If you recognise it… I don't own it.

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"Ouran High School Host Club" – Beginning

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Satoshi was walking to school. He had recently started visiting a small bakery near the school in order to obtain a small baked treat to put in his Kendo kit bag.

Outwardly the treat was for him. But in actuality it usually got stolen by Chika, who was still denying that he even liked such things. However Satoshi knew his cousin. And while the stern blond claimed to hate his brother for giving in to such temptations, he actually hated that Mitsukuni was strong enough to remain true to his heart and defy generations of Haninozuka traditions… Without loosing any of his skill or the family's respect. And without fearing loosing the family's respect. A thing which Chika was terrified of doing.

So Satoshi ensured that his cousin could indulge his small vice, while still believing it was a secret. Today, he had bought a blueberry cookie. There was only one reason he bought the treat rather than simply order the staff to cook something… His family also frowned on excessive sweets. It was simply easier to buy them, than sneak around his parents and other family members… Though he did suspect that Takashi knew.

He was almost back at Ouran, when he heard raised voices just ahead of him.

"What you going to do, rich little boy?"

"Is he going to call for his mummy?"

"Oh, I know! He's going to call for his security."

"Rich brat."

"Please, let me past." Satoshi frowned when he heard that voice. He knew that voice. But he didn't know why.

"Please." Another voice mocked.

"Too good to hang out with us?"

"I'm going to be late." The familiar voice protested again, but softly.

"Going to be late."

"We just wanna play."

"Come on."

"Please, leave me alone."

"Fight back, rich boy."

The last line caused Satoshi to speed up slightly. The boy being picked on was clearly not a fighter and was outnumbered as well. That rankled Satoshi's Samurai heritage.

Just before Satoshi entered the crowded clearing, he heard a small cry of shock and then pain.

As he took in the scene, Satoshi knew he should have arrived and acted sooner. On the ground was Haruhi, Takashi's friend. And surrounding the small boy were five or so boys only just shorter than Takashi. From the looks of things, though, Haruhi had not been hurt badly.

Satoshi sprung into action, dropping his bag as he quickly dealt with the bullies. Though they quickly ran away, once it was clear that Satoshi knew what he was doing.

"Are you alright, Haruhi-sempai?" Satoshi asked, squatting down next to Haruhi.

"I'm fine, Satoshi." Haruhi smiled, "I just tripped over a stone or something. Thank you. But you didn't need to do that. I would have been alright."

"Takashi would have been upset with me if he had found out that I hadn't helped." Satoshi replied, "And anyway, I was able to help. Let me grab your bag."

"It's alright, Satoshi, you don't need to."

"I want to." Satoshi stated.

He grabbed both his and Haruhi's school bags, and then held out his hand to help her up.

But as Satoshi's hand closed around Haruhi's wrist, the boy frowned slightly. The wrist was too small… The wrist was too small.

The thought was quickly dashed from his mind, as Haruhi tried and failed to put some weight on her left ankle.

"Arrh!" The cry escaped her lips as she fell down again. Satoshi knelt down next to her and placed his hands over the ankle.

"I think you've sprained it." Satoshi declared, "I'd best take you to the nurse."

"I'll be fine."

"You'll only make it worse if you walk on it." Satoshi countered, "Please, let me help you."

"Alright." Haruhi sighed, "You're as persistent as the guys. But at least you ask."

Satoshi slipped his arms under the girl, as he lifted her he frowned slightly. There was too little weight… There was too little weight.

"Satoshi," Haruhi interrupted his thoughts, "You're not that much taller than me. And while you may be the Kendo captain leader… And I'm sure you're strong… I doubt you can carry me all the way to the nurse. Just help me walk, okay?"

Satoshi surrendered to Haruhi's words, lowering her back to the ground, before wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He held the wrist with one hand, and placed his other hand on her waist, so that he was acting as her crutch.

But as they walked together, Satoshi's thoughts came back to haunt him. It wasn't helped by the knowledge that Haruhi's waist was too pronounced. Satoshi took another look at his big brother's friend. The fine, delicate feminine features. The small wrists. The light body mass. The tiny frame. The pronounced waist. All of that added up to something that Satoshi couldn't quite believe, but also couldn't dismiss.

"Haruhi-sempai?" Satoshi broke the silence that the two had fallen into easily.

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to insult… But are you a girl?"

"How'd you guess?" Haruhi asked.

"No offence meant, sempai, but you don't weigh enough. And your features are too fine."

"Satoshi, telling a girl that she's light is never an insult."

"Why are you part of the Host Club? Do they even know?"

"They know, Satoshi. It's not like they couldn't. Tamaki-sempai walked in on me changing once. He didn't mean to."

"But then… Why?"

"I owe the Host Club a debt. It was agreed that I would work it off."

"Takashi wouldn't agree to making a girl do that! It goes against our family's honour!"

"I don't think he knew I was a girl at the time." Haruhi shrugged, "I don't know when he figured it out. But he did. Just not then. I don't really distinguish between genders like other people. And there's my honour to think about. I choose this."

"I apologize, sempai." Satoshi could have kicked himself. He should have known. Mitsukuni had once mentioned that Haruhi was rather strong willed and independent.

Thinking about it, he realized that she had to be, if she was to survive among a group of boys. Particularly a group as influential and impulse driven as his brother's friends.

"It needs to stay a secret, Satoshi. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, sempai. If you can keep it a secret that I was out here."

"Why are you out here?"

"You know Chika says he hates sweet things?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't. There's a small bakery not far from here. I claim that I buy stuff there for myself, for after Kendo Club. He keeps on stealing them. That's why I buy them."

"And he doesn't think you know?"

"I don't think he does."

Haruhi laughed. Satoshi marvelled in the delightful sound for a moment. He suddenly realized why Takashi was so intrigued with Haruhi. It wasn't just that she was a girl pretending to be a boy. It wasn't just that she was a scholarship student fighting every day for her place among the elite. It was that she was so entrancing, and yet so natural. There was nothing fake or pretend about her.

Though how she managed it, while dressed as a boy, Satoshi didn't know. He also wasn't sure if she was aware of the effect she had.

He decided it was probably a good thing that only the Host Club was aware of Haruhi's true gender. She wouldn't be left alone by the male students otherwise.

"Does that sort of thing happen often, sempai?"

"Not really." Haruhi shrugged, "And if I let every little thing get in my way, I'd never get anything done."

By the time they had arrived at the Nurse's Office, classes had already begun. So Satoshi only really had time to hand Haruhi over to the Nurse, before running off to his class, hoping that his teacher wouldn't be too mad at his tardiness.

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The teacher for Conversational French was not having a good day. It was bad enough teaching the Hitachiin twins at the best of times, with their mile wide mischievous streak and their habits of only switching names and trying to make every girl in the class squeal in delight at their antics.

However without Haruhi's presence, it appeared the twins had become the miniature devils that some of the older teachers said they were.

It was almost as if they were trying to get thrown out of class. Little did the teacher know that that was exactly what the twins were trying to do. They were worried that Haruhi hadn't turned up. They were planning on going to look for her.

About halfway through the class, the twins were getting desperate. It seemed the teacher wanted to prove some kind of point and was refusing to throw them out of class.

However that was the moment, Haruhi finally entered the classroom, pushing the door open with one hand. She stood framed in the doorway, one hand holding her schoolbag, while the other held her crutch upright.

"I apologize for being late, sensei." She awkwardly bowed to the teacher.

"Fujioka," The teacher looked at her, "Why were you late?"

"I tripped on my way to school," Haruhi shrugged, "Twisted my ankle, sensei. I went to see the nurse. I am sorry for disrupting class."

The twins finally came out of their relief and shock. They charged at Haruhi. Kaoru claimed her school bag off her, while Hikaru stole the crutch. Then they simply picked her up and carried her back to their seats, fussing over her the whole way.

Haruhi simply surrendered to their ministrations. She could tell that it was different to their normal fussing. It was just like back on the beach. They had been worried. It cost her nothing to allow them to reassure themselves that she was alright.

"You alright, Haruhi?" Kaoru asked after a while, turning her head to face him.

"I'm fine, Kaoru."

"You're not fighting us." Hikaru pointed out.

"You were worried," Haruhi shrugged, "This isn't you two trying to annoy me. This is like the beach. Yelling isn't the right thing to do."

"Someone hurt you?" Hikaru demanded.

"No," Haruhi sighed, "But I was late. You didn't know where I was. And you didn't know if anything had happened to me. I wasn't where I was meant to be. You had the right to be worried. Even though I was alright."

"Awww," Hikaru pulled her into a hug, "Our little Haruhi's growing up!"

"Stop it, the pair of you." Haruhi muttered, knowing that the twins were about to start on their over-the-top fussing, "I'm alright. You don't need to worry. I'm trying to study here. You got your free fuss."

For the rest of the day, Haruhi only gave partial objection to the twins' fussing, as they insisted on carrying her around the school. The two of them literally carried her everywhere, and bought her lunch so that she would eat with them in the cafeteria.

Her fighting against them increased in ferocity throughout the day, but never quite reached her usual level.

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I have absolutely no idea where this story would go. I just found the beginning of it. Would someone care to attach a plot?