Two years later....
I climbed out of the limousine parked in front of the elite Ouran High School Academy. I smiled at little. The large building was a pristine white with red-carpeted stairs. It looked regal sitting on the perfectly cut green grass. Pink brick paths snaked their way around, leading to other areas on campus. It was as beautiful as everyone had made it out to be.
There was no one else on the grounds that I could see. The school day had just ended, which was why I had chosen that time to arrive. I was only there to get a feel for the school before I started the next day. As the limo drove away, I smoothed the skirt of my Ouran girls' uniform, a yellow dress with white stockings, black dress shoes, and a high white collar. I straightened the bow around the neck and started towards the building.
When I turned on the sidewalk, I bumped into someone. "Je suis désolé!" I apologized in French, which I cursed myself for. They probably didn't know the language. I was going to have to fix that habit. I had been speaking in French all day by accident....
When I looked at whom I had bumped into, I realized it was two people. Identical twins, actually. They had somewhat spiky auburn hair and golden eyes. They wore the boys' uniform, which was black dress pants, a white, buttoned shirt, blue blazer with the school insignia on the pocket, a black tie, and black dress shoes. The twin on the right had his hair parted so, and the left had his parted to the left. I guessed that was one way they tried to make themselves somewhat different from each other.
They were giving me blank looks and said, "You should watch where you're going."
"I don't believe I was the only one at fault. You two could have easily moved out of the way," I glared, annoyed by their accusation.
"And you could have been paying more attention," the right twin shrugged. Then, they both walked away, not giving me the chance to reply. Ils sont tellement désagréable! I thought angrily, meaning, "They are so rude!"
It had only been a few minutes, and things at Ouran already didn't seem promising. If that was foreshadowing the rest of my year.... I contemplated going to the mansion after such a bad starting incident, but my grandmother had made herself very clear on what I was to do at Ouran while I was visiting that day. So having no choice, I walked into the main entrance of the school.
All I knew was that I was to find an abandoned music room, but I hadn't been told where it was in the school. Nor where the main office was. I searched on the first floor, but found the two music rooms there were occupied with instruments. I was forced up the stairs to the second floor, but I knew there was a chance I had missed it the first time on the floor below.
It wasn't long before I came across Music Room #3. I wished, "J'espère que c'est elle," or translated, "I hope this is it."
I opened the two doors and peered inside. It was empty of instruments, but there were many tables, chairs, and sofas placed. I opened the door wider and walked in slowly, letting it close gently behind me. I noticed there was actually a piano in the far corner of the room, mostly out of view. There were a few boys around the room, but none had noticed me. They weren't who I was looking for, either.
"I'm sorry, ladies aren't allowed inside, yet. We're just about to open," someone told me. It seemed one of them had taken notice. The boy was wearing the school uniform and had black hair, black eyes, and glasses. I noted he was rather tall. He gave me a once over, which did make me feel a bit intimidated, and he said, "I don't believe I've seen you here before. Are you a new costumer?"
"Customer?" I repeated, a little confused. "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong place. I was looking for a club."
"Oh, then, you have made no mistake. Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club, where the school's handsomest boys entertain bored, young ladies," he smiled. I raised an eyebrow. "I'm Kyoya Ootori, the club's vice-president. Is there someone you want to meet with in particular?"
"I'm looking for Tamaki," I answered.
"I'm afraid Tamaki is completely booked for today, though I can get you in for tomorrow." He took out a pen and started to write something in his notebook he carried. I wanted to tell him differently, but he continued on. "Why don't you try a different type for today? We have various personalities here to cater to the different tastes of our clients. They range widely. There is the cool, quiet, lolita, mischievous, natural, and princely type, the last one being Tamaki's," Kyoya offered.
I muttered, "No surprise there." Louder, I explained, "I'm not here to be entertained. I simply want to talk with him."
He stayed stubborn, "As I said before, he is too busy." Did I really have to get into another argument so soon?
That was when I heard someone say, "Alright, men! Are we ready to open?" I looked to the person who had walked out of a connecting room and grinned. While my emotions were battling each other, I couldn't help but feel happy at the sight.
I brushed pass Kyoya and ran to the blonde-haired boy, grinning, "René!" He stared at me in shock. I hugged him tightly before pulling back to look at him. He seemed to be turning white. "Or, I guess I should call you Tamaki now."
"Amarante? Is it really you?" Tamaki asked me in perfect French. At least I knew he hadn't forgotten me. Though, if he hadn't recognized me, I would have been a little worried about his mental state.
I answered him back in the same language, "Who else would I be?"
"But... why are you here? How?"
"I'm attending Ouran. I'll be living with you now," I revealed. His eyes widened even more. I let go of him. "I'm sorry. I thought you already knew about this."
"Hey, boss, who is this?" I recognized it as the right twin's voice. I looked back at them.
"It's the girl from earlier!" the left one exclaimed.
I easily switched back over to Japanese, "So, it's you two."
"You know each other already?" Tamaki gasped.
"They ran into me outside," I explained.
"I believe you were the one who ran into us," they argued.
"No, I meant what I said," I frowned. "I didn't think you two would know Tamaki."
They shrugged, "We could say the same, Frenchie. We're members of the Host Club." I clenched my jaw at the nickname. Did I really have to deal with them, too?
A very short boy, who I wouldn't have known was a high-schooler if he hadn't been wearing the uniform, came bouncing over to me. He had brown eyes, blonde hair, and was holding a stuffed pink rabbit. He smiled, "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Honey." He pointed to the incredibly tall teenager behind him who had black hair and black eyes. "And that's my cousin, Takashi Morinozuka, but we call him Mori for short."
"Hi," Mori greeted me. I immediately recognized he was a man of little words.
Honey then showed me the rabbit. "And this is Usa-chan!" Were they sure he wasn't in the elementary school?
"I'm Haruhi Fujioka, the newest member," Haruhi told me. I twisted my lips to the side. That didn't seem right at all. What was going on with that club?
The left twin said, interrupting my thoughts, "I'm Kaoru Hitachiin."
The right introduced, "And I'm his older twin brother, Hikaru Hitachiin." Wasn't that great? I had names to put to the two devils.
The twins repeated, "So, who is she?"
I said, "It depends on where I am. My full name is Amarante Katashi Richelle de Grantaine Suoh since my French and Japanese names had to be fused together, but my Japanese name is Katashi Suoh. You can call me Amarante or Katashi, though. I'll answer to both."
"Suoh?" Kaoru narrowed his eyes.
"And that means...?" Hikaru trailed off.
"Don't you know?" I asked. All of them, besides Kyoya, shook their heads no. I looked over to Tamaki and asked, "Did you ever tell them about me? Or at least, mention me?"
Tamaki stuttered, "W-Well, no.... I-I never thought...."
I finished, "That you'd see me again?" It was good to see where I really stood with him. I sighed and clarified, "I'm Tamaki's younger sister. I've been studying at a school in France but transferred here. I'll be starting Ouran tomorrow." They all began to turn white, expect for Kyoya again.
"Ah, I should have seen the family resemblance. You look just alike. My mistake, Katashi," he apologized, pushing the glasses up on his nose.
Haruhi gasped, "You knew?"
He smirked, "Of course. It's my job to know the family history of our members. Even the king."
"Whoa, boss, why didn't you say anything sooner?" the twins questioned.
"I... don't talk to her anymore," Tamaki tried to explain. I could tell he was being thrown too many things at once. He never was good at juggling, after all.
"Unfortunately, that's true. We lost contact when he came to Japan. Until now, I hadn't seen him since. My school wouldn't allow me to take so much time off," I helped him out, lying partially. We only just met. They didn't need to know the real reason. Not yet, anyway.
Haruhi asked, "So, you'll be in class 1A with the twins and me?"
I denied, "No, I'll be in 2A with my brother."
"But you just said you were younger, Kata-chan," Honey argued.
"Oh, you misunderstood me. I'm younger than him by eight minutes," I clarified. They all just looked at me. "Oh mon dieu," I muttered, meaning, "Oh my god." Louder, I told them, "I'm Tamaki's younger twin sister."