Prologue

"I don't know how I feel about this" murmured Kai Mirasaki, as she and her best friend approached the large entrance to their new school. Ouran High School was not only an elite school, but it was impossible for just any one person to get into. By the grace of something, both she and Haruhi were accepted.
The building itself was immaculate. It's stone pillars and large archways were among the most beautiful architecture in Japan.

"There isn't any going back now. We've come this far" Haruhi Fujioka reminded her, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
Kai groaned audibly as she adjusted her glasses. It was quickly becoming her number one nervous habit.
"Since when are you the self-conscious one? We will be fine. If anyone says anything, I'm sure you will take care of them" Haruhi comforted her, giving her friend a comforting pat on the shoulder before heading into the large school.

Almost immediately there were eyes on she and Haruhi. The students were well dressed, donning Ouran's signature uniforms. The girls were dressed in an elegant yellow dress while the boys were sporting suits in an ostentatious purple. Yikes.

"I hate rich people" Kai muttered to Haruhi as they rounded a hallway to another large open area. It wouldn't be too hard to get lost in this place.

Haruhi arched a brow at her friend's comments, and Kai scowled in response.

"You know what I mean. These people are old money. My mother is a professional athlete in the States. These guys are on a whole other level of wealth." Kai muttered, adjusting her glasses as they began to slip off her small nose.
Haruhi smiled slightly but said nothing in contrast as she pulled out a map from her pocket. That was Haruhi. Always prepared.

"According to the map, first period is just at the end of this hall" Haruhi told her, glancing at map once more before giving it a confident nod. She put it in her pocket and glanced back at Kai. Although Haruhi appeared calm and collected, Kai could tell her best friend was just as nervous as she was.

"You ready?" Kai asked her, giving her friend a light tap on the shoulder with her fist. It was something they always did to another since they were kids. It was their awkward version of a fist bump.

Haruhi gave Kai a sweet smile and nodded her answer. Both took audible breaths as Haruhi opened the door to the classroom.

All heads were immediately turned in their direction. Whispers ensued but there we no visible sneering of any kind. That was a good sign.

As Kai and Haruhi took open seats closest to the window, they heard several whispers.

"Are those the commoners that are supposed to be transferring in?" a female voice asked, but was quickly shushed by another classmate.

"I heard one of them is supposed to be a genius or something" another female voice interjected. A few others started to murmur their agreement.

It looks as though rumors has already been spread about the new commoners.

"Really? I heard that one of them is our baseball team's new pitcher. Apparently, he is amazing" a male voice said quietly, sounding impressed. Others around him began to press for more information.

Kai rolled her eyes. Boy? Really? One bad haircut and baggy sweater and she suddenly lost all credibility as a woman.

Kai shot an annoyed grimace at her best friend. Haruhi was clearly fighting the urge to snicker.

"Let them think what they want of our gender. It doesn't matter anyways, right?" Haruhi whispered quietly behind her to Kai.

"I guess. We wouldn't want to break any rich boy's hearts here anyways. Got to give the other girls a chance, right?" Kai whispered co-conspiratorially back to her, causing Haruhi to snort incredulously back to her.

Suddenly all chatter stopped as the doors opened once more.

"Oh my gosh! They look even better this year than they did in middle school" one girl swooned, her friend catching the girl before she hit the ground.

Kai inclined her head in the direction of the doors. Who could possibly be so good looking that an entire classroom swoons when they walk into a room?

A pair of twins had entered the room, their amber eyes quickly scanning the room. Their hair was a shade of auburn, each head delicately parted oppositely of the other. They were tall and indeed handsome.

Kai internally rolled her eyes. They weren't anything special. Good faces, sure. More than likely they were just as stuck up as most prep school kids were. Kai would know.

Almost as if they read her thoughts, amber eyes locked in on her hazel.

Son of a bitch. Breath hitching slightly, Kai felt her face start to flush. For the first time in a long while, she suddenly felt self-conscious about her appearance. She felt a hand tug on hers, and Kai begrudgingly dragged her eyes back to her best friend.

"Did you hear me? The bell rang. Class is starting" Haruhi told her, her light voice warm. Her face was still awash with worry, however.

Right. Class. School. That's why she was here. Boys be damned.

Still... Kai could feel eyes on her form once more. Son of a bitch. She had really stepped in it this time.

Chapter 1

Kai sat by the window, sighing to herself. She wasn't quite sure why she found herself sighing, especially on beautiful days like this. The sun was shining generously on Ouran Academy, only making the place seem that much more beautiful.

"What a mess I'm in" she muttered quietly, her tone wistful as she dared to sneak a glance at a pair of incredibly handsome boys.

A host. That was what she was now. It was the result of breaking an obscenely expensive, ugly vase. Both she and Haruhi were nicknamed as the "naturals", but Kai was soon becoming known as "bad boy" of the group. This was probably on account of her brash mouth and fondness for foul language. It was the Irish blood, Kai reasoned.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the window, Kai narrowed her eyes quizzically. Why the other females didn't know she was a girl was a mystery to both she and Haruhi. They didn't look that boyish, did they?
She ran a hand through her short mahogany hair self-consciously.

She and Haruhi applied here in the summer and both were skeptical on their acceptance. Haruhi was here on an academic scholarship while Kai was awarded an athletic scholarship. This wasn't too big a surprise, considering who her mother was. It's not like Kai wasn't smart, of course. She did poorly in math, however. This sadly kept her GPA a constant 3.8. This was poor in comparison to Haruhi's 4.2. Why in the heck are math classes weighted anyways?

What was sadder; breaking a vase and owing rich kids money, or the boys not knowing she and Haruhi were girls? Either way, they figured it out eventually. Whether it was glimpsing them half naked, or trimming their hair and disposing of their glasses, they realized it. It had been an amusing time ever since.

The day was beginning to end at Ouran Academy, and the guests were beginning to leave. Kai and Haruhi's guests had already said their goodbyes. It did not go without her notice that their clientele had doubled in just 2 months' time.

Looking to her left, she noticed her "king" was sputtering more lines to her best friend. It would be kind of cute if he wasn't so bad at it when it came to Haruhi. She was laughing at him, completely oblivious to his feelings. Her dark brown hair shook, and her honey brown eyes were moist with unshed tears from laughing. Kai shook her head at them. Her friend was blind if she didn't see his feelings for her.

In all fairness, he did have the awful habit of referring to himself as Haruhi's "daddy".

"Are you sure you don't want to borrow my teddy, Haruhi? He can keep your safe when daddy isn't around!" Tamaki asked her happily, his handsome face contorted with his affections for both his bear and his "little girl".

Kai admired that about Tamaki in the short time she had known him. He wore his heart on his sleeve. It was one of his best qualities. There were still a few conflicting personality traits, however. Tamaki may have been drop dead gorgeous, but he had a huge flaw. His vanity rivaled that of Narcissus himself. To top it off, Tamaki was a drama king. Emphasis on the king part. She didn't think she could find a guy who recites poetry like it was the alphabet attractive. She snickered at her own joke.

"What's so funny, Kai-chan?" asked a small boy, who was sitting near her, clutching his stuffed bunny.

"Oh it's nothing, Honey Sempai. Just laughing at the painfully obvious" she said, shaking her head in bemusement.

Honey Sempai gave her a small smile, which looked innocent enough to the average person. Kai was beginning to learn that Honey was actually far more intuitive than he led others to believe. Passing him her leftover dessert, he happily reached for her plate and gave her a loud word of thanks.

"Ladies, thank you all for another fantastic day here at the Host Club. We will see you all Monday afternoon. Enjoy your weekend, my beauties" Tamaki gushed loudly, blowing kisses to the throng of ladies that were now beginning to exit the music room.

"Wow! What a week, gentleman! I believe we all deserve a weekend of rest and relaxation. Wouldn't you agree?" Tamaki asked, but with Tamaki this question could have been interpreted rhetorically.

"You're definitely right, boss" the twins told him, their eyes alight with mischief. Normally this would be their everyday look, but Kai was suspicious. Her suspicions were further heightened when the twins and Tamaki left the room suddenly, saying they had to go take care of "official host business".

"Official host business, my ass" muttered Kai sullenly. Turning her head, she heard a dark chuckle. Kyoya Ootori, otherwise known as the infamous 'Shadow King' of the club. He was the brains behind all club activities, and was someone she would never want to see angry.

He must have heard her comment. What didn't Kyoya hear?

"Whatever you're suspicious about, I can assure you that all is well and good" he told her lightly, but his voice was slightly mocking and his smile more sinister than she would have liked. There was Kyoya for you.

She shuddered mentally. The boy was a complete mastermind. She smirked ruefully back at him.

"Sure Kyoya Sempai. I'm sure whatever they are up to was already approved by you. Why would I worry?" she told him sarcastically, beginning to clear the tables of the dishes and silverware.

Kyoya smirked his response.

"Kai? You want me to wait for you?" asked Haruhi, walking up behind her. Haruhi was already covered in dust, obviously done with cleaning the supply closet.

"No that's fine. You took care of that monster chore in the pantry. I can handle what is left. Besides, once I am done I want to head the practice field and throw around a little. My arm is aching and I don't want to get lazy in the off-season" she told her best friend.

Baseball season just ended, and she needed to stay in shape since she was here on scholarship.

"Okay, I'll be in the library. Call me when you're done" she said, getting that frown on her face. Kai laughed at her frown, poking the small v that was forming on her friend's brow. Haruhi smiled at her before exiting the room.

"Alright then, have it your way Kai-chan! See you tomorrow! I saved you some sweets if you want some!" yelled Honey, who was jumping on his tall companion's back.

"Check the fridge" said Mori, his baritone voice warm, as he steadied Honey on his back.

"Thanks you guys! See you tomorrow!" Kai said, and shut the door after them.

"Phew" said Kai, wiping her forehead. It wasn't often she got an hour to herself in the giant music room, and she intended to make it count. Grinning to herself, she turned on her iPod and clicked on the shuffle button.

Singing while doing dishes wasn't a hard challenge. In fact, Kai found that passing the time by with music sped up her chores. Sooner than expected, her chores were done and she was free to leave.

Kai quickly grabbed her bag and headed to the host changing rooms to put on her workout clothes. A simple gray t-shirt and baseball pants were her choice, and she grabbed her hair preparing to put it up like she normally would. Remembering its short length, however, she noted she didn't need to since she had cut it before school started when Haruhi cut hers.

Kai ran her hand through the short locks, a pang of longing going through her. She hated to admit it, but she missed her long hair. At least at this length, she could manage it a lot better.

Of course this haircut also helped convinced the Ouran populace that Kai was a male. The reminder made Kai scoff at the absurdity.

Looking down at her chest, she made sure to double check that her breast bindings were in place. Much to her dismay, they had come loosened while she was finishing the chores. With a frown, she began to re-bind them.

It was a habit she started in middle school, when she first noticed that her chest was getting in the way of her sports. Not to mention they seemed to stand out among her other female classmates. She figured that had to do with the fact that she was only half Japanese. Her father was an Irish American man she never knew, but her mother did say that Kai's paternal grandmother was a real knock-out.
Shaking her head free of those thoughts, Kai grabbed her bag and walked out to the practice field.

No matter how many times she walked this campus, she couldn't get over the grandeur of it all. The stone pillars, the freshly mown grass, the well-tended to gardens and shrubs; it was all beautiful.

She noticed that the field had been dragged, the dirt crunching under her cleats like bread crumbs. Running a few practice laps around the field, she came to a stop at home plate. The season was over, but she did have to stay in shape. Grabbing a bucket of balls, she headed over to the mound. Looking at the target on the fence ahead of her, she threw a couple practice balls to warm up.

After a few minutes, she began adding her full extension of the pitch. Lifting her leg, she threw the ball and smiled slightly as it the target dead on.

She heard the cheers on some onlookers, most of them customers of host club. Smiling bashfully, Kai waved to them. This seemed to cause an uproar, because some of the girls began to swoon and faint.

It was beyond comprehension how they thought she was a boy. Despite the initial sting, Kai was more or less over the gender mix up. So long as she posed as a boy, she could help pay off hers and Haruhi's debt.

After about 30 minutes, she was going to put away the equipment and find Haruhi. However, she was interrupted by a pair of mischievous boys.

'Twin Trouble' as she had come to nickname them, looked as though they were living up to their nickname. Their handsome faces were decorated with smirks, and Kai felt her heart beginning to speed up. She didn't like that one bit.

Kai was a smart cookie, if she did say so herself. She had managed to keep as much distance as she could between she and the twins since starting at Ouran. It was better for everyone that way.

"Aren't you two trouble makers heading home?" she asked them, keeping sure to maintain a safe distance between them. She figured that was safest in case they had a practical joke they wanted to play on her. Or other unmentionable reasons.

"Hello to you too, pet! Actually, we came to bug you before we left!" chimed the twins, taking a few steps closer. To them these steps were harmless, but Kai realized her bubble was being invaded.

The nickname of pet began to be a regular occurrence a couple weeks ago when she and Haruhi successfully answered the "which one is Hikaru" game. It wasn't hard to tell the difference between the twins. A fight between ensued, but the two quickly made up at the promise of Haruhi allowing them to visit her house eventually. Kai, however, made no such promise. Of course, the hosts probably didn't know that Kai lived with Haruhi.

"Lucky me" she said in a flat voice, as she cleverly put more space between them by picking up some more equipment.

"Kai, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't like us" said Kaoru, a pout beginning to show on his face. His very handsome, beautiful face. A face not unlike his brother's. Son of a bitch.

He hid his face in his brother's shoulder, feigning to be upset. Hikaru patted him gently, and the girls watching screamed in delight at the brother's love scene. Kai wasn't going to lie. She kind of got a kick out of the 'twincest' they often displayed. She hid it well though, being sure not to foam at the mouth like the other girls.

"I do like you guys. Goodness, you two are more sensitive than usual" Kai told them sternly, walking to the equipment shed with the twins hot on her tail.

"Really?" asked Kaoru, face lighting up.

"Prove it" said Hikaru, giving her a smirk.

Ugh. She needed to stop getting excited when they smiled at her like that.

"What do you want me to do then?" asked Kai, crossing her arms and mustering her best poker face.

The twins smirked at one another, and then held their arms out for a hug.

"All you two want is a hug? That's it?" she asked, suspicious of their true intentions.

"Yep!" they said in unison, no trace of deception on their beautiful faces.

Kai took a deep breath and stepped forward. She knew she was going to regret this later, but it was just a hug, right? She leaned over and gave them both a brief hug. Crap. They smelled amazing.

Their scent was comparable to a spring day, a heady scent that filled her lungs and her brain. It was both welcoming but also a warning to her senses. Too close. They were far too close.

Just then, she felt as though a switch had been pulled in the twins. Amidst the swooning fangirls, the twins began to tickle her sides and Kai collapsed to the ground in short breathy gasps.

It was an exquisite torture, causing tears to roll out of her eyes from the laughter.

"Guys! Knock it off! I swear when I get out of this you guys are going to be black and blue all over!" Kai screamed, attempting to roll away from onslaught of attacking hands.

The twins finally stopped with their attack, their faces bright with amusement.

"Like you could make us black and blue, pet" they teased, picking her up from the ground and dusting off her shoulders. She wanted to put distance between herself and the twins, but it was kind of hard when their hands felt so good. Damnit.

"You forget, Honey and Mori have been giving me lessons in karate. Sooner or later, I'm going to get good enough to kick both your butts" she growled, and the twins actually looked slightly worried. They hid it well though, and began to shrug.

"Your threats are empty. You know without us, there would be no one to stop you from killing Tamaki Sempai. Honey and Mori would sit back and eat cake while Kyoya Sempai recorded and sold the tapes for profit" Kaoru deadpanned, leaning against his brother.

The three laughed loudly at the thought.

The twins knew very well that there were times she had wanted to beat her Sempai to a pulp when he became too obnoxious or went overboard on something.

"True, and we wouldn't want that" she conceded, taking a deep breath as she grabbed a water bottle from the bench.

There was a definite silence, and the fangirl onlookers held their breath.

An idea came to Kai's head, and she internally snickered.

"Guys?" asked Kai, stretching her arms nonchalantly and opening her water bottle for another 'drink'.

"Yeah?" they asked together, clearly not knowing what she was about to do.

"Take this!" she screamed, dousing the chilled water on the twins. They yelped in surprise, and lunged at her. She was too quick, and began to run all over the field to avoid them.

Eventually, she got tired from running and collapsed to the ground.

"You can't get mad that at me for getting payback. It is only fair" she managed to gasp to them. She fell back to the ground hard, trying to catch her breath.

"Kai, are you okay?" asked Hikaru, walking up to her with a worried expression as he noticed her heavy breathing.

Kaoru was already leaning down, fanning her face.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired. You guys have longer legs than me, you know" she laughed, her hands fanning her warm face to cool herself down.

"You're the athlete!" scolded Kaoru, wagging his finger in her face.

"Frankly I'm disappointed" said Hikaru, his tone light and teasing.

"Bite me, twins" muttered Kai, rolling her eyes at their teasing,

"Is that an invitation, Mirasaki?" they drawled, baring their teeth at her and leering playfully at her. She felt her body start to tingle, and she almost wanted to say yes to them.

"Don't even think about it. I will knock your teeth out before you even get a chance" Kai said, her face playful while her heart sped up more at the actual thought of them biting her.

The twin's eyes went wide with actual fear.

"She means it. She did it to a boy once in the 4th grade" said a voice from behind them.

Kai looked over and rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"He had it coming, Haruhi. He made fun of my freckles" said Kai, and then cursed. Realizing what she just did, she looked on in horror as the twins were on the ground laughing.

"Freckles?" asked Hikaru, holding his sides as he laughed.

Kaoru was laughing as he inspected her cheek. "Where are they?" he asked, looking very closely. She swatted his hand away. Again, her bubble was being invaded.

"Oh they're there. I just hide them really well" she said blushing, as she hid behind Haruhi, who was now having a good laugh.

"You wear make-up?" whispered Hikaru, grabbing her face. Kai bit back a gasp. Damn. Why did he have to touch her?

"Yes! I am a girl, you know!" she whispered back, pulling her face away and hiding it in Haruhi's shoulder.

"Oh, this is too good! Come on Brother, we have some investigative journalism to do" said Kaoru, as he and his brother

Kai gave them glares.
"I'll have my revenge, you two. Tomorrow will be judgment day!"

"Can't wait!" they yelled in unison, walking away in what could only be described as a triumphant skip. She was almost sad that they were leaving, but she shook that thought free of her head.

"Fantastic" she muttered, speaking about their 'investigative journalism', as well as her budding romantic feelings she was trying to avoid.

"Come on Kai, it's not so bad" said Haruhi, grabbing her arm as they walked to the gates of Ouran.

"You aren't the one they are getting pictures of...oh wait" Kai laughed, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and looking at an irritated Haruhi.

"That was Tamaki Sempai, but the twins played a role in it I am sure" she said, referring to an old school photo of her that had blown up the day before.

"They seem to be obsessed with your girlish state" Kai drawled, and Haruhi gave her an exaggerated eye roll.

They were soon distracted by the sound of an overly obnoxious honk.

"Haruhi! Kai! Your chariot has arrived!" yelled a familiar voice.

"Dad! I didn't know you were picking us up" said Haruhi, getting into the car. Kai followed suit, and leaned in to give the 'woman' a kiss on the cheek.

Haruhi's dad, Ranka, was a cross dresser. He could rock a pair of high heels. He was also the father she never had, and she loved him as such.

"Well I don't have work today, so I thought I would surprise you" he laughed, tossing his long hair and laughing merrily.

He was wearing a typical dress, and his makeup was light today.

"Well I'd prefer this over a bus. They're smelly" Kai shivered, and Haruhi and Ranka laughed at her bluntness.

"So, it's the weekend. What are you kids doing tomorrow?" he asked, grinning at them in his rearview mirror. It was a knowing grin, as though he knew EXACTLY what they were doing.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" the girls asked, voices flat as they stared at Ranka.

"Touchy, touchy! It is just a question, my lovelies! Now, I am thinking a nice stew for dinner..." Ranka said, beginning to ramble.

Haruhi and Kai exchanged looks. Laughing, they joined in on the discussion for dinner. Little did they know; they would be stolen away tomorrow on a jungle excursion!