A peaceful afternoon at Ouran Academy...the weather was sunny.

Except that noises were audibly heard inside the classroom of Class 1-A.

It looks like the entire class in in the middle of an important meeting. Sadly, the students cannot stop making noise. The class teacher in their last subject was absent for days due to a terrible cold...apparently their instructor's absence signaled a great "celebration" for the class.

While the students are busy chatting and talking with their peers, they heard the door opened. They noticed an individual entering the room with fair, heavy footsteps. As they stared at that person closely, a sudden electrifying aura caught them in no time, thus causing them to shake terribly. For some reasons, they cannot explain what's going on.

As a result, the "lively" ambiance got spooky and eerie. No one dared to talk, their mouths shut and their eyes opened wide. Even the lights just went off abruptly. The annoying noise permanently faded. Not a thing was heard, except with those footsteps...until it had gone with the wind.

The awkward silence took almost five minutes before one of the students inside that classroom started talking.

"OK, I suppose that we can start the meeting...without any interruptions." a stern voice said.

It was the class president, Kazukiyo Soga, wearing a frustrated look upon his face. It must be the noise that annoyed him badly all the while (However, the presence of that certain young woman, who was now taking her seat, had gone him insane...mentally speaking...). And so, he took out a folder and made the class roll call.

The class vice president, Momoka Kurakano, went towards the quiet girl, handing a white sheet of paper to her.

"Uhmm...you must be our new classmate, right? Here, please fill up this personal data sheet; it's for our class record." Momoka said and bowed before walking away.

The silent young lady looked at the sheet of paper. She sighed and took out a pen from her bag, and then started writing.

The roll call was almost done until Momoka went towards Kazukiyo, her face seemed to be filled with doubt.

"Soga-san, Haru-kun and the Hitachiin twins aren't here." she said.

Soga nodded in response, taking the folder from Momoka's hands.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. They sent me an excuse slip yesterday evening. Seems like they aren't feeling well...that's what they said in their letters." he explained and marked "A" next to the aforementioned names.

Momoka sighed sadly. "I hope Haru-kun's feeling better now."

Kazukiyo looked at Momoka and let out a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure Haru-kun and the others will be fine. Let's get on with the meeting for now."

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS? N-NO...THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE! NO! NO! NO! MY FACE IS ENTIRELY RUINED!"

"Tamaki-sempai, don't be so exaggerating. Those are just eye bags."

"EYE BAGS...EYE BAGS! THAT'S THE POINT! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THESE...T-THESE...THESE...THESE EYE BAGS UNDERNEATH MY EYES!"

"Geez...I really hate rich people. They always care about their looks, but they care about it ALL the time."

Haruhi let out a heavy sigh as she looked at a panicking Tamaki, looking at himself in the mirror with a horrified face. No wonder why Tamaki was like that since yesterday. He can't stop himself from looking at his reflection in the mirror for the umpth time; feeling so agitated and frightful with his face...those awful eye bags have surely got the hell out of him. Tamaki looked like a zombie, his face was pale and his eyes, which seemed to be lively and stunning all the time, lost their spark.

The brown-female stared at her watch.

"THREE-THIRTY P.M." she thought.

Haruhi wondered, her arms folded snugly.

"How long we've been here in the music room, anyway?"

Her big brown eyes looked around the music room. She just realized that the Host Club had been here for...almost three days.

"Man...I hope my Dad's not going to kill me when I get home." she muttered, though she already called her father yesterday, saying that she won't be coming home for a few days because of an important school project.

Haruhi never intended to make such an excuse, but she can't just leave the music room and the Host Club in a time like this.

She remembered: "Ever since that afternoon, we never dared leaving the music room..."

Fortunately, they are prepared. Recently, they made some improvements in the music room in cases of emergencies, unexpected school events and the like. Tamaki had come up with the "72-Hour Kit" plan. They have food, extra clothes and many other things which they could use for three days.

Haruhi never felt worried about everything...except for her friends, which were now meddling in their business.

She noticed Honey and Mori having their afternoon tea on one side of the room. This time, Honey had his large pastry set in front of him. She wondered how long Honey had been eating sweets. Since this morning, perhaps? For Haruhi, one thing is for sure: Honey cannot seem to move on after the incident occurred in this music room. He was frightened; Haruhi can still remember how Honey's face looked like that time when the short blonde male embraced Mori tightly after what happened that day. From that moment on, Honey never let go of his hold from Mori. On the brighter side, Mori has managed to keep his composure, despite that he too got scared at what happened. He's been there to comfort his cousin and he never left him.

Haruhi gazed her attention to the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru. Ever since that day, she recognized that the twins never stopped playing board games on one corner of the room, just a couple of meters away from her position. She smiled, thinking that the two must have been having a rough time getting by with their fears. Though it wasn't that obvious, Haruhi felt that the twins were trying to conceal it...just by looking at their trembling hands as they play "Checkers" from a short distance...they still feel afraid. Now that she thought of it, she looked at the twins and then to Tamaki, who was now sulking in solace.

"Looks like Hikaru and Kaoru don't want to play pranks on Tamaki and his eye bags today..." she thought.

This time, Haruhi recognized Kyouya in front of her, busy typing on his laptop. Her smile faded, replaced by a skeptic look.

"Kyouya-sempai...did he got scared as well?" she wondered, staring at the man cautiously. By the looks of it, Kyouya's usual stern face is present. She wondered if Kyouya had never been afraid at all. Maybe, he is just trying to hide his fear, Haruhi thought.

Yet, Haruhi laughed at herself secretly. She got scared as well; she can't deny it. Aside that she went stiff when that thunderstorm came, she got terrified at the "deadly" experience that the Host Club had that afternoon. Even though she's not afraid of ghosts or anything supernatural, what they had witnessed had gotten her.

For the first time, she had seen one...maybe...

She shook her head and looked at the afternoon sky. Fortunately, the weather seemed fine. Hues of blue, violet, yellow, red and black have mixed altogether, creating the color of a beautiful afternoon sky.

For now, Haruhi thought of one thing: She must go home later.

Haruhi slowly shook her head and went on her way home. She yawned and looked at her watch, telling her that it's already seven in the evening. The female let out a sigh as she finally reached the main gate of the apartment.

Just as she was about to open the gate, she heard a sound.

A gasp, to be specific.

Haruhi slowly turned around and noticed an individual standing beside the light post, uttering a shocked expression. She looked down to the ground and saw many strawberries scattered under the person's feet. She can barely see the person's face; however, she firstly noticed the person's waist-long ebony hair. The light coming from the post had been directly spotted onto the individual's temple.

Without hesitation, Haruhi ran towards the person and picked up all the strawberries on the ground.

"Miss, here are your strawberries." Haruhi said politely, smiling.

The unknown female bowed her head and took the strawberries from Haruhi one at a time. Then, Haruhi took out a paper bag from her bag pack and gave it to the lady.

"Take this." Haruhi said.

The lady never said anything, instead she bowed again and ran away, leaving Haruhi standing by the post.

"All done!"

Haruhi set her books aside, arranging them nicely onto her study table. Then, she went to bed and lay down. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

Then, she thought, "Come to think of it...that incident happened three days ago..."

FLASHBACK:

Morning.

Haruhi was on her way to the classroom when two people instantly grabbed her. She gasped, until she noticed the Hitachiin twins holding her hands, smiling at her.

"Good morning, Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru greeted in chorus.

"Good morning." Haruhi greeted back.

The three walked together, silent.

It was then that Haruhi decided to break the silence. She looked at Hikaru who was walking on her left, and Kaoru walking on her right side. With a deep breath she asked the twins directly.

"How are the others doing right now?"

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily.

"Well, it's obvious that the Boss can't seem to get over with the prank that we did to him yesterday, so he hasn't come to school today. Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai were at the school laboratory, while Kyouya called us this morning, saying that he will visit Tono and see what he's doing."

Haruhi's eyes twitched a little. "Obviously, it's your fault for scaring Tamaki-sempai like that. You know that he's a scarey-cat."

"Just chill out, Haruhi. Tono will get over it. Besides, he insisted us to let him sneak at the box that we showed to him. We simply showed Boss what's inside it. " Kaoru said, laughing.

"Man, these twins..." Haruhi thought in slight irritation as she heard the twins giggling by themselves..

"By the way, I've heard that we have a new classmate." Kaoru said, startling the two when he abruptly changed the subject.

"Really? I wonder who our new classmate is." Hikaru said, his face seemed curious.

Haruhi just looked at the twins and gave them a push on their backs.

"Let's hurry up, guys or else, we'll be late." she said.

The day went on.

Music Room 3 is once again filled with dashing female students of Ouran Academy. Rose petals falling everywhere and a soothing, striking ambiance welcomed them openly.

For today, the Ouran High School Host Club is open for business.

The girls can't help but to fall in love with the seven individuals who make up the most famous club at Ouran Academy; their good looks and exceptional talent of "hosting" their "clients" have brought the name of the Host Club in good reputation and fame. And it's quite easy to see that they enjoy being with the Host Club's warm company...

However, for the club newcomer and the one who holds the so-called "Natural Type Host" title, Haruhi Fujioka sees this as something bizarre and rather stupid. If it wasn't for the debt that she's trying to clear out, regarding the ¥8,000,000 vase which she accidentally broke, she was supposed to be out there, studying hard to rank first in class and to maintain her scholarship.

As the hosts were busy entertaining the guests, Haruhi went to the pantry and took a glass of cold water.

She sighed, thinking that this day will brought her another migraine. As always, she had to deal with those rich people though she perfectly knows that some of them aren't that nice at all, and obviously...she doesn't like to deal with those kind of persons.

While in the middle of her break, Honey came in, looking at Haruhi with concern.

"Haru-chan, are you feeling well?"

Haruhi set the glass aside, facing Honey with a smile.

"Yes, I'm fine, Honey-sempai. Since there aren't any guests looking for me, I decided to take a break." she said, glancing at the scenario outside the pantry.

Honey took Haruhi's hand, staring at her with his adorable eyes.

"Let's eat strawberry cake, Haru-chan! Please..." Honey said.

Haruhi laughed and held the short male's shoulder.

"Sure, Honey-sempai. Let's go."

"YEHEY!" the cute blonde male exclaimed, pulling Haruhi out of the pantry.

A bolt of lightning instantly flashed into the dark afternoon sky.

Then, thunder roared mightily as dark nimbus clouds continue floating and covering the firmament entirely.

In a few seconds, the grand clock tower rang loudly, signaling 5:00.

As the clock tower chimed many times, the rain began to pour down. Those raindrops never ceased falling heavier and harder as minutes went by.

Lightning. Thunder. Rain.

Surely, the students of Ouran Academy will find it difficult to get home. Most of them weren't able to bring umbrellas and obviously, they don't want to go home walking or running in the rain. On the bright side, some of them brought umbrellas. They started walking on the school grounds, approaching the main gate.

The clock tower stopped ringing. But the rain went on falling down.

"Alright, time's up, ladies."

The girls inside Music Room 3 let out a cry as Kyouya signaled them. They stood up and thanked the seven good-looking hosts before leaving the music room.

As usual, the hosts bade farewell, thus, ending the business of the Ouran High School Host Club for today.

After the girls left, the seven hosts let out a sigh of relief and went to their respective places.

Kyouya sat down on the red couch facing a garnished narra-made table and put his laptop on it. As always, his eyes were fixed on the radiating screen while typing with fast speed. Honey and Mori took their seats and enjoyed their afternoon snack: strawberry cake and Earl Gray tea.

"Yum! Strawberry cake is the best!" Honey exclaimed.

Mori simply agreed with what Honey said and ate quietly.

Haruhi sat between the Hitachiin twins on the long red sofa. Hikaru and Kaoru were busy doing "business", making Haruhi a little bit disturbed and somewhat annoyed after seeing the twins whispering with one another.

"What are you guys talking about?" Haruhi asked, her one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"Can we ask you a favor?" the twins said altogether.

"What favor?" Haruhi said.

Hikaru and Kaoru let out their playful grins and put their arms around Haruhi.

"Can we come over to your house this Sunday evening? Let's have nabe (hot pot) for dinner!" they said, their eyes looking at Haruhi expectantly.

Haruhi let out a chuckle and nodded.

"Sure, why not? My Dad won't be home this weekend, so I think you guys can hang out in our place."

Tamaki's eyes were blazing with fury as he looked at the Hitachiin twins devilishly. Suddenly he jumped out and grabbed Haruhi away from the twins' hold. For sure, Tamaki's using his overprotectiveness (again) towards Haruhi.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY LITTLE GIRL, YOU TWO!" Tamaki blurted.

"Tamaki-sempai, s-stop hugging me. I-I can't breathe…" Haruhi protested, gasping for air.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed as he let go of Haruhi and laughed awkwardly.

"Does this mean that we're going too, Haru-chan?" Honey interrupted as he ran towards the brown-haired female, embracing her like a stuffed toy.

Haruhi couldn't resist smiling when she looked at Honey's face. She patted the short male's head gently and laughed. "Of course, Honey-sempai! Mori-sempai can come as well."

Mori walked towards Haruhi and Honey. "Thank you for inviting us, Haruhi."

Haruhi shrugged her shoulders, grinning. "No problem, Mori-sempai. All of you are always welcome to visit our house...I think."

"Rest assured that we will never give you burden when we get there, Haruhi. Since you will be our host on that day, giving you such trouble on our part wouldn't be nice." Kyouya said.

"Thanks, Kyouya-sempai. At least, we'll be eating nabe together." Haruhi said.

As the Host Club were in the middle of their "little" celebration, the lights suddenly went off.

"Gyah!"

Everybody gasped in fright as they found themselves in the middle of the dark. The day's going to be over and the night will come in a couple of minutes or so.

Suddenly, lightning bolted in an instant. Thunder came next.

"AHHH!"

"HARUHI!"

Everybody started to panic dreadfully. That striking bolt of lightning scared them to death, especially Haruhi, who was known having a terrible fear of thunderstorms. Realizing that Haruhi's beginning to get stiff and unable to move, the rest of the Host Club members guided her to the long sofa.

Haruhi sat on the sofa, trembling.

"Get my headphones and my phone in the bag, Kaoru." Hikaru commanded his younger twin brother while holding Haruhi's shoulders. Kaoru left hurriedly.

Tamaki took out a big blanket, wrapping it around Haruhi. Afterwards, he soothingly rubbed Haruhi's back with his palms, trying to comfort the struck female.

Honey and Mori looked for some flashlights at the emergency kit which Kyouya had prepared in times like this. Fortunately, they found seven small flashlights on that small kit. The two males ran back with the flashlights, and then gave one to each of the Host Club members.

Kaoru came back with the headphones and Hikaru's phone. He wore the headphones onto Haruhi to cover her ears. In a while, Haruhi's body stopped shaking.

"T-Thank you, guys…" Haruhi uttered, her voice wavering in fear.

"Don't worry, Haruhi. We're here with you." they said to her softly.

As the Host Club went still on their seats, they heard a rumbling sound. It was followed by a soft creak coming out of nowhere.

"W-What is that s-sound?" Honey said frightfully, holding Mori's hands tightly.

Everybody gazed their eyes at the main door. Much with their surprise, they noticed that the door is open.

The cold wind instantly blew on their faces, sending such shivers to their skins.

Tamaki's eyes went wide. "L-LOOK A-AT T-THAT…"

Gradually, the Host Club noticed a strange silhouette approaching. It moved slowly, making its way to the main door.

In a blink of an eye, the door slammed. Darkness was everywhere.

"AHHHHHHHH!" everybody shouted.

As everybody shouted with terror, they heard tingling, sharp sounds around them. The door opened again, this time, the wind blew harder.

However, they heard a shrieking voice as well. The voice sounded so…appalling and cold, that they all thought of one thing:

"GHOST! GHOST!"

"THERE'S A GHOST IN THE MUSIC ROOM!"

As these terrifying screams were heard inside the music room, the lights went on. The power came back to normal.

It was then that the Host Club, with their horrified faces, started staring at an unknown individual, sulking on one corner of the room just beside the main door.

Then there was dead silence.

The clock tower struck again. It's already 6:00 P.M.

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

The city lights glimmer brightly as it filled the whole urban area with life. People were walking to and fro, heading to their separate ways and lives. Honks and beeps coming from vehicles alarmed everybody's ears. Such a scenario of a busy town...but, for her, everything seemed to be weird and somewhat...amusing.

She looked up the sky, wearing a red jacket with a hood covering her head. Feeling uncomfortable with the hood on her head, this young girl put the hood down. She brushed her fingers through her long black hair gently as she stared at those twinkling stars silently. Rainclouds began to disappear gradually, though she can still hear thunder roaring from afar.

This girl walked along the sidewalks, looking at each store that she passes by. Afterwards, she entered a mini-grocery store to shop for some food items. It took her a while before she stepped out from the store, holding a paper bag, filled with the items that she bought.

She was walking, withstanding those eyes which were staring at her with suspicion.

The girl bowed down her head and ignored those people who are looking at her.

When she got home, she turned on the lights in her bedroom. Once the lights went on, there were dozens of posters containing dark abstract paintings. There were these pumpkins hanging on the ceilings, giving light to her small haven every time she goes to bed at night. She even has a king-sized bed with skull designs onto the bedsheets. At the left side of the room just beside the window, a television set was seen, along with a portable entertainment showcase: a DVD player, a CD player, a pair of stereo speakers, a radio set and a cabinet containing all those DVDs and CDs. On the right side of the room was a bookshelf, containing books on occult, fantasy, science-fiction, a few romance novels, but most of these books were horror and suspense novels.

The girl took off her red jacket and looked at the mirror.

She found herself wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and a long skirt with odd designed prints on it. Her black straight hair falls into place, but looks kind of tangled, just like what hair looks like after waking up in the morning. Her face couldn't be clearly seen because she tries to hide it by blocking it with her hair.

Just as she was in the middle of that moment, she could hear voices inside her mind, echoing...resonating...

"Creep."

"Weird."

"Loner."

"Witch."

"G-"

The last word made her fret inside. She tried not to think of it deeper, but it was hopeless.

The girl shook her head and instantly went to bed and lay down.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"There's no point of doing it. I-I can't do it...and I don't want to do it either."

The girl rose and looked at the window, staring at the now clear night sky.

"What am I going to do? What have I done? What will I do?"