Chapter One

A/N: So I started this story back in high school and am finally coming back to it. However my writing style has changed quite a bit so the whole story is going to go through a massive re-write. The first seventeen chapters should be fairly easy and fast due to the plot and rough draft already being there, so hopefully I can get the ball rolling again quickly. For the time being I am sorry about the random changes to chapters, I am going to be replacing them rather than uploading an entirely new story. The plot is staying the same though for the most part.

For anyone coming back to this story who may be wondering where all the old chapters went: I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience. While I rewrite this I will be adding more details to chapters and possibly changing certain elements. For the sake of any new readers I have deleted the original chapters and will upload the rewritten version as I finish each chapter. The goal is to have this story back up to where it was by mid-February depending on how my personal schedule works out. Once again I am sorry for the inconvenience and will post the updates as quickly as humanly possible.

To say Ouran Academy was large was an understatement. Riding up to it I realized that when I had been told it was palatial it had not been a figure of speech – the school might as well have been some sort of French inspired castle if I didn't know better. In retrospect I should have known that a school as elite as this wouldn't settle for anything less than grand. It was almost sickening to look at.

From outside the gates I could see the milling about of yellow marshmallow girls and sky blue boys that I was supposed to spend the remainder of my academic career with. Never mind the overwhelming pink buildings, I doubted my sanity would last long if I was surrounded by pastel elitists.

A few of the students caught sight of me and began pointing and whispering to each other. I supposed I looked rather conspicuous riding beside the gates on my motorcycle all dressed in black. I certainly didn't look the part of the student I was supposed to play. Two girls walked over to the group that had gathered to watch me, their faces the only ones in the courtyard that I recognized. Misaki and Sayuri had arrived a few minutes before me, courtesy of Mother's insistence that they be chauffeured at least the first day. She didn't bother to try to have me make such promises.

With a sigh I drove around until I found the parking lot – sparse though it was due to most of the students being chauffeured. Parking my bike I removed my helmet and stashed it in the storage compartment beneath the seat I had installed for such purpose. I stood there for a moment to stare up at the colossal school. I didn't want to be here, but it wasn't exactly my choice. Father had insisted my sisters and I move back to Japan while he sorted out the plans to move the company headquarters back as well. He had arranged for us to start at Ouran, his own alma mater, as if it would somehow make us closer to the high class ladies we were supposed to be.

Footsteps tapped on the concrete and I turned to my sisters, both clad in their poofy uniforms. If it weren't for their hair they would be identical. As it was they had decided years ago that they would not allow themselves to be mistaken for one another, irritated by the world's inability to decipher who was who. Misaki had kept her naturally dark hair while Sayuri dyed hers blonde. Dark and light, day and night.

"I don't see why you couldn't just ride in the limo with us. Everyone is making a fuss about 'the new girl on the bike' and how weird it was." Misaki sneered.

I shrugged off my jacket and allowed the obnoxious skirt of my dress to fall in wrinkles to my knees. "I don't see why it matters. Weren't you the one who says that 'one must always make a remarkable first impression'?" I smirked at her scowl. The phrase was one of her favorites, coined after twisting her ankle some years ago as she met one of Father's business partners for the first time. "Besides, no one is going to remember that for very long. There's always something new for people to talk about – and certainly more interesting than a girl riding a motorcycle." At least I hoped there was.

"Either way you'll have to change out of those pants before someone calls you out for breaking dress code." Misaki pointed out, gesturing to the jeans I had worn over the white stockings so as to be able to hike up my dress beneath my riding jacket.

"It's more comfortable this way."

"Kasu, please." Sayuri pleaded, practically pouting.

With a sigh I relented. "Fine, but only because you asked. These uniforms are hideous anyway." I muttered, briefly catching the triumphant grin shared between the twins. "You two should head to class. It's one thing if I'm late, but Mom will have your heads if you two are."

Misaki chuckled at the thought but didn't argue. She pulled Sayuri along behind her and headed into the school, throwing a casual wave behind her as she did so. Sayuri gave a half apologetic smile before they disappeared inside the building.

I followed them inside, pushing my jacket inside my book bag. I wasn't exactly sure where the nearest bathroom was from the entrance but I hoped it wasn't too far. As I passed inside the doors I was swept up into a tide of yellow and blue sauntering every which way. A few of them gave me odd looks, followed by derisive chortles by some of the girls as they looked me up and down.

"Damned spoiled girls and their fashion judgements." I muttered in annoyance. At last I spied the restroom and made a beeline toward it, practically slamming open the door as I entered. The three girls standing at the mirrors glared at me in their reflections. I did my best to ignore them as I pushed open a stall and hid behind the door just long enough to strip my jeans off and stuff them in my bag along with my jacket.

Exiting the stall I could hear the girls' hushed voices. "Oh look, she has some sense of decency after all. At least now she's just wrinkled."

The girl on the far right giggled. "Definitely better than looking like a pitiful commoner." She glanced at me just long enough to make eye contact and give a haughty smile. "Poor girl probably can't even afford a driver. Must be why she rides that ridiculous bike."

The other two began to chuckle as well as if she had made some great joke. I rolled my eyes and reached for the door handle. "Haven't you heard? Asahikas can drive themselves unlike some spoiled brats." I yanked open the door before the girls could retort, hoping that the name drop would shut their glossed up mouths for at least a moment or two. As much as I would have liked to know their reactions I needed to get to class before my day got worse.

As luck would have it the bell rang as I was wandering the halls in search of my classroom. I growled under my throat and hurried through the halls, searching for the blasted numbers that seemed to not even exist.

At last I found the room nestled in the furthest corner of the third hall I had searched. The door had been shut already, giving me just a moment to fix the ribbon around my neck and attempt to smooth out my skirt before entering. So much for not being tardy. I took a deep breath before sliding open the door cautiously.

All the heads in the room turned towards me as I slipped inside, attempting not to make eye contact with any of the other students. The only sound in the room was the sliding close of the door behind me, effectively shutting me in.

"Kasumii Asahika, I presume." The teacher surveyed me with only a mild hint of annoyance on his face. I nodded in response. "Last seat by the window. Please do not be tardy again." He instructed. While I walked over to my seat he addressed the class, "This is our new transfer student from America, Kasumii Asahika. I trust you all to treat her well."

I could feel the stares of my new classmates as I attempted to focus on what was written on the board. These kids really love to stare, don't they? I thought to myself. Clearly there wasn't much else to catch their attention other than a new student seeing as no one seemed to be relenting in their studying of me. I tried my best to listen to the teacher drone on about a voting for a new class president since the new one had moved away, but it was difficult to focus on something so boring when at least a dozen pairs of eyes were watching me. As inconspicuously as possible I glanced around in an attempt to get my bearings regarding the people I was supposed to share the next couple years with. There was a red haired girl two seats across from me, her eyes riveted on the blonde boy sitting between us. She had the look of someone who would do whatever it took to get what she wanted. A cruel girl despite her pretty face.

The blonde boy himself seemed fascinated by what the teacher was saying regarding class ranking and fundraising. He reminded me somewhat of a puppy, eager to please but not all that studious. In front of him was a dark haired boy with glasses writing careful notes in a black notebook, though he seemed disinterested in the topic at hand. I doubted his notes had much to do with the teacher's words either.

I continued studying everyone until the bell rang, giving myself at least a moderate idea of who I was to be surrounded by.

The day went on quietly, though I found myself tired of being stared at like some sort of exhibit before the clock even struck noon. The stares became irritating, almost as much as the whispers. Between classes was particularly annoying as girls gave me pointed looks and whispered behind hands so as to keep their lips from being read as if what they had to say was so secretive no one but the five other people around them could know. They were at least better than some of the boys watching me like a hawk would its prey. I knew those looks all too well – I was new meat, someone untested and not yet acquainted with them enough to know who to avoid and reject. A pretty little package wrapped up in a poofy yellow dress.

When the last bell of the day rang I practically bolted out of my seat, eager to leave the stares and hushed whispers of curious students. I was out in the hall as fast as possible, but the tide of people slowed my progress. I was nearing the stairs when a hand grabbed my arm. Spinning around I found myself surrounded by a small pack of boys, not all of whom had been in my classes throughout the day. The one holding me had been in my homeroom, a taller boy with light brown hair and a seemingly permanent leer on his face.

"You know, I've heard American girls are pretty easy." He half whispered. His friends nodded, closing in on me. He gripped my arm tighter. "I think we should test that theory."

I let out a bark of humorless laughter. "Might work better if I was actually American." I retorted before stomping on his foot, causing him to cry out in pain and release his hold on me.

I bolted as fast as I could, taking the one opening they had left behind me with the poor assumption I wouldn't break free. I didn't try for the lower stairs; there were too many of them and my advantage laid in my speed. Instead I ran up to the third floor, encouraged by the shouts that followed me. They had the upper hand knowing the layout of the school but I wasn't about to let that stop me from running.

A half open door to a music room on my right beckoned me, the light streaming in indicating it was in use. Surely they wouldn't try something in front of an audience. In the split second before I passed the room I slipped through the door, but clearly wasn't fast enough. One of the boys grabbed my shoulder from behind. I acted on instinct and torqued my body, grabbing hold of the arm not holding onto me and flipped him over me to land hard on the floor. I could hear the footsteps of the others close behind him. Quietly I moved just behind the door where they couldn't see me. As the first entered I swung my fist, colliding with his cheek.

He cursed and reached for me but was stopped when another hand grabbed his wrist.

"I believe that is quite enough, Mister Kazuko." The newcomer – the boy from my homeroom with the glasses – spoke calmly, though his voice had a grave undertone to it.

The boy, Kazuko, gave a huff but relented. He glared at me and the boy as he slunk away, kneeling to pick up the boy I had flipped over who was still lying on the floor groaning in pain. It gave me a small sense of satisfaction to see him limp while walking away, having to lean on Kazuko for support. I turned to thank my savior.

"Miss Asahika, I must ask that you refrain from such violent behavior inside our clubroom. It isn't good for business." The boy reprimanded before I could get in a single word.

I gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding right? I get chased in here and try to avoid being grabbed by some horny teenage boys and you tell me to keep the violence out because it's bad for business?" At his lack of response I scoffed. "What kind of club is this anyway? Isn't this supposed to be a music room?" I glanced around at the apparent lack of musical instruments, sure of what the sign above the door had said.

"I'm so glad you asked!" The blonde boy from my homeroom exclaimed as he leaped over to where I was and gestured grandly. "This is a host club designed to cater to the needs and desires of the beautiful ladies of this school such as yourself. We pride ourselves on treating all girls as the delicate princess they are!" Sparkles seemed to glimmer in the air around him from his sheer enthusiasm.

"Uh boss, I don't think she's as delicate as you think." A ginger boy said from his spot leaning against the back of a red chair. His identical twin stood in a similar position beside him.

"Yeah, she landed a guy twice the size of her without breaking a sweat." The other one pointed out.

I flashed the pair a lopsided grin. I liked them already. Much more than I liked either of the boys I shared a homeroom with and certainly more than those who had just tried to grab me.

Glancing around the room curiously I noticed the three other people who had yet to comment on the situation. They hovered just behind the twins, simply observing rather than attempting to butt in. Aside from them the room was void of people, though lavishly decorated as a sitting area prepped for afternoon tea.

The blonde boy regained my attention by taking my hand in his own and tilting my chin up to look at him. "Ah, but a beauty such as you is naturally as delicate as a rose."

I tore my hand away from his and stepped back, letting the hand that had held my chin drop uselessly to his side. "You know those lines don't work on everyone right? Not all women are delicate, helpless flowers that need to be protected and pampered all the time. Though I suppose a rose is a good metaphor. In the wild they all have thorns." I stated harshly. The blonde idiot shrank back from me as if my words were arrows piercing his body. "Moreover you shouldn't expect everyone to want to be flattered by useless words. If you think that all girls are princesses then you are dead wrong. Maybe if you want to actually impress me then next time a girl gets cornered by a group of guys twice her size you might grow a pair and actually help."

Everyone stood still for a moment as my words sunk into the boy. It wasn't until a bark of laughter came from the door that the silence was broken. I spun around to see a certain pair of twins walk into the room. "You really are no fun, Kasu-chan." Misaki chuckled, throwing an arm up around my shoulders.

"We heard that there was a commotion up here and figured it was you. I'm surprised you didn't do anything more reckless to them." Sayuri commented in her whispery voice, coming up on the other side of her twin.

"You two must be Misaki and Sayuri Asahika," glasses guy stated. Misaki grinned in confirmation while Sayuri blushed softly.

"Wait, I thought it was just the twins that were sisters." One of the three who had not yet spoken commented. A girl, judging from the voice and posturing despite what uniform she wore. I assumed she was in a class with the twins.

"The Asahika family has four children." Glasses stated as he looked at his black notebook. "Kaede, Kasumii, Misaki, and Sayuri. I must say it is a surprise to see all three of the Asahika sisters in one place. According to your records all three of you have unique skillsets. As such I will offer you a proposition. It has come to my attention that certain services are not offered at the host club that certain customers have expressed a desire of. Perhaps you three can help us." He looked at each of us calculatingly, summing us up like pieces of jewelry for sale.

I took a step forward, shrugging off Misaki's arm to stand protectively in front of them. "And what services did you have in mind?" I questioned skeptically.

The boy pushed his glasses up and smiled. "Nothing unscrupulous, that I can assure you. According to the media you, Kasumii, are an exceptional singer, despite refusing to go public. Sayuri has been noted to be a prodigy in both piano and violin; and Misaki has expressed certain tendencies in public that make her a prime candidate as the sort of host some of our customers and even noncustomers have requested."

My mind whirled trying to determine what he was talking about in regards to Misaki. Certain tendencies? She was rebellious, reckless and eccentric, but I couldn't see how any of those could be what he was referring to.

"So you want me to sing for you and Sayuri to play piano or violin. That's perfectly fine. I do not know what you mean by 'certain tendencies' about Misaki though."

Misaki stepped forward, one hand pushing back her hair nonchalantly. "He's probably talking about when the media found out about me dating that Tori girl." She stated matter-of-factly. I recalled the five months that they had dated vaguely. The media had practically blown up with paparazzi photos of them together and stories about Misaki's "secret love life" that she had attempted to keep hidden for that exact reason.

"You want me to be a hostess for other girls, right?" Misaki summarized bluntly.

I watched as across the room the idiot stood back up from his corner of woe and rushed over to us. "It's a wonderful idea, isn't it? I'm so glad you've finally taken my suggestion! Now we can cater to all women!" Sparkles seemed to erupt in the air again. "And live musicians! It will be sure to bring in even more customers. Please, ladies, I would like to formally welcome you into the host club. I am Tamaki Suoh. This here," he clapped the boy with the glasses on the shoulder, "Is Kyoya Ootori, the club's vice president. The twins are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Over there with the bunny is Mitskuni Haninozuka, but you can call him Hunny. Beside him is Takashi Morinozuka, but everyone calls him Mori. And finally is Haruhi Fujioka. And now with the addition of you three lovely ladies we are the Ouran Host Club." There was an awkward silence as the idiot struck a dramatic pose, perhaps expecting applause after his declaration.

Rather than congratulate him on the speedy introductions I walked over to one of the red velvet couches and flopped down. "Guess you already decided it yourself, huh?"

Misaki followed me and took up a perch beside me. "We might as well try it. What's the harm?"

I sang softly from my place beside the piano where Sayuri played. The music softly filtered through the room to all those who listened. I could see some of the girls swaying softly in time to the melody. Tamaki had insisted on quiet songs to set the mood, but it seemed that some of the girls had begun to pay less attention to the hosts and more to me and Sayuri.

I finished the song and sat down next to my youngest sister to take a break for a bit. I had sung seven songs in a row and my throat had become rather parched because of it. Excusing myself for a bit, I wandered over to where my other sister was hosting with Haruhi. I marveled at how none of these yellow marshmallow girls could tell that "he" was a she. It was obvious. Misaki had probably already figured it out by the girl's mannerisms and voice. She barely seemed to be trying to hide the fact that she was a girl. It didn't seem to matter to Misaki though, who seemed much at ease around her classmate.

Before I could make it over to my sister I was attacked by a certain little blonde boy who looked far younger than his age, his arms wrapped around my torso and looking for all the world like an innocent child.

"Kasu-chan! You sing so prettily! Where did you learn to sing like that?" Hunny-sempai exclaimed. Several faces turned in our direction, curious as to what I would say.

"My parents insisted that I take lessons when I was younger. They had me perform at all of their events." I bit back the grimace that threatened to appear at the memories of years spent trying my best to appease them. Day after day of private lessons flipping between Japanese, English, French, and Italian until I could sing it all. Oh how they had prided themselves on my voice, nearly as much as they did Sayuri's talent with instruments. Performing for the club now brought back those memories of nights spent not so long ago singing for fundraisers and charity events. "I think they wanted me to be a professional."

Hunny seemed to catch the bitter tone in my voice and let go of my waist. "You should take a break if you don't want to sing. Hey, Kyoya!" He waved frantically to the vice president who looked up coolly from where he had been scribbling notes in his little black book. "Kasu-chan needs a break. She's going to have some cake with me." At Kyoya's nod he tugged on my hand, pulling me over to where he and Mori were entertaining guests.

"You ladies don't mind if Kasu-chan joins us do you? She needs a break from all that singing." He smiled sweetly at the two girls sitting on the couch opposite him. They shook their heads, insisting I sit with them.

Hesitantly I settled myself between the two boys as Hunny had taken the opposite corner of the couch from where Mori sat. Mori poured a cup of tea for me, handing it to me gently.

"So Asahika-san, why did you move from America?" One of the girls asked politely, sipping from her own teacup delicately.

I tried to replicate the action as I replied, "My father is moving the company headquarters back to Japan. He insisted that my sisters and I settle in first as it will take quite a while to finish all the paper work and transfer everything."

"I remember reading something about that," the other girl said, "Asahika Motors is becoming a very popular business. My father just invested stock in it."

If she thought the words would warm me to her the girl was sorely mistaken. I sipped my tea in uncomfortable silence, unsure how to respond to her.

Mori leaned over to pour me more tea and whispered in my ear, "Just nod." I did as instructed. The girl seemed pleased by it and started chatting to her friend, sneaking looks at the two boys on either side of me all the while. All at once I was happy to not be a true host.