Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! If you're reading this, then you've happened to stumble across my sad attempt at a OHSHC self-insert! Yay for you! Please, don't be afraid to give me some criticism. I love reviews, whether good or bad.

Just a heads up, I'm probably not going to be pairing OC Claire with anyone. And, if I do, then they will probably not be any of the Host Club members. It just seems... overdone to me. Romance will not be the main focus of this fic. I think I'll make it more of a humor/growing friendship fic. Although, there will be some sad, angsty moments as well (because its physically impossible for me to write a story without adding some form of angst XD).

Anywho, I hope you enjoy reading and review, too!

Rose petals, as lovely as the flower that they derive, swirl and dance when you enter.

In an old abandoned music room, there lies a key.

A key to the answers. A key that only you can obtain, and only if you search inside your heart…

"And you have your passport with you?"

"Yes, mom."

"And that tank that you love so much? You remembered that, too?"

"Yes." I met her eyes, knowing exactly what this would be leading up to.

I hated goodbyes, especially in overcrowded places like airports…and I didn't want to cry. Not with my whole family watching… But I supposed it couldn't be helped. I was going to a new country, after all.

My mother smiled lightly, bending down to hand me my carry-on bag. "You know, I'm your mother. It's sort of my job…to worry." As she talked, pools of liquid were already starting to form beneath each of her lids, which, in turn, made mine do the same.

"Oh-! Oh, I'm sorry, hon. I just- I'm going to miss you…" She blubbered, reaching back to grasp my father's hand. He patted her arm and murmured calm, reassuring words, handing her a tissue while keeping a steady eye on the flight times.

My dad…I wasn't expecting him to cry. He just wasn't that kind of guy.

"We're all going to miss you, kiddo," he said, sticking his hand out to feather my hair, "And Rod would say so, too, if he were here. You know that, right?"

"Of course, dad. And tell my favorite frat boy not to party too hard," I teased, grabbing his hand before it could mess up my newly straightened tresses, "At least until I get back."

Teasing. I needed it, now more than ever. Japan was a big place, and I wasn't sure I was ready to be so far away from my family. Of course, I would never tell them that.

I turned to my sister, Mary, who was holding onto my mother's pant leg and looking up at the display with a concerned grimace.

"Mary?" I yelled over the hum of busy travelers. She turned her head in my direction, her immense brown orbs flitting from my face to Mom's. "We can video-chat every night, okay? Promise?"

Her shoulders relaxed as she took in my words. Finally, she bobbed her pony-tailed head up and down, holding out her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?" She inquired, giving me the most heartbreaking look that I had ever seen.

"Y-yeah," I said, my voice cracking as I fought another onslaught of tears, "Pinkie promise…"

A voice on the speaker boomed over the noise of the crowd. Plane terminal fifty-three is now boarding. I repeat, plane terminal fifty-three is now boarding.

Dad looked up, glancing at me as he let the announcer finish. "Terminal fifty-three. That's you, sweetie."

"Right…well, I'd better-"

"Call us as soon as you get there, you hear?" My mother cut in, fussing with my bags and wiping furiously at the endless flood of tears, "And be nice to your dorm advisor. Don't pull any stunts, just because you're-"

"Got it, mom." I quickly stated, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Her flustered, wild eyes narrowed as she blew into the tissue. "Of course…be careful, then."

I nodded, stopping to pull everyone into one more goodbye hug. As I pulled away, Mary grabbed my hand and placed a small piece of paper inside.

"Don't read it now," she said, blushing, "Wait until you're inside the plane, alright?"

I smiled. Leave it to Mary to make me a going-away present. "I will… Thanks, Mare-bear. Say hi to Lare-bear for me too, won't you?"

She grinned back, "Sure, Claire-bear."

She had always liked that the start of our names rhymed. So, when we were very young, we thought it would be funny if we came up with matching nicknames. Everyone who knew us would call us by those names, and we responded to them as if they were our own.

Once, when we were all kids, Rod had told us that he wished that his name were 'Larry', so that he could have a cool nickname, too. It was stupid, but, at the time, we said some pretty ridiculous things.

"Then, from now on, we'll call you…Lare-bear!" I remember saying. And we all stuck with those names, even now. It was our inside joke, I suppose.

I grabbed my bags, my laptop case slung around my shoulder, and waved goodbye as I got into the line. The new yellow dress felt heavy in my carry-on, a constant reminder of what I would have to deal with for the next two years.

I was excited to go to Japan, as much as I was apprehensive. People had often said that I was meant to live there, with my love of anime and Japanese culture. My parents, as an early graduation present, had given me the money to go to an 'elite academy' for two years, which would be just enough to graduate.

I was grateful to them, knowing how many loans that they had to take out for this year only, and I knew how prestigious this school was. I told myself that I would study hard and get good grades, my main goal to get into a good college. I wanted to be a famous journalist. That was my dream, after all.

Although, I had completely forgotten the name of the school…Otan? Ouro? I couldn't be sure.

The line led out onto the flight deck and, keeping in a single file line, we were all led onto the plane. I dug through my measly bag, pulling out my I-pod and settling into my window seat. After getting comfortable, I determined to pull out my laptop, getting my fill of Internet before I was forced to put it away.

My E-diary was full of pictures and events planned that I had forgotten to delete…but I didn't want to erase them. They reminded me of the good times at home, with my family and friends.

I decided to keep them…as a reminder.

A reminder…? The note! I had almost forgotten, tucked into the outside pocket of my carry-on, was the note that Mary had written me.

I slipped my laptop back into its case, pulling out the note and unfolding the brightly colored construction paper. It was folded into a tiny triangle, showing what a creative person my little sister truly was, and had a small piece of candy taped to the inside.

I smirked, sticking the candy into my mouth as I gazed at the familiar picture. It was Tamaki Suoh, from my sister's favorite anime.

A crudely drawn portrait of Mary's favorite character, with whom she'd had a crush on for as long as I could remember, holding hands with Renge Houshakuji. It was cute, because Renge had always been my favorite character. She had scrawled a small note at the bottom of the page.

Hope you like the candy, sis! Have fun at Japan, and say hi to Tamaki for me!

Love, MARY

-and Rod

Various other hearts and stars were scribbled in a multitude of other colors, and her name was spelled in all caps at the bottom of the paper.

Of course Rod would try and worm his way into Mary's heartfelt card. Even if he was a crazy college kid, I was going to miss my big brother, too.

I folded the note again, still grinning as I shut my eyes and prepared for the biggest adventure of my life…

The plane ride was exhausting.

After two stops, and more than five hours of constant travel, I made it to the gates of the airport and picked up my extra bags.

My hair was in complete disarray, frizzy and partially flattened on one side from my on-and-off snoozing, and my clothes were a wrinkled mess.

I was irritable. I was tired. And I did not want to drive to the school looking like this.

But I didn't have time to change. Checking my phone, I realized that my plane had gotten in a tad late, and that I was going to have to skip the change of clothes for another time. Great. Just freaking fantastic.

I was going to start my year at an elite academy looking like a hobo?

Grumbling to myself, I picked up the keys to the rental car, with which the receptionist gave me a strange look. I walked outside and got into the small, Japanese-manufactured vehicle, driving toward my new home with a sick, anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach.

What if they didn't like me…? What if they thought I was strange…weird? What if my Japanese wasn't good enough? I had only studied the language for a couple of years…definitely not enough to know the 'slang'.

I didn't even know the style in this country. What if people thought my clothes were weird? I glanced down at my tank and capri pants, my jacket lying on the passenger seat. It wasn't too strange, was it?

Loosening my grip on the wheel in an effort to calm my nerves, I tried to tell myself that everything would work out. People at my old school didn't care about money…would it really be that different overseas? No, of course not. Everything would be fine…

And, if I couldn't make friends here, I would always have the ones at home. I knew that they would always support me, no matter what, and that was enough to set my mind at ease, at least a bit…

The gates of the academy grew closer, allowing me to see the front garden of my new home. It was large, extravagant, and just as classy as I had expected. There were various other girls and boys, in ridiculous poofy dresses and lavender blazers, wandering the grounds and enjoying their free time.

Seriously? Who approved of this uniform? The colors didn't match at all, and the knee socks made these high schoolgirls look like first graders…

But I decided that, as long as I was going to this school, I was making the best of it. I wasn't looking for a fashion statement, after all. It was a school, and nothing more.

I stepped out of my rental, realizing as a strong breeze blew by that my capri pants were a bit too light for the weather. I quickly reached into the car, pulling out my jacket and zipping it up tight.

I looked up at the enormous clock tower that guarded the grounds, then back toward the gates where I had entered. The sign said…Ouran…

…As in, Ouran High School Host Club?

As in, the anime?

'Well, at least they had a sense of humor at this school' I thought, grinning back at the sign, "I can't wait to see what kind of principal actually allowed that…"

I took a picture with my phone, knowing that Mary would get a laugh out of it, as well.

My walk to the admissions office was relatively uneventful, and there was not much activity to on the grounds, other than my thoughts about the sign…

It became stranger every time I thought about it. Why would they put a sign up that said 'Ouran Academy' just to be funny? It didn't make any sense…

And the uniforms… I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed the trademark lavender blazers of the anime when I had first arrived. But I quickly dismissed it. There was no way that this was the real Ouran Academy.

It wasn't like Haruhi Fujioka was going to come strolling out of music room #3, with Tamaki and the rest of the gang dressed in some wacky cosplay.

Maybe the anime was based off of this school? I would have to ask someone if there was ever a real Renge Houshakuji. Did she really own a powerful motor?

I snickered to myself, gaining some odd looks from passing students. She was my favorite for a reason, after all. Her crazy over-the-top antics and obsessive love of all things Kyoya had always been endearing to me, although I'd bet she would be annoying in real life…

I opened the door to the admissions, the woman at the counter giving me my class schedule and list of required books. She also gave me the key to my dorm, which was located in the south side, and an extra uniform, for which I was extremely grateful. Honestly, I wasn't sure how I was going to manage keeping my uniform stain-free…I had a hard enough time keeping my regular clothes clean as it was.

"That would be all, Miss Wagner. Welcome to Ouran, then."

Despite my inner grievances, I smiled at the admissions lady and gathered my things, stuffing them into my bag and probably wrinkling my new dress in the process.

The woman only stared at my efforts, one eyebrow raised as I continued to smash my items into the small carry-on.

"Heh. Um…thanks, Ma'am!" I said hurriedly, deciding to just leave the bag half opened, the dress sticking out. I turned, my cheeks burning as I hurried out of the room with my head held low. The way she looked at me…as if I wasn't worthy. As if I didn't belong in her presence…

My eyes were still trained on the elaborate carpet as I shuffled out of the office, throwing open the grand double door without looking.

"Oof!" The door made a loud thud and my eyes snapped up immediately. Oh, great. Had I hit someone? On the first day…?

I looked around the colossal obstruction, peering down at the young student that I had bludgeoned with the door. My face went white as I recognized the face, eyes, and the trademark short, brown hair.

There, lying on the ground, moaning and clutching her swelling forehead, was the one and only Haruhi Fujioka.

Oh. My. God… I had injured Haruhi Fujioka…with a door…Haruhi…Ouran…door…

Everything started to blur and morph, the ground seemingly swaying underneath my feet.

…Haruhi…I hit…Fujioka…forehead…

The light was dimming, the ground rotating in a haphazard wave as I struggled to keep the facts together. But my mind couldn't take it. This was Haruhi…Fujioka.

Spinning, spinning. Everything was spinning and swinging and whirling around my head, and I…I was getting so dizzy…Haruhi…From the Ouran High School Host Club… I clutched my stomach to quell the feelings of confusion.

Then I threw up. I threw up, right on top of Haruhi.

And, in that moment, I could tell that this was going to be a fun year.

I hope you could sense the sarcasm in that last line.. XD Just to let y'all know, I can't spell Japanese names very well. So, if you see any misspellings that need to be corrected, please don't be afraid to tell me! I hat rong speling, dont yoo? :D

And let me know what you think of this story! Reviews make my day happy!