This story's been a long time coming. Zaltanna has been a dear character of mine that I based off my best friend. She has a little bit of me in her but she's got more of my best friend. Anywho I hope you enjoy this story. I'll try my best to keep the Host Club in character and keep it entertaining for you.

Thanks go to: My coworker E. –If she hadn't let me talk her ear off about anime and writing I don't think I would have figured out what I wanted Zaltanna to be let alone begin this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters. They belong to Bisco Hatori. I do however own Zaltanna.

The sound of an engine was heard pulling up into the driveway, as an elderly man with brown sunken eyes and grayish colored hair, looked up from his novel to look out the dining room window. His granddaughter's gold Jeep Cherokee sat idling as she made her way to the side door. The door leading from the laundry room to the kitchen opened and a slender girl with brown eyes, black hair to her waist, and olive toned skin rushed in. Slade Dunstan knew his granddaughter, if she was rushing in from school without her backpack, she must be grabbing something. He hoped she would find it as he knew she had an important swim meet that afternoon, since she had asked him to come by and cheer for her. He promised her he would, as Zaltanna rarely asked him to attend a swim meet of hers to cheer her and her team on.

Opening the door to her bedroom, Zaltanna quickly made her way to her dresser, looking through her drawers. She rummaged around for a minute or two before finding what she was looking for, a lime green swimming cap with Lutz High School and her school's mascot, a hawk, in black on both sides. Closing her drawer firmly she felt something rub up against her legs. Looking down she saw the gold eyes of a black cat with medium length fur looking up at her. The cat gave a meow.

"Hello to you too Twister. Are you trying to suck up to me since you didn't come in the house for breakfast this morning?" Zaltanna asked, bending down and scratching beneath the cats chin as he gave her another meow.

With a smile she made her way back through the house, stopping briefly to give her grandfather a hug, and running back out to her truck. She only had about half an hour before she had to be in the pool doing warm ups with her team before the meet started and she had already lost 10 minutes of that. Zaltanna thanked the gods and goddesses that she had not only had a license and vehicle but that she had found her swim cap. Now she just had to get back to school, in the locker room, changed into her swim suit and on the deck for stretches.

With only 10 minutes left of that half hour, Zaltanna ran into the locker room and changed. Not bothering to stop to say hi to her coach or her friends who had stopped by to cheer. She was tense with stress; she preferred to be on time to every meet and every practice. That was just the way she was, and a lapse of thought that morning had caused her to have to rush home to grab her swim cap, which was a mandatory part of her swim suit.

Walking out on to the deck Zaltanna knew that her earlier stress wouldn't last long. She'd forget about it completely once she was in the water and doing warm ups. Her coach gave her a quizzical look, but when she gave a smile he just shook his head and decided if she wasn't worried about it he didn't need to ask. Stretching came and went as quickly as it always did for her once she had become used to it. Although stretching wasn't such a chore for her as it would be for most people. She'd been climbing in and out of engine compartments and smaller spaces since she was old enough to read a vehicle manual. Zaltanna just did her stretches like everyone else and with an excited smile to the rest of her teammates jumped into the room temperature water with them to start her warm ups. The opposing team was already doing their own warm ups a few lanes away.

Soon the pool was empty as swimmers waited on their blocks for the starting signal. Zaltanna waited at the end of one of her teammate's lanes, ready to cheer her on. With a quick glance to the bleachers, she saw her grandfather watching her, and she gave a small smile. She hardly asked her grandfather to cheer her on at swim meets, especially the away ones, but the ones that were home meets she asked him, and he never failed to show up. Unlike some of the other swimmers, she didn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend or even siblings. So the only one that she could have cheer for her was her grandfather, and that made her happy because she knew at the end of every meet no matter how well her team did or not her grandfather wouldn't think any less of her.

The signal given, the swimmers dove into the pool and the bleachers and teammates who were on the sidelines started to cheer. Kneeling down at the end of the lane Zaltanna cheered for the freshman in the lane. She considered all of her teammates equally; she didn't favor any of them more over another. They asked her for help or advice and she gave it, so she was often seen cheering at the end of the lane for every swimmer on her team at least once, unless she was swimming in the same event.

The freshman placed sixth, but the light brown haired, hazel eyed girl gave a genuine smile as she hugged her teammates, and earned a hair ruffle from Zaltanna. Their coach had told them that they may be a team, but it's better to enjoy a meet and lose than win one and not enjoy it. Each swimmer believed that and Zaltanna was no exception. She was a swimmer, because even as a child she could not be kept out of the water. It made her feel calm and peaceful. She never could explain why water made her feel calm and at peace but she had stopped wandering why and just accepted it.

Two events later Zaltanna climbed onto the block and got in her stance, waiting to shoot into the water below her like a bullet. Like she did in every event before the starting signal she took a deep breath than let it out, calming her mind. All that was in her world at the moment was water, stroke, breathe, and the laps she had to do. Her mind no longer registered opponents were in the lanes beside her. Her mind was on her personal goals, the goals that mattered most at the end of every meet for her team, not the win that most other teams were there for.

The bright flash of light and the loud deep 'beep' came and every swimmer was off her block and in the water. As soon as she hit that water Zaltanna kicked her legs as one unit as fast as she could until she began to count to three, than she came out of the water her arms in unison up, over her head and guiding her back into the water. Zaltanna continued her counting as she rose out of the water in a rhythm, as she also counted down how many laps she had left.

Hands touching the wall of her lane she brought her body to a stop and catching her breath, climbed out of the pool. The timer told her she had come in second, but Zaltanna had asked for her time. It was better than her previous times in the 100 Fly, but she knew she could do better, and she would do her best to beat her time and do better. Her teammates came up and congratulated her and hugged her, her coach gave her a one arm hug and wrote down her time on his sheet. Glancing to the bleachers her grandfather was smiling. That was all the encouragement and praise she needed. Her grandfather giving her a smile, when he hardly ever smiled was the highest praise for her. Her aim for as long as he was alive was to get him to smile. Zaltanna loved her grandfather's smiles; they showed a side of him that not even she saw very often.

The events went by quickly after that, and before she knew it, it had grown dark outside and the Lutz Golden Hawks had come out with the win. Her team did a little victory cheer, and their coach mentioned he'd buy them all dinner. Zaltanna declined knowing that her grandfather would be taking her out to their little mom and pop Japanese restaurant. The freshman that she had cheered on she had asked if she would like to come along, with a big smile the girl said yes.

Not much longer Zaltanna, her grandfather and the freshman named Bridget, walked into the small Japanese restaurant. After sitting down at a booth Zaltanna and her grandfather just pushed their menus off to the side. Already knowing what they were going to get. Same as they always got. Bridget stared at her menu for a few minutes before deciding.

"Did it come yet Zal?" Bridget asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"I'm not sure. I didn't check the mail when I had to run back to the house for my swim cap." Zaltanna said as she flicked her eyes to her grandfather, "Papa did I get anything in the mail today?"

Zaltanna hoped it had come in today, her scholarship for Ouran Private Academy that she had put in for before Christmas. She knew that if it didn't show up by the end of next week that she hadn't been accepted for the new school term, as schools in Japan started their school year in April and not in September as those in the US did. She was rather looking forward to attending Ouran. Zaltanna would be there on a swimming scholarship but she could take the classes she needed to bring back with her to the local community college and pursue her career in automotive or see about trying to get an internship with one of the auto makers in Japan. Ouran was attended by a lot of rich people; alright the whole school population was from rich or well off, financially, families. Zaltanna knew it wouldn't be hard to find a family that was in the auto industry.

Slade Dunstan had looked at his granddaughter and her teammate with a confused look as they talked about the scholarship. He knew nothing about the scholarship for Ouran and he wondered what Zaltanna was up to. The old man wasn't too worried about his granddaughter as he knew she wasn't the type to get into any shady business like gangs and drugs and that whole lifestyle. She had a career ahead of her doing what she loved. Figuring out how things worked.

Zaltanna had taken apart the complete engine compartment of her Jeep and the transmission the summer before she had started high school, and had put it back together and it ran just as well as it had before she had taken it apart. He smiled as he recalled that memory. Her walking in head to toe covered in engine grease and other vehicle fluids, and smiling like a madman, proud that she had accomplished it. Zaltanna was the only one in the family who had been gifted with how to figure out the technicalities of vehicles. Slade had no longer taken his own beat up old Toyota to a brake shop or a mechanic, he bought the parts and Zaltanna did all the maintenance work on his car.

"Something did come in the mail for you. I couldn't read it as it was mostly in gibberish, but I do recall seeing Ourin on the envelope." The old man replied, looking at the two girls in front of him.

Zaltanna's eyes lit up. Hopefully it had good news. Calming herself she replied, "It's OuRAN Papa, and that gibberish is Japanese."

Slade grunted his reply as his granddaughter corrected him and giggled joyously with her teammate. He didn't need to talk further with Zaltanna as they would be discussing whatever it was when they got home. Although he had a sneaky suspicion that she would be going away for a while, and that worried him.

As soon as she had the kitchen door open, Zaltanna raced to the den where the mail pile always was on the coffee table in front of her grandfather's chair. Slade closed the door behind him, as he leisurely followed his granddaughter. Walking into the den he saw his granddaughter reading through the gibberish as though it was her native tongue. Shaking his head he sat down in his chair with a groan and waited for Zaltanna to finish reading her letter.

While she couldn't read the vast majority of the kanji on the first portion of the paper, the second portion had the contents of the first portion in English. With each line she read her eye's got big and she repressed the urge to squeal her grandfather's eardrums deaf. Zaltanna finished the last line, took a deep breath and tried to figure out where to begin with telling her grandfather.

"You know how I wanted to pursue a career in the automotive industry?" She asked deciding to just to skip a few details.

The old man gave a slight nod of his head.

"Well I looked at many options for going about it and I decided Ouran Private Academy would be my best bet. The school itself is in Japan and caters to the filthy rich families there."

"Why would this Academy offer automotive if it teaches the youngsters of the nobility?" Slade asked his granddaughter.

Her grandfather had a good head on him, "It doesn't. I got in on a swimming scholarship. Coach and all of my teachers gave me a very good recommendation and the headmaster of Ouran accepted it. That's what this letter is explaining." She held out the letter to him.

He could see that a portion of letter was in English and he began to read. Once finished he looked up at Zaltanna. He couldn't keep her from her dream, but the house would be lonely without her, and a small part of him didn't want her to leave the nest so soon.

"You've proven to not just me but your school that you're able to back up this scholarship not only athletically but scholastically as well. I cannot keep you from your dream. I just wish that you would have told me about all this before you received this letter." Slade mentioned, not angry or disappointed with her, just a bit upset that she hadn't talked to him about it before she filled out the documents.

"I'm sorry Papa, but I know how lonely you get, and if I had told you before I tried out for the scholarship I probably wouldn't have even gone through with it."

"Don't let this old man's ways keep you from being happy. I've told you that before. Apparently I need to say it again."

"No you don't Papa. I remember and I always will." Zaltanna replied with a smile, kissing her grandfather's cheek.

"Good, now the dates for your departure appear to conflict with something…" The old man said as his eyes scanned the second page.

Zaltanna closed her eyes. The last swim meet of the season, was two hours after her plane would depart. That was the part she hadn't wanted to read. She didn't want to miss that last swim meet, but she had given everything for this scholarship, "Yes. The last swim meet of the season. Coach and the others said they would understand if something like this was to happen but I wish that I could have this last memory to take with me."

Slade frowned, "Who said you couldn't have it? There isn't anyone willing to tape the meet and send it to you?"

"I didn't want to bother coach with it." Zaltanna answered looking sheepishly down at a gray and white fur ball sitting at her heels.

"Oh I'm sure he won't mind, especially if it's for you." Her grandfather said.

Looking back up at her grandfather Zaltanna gave a little smile, "Alright I'll ask him."

The old man nodded, "Good."

Zaltanna and her grandfather spent the rest of the night discussing the contents of the letter and after answering every question the old man asked her, she had gone to bed tired but oddly enough refreshed. Her grandfather was as sharp as a tack and had asked her a lot of questions, but in the end he had just told her that if life went a different path than she had anticipated, that she should take it as it had been given and give it a chance. Zaltanna had promised and had kissed the old man goodnight.

Shutting off the engine Zaltanna climbed out of her truck, a stick of incense and a lighter in one hand, and a cupcake in the other. Softly she walked through the head stones until she came upon a familiar one. It was nothing extravagant, just a two foot high arch shaped head stone. The words engraved in the head stone were readable, had a name, birth and death date and a little phrase. Kneeling down Zaltanna lit the stick of incense and placed it on the head stone. The cupcake she left on the grass in front of the head stone.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke, "I know I haven't visited much, but you know how school and the swim team are. Just wanted to drop off a cupcake and say hi, as I won't be able to for a while. I'm going to Japan. I got a scholarship to a private academy there." Zaltanna grew quiet as a tear fell down her cheek.

Remaining quiet for a while, she finally stood up, "Take care Jess. I'll have another cupcake for you the next time I come around."

The tears still flowing down her cheeks she walked back to her Jeep softly and slowly. Saying goodbye to her best friend had been really hard when she had first heard about the accident that claimed her best friend's life, but strangely this goodbye hurt her on a deeper level. Climbing back into her truck she sat there and let her tears land on the steering wheel. The words on the head stone forever etched in her memory:

"Like two peas in a pod, except you're the nut."

Alright so this didn't take a few weeks for me to write, thanks to work and sleeping in like a bum, but what do you all think? If a few things don't make sense they'll be explained in later chapters. Can't give away too much of my story so soon or I won't have any meat XD Anyway next chapter I'll get to Zaltanna being in Japan, and meeting the Host Club. For consistencies sake and my timeline Zaltanna coming to Ouran is at the beginning of Huni and Mori's second year of high school, but I do plan to include Haruhi's first year and the whole comedy goodness of the Host Club in the later part of the story.

Also I will be referencing the anime and the manga, but more so the manga, as I like it better ;P So for those of you who have read the manga, and the specials Hatori wrote you'll know what I'm referencing. For those who haven't read the manga, I do hope that maybe my referencing will give you a nice push; I mean a nice nudge to read it.

Chapter 2 will be up when I can get it done.

So please read and review.

And there's a cookie jar full of cookies for you trolls. Shut up, take your cookies and go bother someone else.

Zaltanna