'Strange' didn't even begin to cover it.

While the weekend spent at Haruhi's mansion was definitely nothing less than strange, it was stranger still to see their rookie back in the role of the resident pauper. True, she could not risk letting herself be exposed, and she really didn't seem to mind doing the chores, but there was a strange feeling of discontent among her fellow hosts. The urge to rush forward and present themselves as assistants had never felt quite as overwhelming as it did that Monday after their short stay with Haruhi. And the oddness of their actions didn't really register with them until one of the regulars had commented when the twins had rushed over to take an empty pot off Haruhi's hands, insisting on refilling it for her and running off, leaving the latter staring after them, flabbergasted. It was at this point that Kyouya had stepped in and explained – quite charmingly- that Haruhi was feeling unwell, and as she was a part of their 'family', the other Hosts were just looking out for her. Of course, this sparked the interest of their customers who then bombarded Haruhi with questions regarding her disappearance from club activities the previous week. The glare Haruhi tossed at Kyouya was scathing, to say the least.

It was in the middle of the week following the excitement at the Brooks' home that the Host Club received an unexpected guest. While there had been no more dangerous encounters for the heir to the Brook's fortune, the Host Club had played it safe, making sure that she was not left completely alone, even on school grounds. Though Haruhi complained about the lack of privacy, she could not get any of her friends to back down, and had to resign herself to being accompanied even to the door of the girl's restroom. The solution to this situation was a simple one, though not necessarily welcome.

It was a rather chilly day, yet the Host Club was as cheerful as ever, and had even planned a carnival theme for the day. The laughter and excited squeals of their patrons as they attempted to win some absurd plush toy by tossing darts at balloons and other equally commoner-esque games drowned out the roar of thunder that heralded the approaching thunderstorm. So it was no wonder that no one noticed the door to their paradise open, nor did they notice the small sized brunette who stepped into the room until the door closed with an audible click. Only then did the girls close to the door turn around and stare at the figure that stood there, unsure. Even though this was not the first time any of the girls who frequented the Host Club had seen a commoner girl (they had just seen one merely a week ago), it was safe to say that many of them were starting to question if the commoners on the other side of their world were really all so gorgeous. They probably were not, but when their only two encounters with girls of common descent were with extremely outstanding specimens, their doubt was justified.

The excitement did not die away, but there was an obvious hush that fell over most of those close to the entrance, as curious eyes turned towards the creature that had invaded their abode. The first sign of her obvious lack of money was that she wasn't in the standard puffy yellow uniform assigned to all the girls at Ouran. Secondly, although she was dressed stylishly - in distressed jeans and a white fringed halter top - it was evident to the discerning eye that her clothes were far from the best of quality, and thirdly, put quite frankly, she just looked completely uncomfortable and out of place. Past those facts, it was undeniable that she was more than easy on the eyes – steely gray eyes, lusciously thick, jet black hair (Yes, there was envy. A lot of it.), and a body that a number of the other girls in the room would be willing to die for.

Not waiting for a response from any of the hosts who had yet to notice her presence, she turned to the nearest girl, a ginger who had been attempting to throw hoops.

"Is Haruhi in here?" The newcomer asked shyly, her eyes meeting momentarily with the other as she smiled sweetly. Nodding dumbly, the ginger pointed towards a table which sat a couple of girls and a certain brunette host. Sending the ginger another sweet smile with a nod of thanks, Raven glided over to the table that had been pointed out to her, conscious of all the glances that she drew along the way. Haruhi was oblivious to what was happening around her, and was trying hard to fish something out of a tub of water with a tiny hook. She nearly succeeded when her world suddenly went black.

She reached up and tried to tug down the hands covering her eyes, but they didn't budge.

"Guess who," there was a soft whisper next to her ear, a voice that she couldn't fail to recognize.

"Raven? Is that you?" She tugged once more on the hands, pulling them away and turning around to see Raven grinning at her.

"I've been wanting to see where you hung out when you weren't at home." Raven said, looking around the room in awe. "This place is cool."

"Raven, what are you doing here?" Haruhi asked, looking slightly perturbed.

"Yuri told me you were here."She replied, eyes still travelling around the room.

"Haruhi, who is this?" Haruhi smiled apologetically at the girl eyeing Raven suspiciously.

"Ah, where are my manners, this is Raven," she said, laughing sheepishly.

"I'm a friend of Haruhi's from middle school," Raven cut in. She offered her hand and smiled charmingly at the girl who took it, looking rather wonderstruck.

"It's nice to meet you!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Did Yuri send you here?" Haruhi asked from where she sat on the sofa. Club activities had ended earlier, and the hosts had just finished sending off a horde of extremely excited girls. The appearance of one of Haruhi's childhood friends had spurred a torrent of questions regarding Haruhi's past, her favourite foods, her favourite drinks, and all sorts of other inane things, not to mention requests for her childhood pictures. The announcement by the resident King that the Host Club was closing for the day was met with many disappointed moans and complaints, but the customers were promised another interview with Raven at a later date. Many of them seemed to have developed a sort of fondness for Raven herself, and had inquired as to the type of shampoo and conditioner that she used, among other things. She was exhausted from all the smiling she had done.

"Yes and no," came her reply. "He didn't explicitly say that he wanted me here with you, but since you've been complaining about having that bunch -" she nodded her head towards where the other Hosts were, "– following you around, we figured that it'd be better if it were me."

"Great. Now instead of just having them around, you'll be shadowing my every move."Haruhi collapsed back against the armrest, and let out a sigh. "How is that any better? Plus you can't just sit here while I'm hosting. Did you see their reaction towards you? You'd just cause another commotion."

"Well then, why don't I join you?" Raven asked coolly. Haruhi glanced at her.

"Pardon me?" She asked.

"Why don't I become a host too?"