A/N: Welcome, one and all, to my Ouran High School Host Club Fanfic! I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters. I hope you all like it. Tis takes place after the anime series end...just so you don't get confused.
Chapter 1: First Day of School
"Mariko Hasigawa?" the teacher called.
"Here!" the girl replied, raising her hand. The teacher looked up from his list and smiled at her warmly.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" he said, stepping to the side. The girl swallowed and smiled nervously. She stood up as all eyes stared at her and she slowly walked to the front of the class. She turned to the class and felt her heart pounding in her chest.
She wore her metallic lavender hair in her usual style: Parted to the right with a slight braid on the right side of the part and pulled to the left in a rubber band with braid crossing forehead, and because of her lack of uniform, she wore her street clothes: A purple striped, off the shoulder, long-sleeved, light sweater that fell below the waist with a black belt wrapped around her waist above the sweater, purple, multi-pocket Capri pants tied at the bottom and purple sparkling star strapped heels. Her violet eyes scanned over the classroom in embarrassment, and her face started to go red.
"H-Hello," she began. "My name is Mariko Hasigawa. I just arrived at Ouran Academy and I'm a freshman. I moved here from Italy about two weeks ago, and the reason I was there was because my dad has a client that lives there. He's a lawyer."
"Is your dad Saigo Hasigawa of the Hasigawa Law Firm?" one of the boys asked.
"Yes," Mariko nodded.
"He is my father's lawyer," he said. "I didn't know he had a daughter."
"Well, it's not exactly common knowledge unless you've met him personally," Mariko smiled, and the students laughed slightly. The bell suddenly rang, and the students got up to walk out the door. Mariko ran back to her seat and grabbed her bag then ran to the door. She didn't watch where she was going and suddenly found herself on the ground.
"Are you alright?" a voice asked above her. She looked up to see a tall blonde man with violet eyes like hers in a school uniform. He held a hand down to her and she glanced at it in disbelief. "Let me help you up."
"Oh," she said then took his hand. "Thank you. I'm fine."
He helped her to her feet and smiled.
"Good," he said. "Sorry I ran right into you."
"No, I wasn't watching where I was going. I bumped into you. I'm sorry," Mariko said quickly. The boy nodded and smiled again.
"Well, I have to go. I'll see you around." He walked past her and she watched him walk off.
"I cannot believe you just met Tamaki Suou!" a girl voice nearly squealed behind her. Mariko spun around to see a blonde girl with gray eyes and golden blonde hair that fell around her shoulders in a school uniform.
"Who?" Mariko wondered. The girl looked at her in disbelief.
"You cannot tell me you do not know Tamaki Suou!" she said, taking Mariko by the arm and walking her in the direction the boy had walked away. "He is the School's Superintendent's son!"
"Oh," Mariko said, letting the girl lead her through the halls. "And who are you?"
"Oh! I'm Sakura Maddock! I just saw you in homeroom! It is nice to meet you!" Sakura held her hand out to Mariko as she stopped in front of her. Mariko shook the girl's hand and looked worriedly at the girl as she grinned widely. "My mother and father are doctors!"
"That's nice," Mariko replied rubbing her hand from the girl's almost bruising grip and not really interested in this girl. She didn't really want to make any friends.
"So, what's your next class?" Sakura smiled.
"Literature," Mariko replied, slipping her hand into her pocket.
"Me too!" Sakura grinned. "Come on! We will walk together!" She took Mariko's hand and nearly dragged her down the hall.
"Oh, great," Mariko thought. "Now I have to go through a class with this girl! She's probably one of those who talks throughout the whole class."
"So, why should I know that Tamaki guy?" Mariko wondered, deciding that she might as well find out about him.
"Because of his father," Sakura explained. "And he started the Host Club here!"
"Host Club?"
"Yes. You and I could visit there after school! You will like it!"
"What exactly does this Host Club do?"
"It's designed to gratify girls."
Mariko stopped in her tracks and stared at Sakura in wide-eyed disbelief and Sakura looked at her with a frown of confusion.
"What is wrong?"
"I…" Mariko choked then looked around and stood close to Sakura. "I've never…you know." To Mariko's complete and utter surprise, Sakura burst into laughter. "Is that funny to you?!"
"No!" Sakura laughed. "That is not what they do! They do not engage in that!"
"They don't?"
"No," Sakura continued, calming down from laughing. "They simply sweet talk to the girls and make them swoon."
"That's an odd way to describe it," Mariko noticed. "Do you think less of them or something?"
"Oh, that is not it at all!" Sakura replied as they began walking. "I just know that they do not truly have feelings for any of the girls they host there. I will admit it gives one a certain thrill to think that any of those boys would even look ones way. But I have other things to do besides fraternizing with any one of them."
"Why do you talk so proper?" Mariko wondered, deciding to change the subject.
"What do you mean? I talk normally."
"You hardly use any slang on contractions."
"Well, I have always thought it best to expand ones vocabulary and to speak properly so that everyone will understand what you mean."
"Oh," Mariko replied. "Well, that's nice. So, who is in this Host Club besides that Tamaki guy?"
"Well, there is also Kyouya Ootori, the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, Mitsukuni Haninozoka, Takashi Morinozuka, and Haruhi Fujioka."
"So there's enough 'boy' to go around, huh?" Mariko smirked.
"Not exactly, they all have a special field they play."
"What's that mean?"
"There are different 'types'. Tamaki is the Prince Charming, Kyouya is the Cool one, the twins are the Little Devils, Mitsukuni---also known as Honey---is the Adorable one, Takashi---also known as Mori---is the Wild one and Haruhi is the Commoner."
"Well, they have a lot of differences in that club, don't they?"
"More about them later! We have to get to class!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Come on, Mariko!" Sakura grinned, dragging Mariko by the hand through the halls of Ouran Academy. They had spent the whole day together, and now they were rushing to see the Host Club that Mariko had only heard about. Sakura had been in every single one of Mariko's classes, much to Mariko's misfortune. The blonde couldn't stop talking! Mariko was lucky enough to get down the notes she had taken, and to get the assignments to turn in the next day.
Sakura turned corners and zoomed past other students. She had told Mariko that she liked to be the first one to get to the Host Club because there was always a warm welcome from them. They finally stopped and Mariko panted to catch her breath.
"Here it is!" Sakura smiled. "The Third Music Room!" Mariko's ears pricked up when the word music was mentioned. That was her territory. Maybe this Host Club wasn't too bad after all if they met in a music room.
"Now what?" Mariko wondered.
"Now, we open the doors, silly!" Sakura giggled and they each took a handle. Sakura took a deep breath, and Mariko frowned at her in confusion.
"What's to panic about?" Mariko wondered. "They're just boys." They pushed the doors open and peeked inside.
"Welcome!" a chorus of male voices called. Sakura giggled and Mariko truly could not believe her eyes. Seven teenagers dressed in capes and masks stood in the middle of the room.
Opening the door, she found a Masquerade.
"Saku-chan!" the littlest one of the group grinned running toward them. The boy had blonde hair and round brown eyes that shone through a red mask that covered his face from his hair line to his nose, and he wore a white cape over a formal black suit as he held a pink bunny plush.
"Hello, Honey-senpai!" Sakura smiled, kneeling down a bit to be level with the boy.
"That kid is in high school?!" Mariko wondered. The boy looked up at Mariko with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
"Who did you bring with you, Saku-chan?" he asked turning back to Sakura.
"Oh, this is Mariko Hasigawa," Sakura introduced as she stood tall.
"Didn't I meet you earlier?" the tall blonde boy asked Mariko.
"Yes," Mariko nodded. "Sakura was kind enough to tell me who you are. It was honor to meet you, Tamaki."
"No, it is an honor to meet you, Princess," Tamaki replied and strode toward her. He was dressed in a formal suit as well, and a red cape flowed behind him as his violet eyes shone through a black mask like Honey's. He took Mariko's hand and kissed it gently then looked up at her slightly blushing face. "I'm sorry I 'swept you off your feet,' earlier."
"I-It's ok," Mariko stuttered, then swallowed.
"Please, accept this as an apology," he murmured and held up a red rose.
"Ok, so they're not just typical boys," Mariko thought.
"Um, thanks," she said, plucking the rose from his hand, and he smiled.
"Come, meet the rest of the Host Club," he said, and led her by the hand toward the other boys, Sakura and Honey following behind. "You've met Honey." Mariko looked at the small boy and he smiled at her.
"Hi," she smiled back.
"This is Kyouya," Tamaki introduced a boy in a blue cape and with a matching mask that covered the upper half of his face. He had black hair and gray eyes, and fixed his glasses before taking Mariko's hand from Tamaki's and kissing it politely.
"Your name is Hasigawa?" he wondered and Mariko nodded. "I believe that is the name of my father's lawyer. He speaks of you often, but his description of you hardly did you justice."
"I can see why they made him the cool one," Mariko thought.
"Well, daddy has a problem with exaggeration too," she laughed, nervously. "We're trying to get that fixed."
"This is Mori," Tamaki continued, gesturing to the tallest of the group. He also had black hair and gray eyes, but his hair was exceptionally shorter then Kyouya's. He wore a green mask and cape and a formal suit. He said nothing when Mariko looked up at him, and merely nodded.
"He doesn't say much," Sakura whispered suddenly in Mariko's ear.
"Obviously," Mariko muttered.
"Would you prefer someone more talkative?" she suddenly heard in stereo on either side of her. She looked to her right to see a boy with pastel orange hair parted to the right and golden cat like eyes. He wore a half mask that covered the right side of his face and a hot pink cape as he grinned devilishly.
"Who---?"
"Before I tell you that, you might want to look to your left," he interrupted. She did and gasped when she saw a mirror image of the boy to her right, only his hair was parted to the left, and his mask was on the left side as well, and he wore a sky blue cape.
"I see," Mariko realized. "You must be the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru, right?"
"That's right!" they said together, then stood in front of her.
"So which is which?" Mariko wondered.
"You wanna guess?" they asked.
"Not particularly," Mariko said, honestly. "But if I have to, I would guess that Hikaru is the one in the blue cape."
"Wrong!" they said, loudly, and Mariko merely shrugged.
"Oh, well," she sighed in fake disappointment.
"You guys are too much," a boy in a purple mask and matching cape said. He had brown hair and dark brown eyes and Mariko seemed to think he was different…very different.
"And you must be Haruhi," Mariko guessed and he nodded.
"Yes, I am," he said and they shook hands politely. Mariko felt something strange from this one. His hand shake was awfully limp, and his hand had felt…feminine.
"So," Tamaki called, coming next to her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Which will it be? The Cute? The Cool? The Wild? The Devils? The Natural Rookie? Or…" He leaned close to her ear. "Perhaps you'd like to try me out?" he whispered.
"Oh, I really didn't---"
"She'll take the twins!" Sakura chose for her, and all eyes went to her in surprise, Mariko in a glare.
"I didn't want---"
"Oh, trust me, Mariko!" Sakura interrupted, taking her from Tamaki and leading her to the twins. "I am a good judge of character! You would go perfectly with these two! Trust me, you will not regret it." Sakura shoved Mariko at the twins and she tumbled into the arms of one of them. She looked up to see the twin in the pink cape was holding her and smiling.
"Hikaru!" the other twin called in a small voice. They looked at him as he stood, looking near tears and so alone. "You would rather hold her, than me?" Hikaru stood Mariko up and walked close to his brother, then took his twin into his arms.
"You know there is no one I would rather hold than you, Kaoru," Hikaru murmured.
"Hikaru," Kaoru nearly moaned.
"Oh, that's just wrong!" Mariko thought, but said nothing as she turned and walked toward the door.
"I'm outta here!" she announced, and opened the door, only to find a huge crowd of girls on the other side.
"They're open!" one girl shouted, and they all cheered and ran in, leaving Mariko no time at all to move to safety. She was bombarded by the crowd and fell to the floor being trampled by their running feet and deafened by their screams. When the last girl ran in, Mariko was on the floor, twitching and dizzy.
"I figured they were popular but geez!" she thought wearily.
"Mariko!" Sakura cried in despair. "Are you alright?!"
"Nothing hurt but my pride," Mariko groaned. She sat up and rubbed her head. "I think I'm gonna go home and study."
"You won't stay?" Honey asked in his small voice, his round eyes filled with sadness. "I wanted you to have cake with us!" Mariko looked at the little one and couldn't help but smile. He was too cute to say no to!
"Alright," she sighed. "I guess I could stay a while."
"Yay!" Honey cheered and threw his arms around her.
"You will have to stay with the twins," Sakura informed her as Honey detached from her. "You have chosen them as your hosts."
"Those twincestuous creeps?! No way! Sorry! Nope! I'd rather hang out with the one that doesn't talk than those two!"
"But you have chosen them!"
"Wrong! You chose them for me! I didn't wanna have anything to do with this!"
"Please, Mariko. Just try it. They do not have to do that in front of you. It is merely a ploy for the girls. It is their front." Mariko sighed and looked at Honey, then Sakura again.
"Fine," she groaned. "But if it starts to creep me out to the point of nausea, I'm leaving." Sakura squealed for joy and hugged her friend.
"You will not regret this!"
"I regret it already."
A/N: Well, how do you all like it so far? Sorry on te bash on Hikaru and Kaoru, but you gotta admit, it is kinda weird. I hope this doesn't keep you from reading the rest of this fic...it gets interesting, I promise. Reviews would be appreciated!