Chapter 1: The First Day

"So, this is it, huh?" Kagome Higurashi stated, sounding very unsure.

Bright azure eyes absorbed the vast grounds of Ouran Academy from the car's passenger seat. Everything slowly began to sink in, the realities she would face once she left the car. The raven-haired girl had traveled through the fabric of time, conquered villains, and seen things no teenager in her entire life would see. Yet, the massive school building in front of her terrified her. Kagome slumped into the seat, hoping to shrink away from the school.

In the driver's seat, Shippo Kistunezuka cast a concerned glance towards the young miko. In his many years, he never found himself particularly good at comforting people much less young women. So, the ginger did what any reasonable man of his age would and imparted words of wisdom upon her.

"Don't look so scared, Kagome. I went here and it was great!" Shippo encouraged. The kistune nudged her shoulder playfully with his elbow. Kagome offered him a placating, half-formed smile.

"Easy for you to say, Shippo," Kagome mumbled.

Judging from the dubious look she had on her face, his words were an epic fail. He couldn't blame her for not believing him though. When the weight of the world falls upon your shoulders it is not an easy burden to bear. Shippo wished with his whole being to be able to ease the pressure of her new mission. However, doing so could cause it to collapse and he was not about to face the consequences of that.

They soon approached a massive metal gate with Ouran Academy's insignia welded into it. Kagome averted her eyes and began twiddling with the sleeves of her dress. Shippo wanted to roll his eyes but abstained from the immature gesture. He would never understand teenagers, much less girl ones! Sighing, he turned to lean out the window to punch in a code for the gate. Returning to the car, Shippo's hand gently pulled her fingers from the sleeve.

"Come on, you'll be great. You've fought demons. How bad could high school be? If Souten and I can handle it, so can you." Shippo said, this time his voice was softer and more fatherly. It felt right to change their roles, even if the weird sensation of talking to Kagome like an adult made him want to barf. In his mind, she would always and forever be his maternal figure.

"You're right, I'm being silly," replied Kagome with a frown.

Shippo's attempt at comforting her with humor fell flat in the face of her anxieties today. The fox demon conveniently forgot to mention the hundreds of years of life experience they had on her. That, in addition to the stakes at hand. Oh well. All things considered, she should be grateful to be in high school much less accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the country. So why did her hands tremble so much at the sight of the school?

"If you need anything, just call. Are you sure you don't want a ride home tonight?"

"That's alright, Shippo. The shrine isn't that far from the school. Besides you've got a baby to worry about, I'll be fine." Kagome assured him.

It was the second time Shippo extended the offer to give her rides to and from school. The kindness of it made her smile, but ultimately she refused it again. Living with her family at the Higurashi Shrine provided a comfortable normal she could return to. That, and she was making up for lost time. So much had changed since she left and returned, it was almost too overwhelming.

"Correction, Kags, I have two babies to worry about now!" Shippo interrupted her thoughts by holding up two fingers in her face. Blinking owlishly she realized the tease and and rolled her eyes. Some things would never change and her darling friend was one of those. She couldn't be more grateful for that.

"As if. I still see the little fluffball who would cling to my shoulder." Shippo opened his mouth to complain, but Kagome brushed him off as she slipped out of the parked car "See ya around, Shippo."

The kistune gave her another broad smile before waving her off. Unbeknownst to her, tiny pinpricks of water stung the corners of his eyes as he watched her go. Turbulent emotions flowed into him seeing his big sister was all grown up now. Gods, he was getting too soft and needed to rectify the situation.

"Don't kiss too many boys, missy!" Shippo called out.

Kagome snorted and slammed the door in his face. The comment was uncalled for, she had no intention of kissing anybody during her time here. However, hearing Shippo's raucous laugh disappear with the car in the distance mellowed her anxieties. A wry smile pulled onto her lips, even after all these years her Shippo was still the same.

"Suppose I should get going, huh?" Kagome whispered her thoughts aloud.

Alone, she approached the beautiful courtyard. It was a peaceful day on the grounds without the commotion of students there. Kagome found herself extremely pleased to start her first day in the calm silence. In the distance, a water fountain trickled noisily. Maybe she could eat lunch with some new friends in the courtyard. Perhaps she could build a life here without guilt. Looking up towards the main building, Kagome considered the lavish European architecture. Ornate, over the top, and positively stunning. Such strange worlds she found herself in.

This school would mark the beginning of her brand-new adventure. A terrifying, different one filled with people she wouldn't know. Looking down, she grasped the soft material of her skirts between her fingers. With the color of buttercups in the high of summer Ouran Academy's girl's uniform made a statement. Compared to the simple sailor fuku uniforms she was used to wearing, the girl supposed this was considered high fashion. As cute as the dress was it was not fully her style. After some tweaking with the petticoat and a cute pair of mary-janes, Kagome found that she didn't mind the dress. In some angles, she dared to think it made her look rather cute.

The sounds of students coming to campus took her thoughts from uniforms to elsewhere. Nibbling her lip, Kagome wondered how the other students would react to her. After all, she wasn't an heiress or anyone of particular note. Even with the assistance from her benefactor who brought her here, she was just a normal girl with goals for her future! Kagome straightened herself. She could do this, damn it! Bravely, the girl walked through the ornate doors. Shippo was right. If she could handle demons, she could handle high school.

Right?

When she first arrived, the classroom was essentially empty. Smiling, the girl decided to take this wonderful opportunity to settle herself at a desk near a window. After all, where else in the room could beat the dazzling views of Ouran's verdant gardens?

Several of her classmates swarmed around her desk after she introduced herself. She was a new face to many of them. Who would have thought everyone attended the same fancy-pants elementary and middle schools? Shippo left out that little detail, much to her dismay. Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself, she was an individual here and would be judged as such. All she had to do was be her best, authentic self and she would make friends!

"What do your parents do?" A girl named Yuriko Aika asked. "My father owns a luxury chocolate brand that originated from France. It's very famous and is the best chocolate in the world!"

"Well, my father is an accomplished lawyer. Best in the country," a boy named Hideki Hayashi interjected. The Aika girl sent him a withering glare that he pointedly ignored. Instead, he sent Kagome a flirtatious smirk. Her blue eyes fixed upon him with a bored expression thanks to her immunity to shallow charm.

Hayashi opened his mouth to say more, but one of Aika's friends pulled him into a bickering match. Aika's countenance reflected her disinterest in the foolish boy. Even so, she did not stop her friend from instigating the argument. Kagome sighed dejectedly. At this point, she was not attempting to hide her disinterest in the conversation. Was this how people introduced each other around here? How unfortunate.

With each moment she was in their presence, Kagome regretted her decision to come to class early. In the back of her mind, she already made a note to never be too punctual ever again. It was entirely unfair to be punished for being on time. The weight of disappointment that collapsed upon her was unfathomable. These people took her newness as an avenue to brag about their parents! The girl wanted to hide under her desk rather than stick around longer.

"What does your family do, Higurashi?" Hayashi suddenly said. With the bickering match over, three pairs of eyes were directed upon her then and expected an answer. Although she was caught off guard, Kagome felt a surge of hope as she flashed them a friendly smile.

"My family owns and runs a shrine," the miko answered proudly.

Expectantly she waited for them to respond. When an awkward pause stopped the conversation she glanced around the group; they looked at her strangely. A distinct shift in the atmosphere diminished any hope she had in befriending these people, worse yet they whispered amongst each other before abandoning her altogether. Kagome gaped at the blatant rejection. A shrine was not such a bad thing to be a part of! Groaning, she laid her head down on her desk in defeat. It was going to be a long high school experience if everyone acted like that.

"Such a shame to see a beautiful flower such as yourself wilt. Your smile is too precious to be hidden by the desk," a boy's voice spoke above her. A hand tilted her chin up to stare into dazzling violet eyes. Kagome tilted her head to the side, too surprised to throw his hands off her face. Her brain malfunctioned as she made eye contact with a gorgeous blonde boy. He smiled at her with such sincerity it made her cheeks heat.

"Thanks, but I'm not a flower," Kagome laughed awkwardly. Bewildered, her mind briefly remembered Shippo's last declaration earlier about no kissing boys. Another brief, but dangerous thought passed through her mind. If all the boys here were all this attractive she was in trouble.

"Not! Pretty looks will not tempt me. I'm here on a mission, get it together, girl!" Kagome mentally chided. The boy tutted, dramatically smacking his hands on her desk. She jumped back in her seat in surprise. Suddenly, the boy leaned in so close Kagome could spot speckles of blue in his irises. Her blush deepened in earnest at his proximity.

"Don't disregard your beauty so quickly, princess–!"

"Tamaki, it's best if you stop there. People are beginning to stare." A boy with dark hair and glasses placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. It was true, their classmates watched them with varying degrees of amusement and disgust. Glancing back toward the blonde, Kagome stifled a laugh watching the two boys in front of her. Complaints spilled from the blonde's mouth as he was pulled away from her by the dark-haired boy. Stifling a laugh, Kagome smiled awkwardly when the blonde– Tamaki– began apologizing repeatedly.

"What is your name, princess?" Tamaki asked her.

"Kagome Higurashi," she introduced with a small smile. As flattering as it was to be referred to as a princess, it felt weird tagged to her. Tamaki clutched his heart and wrapped himself around the dark-haired boy. Kagome choked down another laugh at the sight the two made.

"She's too cute! I am Tamaki Suoh!" Tamaki squealed in delight.

The excitable blonde made to grab at her again, but the dark-haired boy intervened by stepping in between them. Silently, Kagome thanked his intervention as she didn't think she could handle being manhandled by the pretty boy once more without exploding. Tamaki turned away with a pout and whined incoherently at the obstruction.

"Kyoya Ootori. It's a pleasure, Miss Higurashi," Kyoya said with a polite smile. Before Kagome could form a complete sentence, it suddenly struck her, at that moment, how positively handsome he was. The heat that spread across her cheeks was involuntarily and decidedly embarrassing. Gods she was making a fool of herself!

"It's nice to meet you!" The girl replied quickly. In an attempt to prevent herself from being as silly as a schoolgirl, Kagome flashed them both a dazzling smile. While her plan would have worked, her sudden display of warmth brought Tamaki out of his depressed daze as he declared multiple compliments upon her person. A deep crimson flush returned to her cheeks full force.

The three stood around Kagome's desk and chatted amicably. In that pocket of time, she felt like a normal high school girl talking pleasantly with her classmates. When their conversation transitioned to club activities, Kagome's mind began to wander with the whispering of her classmates. Vaguely she could make out some of their words.

"What a bunch of weirdos…"

"That girl is just a commoner, who does she think she is coming to this school?"

"Forget her. I heard that Suoh is a bastard."

"Bastard? Have you met Ootori? Suoh's got nothing on that guy."

Their whispering about them was immature, ridiculous, and countless other things. Frowning, Kagome pointedly glared at the offending whisperers, fully intent on addressing their rude comments. Fortunately, they avoided the miko's wrath as the teacher came in and called the class into order. The prickly words vanished from her mind as Mr. Yamada introduced himself to the class. While their teacher droned on, the miko's head was entirely elsewhere.

Attending Ouran Academy would be hard. That much was certain. Challenges would arise and obstacles would present themselves to be overcome. They came in the form of snooty classmates which sucked. Yet as she listened to them go around and introduce themselves, she could only perceive Kyoya and Tamaki's voices. Hearing them brought a giddy joy spreading throughout her. She spoke confidently when it was her turn to introduce herself to the class.

After all, she had friends to go through this journey with her.

Did I forget that I could post here? Yes, yes I did. Please leave a review or follow along for this fun story. As always, thank you for reading!