease and desist."

"I will not, it's important she knows these thing!"

"Well she might've, I seriously doubt it though." Haruhi shrugged

"What do you mean she 'might've'?" The twins asked

"My mother is dead, she died when I was a kid."

The host club fell silent

"Haru-chan..."

"I tried to tell you." Kyoya rubbed one temple

"So I guess I really wouldn't know whether she taught me something like that. My Mother was a good woman though, and I doubt she would've assigned such baseless rules to me due to my apparently being a lady."

"Haruhi, I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine."

"No it isn't." Hikaru said "He crossed a line. He should know not to bring that up."

"What do you mean? He couldn't have known."

"Hikaru and I... well, we don't really have a mother either. Not that the boss ever gets to see his..."

"Oh."

"Haru-chan? If it doesn't bother you... how did she die?"

Haruhi took a moment to choose her words "She got sick... and no one was left who would know how to help her."

Almost no one had been left at the point her mother had fallen ill, and with no mermaid doctor in sight, she had died. Once news of her death had somehow reached the surface, those who still hunted stormed the remaining mermaids as they mourned. Her father had managed to find her before she could be slaughtered, and she learned to adjust to the dry life she lived with him (all while he adjusted to the knowledge that the woman he loved had died).

A/N: *Think of James bond introduction and then switch it because reverse order.

I actually finished this a little bit after chapter 6, but I didn't want to post two chapters at once because then I would think that's okay and my schedule that I made for when I'm allowed to write would go all out of wack.

I've taken the host club and made Mori the only one without any family issues, not that it took any effort. Fun fact about impundulu, the word translates as lightning birds. All of these species are going to be a mix of research I've done with how I need to fit it to my story, but I plan to leave the beliefs behind impundulu most intact, as they aren't something that has vastly varying stories throughout the whole world. Sure there are different explanations of what they are (that's why I have to find multiple sources), as is with anything, but they're a (from what I've read South) African story.

I love how I managed to go from just writing the episode to suddenly setting up a whole backstory.

-Lucas_Gilbert