The grand clock tower signaled 8:30.

The green grass was neatly mowed at the Ouran Academy school gardens. There were tall trees and luscious bushes around, along with those flowers blossoming with beauty and life while emitting their sweet fragrances into the air.

As expected, the high school building of the Academy stood with pride and elegance under the sun, its concrete walls seemingly sparkling with the warm light. The sky was undeniably blue; cherry blossoms were seen shedding its rosy petals, letting them dance and swirl with the wind.

Indeed, another beautiful day has started already.

Everything seemed fine. Things are doing well...suddenly...

BOOM!

Something exploded.

Thick smoke appeared and came out of a window at the ground floor on the right side of the Ouran High School Building. Not long after, the smoke alarm rang noisily and loudly.

Pretty soon, the students who were having their classes at the ground floor ran out of the said building scarily and nervously. The others who were at the upper floors peeped through the glass windows, wondering what's going on. The anxiety was obviously seen on their faces; they were also curious what caused the explosion. Some of the teachers went out of the building too and took care of the students outside.

Someone shouted:

"HEY! GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER! QUICK!"

Thankfully, the smoke disappeared though it took quite a long time to get rid of it.

Afterwards, the clock tower struck 9:00.

"Misaki-chan, are you alright?"

"Yeah...I think."

"Here, I'll lend you my handkerchief. You need to wipe that dirt off your face."

"T-Thanks, Kurakano-san."

Misaki wiped her face gently with Momoka's handkerchief. Apparently, her face was a total mess. Even her long, black hair was messy. Though on the outside, Misaki's face seemed calm, her emotions were telling the opposite of what her face looked like.

Well, she had been called by a classmate of hers to come at the faculty room and make an explanation about what happened at the Chemistry room a while ago.

Misaki sighed heavily and scowled. Momoka patted the other female's shoulder and looked at her with concern as they were walking along the hallway.

"Next time, you should be more careful, Misaki-chan. There are dangerous, flammable chemicals inside the laboratory, you know. You almost knocked the school down with that loud explosion." she said.

"I know. I haven't read the instructions well, I guess. I like Chemistry, but I think it doesn't like me back that much." Misaki told Momoka and slightly glanced at the window, staring at the white puffy clouds floating on the sky outside.

"Don't say that! You're getting good grades at it, despite the fact that you fail at our experiment tests most of the time. We're lucky that our Chemistry teacher has a kind heart. She's always concerned about your performance in class." Momoka said.

These statements made Misaki scowled again. She chuckled lightly.

"So, I guess I have to thank her for the consideration, then. But, I think now's not the perfect time for that. I think she's pretty mad at me for what I have done to our lab." she said.

"Well, honestly, I never thought that you could make explosives without reading instructions on how to make them, Misaki-chan." the other young lady said teasingly.

"Whether what you told me just now was a compliment or not, I want to thank you for it, Kurakano-san...seriously." Misaki said back with her lips pouted.

"Plus, the fact that you overused the fire burner, it made things worse." Momoka said again, this time, she was giggling.

Misaki twitched her eyes and smiled a bit. "Yeah, yeah."

Momoka grinned at Misaki sweetly and suddenly pointed her finger to a certain door.

"Here we are." she said.

Misaki felt a lump in her throat as she watched Momoka opening the door by turning the knob. Really, she was dead nervous about this.

With three thick Chemistry books in her hands, Misaki stepped out of the faculty office with a staggered face. Just by looking at those books made her stomach upset. She slightly glanced at the glass window, noticing those sin rays passing through the glossy colored glass.

"Why me? Why does it have to be me?" Misaki thought until she sighed heavily.

She walked along the aisle when her classmates, who were just chatting by the corner, stared at her scarily.

Misaki sighed again and continued walking.

"GYYYAAAAHHH! I'M SCARED!"

"THAT SHADOW BEHIND HER IS MOVING!"

"COULD SOMEBODY JUST GET US OUT OF HERE, PLEASE?!"

LUNCH BREAK

The Host Club is in the middle of their "business", while Misaki stayed at the pantry. She was almost done baking her special homemade cookies for dessert, so she planned to prepare tea next while guarding her cookies, watching them being cooked well inside the oven.

It's been ages since she lastly baked homemade cookies-actually, that happened five years ago. She was still ten when she made those cookies for her parents on their wedding anniversary. Thanks to her mother, who taught her how to cook in an early age, she finally made her first recipe into a finished product.

However...that was five years ago.

While in the midst of her thoughts, Misaki never noticed Honey entering in the pantry. The adorable blonde male exclaimed with delight when he saw the cookies in the oven. He tugged Misaki's sleeve happily.

"THOSE ARE JAPANESE ALMOND COOKIES, RIGHT, MISA-CHAN?!" Honey said as he looked at the cookies, that joyful spark in his eyes clearly obvious.

Misaki nodded.

"Y-Yeah, you're right, Honey-sempai. Oh! Time to get these out of the oven." she said after hearing the "TING" sound coming from the oven, meaning that the cookies are already baked. She put on a pair of mittens and took the tray of Japanese almond cookies out of the heating oven.

Honey coincidentally smelled the delicious aroma of those finely-baked treats and clasped his hands.

"WOW! I WANNA TRY ONE! CAN I HAVE JUST ONE COOKIE, PLEASE?" Honey pleaded, looking at Misaki with his usual cute brown eyes, his "loli-shota" aura mode switching on.

"Of course, sempai. Here, take this." Misaki replied and gave a cookie to the short male.

Honey's eyes opened wide delightfully. He never thought that Misaki could make delicious cookies such as these almond cookies. After taking the first bite, he couldn't deny that those cookies taste great and delicious. He blinked his eyes and faced Misaki.

"Thank you, Misa-chan! You made my day today!" the male shouted and instantly hugged Misaki, just like how a child hugs her mother warmly.

Misaki yelped when Honey embraced her; a weird emotion suddenly filled her chest. For the first time, she felt this light and warm feeling that she had never experienced before: it was the filling of satisfaction and happiness that she made someone happy. She never thought how wonderful that feeling was...but then, as expected of Misaki, she ignored that feeling. And that light emotion had turned into a heavy one.

She shook her head and slightly smiled.

"You're great, Misa-chan! Wouldn't you mind if you'll teach me how to make these?" Honey asked as he let go of her warm, friendly hug.

"A-Ah, yes, that'll be great." Misaki uttered abruptly and looked at Honey with mixed emotions.

Misaki took out some plates and placed the baked cookies in a neat but fashionable way. Just in time, the tea was already set.

"Let's go, Misa-chan!" Honey told her as he walked out of the pantry first, and then waited for Misaki outside.

Misaki nodded.

As always, the members of the Host Club were busy attending their clients with their exclusive services:

They can't help falling in love with Tamaki's "prince-like" aura and approach to them, treating them as his dear and lovely princesses.

The young ladies also admired Kyouya's cool and witty personality; his sophisticated yet empowering aura knocked their hearts out in love while they watch him scribbling something onto his notepad and talking with them at the same time.

The girls also couldn't resist themselves as they see the Hitachiin twins showing their "forbidden brotherly love" schemes again. The gorgeous yet dangerous combination of the twins (the good looks and their devilish, mischievous personalities, plus, the "forbidden relationship") made them damn popular among the girls.

Others were too amazed at the student prodigy, Honey, who was known as a cute male who loves cute things and has a sweet smile; indeed...the girls are always watching out for his cute tantalizing eyes and his childish voice as he always asks for cake (which, of course, made them shout like crazy in total happiness).

Even the other girls couldn't comprehend the beauty and striking appeal of Mori's "silent and strong" personality, thus their cheeks kept on blushing like tomatoes as they watched him practicing kendo in front of them.

Many of these girls are also watching out for the newbie, Haruhi, who was known as the "natural type" of the club, because of her warm, happy smile and happy approach to them; truly, these girls know how it feels like hanging out with the handsome (or should we say...beautiful) male (or...FEMALE?!) of the Host Club.

Yes...this is such the scenario that the club's underdog, Misaki Tainaka has to experience everyday. But, seriously, after the incident when she helped a female student who got a terrible flu, she became famous too...somehow.

Some of the girls considered her as the Host Club's doll for her scary yet striking good looks (which honestly for her, was quite disturbing and threatening). A few guests who frequently visit the Host Club see her as a daunting but fascinating specimen, a rare individual who was placed in a world of the ordinary.

Despite the fact that some are interested at her, most of them still can't get over with her "horrifying" persona. They were disgusted of her tastes and preferences. They hated how the way she walks on her way to class; they despised how scary she looks every time; most of all, they couldn't fight their fears every time she looks at them with those blank eyes and an expressionless face. Plus the fact that her skin was really fair, they can't help but to think of ghosts and restless spirits who look scary and ominous as her.

They thought that she isn't a girl...rather, she is not human based on her behavior. Rumors seemed to spread around the school; people began wondering how pathetic it was for the Ouran Academy to accept such an unladylike, low-profile young woman...like her.

Such thoughts made the young black-haired girl tremble for a while. As long as she's in this club, she doesn't have an option. She must pay her million yen debt until the last cent or else, it'll be the end.

Misaki entered the pantry to get another tray of Japanese almond cookies that she made. By the time she stepped out of the pantry, Misaki was unexpectedly greeted by a pair of dark eyes, staring at her calmly but strikingly.

"Misaki, may I have a word with you for a moment?" the masculine voice told her.

Misaki just nodded. "S-Sure, Sempai."

"Where's Misa-chan?" Honey asked with wonder while munching a Japanese almond cookie in his hand. His eyes blinked when he realized that he had just finished eating the whole plate. Then, he pouted and gave the empty plate to Mori.

"Takashi, I want more of Misa-chan's cookies!" he said childishly, looking at the taller guy with his cute eyes.

Mori sighed and simply took the plate and left.

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at Honey; apparently they were on their usual business again. Haruhi, who was sitting between the twins, fixed the collar of her uniform and faced Honey.

"Oh, I saw her and Kyouya-sempai talking at the pantry a while ago." she answered.

"Kyouya-sempai?" the Hitachiin twins said together, blinking their eyes with amusement.

Haruhi nodded.

Kyouya and Misaki entered the scene.

"MISA-CHAN, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Honey exclaimed as he ran towards the lady and embraced her like a lost child hugging his mother.

As expected, Misaki was shocked. However, she remained still and just raised her hand to hold Honey's head and stroke it gently. A small smile crept upon her face.

"Hey, Sempai! How's it going? I've heard that you're going to stay at Bali for the weekend." Kaoru said towards Kyouya.

Kyouya nodded. "Yes, it's true. My father called me yesterday, saying that I must head there on Friday evening. Family business, as usual."

"So...how about all of us will go after you, huh? That'll be fun! It's a long time since we haven't had a long break from this thing!" Hikaru said, smiling.

Misaki listened at the Host Club's conversation attentively. Honestly, this type of conversation was slightly intimidating. These guys just don't realize how much a trip to Bali would cost. Anyway, they're a bunch of rich guys; they have all the money they want to spend in such luxuries...well except for Haruhi, of course! However, it's a good thing (on the bright side of it) that these guys want to spend the weekend together.

While listening to the conversation quietly, she never noticed that somebody tapped her shoulder.

Misaki blinked and saw the twins staring at her. Even Tamaki, Kyouya and the rest of the hosts were looking at her.

"H-Hey, are you OK?" Haruhi asked with concern (she was the one who tapped Misaki's shoulder).

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Misaki said.

"Hey, I think the impact of that explosion at the lab is still into Yurei-chan." Hikaru whispered to Kaoru.

Kaoru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think so."

AFTER CLASS...

The grand clock struck four in the afternoon.

Everybody went out of the school building with their school bags and books, walking on their way home.

As for the Host Club underdog, Misaki decided to go to the library to borrow a Chemistry book. With a sigh, she walked in and approached the kind-hearted librarian. As expected the librarian got the thing that she need. In a while, Misaki stepped out of the library and walked along the hallway.

She walked and walked until she passed through the Drama Club's office. Suddenly, she felt these shivers running through her spine; goosebumps made the pores of her skin freeze like cold ice. Misaki took a deep breath and continued walking, until somebody called her name loudly.

"MISAKI!"

Misaki turned around and saw a familiar female standing meters apart from her. The persona walked forward, getting closer...and closer. The young lady stopped walking and looked at Misaki with a fierce stare, wearing a grin upon her face. The black-haired female blinked. She let out a straight, "It's you."

"It's been a long time...Misaki Tainaka." the feminine voice said strongly.

Kyouya was busy typing something on his laptop when a pop-up screen showed up on the monitor. He clicked the button, and a short message appeared:

What did you got? -Haruhi

Kyouya instantly replied:

I need further investigation to clear our thoughts about this thing. For the meantime, Tamaki told me to keep on researching.

It took a few seconds before the pop-up screen showed up again:

I wonder what Tamaki-sempai's thinking. What is he going to do? -Haruhi

The male grinned slightly and typed:

Whatever that may be, I'm sure Tamaki won't let this thing happen again. Misaki must be feeling disturbed about this, though she doesn't tell us anything.

The pop-up screen appeared after Kyouya typed his message:

Everything will be fine, Sempai. I'm sure Tamaki, you and I are not the only ones in this. -Haruhi

Kyouya typed again:

Yes, I know.

After that short chat. Kyouya placed his laptop aside for a moment and rested his back onto his chair. He closed his eyes for a while and sighed.

Misaki closed her eyes. She tossed and turned on her bed, feeling uneasy. She never thought that this was happening to her. In fact, that encounter way back at Ouran Academy a few hours ago troubled her. No, rather, she wasn't that troubled. Slightly, somehow.

She looked at her alarm clock and sighed. Then her eyes gazed upon the ceiling; she remained quiet.

FLASHBACK...

"It's you."

"It's been a long time...Misaki Tainaka."

Misaki saw a young female student about her age. Her curly locks look perfectly fit with her fair, angelic face. She is fairly a few centimeters taller than Misaki; her sapphire blue eyes were staring fiercely at Misaki, along with a small smile on her face.

Misaki looked at the recognizable young lady; the other lady looked back at her.

"So, how's your stay here? Did you like it?" the woman told her.

"Do I have to answer that?" Misaki replied sternly.

"It's your choice." the woman answered.

"By the way, I would like to thank you for throwing my bag out of the window last time. I really appreciate the fact that you and your friends gave me a warm welcome here." Misaki said.

"Really? Well, that's good to hear. I thought that you're going to do the same to us. That was unexpectedly strange of you." the lady spoke.

Misaki sighed.

"What's so strange about that?" she asked.

"Where did you left your courage, Misaki? Did you dump it somewhere else? I always thought you were the brave type." she said.

"I'm not the same girl that you once knew, Ms. Aiko Yomura. I already dumped it a long time ago." Misaki replied.

The woman chuckled and folded her arms snugly. Her blue eyes looked fiercer than before while looking at Misaki, her smile faded abruptly.

"I'm telling you now, Ghost Girl...once you try laying a finger on me, I'll make sure that your life will become miserable. You are going to walk out of this building in no time and you will never, ever come back here. I'll assure you that." she said.

Misaki never said anything; the young female leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"I'll tell the entire school about your secret." she said and lifted her head away from Misaki.

Misaki's eyes opened wide. She felt her heart stopped beating after hearing those words; she felt like she can't breath. However, she tried to remain calm and just stared at the young woman straightly.

"I think that's a great idea." Misaki said and let out a smile.

"What the hell?" the woman muttered shockingly.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: If I were you, I wouldn't dare doing that. We all have secrets. I may have a horrible one, but yours is the most horrible secret that I knew. If you know what I mean." Misaki said, smiling slightly.

The blonde young woman clenched her fists angrily, her eyes seemed blazing with wrath. She let out a scowl and laughed evilly.

"Don't make me laugh, Misaki!" she said and pulled something from her bag pack. Afterwards, she threw the thing to Misaki.

It was an invitation card.

Misaki kept quiet while looking at the invitation card. Not long after, she saw two female students running hurriedly.

"AIKO!" they shouted as they approached the angry blonde lady worried.

"I'll be expecting you. Don't fail me." Aiko (the blonde girl's name) said and grinned forcefully. She turned around and walked away, leaving her two friends behind. The two girls stared at Misaki for a while and followed Aiko behind.

The grand clock struck 4:15 in the afternoon.

"I hate this." Misaki mumbled and covered herself with her blanket.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. Misaki rose up and headed for the knob, opening it slowly.

Surprisingly, nobody was outside her small apartment unit, except a white envelope was seen on top of the doormat. Misaki bent down and picked up the envelope. She noticed that familiar seal on it.

"I can't believe this." Misaki muttered and closed the door.

A/N: Awwww...sorry for the late update, folks! I need to do some important tasks and actually...I need to manage my time properly, so that I'll have time to update my stories. Thank a lot for reading this fanfiction and rest assured that I'll do my best to update this as soon as I can.

Until next chapter, guys! CIAO! God bless you all!