Author's note: Welcome to chapter 3! Thanks for sticking with us.

Trigger warning: This chapter mentions the death of Sky's parents, but doesn't go into detail. Tread lightly.

As always, I do NOT own Ouran or the Hosts, much to my chagrin. Reviews and/or PMs are welcome and appreciated!


-Lunchtime-

Sky sat at her desk, finishing up a re-write of one of her assignments. Ugh. Beautiful language, but writing in English is so much easier. Why must my penmanship suck in every language? As she carefully finished the last of her paper, her thoughts turned to lunch, and she wondered why she couldn't remember bringing anything. Oh, right, the cookies and stuff. Well, damn. Way to go, dumbass. Did I bring my wallet, at least?

"Hey, you're Prentiss, right?"

She yelped and whipped her head up at the sound. One of the girls in her class was standing by her desk with a decidedly curious look on her face. Sky cleared her throat and nodded.

"Um, yeah, that's me. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, here. Kyoya Otori asked me to give this to you."

The girl thrust a small envelope in Sky's hand and walked off without another word. Sky shook her head, wondering at the girl's abrupt departure. Weird chick. What's her damage? She shrugged to herself and opened the envelope, revealing a postcard-sized piece of parchment paper with a gilded design swirled around the edges. The note was hand-written in an elegant style. She admired the penmanship as she read it.

To Miss Sky Prentiss

The Ouran Academy Host Club respectfully requests the honor of your presence.

If it is convenient for you, please come to Music Room #3

this afternoon at 3:15. We would be delighted if you would join us.

~Kyoya Otori

PTO

Sky turned the card over to read the brief post-script, noting it was written in the same hand.

Pixie, don't panic. This is an informal gathering, Tamaki just enjoys theatrics. You will be the only guest today, and you've already met the entire Host Club. There will be no surprises, I promise.

~Kyoya

Sky grinned to herself. Well, isn't that sweet? Wonder what they want with me. Guess I'll go, not like I'm busy or anything. She slipped the fancy little card back in its envelope and tucked it into her bag before going back to her homework, lunch completely forgotten.

-End of class, same day-

Sky finished putting her things in her school bag and stood up to stretch, grateful that classes were over for the day. The meeting with the Host Club had been on her mind since lunchtime. Now that the hour was at hand, she started to get nervous. What on Earth could those lads want with me? A small whimper escaped, and she stuck her thumbnail between her teeth, growing more anxious by the second.

Just as she began to wonder if she could sneak out, a tiny whirlwind appeared before her. The ever-hyper Honey bounced to a stop at the desk in front of Sky, grinning broadly. Sky blinked, startled, but made no sound.

"Hi Pixie-chan! Are you coming to the club room now? You got Kyo-chan's invitation, right? You are coming, aren't you?"

She nodded and cleared her throat before answering. Realizing she was still chewing her nail, she stopped and quickly stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Yeah. Um, yeah, I did. I am. I mean… Yes, I got the invitation, and yes, I'm coming. But I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

Sky shrugged a little and reached down for her bag, trying to appear much more confident than she felt.

"Why I was invited in the first place. I mean… What's up? Why was I, like, summoned, or whatever?"

"Oh! That was Tama-chan's idea. He's the club president, and he wanted to invite you properly, instead of running into you again. He thinks you're scared of him, so he had Kyo-chan write it instead."

"Ohh... Well, I guess that makes sense, then. But… Why'd he want to invite me, anyway? Like, I mean, um… Did I do something wrong? What's going on?"

The little blonde's eyes got wide and started to shine as his jaw dropped comically.

"Wrong? Oh, no! No no no! You didn't do anything wrong, Pixie-chan! Everybody just wants to get to know you and be friends! Honest!"

Sky's eyebrows shot up into her hairline in surprise, and she nearly dropped her bag. Friends? With me? A new emotion made itself home in her heart at that moment. It had been so long since she had hope, it took a few seconds before she recognized it. Huh. Friends. There's a novel idea…

She tried out a little smile, and Honey's own sunny grin burst to life in return. His enthusiasm was infectious, and she found her smile growing all on its own. The little blonde may have had enough energy for a couple dozen toddlers full of sugar, but he also had the sweetness to match.

Honey grabbed her free hand and started to tug her towards the door, ignoring the tiny squeak of surprise. Sky was startled, but there was something so innocent about the boy that made it impossible to be afraid, despite the excessive strength she felt in the small hand.

"Come on, Pixie-chan, we don't want to be late! Come on, come on!"

"Ok, ok, gosh. Not all of us have Red Bull for blood, dude. Where's the fire?"

Honey giggled but slowed to a quick walking pace instead. He swung Sky's hand back and forth for a moment and gave it a squeeze before letting go and bouncing around her in manic circles.

"I'm just happy that you're going to hang out with us! I get a little hyper when I get happy."

His laughter was high and bright, like the peal of bells. It was nearly as infectious as his adorable smile, and Sky couldn't stop her own small chuckle. She hitched the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder and tried to keep pace with the little ball of sunshine.

They rounded a corner, and Honey let out a whoop, then took off at top speed.

"There you are, Takashi!"

He leapt at the taller boy, who caught him with an ease Sky envied. She closed the distance as Honey clambered up to sit on Takashi's shoulders with another of his joyous giggles. She wondered just what it was that made the boy so incessantly giddy. She wondered when the last time was that she felt that way herself.

The two boys were waiting for her to catch up. She watched their interaction and envied their bond. She wondered if they were brothers, or just best friends. Either way, it was easy to see how well they fit together. Like two sides of the same coin.

"Hurry up Pixie-chan, come on! Everyone's waiting!"

"Mitsukuni."

Just one word. Just his name, quietly uttered by his friend, and Honey was instantly still and calm.

"Sorry Takashi. I'm just excited that Pixie-chan's coming with us."

The taller boy patted the leg hooked over his shoulder in a reassuring manner. As Sky approached, he inclined his head slightly in greeting. Suddenly shy, she gave a little nod in return.

The walked in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a minute. Sky kept her gaze on the floor, trying to work out the new things she was feeling. She was nervous, of course, and her anxiety was definitely making its presence known. But there was something else too. Something…hopeful. Something that wasn't the abject terror she usually felt being so close to anyone male.

She was shaken from her thoughts by Honey's small hand patting her on the head. She twitched and gasped, startled, then looked up at the boy, who started giggling yet again.

"Where'd you go, Pixie-chan? Off in the clouds?"

"Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning."

The Neverland reference slipped out before she even thought about it. She blinked, unsure of how to recover from her mental wandering. Before she could come up with a good way to change the subject, Takashi shocked them both by joining the conversation.

"Would that make you Peter Pan, or Wendy?"

"Neither, silly! She's Pixie, so obviously she'd be Tinkerbell!"

Sky grinned slightly at Honey's observation but shook her head just a little.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I always fancied myself one of the Lost Boys when I was little."

"But Pixie-chan, you're a girl! You couldn't be a Lost Boy."

"I would have been the very first Lost Girl then, how's that?"

Honey giggled at the thought and patted Sky on the head again. She glanced up at him, and then tried for an offended look.

"Hey, I would've been a great Lost Girl, you know."

They grinned at each other, and Sky stuck her tongue out, eliciting another round of bell-like giggles. Even Takashi's lips curved up in a small smile.

"You're silly, Pixie-chan. But you would've made a cute Lost Girl!"

Sky was a little shocked when Takashi nodded in agreement. She blushed, and wondered why. She switched her gaze back to the floor, suddenly shy again. This day was getting weirder and weirder. She mentally shook herself. Knock it off, Prentiss, you're fine. Just chill.

After another small companionable silence, they reached the door to Music Room #3. Honey leapt nimbly off his tall friend's shoulders and grabbed Sky's hand while Takashi opened the door. Honey tugged Sky into the room, squeezing her hand.

"We're here! We brought Pixie-chan! Ta-da!"

Sky was grateful when the little blonde released her hand. She quickly stuffed it in her pocket, gripping the strap of her bag tightly with the other. She glanced around nervously, but Kyoya's note had been true; there were only the boys from this morning gathered in the room. A little sigh of relief escaped her lips.

The taller blonde came forward slowly, smiling hesitantly. He stopped a few feet away and bowed deeply, one hand held to his heart. When he straightened, his eyes were glistening slightly, and he looked forlorn. He knelt and looked up imploringly.

"My dear princess, I am truly sorry for frightening you yesterday. I would never purposely upset such a lovely young lady, and I cannot apologize enough for my ungentlemanly actions. Please, princess, relieve my poor aching heart and say you forgive me."

Sky wanted badly to laugh at his over-dramatic speech, but she heard the sincerity behind the theatrics. She cleared her throat quietly and placed her hand over her heart, inclining her head in a slight bow. She spoke softly, slowly, and without the stammering from before.

"I would, but there's nothing for which you need to be forgiven. You've done nothing wrong. I'm sure you're a perfect, princely gentleman, Tamaki. My own actions were the cause of my untimely fainting spell yesterday, and I am so very sorry."

Her small speech was rewarded with a sunny grin from the blonde, who jumped up and whooped in delight. He rushed forward with arms outstretched. Before Sky could do more than yelp, Takashi was in front of her, shielding her from the very-excitable Tamaki. She trembled behind the tall boy, whimpering quietly.

"I wasn't going to hurt her, Mori-senpai, honest!"

He sounded crestfallen, and Sky actually felt bad for him for a moment. A small part of her wanted to reach out to him, but was overshadowed by her fear.

"Hugging scares her, Tamaki."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

His voice was very quiet as he replied to the older boy's statement. He sounded genuinely remorseful, so Sky stepped out from behind the calm one. She cleared her throat and smoothed her jacket.

"It's alright, it's fine."

Tamaki's eyes were glistening again, and he took a single step towards the girl. He held his hands out in a gesture of peace and apology.

"I am so sorry, princess Pixie. Really, honestly, I'm sorry. I would never scare you on purpose."

"It's alright, Tamaki. Really, it's ok. It's, um… It's not you, exactly."

Sky offered a tiny grin before sticking her thumbnail between her teeth and biting down nervously. Tamaki's face cleared, and his sunny smile returned, relieved. He kept his distance and inclined his head slightly.

Before anything else could be said between the two, Kyoya had approached quietly. He stopped beside Tamaki and bowed before greeting the girl.

"Good afternoon, Pixie."

"Good afternoon, Kyoya. Um. Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm glad you were able to come. We've been looking forward to visiting with you."

Sky blushed slightly and lowered her gaze back to the floor. Why were these boys being so nice to her? It was weird. She wasn't used to being paid so much attention like this. She chewed on her thumbnail again. Weird, definitely, but it was also kind of…nice.

"Thanks. Um. Same here. I mean, me too."

Kyoya smiled lightly and nodded in understanding. Sky smiled a little in return and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She glanced around and noticed that the twins had crept closer as well. She greeted them quietly, and their replies were soft but enthusiastic.

Honey apparently got tired of standing around, because he grabbed Sky's hand and gave it a tug. She glanced down at his beaming grin and couldn't help smiling broadly in reply. The happy little blonde pulled her over to one of the ornate sofas that were scattered throughout the room.

"Come on, Pixie-chan, sit by me and Usa-chan!"

Sky perched on one end of the sofa, noting the adorable pink bunny from that morning in the opposite corner. Honey picked the stuffed toy up and hugged it tightly, flinging himself down next to Sky. She squeaked in alarm, but resisted the urge to flee or hide. It's fine. You're fine. Stay frosty. When she didn't move away, Honey rewarded her with another joyful grin.

Takashi sat next to Honey and stretched his long legs out, leaning back into the corner. The others arranged themselves on a nearby sofa, Tamaki and the twins looking as if cameras were going to be pointed at them any moment. Kyoya sat primly, graceful hands folded neatly over a notebook in his lap. Sky shifted slightly, crossing her ankles, and wondered what she should say. She glanced between all the boys, trying to push her growing anxiety down.

Kyoya must have seen the apprehension on her face, because he nudged his glasses up and spoke softly.

"Honey-senpai tells us that you're originally from America."

Sky cleared her throat quietly and twisted her fingers together in her lap. She raised her eyes to Kyoya for a moment before replying.

"Yeah. Um, I am. I, um… I was born in Illinois, but I lived in New York with my second parents for the last four years, until a little over a week ago. Um. My father was born here, though."

"It must be quite a change for you, being here."

Before she could utter a single syllable in reply, one of the twins interjected with a more pointed question.

"Second parents? What do you mean by second parents?"

"Oh. Um. Well…"

She swallowed thickly and stared at her hands, wondering how much information she should give up.

"Um. Well, I mean, they're my adoptive parents. My uh, my first parents… They, um… They, they died when I was eleven…"

There were several gasps, then Tamaki and Honey both burst into tears. The twin who had spoken looked horrified when Sky risked a glance up. Before she had the chance to reassure the boys, Honey flung his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly to his thin chest, weeping.

"Oh no! Poor Pixie-chan! That's so sad, I'm so sorry!"

Sky patted his back and tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron. She cleared her throat and spoke as loudly as she could, muffled against his jacket.

"Can't breathe, suffocating here."

He yelped and pulled back, apologizing profusely. Sky took a deep breath and patted the little blonde head.

"It's alright, Honey. I'm ok, really. Please don't cry. You either, Tamaki. Gosh, I didn't mean to upset everybody…"

"It's just so desperately sad, princess! Your poor heart must have been broken!"

"Among other things, yeah. But really, don't worry. I'm lucky enough to have gotten a second set of amazing parents. Things have a tendency to balance out more or less evenly. And seriously, I'm no princess, Tamaki."

"Oh, but you are! All young ladies are princesses!"

Sky couldn't help the derisive snort that escaped. She wondered just what sort of princess had rainbow hair and loads of scars and cursed like a deckhand. She wondered what these fancy lads would think if they knew what she was really like.

"Sure, if you say so. But still, you can just call me Pixie, or Sky. No need to treat me so formally. I'm not anything special."

She shrugged and kept her eyes focused on her hands.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that, Pixie. Though, truth be told, you certainly don't look the part of a princess."

Kyoya's voice was soft, and his words were tinged with the slightest hint of humor. The twin who hadn't spoken yet finally piped up, a decidedly curious note to his voice.

"Yeah, that's for sure. How come you're wearing the male uniform? It's not like you're hiding the fact that you're a girl or something."

Kyoya shot a glare at the redhead, but Sky actually grinned and laughed quietly.

"Oh, that's an easy one. I absolutely hate pastels. Especially yellow. If I have to wear a uniform, this one is so much more acceptable. Even if it is too light for my tastes."

"Too light?"

"Oh, um. I uh, just tend to like darker colors in my wardrobe. This is pretty much the only light-colored outfit I own. Well, except for some costume pieces, I mean."

Tamaki's head shot up and his eyes lit up in excitement. Uh oh, what'd I say? He leaned forward, but thankfully stayed in his seat.

"You do cosplay, Pixie?"

His tone was glad and hopeful, like he'd found a kindred spirit at last. He looked nearly as giddy as Honey in that moment, and Sky found herself shrinking against the back of the sofa.

"Um, yeah. It wasn't super popular back in New York, but I did alright. I've gotten pretty decent at fabricating my own props and stuff, too."

Tamaki clapped in joy and bounced in his seat. Kyoya laid a hand on his friend's arm, but Tamaki didn't try to get up. Sky was grateful and tried to relax a little. She ran her fingers through her hair without thinking and tucked the long strands behind her ear.

"Wow Pixie-chan, you have lots of earrings!"

She was confused for a second, then blushed and flipped her hair over her ear again. Balls! Pay attention to what you're doing, dumbass!

"Oh. Um, yeah. I, um… I know that's not such a big thing around here, that's why I usually keep my ears covered."

Honey reached over and swept Sky's hair behind her ear again, trailing his fingers through the long locks. Then he leaned over and did the same with the other side before patting her cheek.

"You don't need to hide, Pixie-chan. I like your earrings, they're cute."

Sky blushed, shocked at the compliment. This was just getting too weird. Maybe this was all just a dream, and she'd wake up in her own bed any moment now. She tucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down nervously. Ow! Ok, not dreaming. So what gives?

"Cute, yeah, but there's a ton of them. Don't some of those piercings hurt?"

She looked up at the twins, unsure of which one spoke this time. It was going to take some time, trying to tell them apart. She shrugged slightly.

"Um, yeah, sort of. I mean, um… A couple of the higher ones kind of stung a little bit, I guess. Nothing serious, though."

She reached up and brushed her fingers over the multitude of silver studs and hoops, contemplating. She had never really thought about the piercings themselves. It was such a small, fleeting pinch, it didn't really count in her eyes. She shrugged again and dropped her hand back to her lap. Might as well say it aloud, it couldn't make anything worse.

"Honestly, I didn't really think about it. They just pinch for a second or two, and then it's over. I wouldn't really count it as pain, I guess. Besides, I think of it as artwork. And don't they say that art is pain? Something about bleeding for one's art?"

There were a few small chuckles, and she smiled slightly. This was turning out so much better than she had thought. Maybe everything really was going to work out. She risked a glance around, and was relieved to find what seemed to be genuine smiles and interest.

They chatted for a while longer, and Sky grew more relaxed the longer they sat together. She was actually almost comfortable sitting there, surrounded by males. It was almost surreal, and she wondered what it was about this group that made her feel so at-ease. She thought it was incredibly strange, but also enjoyable.

The boys told her stories of the Host Club activities, and she spoke of life in New York. There wasn't much to tell, since she mostly kept to herself and stayed inside at home as much as possible. She was content just to sit and listen. Tamaki did the most talking, gesturing wildly and over-acting the smallest scenes. He seemed genuinely excited about everything, and she wondered if he was always so very animated, or if he'd only over-indulged on the sweets she'd brought that morning. Somehow, she thought that this might be his normal demeanor.

She learned that the Host Club often used cosplay to entertain their guests, and somehow found herself promising to bring Tamaki a photo collection of her own costumes and props. How that happened, she wasn't sure.

After what felt like only a few minutes, it was time to leave. She found herself oddly upset at the thought. She wondered why, and it took several moments before it dawned on her. She'd actually had fun! She enjoyed spending time with the strange little group. Looks like she was going to have some friends after all. And male friends, at that. How odd.