Chapter 1: Introducing the Host Club

Note: If you have submitted an OC or are in the process, dont be discouraged, this fic is still open for submissions. The party's just getting started.

Ouran High School, a school for the Elite and the Rich. Whether you were from Japan itself or a foreign student, to succeed in Ouran High School was to be guaranteed success in your future endeavors. To be granted the privilege to study under its staff was a chance only granted to the most qualified scions of the most successful families in the world with only the rarest of exceptions. For the first time since Ouran's founding, two generations in a row had produced someone judged worthy of the school by intellectual value alone.

A fact Makoto Shinobu couldn't help but note the irony of as he ran through the halls lost and confused. 'this building alone is bigger than the mall mom goes to, and it's just one of ten!' he thought to himself as he slowed down to turn left at a corner. Rather than another hallway, he ended up slamming into a door. "Owowowowow!"

He shook off the pain in his nose and looked up at what he'd ran into. The left door on a set of double doors, set under a sign that read Science Room 5. "Scie- maybe someone's in here who could give me directions!" Makoto said as he pulled open the door and walked in, attempting to straighten his yellow windbreaker and make his mess of black hair presentable. "H-Hello?"

The room was big, bigger than the classrooms or even the cafeteria in his middle school. Unfortunately Makoto didn't see anyone in the room, just a few gadgets on stands and a metallic statue of an eagle. He sighed and turned back to the doors.

"Intruder Detected!"

Makoto blinked as music began to play. He turned back to see the metallic eagle open its wings and fly straight at him. "H-holy crap, Help!"

"Intruder Detected!"

"The Eagle born by those who pledged their lives in sacred honor..."

Makoto ducked underneath the eagle as it swooped down at him, running behind one of the stands for cover. "What is going on!?" Makoto said as he covered his head with his hands. "What even is that!?"

"Intruder Detected!"

"Was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar!"

"Help!" Makoto said as he curled into the fetal position, The Eagle bearing down at him.

"Rocket, stop!"

Makoto opened his eyes and saw the statue standing in front of him, not moving and looking past him. He turned his head to follow the birds gaze to see a blond boy in the Ouran school uniform, a bandana tied around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes. For a moment Makoto wondered if it was necessary, seeing as the boys hair seemed to naturally lean back, as if caught in a perpetual wind or explosion.

Green eyes glared at him and he stunk back. "Sorry, I got lost and-"

"Lost, here, are you a new student then?"

Makoto screamed and jerked away from the new voice, turning to see a girl with wavy, wheat blonde hair heels out of her face by blue butterfly hair clips. She blinked at his reaction and then looked up. He did the same to see the device on the stand he'd been using for cover fall to the ground. He felt his soul leave through his mouth as the device shattered on contact with the ground, broken bolts and glass shooting across the floor.

"Oh my…" the girl said as she looked back at Makoto. "We should probably get the ki-"

"Rocket! Sic 'em!"

"Murica, Fuck yeah!"

"Maverick call him off, now!"

"Get out of Rockets way, Lovisa."

"Maverick!"

Takahiro couldn't help but grin as he looked at the person in front of him. Short black hair, brown eyes, scruffy clothes, glasses…

They had their very own Haruhi, fate was smiling on the Host Club once again and sent him his own Haruhi! "That was a Maverick original, designed for the upcoming Host Ball to build up money for charity!" he said, getting a look from Lovisa and Maverick. So the event he mentioned wasn't exactly a Host Club event but a school event the Club was part of… so what? "And if I'm right, you're Makoto Shinobu, the one who got in by scholarship, so you probably can't afford to pay us back…"

Makoto was pretty sure he'd never been more scared in his life. From what the first boy had said about thing he'd broken, it was expensive, and now the other boy was confirming it. He'd made it to Ouran High School just to get lost, break something, and probably was about to get kicked out!

"You'll just have to work your debt off here with us at The Host Club!" Takahiro said before clapping his hands. Makoto looked at the boy in confusion before feeling someone pick him up.

"Woah, hey!"

"Pretty lightweight, I'm thinking a medium length, but closer to a small around."

Makoto turned his head to see a yellow eyed boy with choppy blond hair and thin features holding him up seemingly without effort. "Huh?"

"Might need to invest in him a bit, that hair looks as if it's only given the most basic cleanup." Another turn of the head revealed a boy with long, pale blond hair falling over round glasses and sharp facial features. "I'll pay for it, no need to take advantage of his lack of preparation, this is a bit sudden after all."

Makoto looked down in mild shame at his hair being called out, just to see a small boy with medium length brown hair and a round face looking up at him with big, brown eyes. "If he got in on scholarship alone, maybe I can teach him the ropes, we'd fit like peas in a pod!"

"Or with me, a commoner like him will need to learn the right compliments to pay to a lady after all." Makoto shivered as he looked back up to see a girl with flowing brown hair staring at him with light brown eyes and a gentle look on her face. "Don't worry yourself, with our tutelage you'll be free in no time."

"If you've all got that covered then I wont worry about it, got enough on my late as it is… I'm already late for a nap." Makoto looked over the girls shoulder to see a boy with burgundy brown hair leaning against the wall, leafing through a book.

"You've already met Maverick and Lovisa, allow me to introduce the rest of our beloved hosts, Siegfried, Kaiji, Yukio, Tsubaki, and Haruki." The blond boy who seemed to be in charge said. "As for me, my name is Takahiro, you can call me Sir or My King!"

Makoto looked at Takahiro in trepidation as he was put back on the ground. Lovisa walked up to him and took his hand. "Come along, let's get you in more suitable clothes, Kaiji, if you'd join us."

"Give me a moment to get my supplies."

Takahiro poured a bit as Makoto was brought back out in a boys uniform, tailored to his form. The boys black hair had been trimmed short, resembling a pixie cut, yet he still looked boyish. 'Haruhi was a girl right… With that haircut it should be showing.'

"I daresay it's my second best work yet, still nothing compared to my own but one can only shine up a commoner so much." Kaiji said as he walked up to Takahiro. "Thankfully we already had a few extra sets of the boys uniform, Lovisa was able to resize them to fit our newest additions body like a second skin."

Takahiro grinned. "Unfortunately, our first rush of the day is coming soon and we won't have time to train you in the art of pleasing our customers." Takahiro said as he put a card into Makoto's hand. This would be their first test. "Instead, why don't you get us some supplies, coffee, tea, tea cakes, that sort of thing!"

"Huh… uh… okay?"

"Great, go on, we'll still be here when you get back!" Takahiro said as he led the boy out the door and closed it behind him. " … So… thoughts?"

"I wasn't sure what you were after when you asked me to give them a more feminine haircut… but it turned out well, it suits them somehow."

Takahiro nodded and looked at Lovisa, who gave him a bit of a look. "And what do you think, Lovisa?"

"They seem like they'll be a good fit, if they can get past the shock of everything."

Takahiro grinned before hearing the doors open. "Ah, time to get starting, places everyone!"

The doors opened and Rocket flew over to Mavericks arm as a girl rushed up to him, latching onto his other arm and dragging him to a group of girls while giggling. The boy just looked down at her with soot on his cheek, pretending to lose his balance for a second in mock surprise. Yukio's attention was taken immediately by a pair of girls with a bag of candies and what looked like biology books.

Kaiji found himself with a group of girls, going over hair care products and methods while Tsubaki joined a pair of girls who had dragged their friend to the Host Club. From what Takahiro could overhear, her boyfriend has broken up with her for particularly shallow reasons. He gave a look to Siegfried, who nodded to him before he went to join Lovisa in hosting a group of seven or so boys and girls, wrapping his arms around her and giving the boys a halfhearted glare before Lovisa giggled and patted him on the cheek.

"Takahiro-sama!"

"Coming ladies!"

Oh how he loved being King of the Host Club.

Makoto swiped the card Takahiro had given him. After the blond had pushed him out of the room, one of the others, he wasn't sure which, had texted him an actual list of things for him to buy. They hadn't explained what brands, exactly, just what they wanted. They also hadn't mentioned how much money was on the card.

So Makoto decided he'd play it safe, get the good stuff at the mall, not the bargain stuff he and his mom bought but the freshly baked goods, the richer, brand name instant coffee instead of the stuff his mother gulped down before work.

The good stuff.

The card seemed to have enough in it, so Makoto figured he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and just head back to the Host Club. As far as hazing went this didn't seem too bad... at least they weren't using his hair as a mop to clean up his mess. The haircut was a bit embarrassing but he was getting compliments on it.

The trip back to the school was uneventful, and he came back with the groceries he was asked to get... and a lot more people hanging around the room. "Huh, who's that?"

"Oh he looks yummy..."

"Ah, Makoto, you're back just in time!" Takahiro said as he walked up to the boy, hands inside the grocery bags and searching through what he bought. He pulled out a carton of instant coffee and gave it a look. "Hmm, instant coffee?"

"... Did I mess up?"

Takahiro shrugged. " I don't know... is it good?"

"It's well known for being a good coffee for the working class. I doubt anyone here has tried it." Tsubaki said as she looked at it. "Looks like the same coffee my father's office workers make for meetings."

Takahiros eyes lit up as he held up the carton. "Something new then, that's perfect! I was getting bored with the same coffee everyday!"

Makoto sighed before finding himself being dragged into the kitchen, holy shit this place has it's own kitchen, by Takahiro. "Lets make some right now, hurry!" Takahiro said as he started opening cabinets. "We'll need a pot, what else?"

"Just that, its instant coffee, you just add water and maybe some sugar or cream?"

Takahiro stopped and looked at him. "Really, that quick?" He said before taking the carton and the pot he'd found. He filled the lit and started heating it, then poured in a few scoops of the instant coffee along with a tablespoon of sugar. "Ah, it already smells like coffee, it really is instant!"

"Heh..."

"Now to give it a taste!" Takahiro said as he poured himself a cup. Makoto paled a bit remembering Tsubakis words a moment before as Takahiro took a sip of the coffee. The boy continued until he finished the cup before sighing through his nose. "Oh, that's an important trick by the way, sighing often a drink with an open mouth doesn't look very refined, and doing it through your nose puts the aroma of the drink back in your nose, which helps with stuff that has an aftertaste."

"I deem this coffee... acceptable!"

Makoto sighed in relief yet again as Takahiro grabbed the sugar and cream, adding more in before smiling at Makoto. "It'll be something new for our guests to try, a taste of the common world, help them appreciate all the wonderful things available to us!" He said 'Goal, they might still look boyish but this feels a lot like how Haruhi's first day went, soon we'll have our natural!'

"Now, where were we girls?" He said as he set a platter down at the table he'd been hosting. The girls shared a look as he sat back down. "Now now, don't be like that, I promise it isn't bad, and think how hard people usually work to just have this for a little while, it'll be a good learning experience!"

One of the girls eventually held out their cup for some of the coffee, and Takahiro poured a small amount into her cup, just enough to taste. She brought it to her lips and he smiled warmly. "See, pretty good for how quick it is right?" He said.

"It is!"

"Really?"

"Let me try it!"

Makoto blinked in surprise at the resounding success... was rich person coffee not as special as he thought? Lovisa slid up to the boy with Siegfried and smiled. "That's our King at work, he knew exactly who to serve that coffee to for the best results." She said as she held onto Siegfrieds arm.

"Those three prefer sugar with coffee than coffee with sugar." Siegfried said. "Testing a new coffee on them, using a lot of sugar and cream is like aiming a rifle at a warehouse and just having to hit any part of it."

"Instant coffee tends to be weaker too, letting the sugar and cream come out anyway." Kaiji said as he tucked his hair behind his ears. "A masterful host who can tailor anything to his guests tastes."

'Seriously...'

Takahiro sighed as he relaxed, smiling widely. "All done for the day, now, alas, we need to go home."

Makoto sagged in relief while Takahiro gestured to him. "And we have a new member to show the ropes, Makoto Shinobu, who passed their first test!" He said with a huge grin on his face. "That commoner coffee is exactly what we needed!"

Makoto laughed nervously as he looked around the room at the others, who were smiling at him, with the exception of Maverick. "So... how much longer do I need to stay?"

"Unfortunately, as things are now, you'd still be indebted to us well after graduation." Lovisa said, getting an exclamation of shock from Makoto.

"Which is why, starting tomorrow, we're going to be training you into the perfect host!" Takahiro said with a his fingers. "You'll be learning from us, so be grateful!"

'Just what have I gotten myself into?'

We're still accepting submissions.