Well hello there. I'm Kuronerd. This is my first ouran fic, even though it's been in existence since I first watched the anime. and I have the whole story done for once! And it isn't even a oneshot! Woo! Anyways...I hope you like it, butI think Kyoya is a little OOC, but bear with it please!

Prologue

"Natsumi-sama, your breakfast is going to get cold." A young man in a suit whispered, entering the topmost room of the largest mansion in New York. He spoke to the bed, where a lump under the covers moved slightly.

"Jared, You've known me for two years. You should know that I never eat breakfast." Came a small, tired voice from beneath dark purple silk sheets. Jared sighed.

"Yes ma'am. But your mother insists that you be made breakfast and I warn you when it becomes cold. And she signs my paycheck."

A bright laugh emanated through the large room, and the covers flopped to the side, revealing a girl the age of about 14. Her light brown hair hung around her, the tie from the night before was on her pillow. Jared should have blushed at her skimpy pajamas, consisting of lacy white bra and panties, and a see-through white nightgown, but he'd been faced with this situation so many times over the two years he'd known her to care.

"Aww...Jared-kun doesn't blush for me anymore." Natsumi playfully whined, violet-colored eyes glinting. He rolled his eyes and told her the car would take her to school in ten minutes before leaving.

"Depressing butler." She grumbled, getting up to shower before changing into her uniform.

"Taokaka, are you sure you know the way back?" Grouchy Man stated worriedly. A small girl, about the age of 12 looked to him in surprise.

"Why wouldn't Tao know? She's been there before, Grouchy Man!" She responded. No one really understood why she spoke in third person, but they just chalked it up to her being too dumb to speak correctly.

"Well, if anyone should bother you or you get lost, don't hesitate to contact me. You have your cell, yes?"

"Of course! Tao always carries her Magic Speaking Box!" To show him, Tao held out the cell phone she'd been given upon her arrival. With a sigh and a warning to be careful, Grouchy Man left in the limo.

Tao pranced about the streets of New York happily, amazed at the amount of people. This was ten times more than that of her village in the Middle East. A pang of longing stuck her heart when she thought of her almost-empty village.

"Oh! Tao likes hot dogs~Nyeow!"

"Natsu! Come shopping with us today! Vanessa swiped her dad's credit card this morning!" The girl, Vanessa, smiled mischievously and flashed a gold Visa card. Natsumi pretended to think it over before declining politely, giving her usual excuse.

"I'm sorry Lilly. My mother needs me to help her today."

"Again?"

"I'm sorry!" She ran off after smiling at the group of girls. She didn't like to shop, unless books were involved of course.

Stealing a credit card. How uncool. Natsu thought to herself, remembering the punishment she had received after merely forgetting her training uniform when still living with her father. Shuddering, she pulled the red box of Pocky from her pocket and placed the tip of one in her mouth.

Natsumi had quickly become bored of America. The shops bored her, the coffee was bad. There were no amusement parks just down the street. The crepes were just terrible. And the people. They had to be the worst part.

She sighed involuntarily. Maybe she'd return to her original home in Japan. Her heart ached when her mind pictured her brothers and father, all three of them smiling lovingly at her.

When I grow up I wanna be famous I wanna be a star...

Groaning at the ringtone that was her mother's, she pulled her cell phone from her bag and answered.

"Yes?"

"Where are you right now Natsumi?" Hoshina's voice was sharp on the other end of the line.

"I believe I'm at the cross on West Hampton and Coral."

"Are you with a boy?"

"No...? Why?"

"Because I had Lillian's mother tell me that her girl saw you talking to someone named Richard."

"Richard Gillian? He's my partner for our chemistry project. Really mother. You must stop being so paranoid." Checking the crosswalk, Natsumi walked quickly across the street and made her way down the sidewalk.

"You know I don't want you frolicking around with American boys! What would your father say?"

"He would be much worse. I'm sorry Oka-san. I just didn't think it was important enough to mention." Hoshina sighed in response as Natsu opened the door to a side-street cafe/bookstore. The bell on the door tinkled lightly, though another girl's ears picked up the sound two blocks away.

A bell trilled, sending the sound into Tao's large cat ears. Her tail swished in excitement, much to the oddity of her situation. It's true, she was part cat, but this was because of her village's tradition. At birth, select infants are implanted with cat ears and tails. Though many just develop non-working appendages, Tao was one of few whose nerves bonded with the implants. She now had fully-functional cat ears and tail, Which was why she was in New York in the first place.

American soldiers had discovered the Kaka village just two weeks before, and had been surprised at the cat-human hybrids that dwelled there. Tao had volunteered to go with the soldiers, as a form of peace.

"Tao heard bells! Bells bells bells!" She squeaked, skipping in the direction of the sound. When she was almost there, about a block away from the door of the little cafe, she bumped into something. It was a truck.

Not one of those little northerner trucks either. A giant red-neck truck that was black and almost all covered in dried mud, its grill and headlights made it seem as if it was glaring down at Tao.

"H-Hello Mr. Metal Beast! Tao is sorry she ran into you." Tao stuttered, back away from the vehicle. An old, scruffy man walked up to it and got into. When he cut on the engine, it roared at her and she screamed.

"TAO DOES NOT WANT TO BE EATEN!"

"Thank you Lyal!" Natsu threw over shoulder as she left the cafe. She held a steaming Pumpkin Spice latte in a to-go cup in one hand and a copy of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly in the other. The man running the shop yelled goodbye before the door closed.

Just as she turned to go to the park to enjoy her book and drink, someone crashed into her. The latte spilled on the ground, whipped cream splattering around. Natsu yelped as her head hit the ground.

"What the Hell?" She groaned, trying to sit up. Something curled up against her protested her action.

"Please don't let the Metal Beast eat me Coffee Girl!" A little girl's voice whined.

Coffee Girl? Metal Beast? Natsu thought. She looked up and saw a big truck pulling slowly out of a parking space and assumed that was the 'Metal Beast'. She sighed and looked at the other girl.

She was small even for twelve, which was the age she looked. She wore a large yellow and orange hoodie and boots. That was all. Gray cat ears were perched in her pure white hair and a matching tail was looped around one leg. The girl looked at Natsu with desperation in her blood-red eyes.

"Uh...it was just a car. It won't eat you." Natsu stuttered. The cat girl looked at her, confused.

"Car? But it-it growled at me!" She whined.

"That was it starting up. Cars aren't living."

The girl seemed to contemplate this before accepting it. She stood and helped Natsu up. The two stood facing each other and Natsumi saw just how small the girl truly was.

"Who are you?"

"Taokaka Bloodedge of The Kaka village!" Taokaka chirped, saluting the other girl. Natsu looked at her weird.

"Natsumi Haninozuka of Japan..." She replied. Even with this weird introduction, both knew somehow that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.