And we are finally back to another installment of Shooting Star. For me, this is a couple of days late, but you guys wouldn't know that it was late because I didn't say when I was posting but I did say I would have it up soon... Anyways thank you readers for reading my first chapter. Hopefully this one is also to your liking.

Again, I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, any of its characters, or any of the plot that may or may not cross paths with my story. I only own my OCs.

-Shooting Star-

Chapter 2: In The Line of Fire

"She looks so handsome!", Kagura squealed. She was kneeling on the passenger seat looking back at Ryuken in the new uniform.

"Could you sit like a normal person in the car?" Takeda was driving with annoyance written all over his face. She was louder than usual this morning. "And shouldn't you settle down? What if someone heard you? Why did you even come along?"

"To see how successful my plan is going to be of course and no one is going to hear. The windows are rolled up. You're paranoid." Kagura sat back in her seat properly with a smirk.

"Now, Ryuken. You have to absolutely remember that when at school you are a boy. So don't go and blow your cover by doing girly things. Got that?"

"Yes!" Ryuken nodded eagerly. After the mess that was the school's girl uniform, Kagura had gotten her the boy's uniform. She insisted that if Ryuken also pretended that she was a boy that it would cement the illusion that she wasn't celebrity idol Sugi.

Takeda thought it was all too much, but reluctantly went along with it. Ryuken's mother just didn't want to send her daughter to school wearing a fake beard. No one understood where she got that idea from.

Ryuken's face barely passed for being a boy's, but it still could pass. The blue school blazer and black trousers looked nice on her though. She appeared to be a tall lanky boy.

Both of her makeshift guardians just had to see her off on her first day. While Takeda was nervous for how his student was going to do on her first day, Kagura was excited to see if Ryuken can pull off the boy look. It was in trend for some models this year.

They parked in one of the schools parking lots and stepped out of the car. They were early. Before Kagura could take a step out of the car Takeda quickly closed her door.

"Hey! You almost slammed my ankle in! Why can't I come?" She complained while rolling down the window.

"You're indecent and obnoxious." Takeda pointed out her outfit. She tried opening the door again and he slammed it closed again. "I don't want people to think Ryuken is around people like you.

"Well that is clearly too late." Kagura looked around the parking lot. There were some of the faculty in the parking lot looking at the early morning commotion. Takeda looked around and just gave up.

"Where is Ryu?" Kagura looked around.

Ryuken had followed some of the staff to the school. Her first day excited her and she started daydreaming of how it was going to go, but she didn't notice that she was using an employee entrance and was on the staff basement floor.

"Excuse me. Are you lost? Hello?"

Ryuken turned around after feeling someone tap on her arm. It was a little woman who worked it the school kitchens which was clear by the chef smock she was wearing.

"No. I am going to school." Ryuken politely smiled at her. Ryuken didn't realize she was wandering around aimlessly yet.

"Ohh...You must be new. Let me take you to the right floor, sir." The woman blushed. She hadn't seen this cute student before.

She led Ryuken pass the various staff rooms. There were some whispers and giggling from the female staff members as they made their way to the stairwell. "May I ask what your name is?" she had to know who he was.

"Ryuken Sugiyama, ma'am. It is nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me find my way. May I ask for you name as well?" The woman giggled a bit. Ryuken was just being polite but the woman just found it so charming coming from the handsome boy.

"Just call me Minami." She replied and pointed to down the hall. "Now from here just go straight down and at the end of the hall you'll find the main office. If you ever need help during the lunch period, just ask me. I'll help you with whatever you need, Sugiyama-kun."

"I'll remember that. Thank you again, Minami-san. Hope you have a wonderful day. You too, ladies " Ryuken gave her and the extra staff that followed them to be nosy a small wave and a smile before taking off.

They all giggled. As soon as the student left they all went back down the stairwell and discussed how pleasant and cute the boy was.

As Ryuken walked to the office she had wondered if all of their giggling was about her. She tried to mirror the polite things her father and Takeda did and wondered if she had passed as a boy.

She got her schedule and was given an explanation of were to go from the very nice office lady who seemed to just want to keep talking to her. 'People are so friendly here.'

By time she was able to leave the office more students were coming in and were getting to their homerooms. She made her way up to her class room.

There must have been an open window in that class room because when she stepped in her hair was blown back. Some of the girls in the classroom gasped.

'Am I figured out already?' Ryuken's smile faltered for a second.

The teacher was just staring at her. The whole class was. They didn't get many transfer students and even less of those new students were good-looking. It made Ryuken a little nervous, but she pulled through with a more serious face. "Excuse me miss, is this class 2-A?"

"Oh. Yes. You must be Sugiyama-san." The teacher finally pulled herself together. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

She regained her smile. "Yes." She gave a light bow to her classmates. "I am Ryuken Sugiyama. It is wonderful to meet you all. It has been some time since I have been in a normal school setting so please take care of me. I am looking forward to the time we spend together."

The teacher pointed out an empty desk by the windows. Some of the girls in her class were still looking at her, but now they were whispering to each other and giggling.

'This school giggles a lot. I wonder if I look funny...?' She looked around as she sat down.

The class went on as normal or as normal as it could be. It was the first day so the students were still in a summer mind-set and most weren't paying attention to the instructor's announcements. It didn't matter. Nothing much was happening for the first day.

She sat behind a dark haired boy with glasses who wasn't very happy to be there because some blond was excitedly trying to converse with him about the school year. Most of the class was just like this. They all had someone they knew.

'It seems nice. I wonder if I could eventually make friends...?'

It happened sooner than she thought it would. It was time to go to lunch and three girls appeared at her desk.

"I'm Sachiko and this is Kaori and Kana. We were wondering if you would like to sit with us at lunch today." Ryuken was happy to accept their invitation, but it wouldn't be just them.

After being handed her lunch and a bunch of sweets from Minami, she sat down at the table with the girls and saw that even more girls joined them.

They all quickly introduced themselves and then started a rapid fire of questions about her life. What did her family do? When was her birthday? Her favorite colour? Her favorite subjects? Is she going to join any clubs? What did she do this summer? A braver girl even asked if she had a girlfriend.

It was a lot but she answered all of them. She tried to answer them truthfully but she had to tell a couple of white lies. When she said no to having a girlfriend the girls got even more excited.

-Weeks Later-

As the first weeks went on Ryuken's days were just like her first day of school. The girls and some of her new guy friends would like to make conversation with her in the morning and then for lunch they had a "Ryuken Rotation" of who she would sit with at lunch. By the end of the day they would chat her up before she would get picked up to go home.

Her social life was all fine and dandy but it was the school work that was troublesome. She just wasn't used to it without Takeda's guidance.

Takeda had taken a place at Ouran's junior school and was far too busy these days to work one on one and she hardly even seen her friends do homework. They all just liked to chit-chat, but some how they were passing.

She was by herself walking the school halls a while before classes started that day when she spotted someone sitting in one of the classrooms by themselves. It looked like they were going over something in a book. She couldn't believe her eyes.

'I got to ask,' With that thought, she just walked in. She was desperate.

"Excuse me. Are you actually studying?" Ryuken didn't mean to sound so surprised. The small brunette boy looked up at her. "uh...yes?"

"Ryuken. I am in class 2-A." She shook the boy's hand and sat down next to him so they can look face to face. This guy looked like a serious student so she got serious too.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka and this is class 1-A. Can I help you?" Haruhi was confused but not surprised. This school was weird.

"You are the first person I have seen doing school work. I was wondering if you can help me." "Even though I am a class below you?" "Yes."

Ryuken went on to explaining her situation to Haruhi, but even then Haruhi still had to refuse. "I don't know if I would have time now if I even agree to help you. I am stuck (forced) in going this club after school."

"Hmm. I will think of a solution." Ryuken stood. Other students started to get situated into their seats. "I'll look for you at lunch. Fujioka-san."

"Hey! Wait a minute! I didn't say I would help you..." Haruhi was ignored as Ryuken left the room. 'Why do I get forced into everything...?'

"So who was that?" Hikaru was standing at his desk next to Haruhi's. He was wondering who the suspicious giant was that was sitting in his seat before.

"Was he giving you trouble?" Kaoru was a little more concerned. Instantly, Haruhi knew that lunch wasn't going to be a cakewalk.

-Lunch-

It was a cakewalk for Honey though. He sat down at the usual spot with Mori. Hesitation, moderation, nor patience were ever part of Honey's lunch that almost always is cake. Most of it was gone by time the others showed up.

"You'll choke." Honey was handed some water from Mori as he was shoving a whole slice of cake into his mouth.

"Hani-senpai. Mori-senpai." Kyoya gave a short greeting as he sat down with his seniors and immediately started typing away on his laptop.

"Hiya Kyo-chan! Tama-chan!" Honey briefly paused his cake conquest. Tamaki was with them but he was looking around for a certain someone, but he spotted the little devils instead heading towards the table.

"What have you done with Haruhi! I don't see my dau-" Kyoya subdued Tamaki with a swift hand over his mouth before he revealed their secret to the entire student body.

Haruhi had just become their newest addition to the band of merry makers two weeks ago to pay back what she owes. Kyoya didn't need Tamaki to screw it up already.

"We lost the commoner along the way, Milord." The twins sat down with them. "She is with her boyfriend over there." They pointed behind them to where Haruhi was. She was standing with a tall boy in a corner. They were speaking in hush tones it seemed.

"What?!" Tamaki didn't like it one bit. "She's too young! He didn't even ask me for permission!" He was whisper yelling to his group.

The Hikaru and Kaoru were snickering to themselves. They hit two birds with one stone. Rile Tamaki up and get Haruhi in trouble.

"I doubt that Sugiyama is speaking to her for those reasons, Tamaki." "You know that 'pretty boy' type, Kyoya!?" Kyoya almost choked at the irony. "He sits behind us in class."

Tamaki was shocked. "He was planning to steal her right behind our backs?! When did he get there?" "He has been there since the beginning of the year. You really haven't noticed him?" Kyoya was starting to get a headache.

Meanwhile the two 'lovers' were discussing studies. It was more like Ryuken was begging to Haruhi. She couldn't think of any other solution besides asking Haruhi again.

"Please try to understand my situation. I've never done this on my own. I just don't want to let anyone down..." Ryuken rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.

She was slowly was giving up on the inside. Asking Fujioka for help was going nowhere and she was getting impatient.

Haruhi finally spoke. "Fine. I'll help you figure things out but only after I am done at the host club." She figured if she just needed to give the guy a few tips and he wouldn't need her anymore.

"Host club?" Ryuken was taken back. Kagura had warned her of those places in the dark parts of the city where pretty boys get girls to party with them and do obscene things. (She also warned of their lack of variety whatever that meant.)

She figured that little Fujioka was the type to take care of their appearance based off of how nice clear skin he had but couldn't really pin him as a devious pretty boy host. She still needed his help and she couldn't be rude to her savior no matter what evils he did after school.

Ryuken fought through her discomfort. "I-I'll come get you after then and we can go to my house to study..." She slowly backed away and eventually left the room.

Haruhi barely had anytime to think about how strange that was before Tamaki grabbed her by the shoulders and twirled her around.

"Why are you seeing that boy?! Daddy, didn't give you permission!" He cradled her head in his arms and he dragged her to the table. "He could be dangerous!"

She shook him off as she sat down. "Why would I ask you for permission? I am just helping him out and he seems harmless."

"Haru-chan, would you like some cake?" Honey and Mori had noticed that Haruhi's lunch had was lost sometime during the smothering. She took the slice and just ignored Tamaki.

"Mommmyy, she is ignoring me." Tamaki went on to whine at Kyoya hoping that he would fix it. "You know, Haruhi is right. Sugiyama is relatively harmless."

Kyoya had researched Sugiyama before since his look was popular with the girls but didn't delve into it further because his personality was... bland.

There were no selling points to him as far as Kyoya knew. He was just nice, polite, and knew when to laugh at someone's jokes. Not even an air of mystery to him since he answered questions about himself without hesitation.

But the bland guy was now in direct contact with a Host club member so his background had needed to be checked. It was interesting.

"His father works for Japan's UN ambassador and travels mostly while his mother the former heiress to Saito industries and has poor health. hmm..."

"What do you mean a 'former heiress'?" Haruhi was now listening. She didn't understand the politics of the filthy rich.

"His mom could have gave up the rights to be the successor of the family company." Honey chimed in.

"Or she was forced to for many reasons but it's usually because of being disowned." Hikaru and Kaoru offered their explanation plainly. "Probably because she wanted to marry some lowly government guy".

"It's like Romeo and Juliet!" Tamaki shoved himself back into the discussion. "Their families couldn't keep love apart!" He couldn't hate Sugiyama now that he had some tie to such a romantic story.

As Tamaki was daydreaming how it all had happened, he was ignored again. "So if Sugiyama-sempai only has his father's family then how is he in your class?" Haruhi finally came to the same question Kyoya was thinking.

"I am not sure. Usually government favors are placed in the B or C classes. Sugiyama doesn't have the lineage or money to be at this level. Strange." Kyoya was stumped but couldn't go into it any further not here anyways.

Lunch was over.

-end of chapter two: In The Line of Fire-

The alternative name for this chapter was "Mysterious Bland Boy". Well Ryuken is bland right now, but not for long.

A reason for this chapter's tardiness is that I was worried about the characters. I hope I got the guys alright. The only one I am comfortable writing is Tamaki. Honey however... I feel weird writing him. After some confusion I decided that when I, the narrator, refer to him I will say Honey but when the characters talk to him or about him it will be Hani. I've seen it so many different ways. Tell me what you think. Or not.

Also to be cheesy, I saw a shooting star on Monday night (I think Monday?) so maybe that means something? haha okay it really was just part of the meteor shower.

Soundbird -over and out- See you next time!