Summary:Fem!Negi To learn more about the Japanese schooling system and teaching techniques, 9-year-old magic graduate Negi Springfield enrolls in Ouran Academy for a probationary period as 16-year-old honors/transfer student before taking on her graduation task as a teacher at Mahora. After an incident with a priceless vase, she becomes indebt to the host club. Will she be able to keep her age, magic and gender a secret all at the same time while searching for clues of her missing parents?

In the grand hall of the prestigious Meridiana Magic Academy in Wales, the annual graduation ceremony was about to begin. The year's five graduates were lined up in front of the pedestal where the Headmaster and several teachers stood behind.

The Headmaster cleared his voice. "You've done well for these last seven years, but the real training starts now. Do not let your resolve weaken! Now remember: true magic results from courage from the heart. Boys and girls be ambitious, one step can change the world. When I call your name, come forward and received your diploma.

"Cocolova, Alexander Dmitri. Age 11."

"Elric, Edward Alphonse. Age 12."

"Kuran, Yuki Cross. Age 16."

"Meilleure, Chocolat Kato. Age 14."

"Springfield, Asuna Benecia. Age 9."

[```]

"Hey Negi! What does it say?"

Asuna Benecia 'Negi' Springfield turned around to see her best friend, the red-haired pyromaniac Russian Alexander Dmitri 'Xan' Cocolova, with her cousin-who's-more-like-a-big-brother/ "onii-chan", Nathan Thomas 'Nat' Springfield.

"I'm gonna be a diviner in London." Xan boasted. "Where's your training going to be?"

Negi looked down at her diploma as white streams of magic began to dance on its surface. "It's appearing now."

"Well?" Xan asked, peering over her shoulder.

Asuna Benecia Springfield

Graduating class of July 2002-Valedictorian

Assignment: Teacher in Japan-Mahora Girls Jr. High

"A teacher…" Xan started.

"… In Japan…" Nat finished.

…

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

{~~~}

Chapter 1- The Floating Vase

On the top floor of the South Building, a lone figure wandered down the North Corridor. He was slim and of average height and wore a dusty brown overcoat with a large stick strapped to his back. A messy mop of reddish-maroon hair and a pair of pince-nez glasses obscured his face. He looked completely out of place in the pristine clean halls of Ouran Academy.

At the end of the hall, he found a set of large ornamented doors, not unlike the others he had already passed. The sign above it stated that it was the third music room yet lacked the melodic sound that streamed out from the others. Thinking it was abandoned, and probably the only place on campus that was quiet, he turned the elegant doorknob and entered… only to be assaulted by a swarm of rose petals.

"Welcome." Several voices chorused as the rose petals cleared.

In the center of the room were a group of six men, all handsome in their own way. He recognized the pair of orange-haired golden-eyed twins as his classmates, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. There was also a tall, black-haired senior standing behind a blonde-haired boy who looked like he should be in elementary school. There was another black-haired man, he was reasonably tall, though not as tall as the other one, and wore a pair of stylish glasses. A man with golden-blonde hair and vibrant violet eyes sat in the middle of the group.

"Onii-chan?" the newcomer muttered at the sight of the tall blonde.

"Oh…" the twins said together in a bored tone. "It's a guy, no fun."

"Hey! Watch your mouths." The onii-chan look-alike scolded. "He may be a guy but he is still an important guest." He sauntered out of his seat and approached him with an extended arm. "Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club, scholarship student Negi Springfield-kun."

"H-how did you k-know my name?" Negi spluttered while trying to avoid eye-contact.

"You're infamous, Springfield-kun. It's not every day that a commoner, and a foreigner to boot, enters our prestigious academy on a scholarship. You must have quite the nerve." The black-haired man with glasses answered. "By the way, I'm Kyoya Ootori."

Negi quickly bowed. "Umm- thank you, Ootori-san."

The golden-blonde slammed his arms onto Negi's shoulders, causing the smaller boy to squeak. "You must be a hero Springfield-kun!" He announced, draping one arm around his shoulder. "From the other side of the planet, you must've trekked through wind, hail and storms on your own two feet. Away from anything familiar, you came to our elite academy and excelled to the top despite being the poorest in the entire school. A true example to all the commoner folk around the world!"

Negi shrunk back; he had just come here on a probationary period. He was just an ordinary (magic) student, not a hero like his father…

"Though I never thought that the fabled student would be so openly gay…"

"P-pardon?!" Negi knew he sometimes didn't dress in gender-appropriate clothing but he was certain that he was completely straight.

"What kind of guys are you in to?" the golden-blonde continued, oblivious to the younger boy's reaction. "The wild type or the boy-lolita? How about the mischievous type of the cool type? Or maybe…" He whisked Negi into his arms and cupped his face. "… You're into a guy like me?"

After his face made a very accurate tomato, the foreign scholarship student managed to untangle himself from the golden blonde, only to be pulled down by a his mini double.

"Negi-chan!" the little boy said happily. "It must be really cool being a hero. Did you slay a dragon? End a big war? Save the princess from execution?"

"I'm no hero." Negi sighed sadly. "I was just looking for a quiet place. I think it's the best that I should…"

As he stepped backwards, he knocked into a vase, causing it to fall. Being someone who loved to collect antiques, Negi immediately recognized the vase as a priceless Renaissance artifact and a multi-million yen debt if he broke it.

Without thinking, he grabbed his staff from his back and incanted, "Volatio! Levitatio! Amphora!"

The vase temporally floated in mid-air, long enough for Negi to grab in and set it down gently on the ground without breaking it. He sighed with relief and turned around to find the entire hos club staring at him, dumbstruck.

He panicked. "Y-you didn't see anything." Negi said quickly before brandishing his staff again. "Memory Vanish!"

{~~~}

[A few months earlier]

Nat charged at Headmaster, nearly knocking the old mage over. "Headmaster!" he yelled. "This has to be a joke. A 9-year-old for a teacher? There has to be a mistake!"

"Yeah!" Xan added. "There's no way that airhead could be a teacher, those Japanese kids'll eat her alive!"

"Oh ho!" the old man chuckled. "If I remember correctly, young Nathan, your graduation task sent you to the UN Battalion in Lebanon and you were fourteen."

Nat was lost for words. "Yes… but this-!"

"Are you being sexist? Or maybe a misogynist? Have a little faith in Asuna, or was it Negi that you called her. You survived war; your cousin could at least survive a few rowdy students. Plus, I've known Konoemon for years; she'll be in good hands."

"Put her on a probationary period as a student!" Nat exclaimed. "At least that way, she'll see the teaching styles of other teachers as well as experience the Japanese schooling system from another point of view."

"Hmmm…" The Headmaster stroked his ridiculously long beard. "That sounds like a good idea, if you can find a school near or on Mahora campus at this time of year and if Asuna agrees of course."

Negi felt everyone's eyes on her. Despite being the topic of the conversation, she had been mostly ignored and hated the fact that she was now the center of attention.

"Would you like to have a probationary period as a student in Japan?"

It sounded like a good idea to Negi. First off, her onii-chan had suggested it and everything thing he suggested was a good idea. She'll also have more time to get settled, learn Japanese, and find a master willing to teach her more advanced magic and, most importantly, have more time to search for clues on her missing parents. Most of her cousin's tales about her parents and their comrades had either taken place in Japan or the Mundus Magicus. She might even meet her father's ally that Nat described as the 'Samurai from the Land of the Rising Sun' and see Takamichi again. She blushed at the thought.

"Yes sir!"

Xan huffed, Nat smiled and the Headmaster laughed. "Then you better start looking for a school. If you don't start now, you might have to take your probationary period Hokkaido."

{~~~}

"If it's publicly found out that you're a mage, you'll be sent back to Wales, have your magic sealed and be turned into an ermine for a sentence depending on how much was revealed about the magic world and we'll still get our memories erased." Kyoya summarized Negi explanation.

The young mage gulped. Before he could have completed the incantation for the memory wiping spell, the tall black-haired man, who he later learned name was Takashi Morinozuka (Mori for short), had snatched away his staff, which the senior still had in his possession. Negi had been forced to explain why or have to deal with the Ootori private police force.

"Correct. If too much was let out, I'll be either permanently stuck as an ermine or be executed."

"Wow… so you're like a real-life Harry Potter!" The little boy, who he surprisingly found out was a senior named Mitsukuni Haninozuka (Honey for short), said happily.

The irritation could be visibly seen across Negi's face. "While I won't disagree that they are a set of well written novels, they are extremely inaccurate about the magic society, lifestyle and magic itself."

"But that coat of could pass as a wizard's robe." The twins commented.

"It was cold this morning and this was the warmest thing I could find!" Negi defended.

"Then let's see what's underneath it!" They grabbed the young mage by the arms and yanked off his thick overcoat, revealing a pair of black dress pants with a forest green blazer over a white blouse. Negi face went slightly red.

"Did you get sorted into Slytherin?" Honey asked innocently while hugging a pink stuffed bunny.

Negi counted to ten before continuing. "I went to Meridiana, not Hogwarts. Anyone can enter no matter their age, status, bloodline or history as long as they can perform the basics. Classes are sorted depending on a mage's skill and goals. The graduation exam is similar, if you pass, you graduate. Age is no barrier. There once was a man who entered the academy at the age of 60 and a 9-year-old that graduated."

He then quickly shrugged his coat back on and re-did the buttons. "I feel underdressed without my coat." Negi spluttered, mentally adding. 'Especially since I'm surrounded by boys.'

"So what brings you to Japan?" Kyoya asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"My goal in life is to become a Magistra Magi, a master mage. It's a rank that sort of a combination of a master's degree and a knighting. My graduation diploma sent me here for the next step of my journey. If I get sent back home, I doubt I'll be able to reach that goal, second chances are rarely given to those who can't keep the secret." Negi looked down, depressed and out of energy.

"Magistra…" Honey muttered. 'Why did he refer to himself as a Magistra when the masculine form of the Latin word 'master' is Magister?'

Touched by Negi's story, Tamaki (the golden-blonde onii-chan lookalike) grabbed him by the shoulder and announced, "Don't worry, Springfield-kun, your secret's safe with us. No one in this room would dare spill your secret and crush your dreams, even if it costs us our lives." ("Your life, milord." The twins corrected.) "We'll become come partners in your dream and grow alongside you on your path to become a Magistra Magi!"

Negi flushed with embarrassment; while he was eternally grateful for them keeping his secret, the blonde had just technically made a confession of love to him in mage terms. He wasn't ready for this!

"So you'll have to join the host club." The youngest Ootori said with a smirk. "To tie up any loose ends."

"But there's no way he could become a host." The twins said.

"He's shy…"

"Clumsy…"

"Introverted…"

"Stutters a lot…"

"And completely boring if he wasn't a mage!" They finished while counting off on their fingers.

"Then he'll be perfect for the 'shy foreigner' type." Kyoya concluded.

"But can he look the part? That's the question." Tamaki brushed Negi's hair away to get a better look at his face, causing Negi to go red due to the constant contact.

The host club 'King' clicked his fingers and the others lined up behind him in a soldier-like fashion.

"Hikaru, Kaoru. School uniform."

"Got it." The twins rushed out of the room.

"Kyoya, my hair stylist." The 'Shadow King' smirked as he whipped out is cell phone and began dialing.

"Mori-sempai, find some disposable contact lenses." The tall senior sped out of the room.

Honey looked up with innocent excitement. "What about me, Tama-chan?"

"Honey-sempai… make sure the cakes aren't poisoned." The diminutive senior glumly began testing pastries in a corner with his stuffed bunny.

"What's all this commotion about?" Negi mumbled.

Tamaki threw him a flamboyant smile. "We're going to turn you into the best host the world has ever seen!"

'Mother, Father (wherever you are), HELP!"

{~~~}

Thanks for reading the first chapter of The Mage of the Host Club (and the longest chapter I've ever written).

A note for all Haruhi fans: she will appear in the story, only a little… younger.

A note for all Asuna fans: she will not appear in the present timeline in the story, only in flashbacks for certain reason. Some of her elements (crush on Takamichi, bell ornaments and artifact) will be added onto Fem!Negi sometime during the story.

Fem!Negi is referred to as a 'he' around the host club because some of them haven't figured it out yet.

I've put up a poll to see what you guys think which story I should focus on.

Please vote!