Meant to have this up last week but some things came up and I was unable to get to a place with a wifi network. So here's chapter 5, and I hope to have this chapter get the ball rolling for Zaltanna and Mori's romance.

Thanks go to: those who have hit the favorite and follow buttons, as well as to tumblr. Some of the pics I've been finding on there have been poking me in the side to get this chapter written.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any of its characters. They belong to Bisco Hatori. I do however own Zaltanna.

Adjusting to life in Japan wasn't that hard for Zaltanna, adjusting to life at Ouran, however, was still a work in progress. The month or two that had passed since she started were met with many stares and glares from everyone including staff when she walked down the halls. She knew the exact reason why, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Her father hadn't given up on his dream, even if it had taken him a few years, and she was going to live up to him. She was going to keep fighting for her dream, with words and etiquette more than fists and arguments.

Some of the students had just learned to ignore her all together after a while, finding it useless to try to change the mind of a foreigner. Zaltanna seemed to think that they ignored her for the simple fact that her stubbornness in pursuing a man's job would soon make her realize that she was more suited to the stereotypical role of 'house wife'. She had smirked when she realized this; she would definitely prove them wrong that being a 'house wife' suited her best. Not really caring for cooking or house hold chores, wasn't the issue. The issue as her grandfather loved to remind her, and she knew it to be true, was that independence and being free to live her life the way she wanted kept her from being able to comprehend simple everyday tasks. Zaltanna could cook and do chores just fine to get by, she just didn't like them.

The students and teachers, who encouraged her, were the ones she chose to stick with. Knowing that they were open minded enough that gender roles were starting to fade and that jobs only thought to be for one gender or another were starting to gain a boost in interest as men and women pursued a career that was once unavailable to them. Those students were few, the Host Club included, and they were fascinated in not just Zaltanna and her culture but they enjoyed her talking to them about her dream. She didn't go into specifics too much, afraid to lose them with an explanation that she could give to another mechanic and be perfectly understood. The staff who looked out for her was even less than the students. A math teacher, who was familiar with the auto industry, a literature teacher, who believed in following your dreams and that everyone had a place in the world, and her swim coach, who didn't take crap and didn't give it.

Zaltanna looked at the progress she had made in the short time she had been there and was happy with it. Those who mind don't matter and those who don't mind, matter. It was the same motto she lived by at home, even though they were far more open to her career choice than the people here. She was keeping up with her grades, pushing herself in practice, volunteering at the garage a few days a week and starting to get those two twins of the Host Club to take a step out of their bubble into the real world. At least she hoped they were starting to, she had seen through their pranks enough in the last few weeks. She knew they weren't done playing tricks on her and she was looking forward to what they could dish up next as they seemed to come up with a slightly better one each time. It was more for amusement that she saw through their pranks, because the looks on their faces when she bested them was priceless.

Amusement however was not what she got when she walked in the Host Club door that afternoon. The twins, Zaltanna could tell, were going to do something as she could sense it from them. She was a little surprised that they hadn't thrown it at her when she walked in the door or when she came near them. They just watched her with amber eyes, calculating. It gave her a chill. One that wouldn't go away for the duration of the club, and even immersing herself in the math for the accounts couldn't get her mind off of it.

Cleaning up the club room was going well, minus the grumblings and muttering from the twins, but Zaltanna ignored it. Content with them getting their work done so they could leave. Having put away the cleaning chemicals, she came back into the club room to see that the twins had already left. She raised a brow, wondering if they had given up on pranking her. Mori was walking over to her when he saw her raise her brow in wonder. She must have been wondering about the twins as none of the other Hosts had heard them leave. He too was a little curious as to where they had gone, yet he had a sudden feeling things were about to turn sour.

About to open her mouth to ask where the twins went, Zaltanna felt them wrap her in something and proceed to drag her around the room moving her arms up and down and making squawking noises.

"Zaltanna's a Thunderchicken!" One twin sang as he moved one of her arms up.

"Thunderchicken!" The other twin echoed moving her other arm down.

Zaltanna couldn't unwrap herself from whatever it was as the twins had somehow wrapped it really tight around her. She tried to call for help, but her voice was muffled by the fabric. Feeling herself being picked up and held tightly, but protectively. She started to unwrap herself from whatever costume the twins had put on her. She knew it wasn't anything good if they had been calling her Thunderchicken.

Finally removing the costume and seeing that Mori had rescued her and wasn't looking pleased that the twins had played a prank like this. The other Hosts seemed to agree with Mori as they shared his look of displeasure. The twins didn't seem to care as they were laughing and grinning from ear to ear. The cultural reference of the Thunderbird hadn't been lost on Zaltanna and seeing the costume they had thrown on her she felt every instinct to beat the crap out of the twins. Instead she opted for a different route.

Throwing the rainbow colored chicken costume at the twins with full force Zaltanna snapped at them, "You think insulting an honored animal like the Thunderbird would be a good prank? Parading me around in an even greater insulting rendition of a costume?"

She felt Tamaki wince at her words even if she couldn't see him, and the twins eye's shift to her, laughter still residing in them, "Thunderchicken. Get it?"

"The Thunderbird is not a chicken. It is not to be desecrated by the moniker nor by the ridiculous costume you made. I should beat the bloody crap out of you for this, but I think the Thunderbird will have more fun terrorizing the hell out of you. Frankly you deserve the lesson." Zaltanna snapped again. Their joke not lost on her, but she nor none of the other host's had taken it that way.

"Some chicken-" One twin started.

"Is going to- The other twin continued.

"Teach us a lesson. A mythological chicken at that. Oooo we're so scared." Both twins finished.

"Hikaru and Kaoru. I think you better stop. I won't hold back Zal-chan nor Takashi if they want to beat you senseless if you continue and Zal-chan has every right to beat you up. You just insulted her culture." Huni said calmly but venom lacing every word.

Zaltanna didn't need to see Mori's face to know he was upset. He stayed close enough to her that he could keep her away from the twins if need be. She figured the expression on his face was deadly if Huni had mentioned him.

"We didn't insult her culture. It's a mythological chicken. It's not even real." The twins continued, giggling.

A rush of blond ran behind Zaltanna with a yelp and she looked behind her to see Tamaki cowering behind her, "Back. Off. Tamaki."

"I heard it. A growl. Didn't you hear it?" Tamaki asked quietly clutching to Zaltanna's arm, his eye's wide with fear.

"Hear what?" One twin said puzzled.

"A growl…? Nope." The other twin said looking at his brother.

Tamaki was going to continue when large gold eye's appeared behind the twins, and a primal growl followed them. A growl everyone heard, even the twins. The twins looked behind them, and seeing the gold eye's they bolted out of the club door. No apology, no yell for help, nothing. Just pure terror sent them running out the door.

Still upset Zaltanna shoved Tamaki off of her, "Go cower behind someone else. I'm not your bodyguard."

Tamaki yelped again, tears welling in his eyes, "Mommy the Indian Princess is being mean to me again."

Having had enough Zaltanna rounded on him, "Enough with the Indian crap! If you're going to insult me do it right. It's Native American, and my people don't have princesses. The chief nor his family were considered royalty. Get it out of your head, otherwise you can shove it were the sun don't shine and rotate for all I care."

"Mommy, she's saying vile words!" Tamaki squealed, this time from behind Kyouya's shoulder.

"Tamaki-" Mori started but was cut off by Zaltanna.

"I swear on the Great Spirit Suoh I'll punch you again if you don't shut up!" She yelled.

"Mommy!" Tamaki yelped seeing the look in Zaltanna's eye.

"Tamaki shut up." Mori said firmly, but seriously, getting in between the blond idiot and the upset mechanic.

"Tama-chan I'd listen to Takashi. Zal-chan was just insulted and you didn't help things." Huni said standing beside Zaltanna, looking at the Host Club King dead on.

"But she-" Tamaki started but was interrupted by Zaltanna.

"I'm done. Look for someone else to check those accounts." Zaltanna said looking at each of the remaining hosts before her eye's settled on Mori, lingering a bit too long before she turned around and left.

Four hosts watched her walk out, one was scared, one was calculating, one was thinking and one was upset. Huni and Mori both turned to look at Tamaki, who squeaked when two pairs of eyes met his own and they weren't friendly. Huni he could understand, but Mori? Why would the quiet one look at him deadly?

"Thanks Tamaki. You'll now be in charge of checking those accounts for me." Kyouya said, irritation lacing his voice, "I'll be speaking with those twins about this as well."

Tamaki heard Kyouya but he couldn't really focus on what the Shadow King was saying as Huni and Mori were still glaring at him. It made him uncomfortable, but he really didn't think he had done anything wrong. He just wanted Zaltanna to speak more like a lady, and not like a guy. He had meant the Indian princess comment as a compliment. He had not meant to insult, but apparently he should have just kept his mouth shut.

Deciding that Huni glaring at Tamaki was working, Mori glanced at his cousin wanting to catch up to Zaltanna. The twins had pulled the meanest prank he could think of them doing on her, and it had not gone well at all. The twins were all about fun, but he and the others didn't laugh, not even hinted at a smile. She was raised in a culture that accepted her and Hikaru and Kaoru had insulted it. A small portion was preyed upon by the devils, but Mori had done his homework; The Thunderbird was an honored creature that was capable of creating storms and thunder as it flew. It was also revered as a god and was believed by some tribes to be their ancestor. That small portion was big to Zaltanna, and it mattered to him. She was upset by it, her own life being used as a prank. It was too much.

Seeing the glance from his cousin Huni nodded his head, "She'll listen to you Takashi."

Not needing to be told twice, Mori walked out the door, hoping Zaltanna was still on the grounds somewhere. If she didn't come back to the club, he would understand. Kyouya would protest, but Mori was there when she had punched Tamaki the first time. She had every right to be upset with the King, although punching him wouldn't have been his first reaction to being touched. He knew Kyouya had used that as blackmail to get her to work for them. It wasn't right, but the Shadow King had compromised, and they had both agreed. Mori did have to give one to Kyouya; he hadn't had her become their first female host.

Glancing out of the window at the end of the hall he spotted Zaltanna walking quickly towards the school gates. He could tell from her body language and posture, she was still upset. Running down the flight of stairs and out of the building he caught up with her just before the gates. Stepping into stride beside her he brushed her arm lightly, a silent 'I'm here.'

Zaltanna wasn't going back to the Host Club. She was done with them. Hikaru and Kaoru had gone too far. They got their punishment, but to her it didn't matter. Their insult still stung, and for her an apology wouldn't even begin to get her to forgive them. An apology was better than nothing, but somehow she felt that any apology they would give wouldn't be heartfelt. Don't give an apology you don't mean. Her grandfather had told her that a lot when she was younger, when she got into trouble or hurtful things had been said.

As for Tamaki, that idiot could make his own mushroom growing corner of woe and wallow in his egotistical ways. Zaltanna couldn't make him change, and she wouldn't even try. He had an ego the size of Earth. Attempting to even acknowledge that he had an ego would cause it to swell to the size of the Sun. She wasn't going to give him the pleasure of that. The King could keep his mouth shut around her and not make anymore ignorant or sensitive remarks about her heritage.

Just finishing that thought train, Zaltanna heard Mori beside her, feeling his arm brush hers. The samurai had come on his own, knowing that she was upset, and he didn't want her to be upset. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye she could see that he was worried, his body posture confirmed that. She figured that he kept his distance because he was worried and out of respect. Here was a man who had sense enough to not pester her when she was upset. None of her male friends back home seemed to pick up on that. She had always yelled at them because they felt the need to touch her and talk to her first, not the other way around.

Mori was definitely an intriguing man, one that she wanted to find out more about, more than what she had already learned. She had liked him from the first time they had met, not because he was quiet and reserved, but because there was something about him that she just instantly liked. Zaltanna wasn't sure what that was though, and she was intent on finding out. Where ever or whatever the outcome would be she would accept it.

"I'm not going back to the Host Club, but you already know that didn't you?" She said turning her head to look at him as they walked.

Mori nodded his head in a silent yes.

"Don't think I hate you or your cousin. You guys did nothing wrong." Zaltanna continued.

"I know you don't hate us." Mori responded.

She looked to the hedge beside her, "I just thought the twins were smart enough to pull pranks that we all could laugh at. Not pull my culture into one as the butt of the joke."

Mori watched her quietly, noting that she had in fact humored Hikaru and Kaoru; tried to get them to come out of their world by playing or butting heads with them, "They sometimes don't consider the feelings of others. Being twins they are so wrapped up in their own world, that someone else's feelings don't even come into play for them, which is why their pranks can be so harsh at times."

"It still didn't give them the right to parade me around like a Thunderbird and disrespecting it by calling it a chicken."

"I believe they have learned their lesson." He replied recalling the gold eye's chasing the twins out of the club room.

The creature had come out to teach Hikaru and Kaoru a lesson, even if they thought it wasn't real. It was real enough to Zaltanna that it had reacted to her hurt, chasing the twins out of the school. Mori was sure that they wouldn't be sleeping well that night; their sleep being plagued by nightmares of gold eye's and a primal growl. His mouth gave a small twitch as he grinned. That would be a site he couldn't wait to see tomorrow; Hikaru and Kaoru sleep deprived and jumpy.

"Thunderbird doesn't like being made fun of, especially being referred to as a chicken." Zaltanna added seeing the small grin on Mori's face. It was…awkward on him. She didn't like it.

He locked his eyes with hers, "It shouldn't be made fun of. I've read the legends of it. If they are our ancestors, the twins insulted themselves as well as the rest of us."

She blinked up at him, he had actually read up on her culture. None of her friends had even bothered to get to know her through her heritage, and Mori had, "That they did."

With nothing else to say, they walked on a ways in quiet. Mori hopping that Zaltanna was in a better mood, and Zaltanna still trying to wrap her head around her reserved companion. He had already figured her out. A fiercely independent spirit, who didn't take anything lying down, and wanted it said straight to her face so she could dish it right back. She was going to be a spitfire their class had barely begun to see. He worried for whoever hired her to work for them in the future.

Mori was quiet, reserved, thoughtful and…well she didn't know what else. It was irritating that she couldn't read him as well as she would have liked. Two months of being around him, only had her sure on that tiny amount. Yet Zaltanna was so sure that there was a word that summed him up far easier and it was a really simple word. She mentally frowned, it wasn't fair, and it would bother her until she figured him out.

Feeling a gentle tug on her hair she looked at Mori raising her eyebrow. He handed her a piece of paper and she took it, "Call me."

Nodding her head she slipped the paper in her pocket without looking at it. She saw him reach to grab a small shock of her hair, and sniff it before locking his storm cloud grey eyes on hers, "High Mountain."

Her hair slipping from his fingers she blinked and felt a small blush creep up on her neck. Mori held her gaze intensely for a moment before turning around and walking back towards the school. Zaltanna stood there watching after him, the blush now creeping into her cheeks. The man had done more than just research her culture he had looked into the meaning of her name.

So this was a hard chapter to write all because of Mori . Trying to figure out what he would say and how much, and still keep him in character was nerve wracking, but I love the hell out of hi. So I hope you enjoyed it.

I mean no disrespect on the Thunderbird prank. I actually got the idea for the prank from a roommate of mine who actually did the disrespecting. I figured it would work for Hikaru and Kaoru as they were a bit cruel when they were still in middle school. So again I meant no disrespect.

Zaltana is Native American and does mean 'High Mountain'. Yes I'm aware I've been using two n's and there's a reason which will be explained later.

Please read and review.

Chapter 6 will be up soon.

Zaltanna