"Alright, men! To your battle stations!" Tamaki ordered, as their car pulled up to the hot spring. The twins saluted then suited up, along with the rest of the boys. Haruhi and I sat there silently, not wanting to be seen with them at all costs. But the limo they were in didn't help that much.

When the car came to a stop all the boys stood up to check each other out. The twins had casual jeans and tee-shirts on while Mori and Honey had on lounge wear. Tamaki ditched the shirt from earlier and put on a light sweater, even though it was beyond hot outside.

"Oh brother..." Haruhi muttered under his breath, while I giggled. "Are they often like this?" With a slow nod in embarrassment he sighed. "Every day of my life."

Leading the way out Tamaki took his suitcases from his chauffeur and used himself as an example. "See men, commoners carry their own luggage around to look tough and give everyone that "Hard-Worker vibe"." They all clapped in amusement. "Not, try not to draw attention to ourselves. Hard telling how busy this place is-"

An elderly woman appeared from behind and bowed. "Hello, welcome to the Sohma Hot Spring. I will be your hostess during your weekend here."

Surprised and speechless, the King bowed back. "Thank you...for...having .."

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked politely, smiling back at him. Haruhi spoke up from beside me. "Not at all Mam, he just gets startled easily-"

The next few minutes came in a rush as our hostess grabbed Tamaki by the collar, throwing him every which way.

"I'M SOORRRYYY!" She screeched, shaking him around. "YOU JUST ARRIVED HERE AND ALREADY I HAVE INSULTED YOU! YOU WERE KIND ENOUGH TO PICK OUR HOT SPRING WHEN THERE WERE THOUSANDS IN BETTER CONDITION, AND I FAILED YOU!"

"No, please don't say that." I begged, resting my hand on her shoulder. "The King is just stressed and seeing you smile at him gave him a sense of relaxation...something he hasn't had in a long time." I bowed in respect. "Thank you, ."

"What a sweet girl..." She said, reverting back to her old way. "Let me show you to your rooms. If you please, right this way."

Haruhi walked into his room and sighed with a smile on his face. Then the hostess led me to my room adjacent to his. When she opened the door, I was led into a paradise. I knew the Japanese had class and a way of culture that was different than you average Americans, but this was breathtaking!

The room was all made up like a cozy house on a winter night, a view on the land out back as a view. The mountains seemed to touch the sky, going on forever. My eyes widened and a smile spread across my face. "Beautiful..."

"Dinner will be ready soon, someone will come get you when it's time." After that she left me to my privacy, which was spent admiring the room around me. It just had a peaceful aura about it that made you all calm.

There was a knock on the door, which almost made me jump. Haruhi stepped in and gave me a polite smile. "How do you like your room?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. I smiled, "It's like a dream... Much nicer than the ones I have been to in America."

"That's good." He said, with a nod.

"Yep..."

Seeing him there made me think of the other host club members. It obvious he isn't a thing like them, so why join their club? I should ask him... I thought, then decided to let it go. It was none of my business anyways.

"Hey, Joceline?" He suddenly asked, breaking the awkward silence. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to leave Japan so badly? I mean, I can understand with people like the others all around town, but other from that..."

"I get home sick easily. When my grades gave me a chance to study abroad, I was thrilled. This was my chance to face my fears of being alone and get out from under my parents roof. But...it was harder than I expected. Not having my mom around to talk to, or my dad not sitting in the next rom watching football; it was very lonely."

"What about you cousin? In the letter she sounded upset about you leaving."

With a sigh my eyes lowered to the ground. I've never been able to look people in the eye. "That was all for show. My parents begged her to have me come, not wanting me to leave empty handed. In reality she hates me, thinking I'm nothing but foreign trash. I'm only an eighth Japanese, making her my second...third cousin."

"Judging by race? Sounds kind of harsh, isn't it?"

"I don't really know her that well. I came here because of the culture, wanting to know where I come from even though an eighth doesn't really count."

He gave me a smile, "But it does count! And your right, who cares what people think? All that matters is how you see yourself."

"Thanks Haruhi-kun." I said quietly, returning the smile. He held his hands up, "Hey, we're friends now. Just call me Haruhi." I giggled.

"Okay...Haruhi..."

"And since you let me know a little bit about you, I will tell you something about me." He said with a smile. "When I got to the host club, I had no intention of joining. But there was an accident and now I am working off a debt."

"But can't you just pay them back?"

He laughed, "No, my family has to many money issues for that. I'm here by my grades, not money. As a matter of fact, I am a commoner." Pause. "But anyways, since a host club is for boys I had to pretend to be a guy and get enough guests so they will forgive my debt."

I gasped, "Wait, hold the phone...time out. Your saying, that you are a girl?"

Haruhi giggled and smiled brightly. "Yeah, sorry for not telling you sooner." When I didn't answer, she waved a hand in my face. "Hello?"

"Holy fudge biscuits...YOU TOTALLY HAD ME FOOLED!" I yelled, excited from the news. "It all makes sense now!"

Haruhi laughed.

The two girls spent the next hour chatting away. Mostly about music, sports, and movies. Haruhi talked a little about her home life, trying to help Joceline understand the culture differences. Joceline, loving it, laughed about almost everything and told stories about her and her friends in America. Haruhi asked about the houses and the schools, giving each other great topics.

"So, you don't have san, kun, chan, and sempi?" Haruhi asked, totally interested. "We haven't gotten to that in English class yet."

"Yeah, one time, my French teacher told me that English was one of the most dirtiest languages ever. It just doesn't flow as well as Spanish and French. Later on I found that out about Japanese too."

"Your high school offered Japanese? I read that only schools on the west coast offered that."

"I got to take collage courses in my spare time, when I wasn't in band that is." Joceline said, thinking about what her friends back home. Haruhi cocked her head to the side. "What instrument did you play?"

Joceline smiled evilly, "Guess..."

"I don't know that many...but, what's the instrument that has three keys and is short?"

"A trumpet?"

"Yeah, that!"

"No."

"French Horn?"

"No."

"I know! Tuba!"

"Never. I find it funny how every instrument has a certain personality and that everyone who plays the same instrument acts alike."

"Clarinet."

"Maybe if I could put up with the reed." Joceline joked, then gasped. "You said you didn't know many!"

"That's all of them?" She asked, shocked. Joceline giggled, "Mostly, only a couple more from the main instrument sections left."

"Trombone."

"Nope."

Haruhi sighed in frustration. "Ugh! Just tell me, please? I suck at guessing."

"Flute." Joceline said, proudly. Haruhi shrugged, "I knew that." "Sure you did."

"What music do you like?" Haruhi asked.

Joceline tilted her head to the side, "Definitely Girls Dead Monster...and Simple Plan."

"What's Simple Plan?" She asked intrigued.

They talked on for another thirty minutes, until the hostess called for dinner to be ready in the main room. Leaving together they walked out faces red from laughing. The guys ran into them soon after, shock from seeing Haruhi in such a good mood. They were even more shocked after learning about their new friendship, and that Haruhi had so easily blurted out the secret.

*Another update. Hope you enjoy and review! (Harsh criticism is much welcomed)