Cherry blossoms were blooming with beauty as their rosy petals fell down to the ground, along with the gentle gust of the wind.
The weather was bright and sunny. It was already summer; no wonder why the sun's heat seemed a bit intense. The morning light touched the walls of the grandiose Ouran Academy, its warm rays passing through the glass windows.
The grand clock tower struck eight in the morning.
Everybody was seen walking along the wide school grounds, welcoming a new week with smiles on their faces. The atmosphere seemed comforting and fresh.
For Misaki Tainaka, a new week means a new pain ahead. She felt dizzy and was unable to sleep well yesterday night. One of her neighbors asked her for an errand, and that errand was something that really made her exhausted for the rest of the weekend.
With a heavy sigh and a pallid face, Misaki walked into the high school building.
She felt that her school bag's heavy because of a dozen books that she borrowed at the library four days ago. Obviously, she have to return them before going to class.
"Shoot! These books are heavy." she thought furiously while walking.
As always, Misaki walked along the hallway and then, headed up the stairway. People whom she had passed by looked back at her with mixed stares of fear and disgust. She knew that she's the center of their attention; as usual, she ignored them and went on her way.
When Misaki arrived at the school library, she entered in and looked around. Nobody was there, except her and the librarian. Misaki headed straight to the librarian's desk and faced the librarian: a woman in her twenties, her curly brown hair's tied with a ponytail and she was wearing a simple white collared blouse and a pair of black slacks, her face looked like an angel.
The drowsy female opened her eyes a bit, feeling astounded at the beauty before her. With a soft voice, she greeted the librarian, saying, "G-Good morning, Ma'am."
"Good morning! What can I do for you?" the librarian greeted back, flashing out a sweet smile.
"I-I just want to return these books." Misaki replied, and then taking the books out from her school bag.
The librarian took out a list and checked the books that Misaki borrowed. In a while, the librarian was done checking the list and faced Misaki.
"I'll take care of this later." she said gently while placing the books inside a box.
"Is it alright if I'll leave now?" Misaki asked.
"Go ahead, dear. You have class, haven't you?" the librarian said.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Misaki said and slowly bowed down before leaving.
As she went down the stairs and headed for class, Misaki sensed a strange feeling behind her. Although she thought that what she had felt was just her imagination, the feeling within her got strong.
She stopped, looked to her left and right, and then turned around. It was then that someone called her all of a sudden.
She was walking along the hallway when someone called her name.
"YUREI-CHAN!"
Misaki turned around, only to find that the Hitachiin twins were walking on the opposite direction, their faces smiling brightly. Haruhi was with them too. Now that she thought about it, the four of them were in the same class. This realization made her head ache more.
Man, I almost forgot...
"Good morning, Misaki." Haruhi greeted politely.
"G'morning." Misaki muttered.
"Are you OK? You look pale." Haruhi asked, her big brown eyes staring at Misaki cautiously.
Misaki shook her hands in denial and just laughed nervously.
"Oh, no! I'm alright!" she said and slowly bowed her head down.
Misaki sighed and glanced at her three classmates. She saw how happy those guys get along. Actually, she found it amusing.
She thought when's the last time she had been with her friends...
Rather, did she had a friend to be with, in the first place?
Misaki bit her lip as her mind's flying into the clouds, thinking about it.
Why are you asking this, Misaki? Of course you never had any friends.
For sure, she never had any friend to play with or to talk with in her whole life. All this time, she had been isolating herself from the world and simply live peacefully on her own. This thought is only bringing Misaki to the gravest and deepest part of her mind; that certain part of her soul which she always strive to ignore. Yet, the hurt inside her is starting to develop as she's thinking about it...
Misaki was in the middle of her thoughts when a soft hand gently touched her, those fingers put her long black hair away from her face. Then, there was another hand, its palm placed onto her right cheek. The female blinked her eyes and found those golden brown eyes looking at her.
What the?
Suddenly, these hands naughtily flicked her forehead, causing Misaki to come back to her senses.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she blurted with an angry face.
"JUST AS WE THOUGHT!"
Obviously, it was Hikaru and Kaoru who flicked Misaki's forehead. With their infamous sly grins, the twins looked at Misaki.
"So, that's what Yurei-chan looks like when she's daydreaming." Hikaru said.
"Yeah, that's right. Say, what are you thinking of, Yurei-chan?" Kaoru asked.
Misaki stared at the Hitachiin twins with her "death glare". As usual, the two identical males instantly stepped back and hid behind Haruhi fearfully. The brown-haired female sighed annoyingly.
"Why did you do that?" Haruhi said.
"Well, we're just curious what Yurei-chan looks like behind that hair. That's all." the twins replied sadly, letting out their pouting faces.
"Man, these twins...you already saw it, right?" Haruhi said annoyingly.
"By the way, w-where are you going?" Misaki asked slowly.
"Ah, we forgot something at the music room, so we have to go back and get it." Haruhi answered.
"Wanna come with us?" the twins asked Misaki in unison.
"I-I...w-well..." Misaki stammered.
"We'll wait for you here." Hikaru said.
"Just leave your bag on your seat, OK?" Kaoru added.
"Go, Misaki." Haruhi said, smiling.
"O-OK." Misaki blurted and went to the classroom.
Misaki, Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru walked together along the hallway. The raven-haired female glanced at the glass window with droopy eyes. She sighed heavily.
"I really need to get some sleep when I get home." Misaki thought.
Apparently, her daydreaming state has been interrupted when she noticed that something's hapening outside the school building. She tried ignoring it, however, the scenario outside the Academy caused trouble on her part.
She stopped walking.
Her classmates noticed it. They turned around, seeing Misaki staring at the window blankly.
"Misaki, is there something wrong?" Haruhi said.
The other female blinked her eyes and stared at her three companions. She shook her head.
"Nothing." she uttered.
Haruhi stared at Hikaru and Kaoru. The twins looked back at her suggestively.
Recess.
The school refectory was once again filled with students who were patiently waiting for their luscious early morning snacks. And as always, Misaki brought food that she prepared at home: a three-layered tuna sandwich and orange juice.
She looked for a nice spot to enjoy her snack. When she found the perfect place, she sat down and began saying her prayers silently.
When Misaki opened her eyes, three shadows stumbled before her eyes.
Familiar feminine voices welcomed her mockingly; Misaki lifted her head slowly and found those three recognizable faces, staring at her with their devilish grins.
"Wow, great timing." Misaki thought.
"Hey, witch! Having fun eating your sandwich?" one of them spoke abruptly.
"Aren't you the girl who caused a commotion at the music room last week?" another girl said in a squeaky voice.
The girl who stood at the middle approached Misaki and leaned closer to the female's face. She flashed out a fake smile towards Misaki and chuckled.
"Yeah, I remember! You're the one who tripped on the floor. What a pity! You embarrassed yourself in front of the most handsome men of Ouran High. You're despicable." the girl told Misaki, her face gradually gone angry.
"UGLY! YOU. ARE. UGLY." her friends said back.
Misaki simply watched these three girls mocking her and calling her names closely. She was secretly clenching her fists, and she knows that she cannot fight back...or else it'll be her end.
The mean girls took pitchers of cold water and poured it onto Misaki. The crowd panicked as they witnessed what had happened just now. Boisterous sinister laughter came from these girls; Misaki stood up, lifting her head up and looked at the girls sternly.
"Do you want to fight us back? Go ahead. WE DARE YOU." the mean girls said.
Misaki scowled.
"You're challenging me, aren't you?" she uttered mentally, staring at the girls sharply.
In a blink of an eye, Misaki saw the mean girls carrying her things and threw them out of the window. Obviously, everybody inside the refectory gasped shockingly.
"What are you going to do, ugly?" they told her with mocking grins plastered on their faces.
The students who were watching this whole scenario couldn't do anything to help Misaki. They knew that the mean girls came from the richest families the country has ever known; they are aware that battling the mean girls would mean war...worse, expulsion from Ouran Academy. And so, they never dared moving themselves an inch, in order to get Misaki out of this trouble. But then, their faces show pity for the young lady.
Misaki bowed her head down.
The mean girls stared at her as they took their bags and waved her goodbye.
"SO LONG, WITCH!" they shouted triumphantly and laughed boisterously.
Just as the mean girls got out of the school refectory, the grand clock tower rang loudly as it struck one in the afternoon.
"MY BAG! MY BAG!"
Misaki kept on saying these words in her mind as she ran down the stairs and went out of the high school building of Ouran Academy with full velocity. She must get her bag before it completely gets wet or stained by dirt, mud and anything that will ruin it.
Once she got out of the building, she started searching for the bag. She looked around, glancing to the left and right. She turned around and looked behind to see if there's somebody around the place. Realizing that she's the only student outside the campus, Misaki decided to search at the wide rose garden. She began looking for the bag under the bushes, despite of the thin and thick thorns surrounding them. Misaki endured being stuck under those green bushes; she accidentally cut her left forefinger when holding them.
After the search at the rose garden, Misaki ran towards the clear blue lagoon nearby. From a short distance, she recognized her school bag floating freely onto the surface of the lagoon's blue waters.
She instantly jumped onto the lagoon and grabbed her bag. Unfortunately, it's too late. Most of her things were already soaked with water-her books, notepads and handkerchief.
Another thing that Misaki noticed?
"Where's my wallet?" she thought and looked down onto the knee-deep lagoon.
Misaki bent her knees and stretched her hands into the cold water. She started dipping her hand down to the clear surface of the lagoon, hoping that her wallet fell somewhere down there.
Blue skies.
Puffy, white clouds floating overhead.
The cool, gentle breeze blowing freely.
Placid blue waters of the lagoon shimmering under the afternoon sun.
Green trees and grasses, along with fresh, blooming fragrant flowers evrywhere.
Bended knees.
An exhausted face.
Anxiety.
Hope.
Silence.
Misaki couldn't exactly tell how long she'd been searching for her wallet around the lagoon. But no matter what happens, she must find it or she'll never have enough money to get herself by for the entire month.
While in the middle of her search, Misaki heard a voice calling her.
"YUREI-CHAN!
She stopped moving and turned back.
"Oh no..." she muttered as she saw the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, approaching.
Misaki suddenly turned away and continued looking for her wallet.
Hikaru was observing Misaki carefully; Kaoru watched the black-haired girl iniquisitively.
"Looking for something?" Hikaru said.
"Need a hand?" Kaoru said next.
Misaki didn't reply.
All of a sudden, Misaki was surprised seeing the Hitachiins taking off their shoes and socks, and then rolled up their pants. The twins instantly went into the water and looked at her; their golden brown eyes seemed sparkling. Since she's a bit shorter than the two identical males, Misaki lifted her head to see the twins' faces clearly.
"W-Why a-are you-" Misaki gasped, until Hikaru stepped forward and leaned his face towards her.
Misaki went stiff and looked at Hikaru doubtfully.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
The older Hitachiin twin let out a sigh, never realizing the awkward closeness between him and Misaki.
"You don't have all day to look for something, you know. Why aren't you in class?" Hikaru asked back.
"I-I'm looking for my wallet." Misaki mumbled and slightly turned her gaze away from the male. She turned around, but was shocked to see Kaoru standing behind her.
As what his older twin did, Kaoru stepped closer and stared at Misaki.
"How come that your wallet's down here?" the younger Hitachiin twin said, pointing his forefinger to the water's surface.
With an annoyed face, Misaki walked away from Hikaru and Kaoru and went on looking for her lost wallet.
The twins looked at each others' faces and smiled. They both bent their knees, stretched out their arms, and dipped their hands into the water.
No doubt, the Hitachiin twins want to help Misaki. That's why they never hesitated to come down to the water, despite that they'll end up soaking wet.
And so, the three went on looking for Misaki's wallet until they heard the school bell ring.
Misaki was walking along the hallway, carrying her damp school bag. She has to come to Music Room #3 on time, or Tamaki will relentlessly include her tardiness in her violation list, thus adding her debt by another million yen.
Misaki scowled furiously.
"I hate this job." she mumbled and finally arrived at the music room.
When Misaki opened the door, she noticed that the music room's empty, except that the members of the Host Club were already there, preparing themselves for business.
Kyouya noticed Misaki's arrival and approached her with his usual cool grin.
"You're five minutes early, Misaki. Iit's about time to change your damp clothes and dress up. We have to make sure that everything's ready before we open." the dark-haired young man told her.
Misaki nodded.
"I understand. OK then. I'll go now." she said and went straight to the changing room.
FIVE-THIRTY IN THE AFTERNOON...
The Host Club stayed in Music Room # 3, cleaning the entire place.
Haruhi was busy picking up the tea cups and plates from each table and taking them into the pantry to wash them up. The male hosts were having their "own" business and never really helped in the cleaning at all.
Misaki was the one who almost done the whole cleaning; she fixed the curtains, arranged the tables and flower vases in their respective places and cleaned the wide floors of the music room with a vacuum cleaner.
With her black-and-white maid outfit and her long ebony hair falling down freely upon her back, Misaki looked adorable.
Haruhi came back from the pantry and approached Misaki.
"Hey, need a hand?" she asked Misaki, smiling.
"Uh, no. It's alright. I can manage." Misaki replied.
Haruhi looked at Misaki silently. Recalling everything that she heard and seen today, Haruhi felt a sudden heaviness inside her. Maybe it's because of what happened to the black-haired female way back at the refectory.
And it happened that Haruhi was the one who has to keep an eye on her (blame it on Tamaki). Without the other female's notice, Haruhi witnessed it. She knew that something's going on from the beginning, and there is no way that Misaki will tell it to them. That's why she decided that morning to ask the Hitachiin twins to help her with the task (although it's quite obvious that the twins were "enjoying" it too).
Misaki was done cleaning and decided to change her "distracting" outfit in the changing room.
While the girl was busy changing her clothes, the Host Club decided to gather themselves for a brief meeting.
"Alright, I suppose that everybody's here." Tamaki said.
"Haruhi, do you have something to say before we move on with the meeting?" Kyouya said, glancing at Haruhi with an odd spark in his eyes.
Haruhi felt a bit stiff back there. She sighed.
"Well, actually, I want to tell you something, guys." she blurted and took something from her pocket.
FLASHBACK:
Kyouya sighed after noticing Misaki and her wet school bag. He fixed his glasses which tilted onto his face and went back to his seat. Just in time, Haruhi, who was standing by the window, noticed Kyouya. She walked towards the silent male and sat beside him.
"Kyouya-sempai, there's something I want to ask you...if you don't mind." she said directly.
"Go ahead, Haruhi." Kyouya said.
Haruhi took something from her pants' pocket and showed it to Kyouya. It was a photograph.
Kyouya took a good look at the colored photograph and smiled.
"These girls were members of the Ouran High School Drama Club. No wonder why their faces looked familiar. Also, I've found out that their parents were prominent celebrities in the country's show business." Kyouya explained.
"These girls made a commotion at the refectory days ago. A few of my classmates were there during the scene, saying that these girls bullied a female student and poured water on her. Kyouya-sempai, the girl that these girls were bullying..." Haruhi paused and bit her lip in hesitation.
"Haruhi..." Kyouya uttered.
"Kyouya-sempai...that girl was Misaki." Haruhi said.
Dead silence.
"Seriously, Boss. We have to do something about this." the Hitachiin twins said in chorus without hesitation.
Honey and Mori nodded as they just listened at their co-hosts all throughout the conversation.
Kyouya looked at Tamaki and smiled.
"Do you have something in mind, Mommy?" he asked with a sly grin.
Tamaki laughed lightly and faced the Host Club.
"Well...I think I have one, Daddy." he said softly, grinning.