I'm almost glad I wasn't allowed to attend Ouran.

Before I even entered the school (which was actually a lovely powder pink) I could see the students out on their lunch break.

Lemon yellow dresses and periwinkle suits adorned the students and I almost didn't go in. But no, Haruhi had my bag and I had hers. I had to go.

Making my way through the halls I got several confused looks from girls who were staring at my Lobelia uniform, a few leering looks from boys (making me extremely uncomfortable), and the occasional uninterested glance from a few teachers.

Somehow I managed to find the cafeteria and after asking around for a deshevled looking commoner with giant glasses, I finally found someone who said they thought they saw 'him' heading towards the third music room.

After gaining directions and saying my thanks, I ventured further into the school to look for the dorky girl I met this morning.

The third music room... Seemed safe enough.

With a shrug I turned the handle and opened the door...

Only to be bombarded by flower petals. Again.

Repeating my coughing and swatting of the stupid things, I almost didn't hear the familiar voice calling my name.

"Hamasaki-san?"

I opened my eyes, only to blush furiously at what I saw.

The thick glasses were gone as well as that ugly brown sweater. Haruhi Fujioka was staring up at me with large brown eyes, wearing a periwinkle boy's uniform and sporting a new haircut that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly.

She had been a really dorky sort of cute before, but now she looked... almost beautiful.

I was still staring when a pair of ginger twins took up her sides.

"Hey Haruhi, who's-" "-your pretty friend here?" They spoke one after the other. It took me a moment to recognize them as the Hitachin twins, heirs to the Hitachin Clothing Company and treasured business partners to my mother's cosmetics company.

I shook myself out of my stupor and bowed slightly. "Rei Hamasaki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hitachin-san and Hitachin-san"

I then turned and smiled down sheepishly at Haruhi.

"Fujioka-san, I do believe this is yours." I chuckled, holding out the commoner's bag to her.

Her face brightened up and she smiled back. "Ah, right. I have your bag in the other room, Hamasaki-san, and please just call me Haruhi."

She motioned for me to follow her and I did, glancing at all the other handsome boys in the room.

I recognized Kyoya Ootori and Mitskuni Haninozuka before entering the other room with Haruhi.

"Um, Fuj- I mean, Haruhi, why is it that you're crossdresssing?"

I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the smirk in her voice as she went to retrieve my bag. "I could ask you the same thing, Rei-senpai."

My face flushed at the familiar way she spoke my name and it took a moment for me to find my voice.

"How... How did you know?"

Haruhi shrugged and began walking back to me, my bag in her hands.

"My dad is transgender too, so it's easy for me at least to tell. Your shoulders, hands, and nose are all sort of masculine, but not many people would be able to figure it out."

I cringed at the word 'transgender'.

Again, not judging, but that's just not what I was.

"No, you don't understand," I stated, resting my hands on her slim shoulders and staring into her eyes intently. I made sure to deepen my voice slightly, just enough to make sure it sounded manly. "I'm straight."

That seemed to throw the commoner for a loop. Her eyes widened and she looked me up and down, probably wondering why the hell I was wearing women's clothing, shoes, and makeup.

"You're-?"

She didn't get to finish as the door slammed open and a tall blonde burst into the room.

"MY HARUHI SENSES WERE TINGLING!" The blonde shouted loudly, taking lines from that American superhero, Spiderman.

The boy ran over and pulled Haruhi away with a wary look towards me.

The poor commoner sighed and rolled her eyes. "Tamaki-senpai, she already knows I'm a girl."

I mouthed a silent 'thank you' and the girl nodded. 'We'll talk later.' She mouthed back as Tamaki went on a rant.

"Rei-chan!" An adorable voice called from the door.

I looked over to find that it was the Haninozuka heir that had called my name. He raced over with his cousin, Takashi Morinozuka, and stared up at me with wide and sparkling eyes.

"Wow, Rei-chan! You're as tall as Takashi! And pretty too!"

I smiled and bowed to the tiny boy.

"Thank you, Haninozuka-san. It's a pleasure meeting you, and you as well, Morinozuka-san."

"Oh, you can just call us-"

"Hamasaki-san, how is it that you know Haruhi? That is a Lobelia uniform, after all, and I'm sure it is not the Hamasaki style to mill about with commoners."

It was Kyoya Ootori that spoke this time, cutting the Haninozuka heir off. I stood from my bow and smiled at the heir to the Ootori Medical Corporation.

"Haruhi and I quite literally bumped into each other this morning. I must have grabbed her bag thinking it was mine, so I have come to return it and retrieve my own."

I had to be extra careful around this boy. I had heard a rumor that he was an information broker, but I didn't know if it was true or not.

But speaking to him reminded me that Haruhi and I had yet to exchange bags.

With a closed-eyed smile I turned to the commoner- "Haruhi, I- Oh!"- only to have something burning hot and wet splash onto my uniform.

There the Hitachin twins stood, their eyes wide in shock. One had the tea thermos from my bag in his hands and the other held the lid.

The room was dead silent for a moment before both twins, Tamaki, and Mitskuni were all shouting their apologies and other such panicked things.

One of my plucked eyebrows twitched up in annoyance, but my lessons took over and I smiled.

'Be a polite and elegant young lady.'

"It's fine, Hitachin-sans. The lid is tricky on that thermos, so I understand that it wasn't your fault." I said with a light-hearted chuckle.

I turned to Haruhi, and though it made me cringe, I had to ask it. "Perhaps I can borrow an Ouran dress until mine is dry? And quickly, please, as this is starting to burn."

"We don't have any spare dresses tall enough, I'm afraid, Hamasaki-san." Kyoya stated.

Little Mitskuni gasped and looked up at his cousin. "Takashi, can Rei-chan borrow one of your spare uniforms?"

My eyes widened as Takashi nodded and ran off.

"Pants?" I breathed in shocked confusion. "I haven't worn pants since... I actually can't remember the last time I wore a pair of pants!"

Seeming to sense the excitement in my voice, Haruhi gave me a happy, yet sympathetic smile. The other boys didn't seem to notice.

"We're so very sorry, princess." Tamaki stated. "We'll have to be sure to stock up on some tall uniforms, just in case an incident like this happens again."

I nodded my thanks just as Takashi returned, a folded up uniform in his hand.

"Haruhi, as a female and a host it is your job to help this young lady. We'll be outside when you're done." Kyoya said with a smirk in my direction, then grabbed the ears of the two twins and walked out of the room, the other... hosts?, behind him.

Haruhi and I were left alone once more.

I felt myself flush at the thought of the small commoner helping me to change, but Haruhi didn't seem to care one way or another.

"Rei-senpai, take off your uniform while I go get you a towel."

I gulped, but nodded.

First came the white sailor shirt, then the maroon jumper, followed by a padded sports bra, and finally my heels so I could put on Takashi's pants over my briefs.

I did so as fast as I could and was just tightening the belt when Haruhi came back.

She paused for a moment and just stared at my torso. I wasn't insanely muscular, like some boys tended to be, but I did work out to the extent that I had at least some definition to my abs and chest.

I blushed all the way up to my ears at her intense gaze.

Shaking herself from her stupor, the girl made quick work of wiping all the tea from my skin and helping me to dry off my bra, then put on the button down shirt and periwinkle blazer.

I felt completely silly slipping into my heels, seeing as I had no other shoes, and chose to forgo the tie as neither of us knew how to tie one.

Wearing pants was liberating but constricting at the same time. I sort of liked it.

Haruhi took a step back and raised her eyebrows. "Wow."

My brows furrowed. "What, does it look bad?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all, it's just..." Standing on the tips of her toes, the commoner pulled open my collar a little bit to reveal sharp collar bones and pulled my long black hair out of its ponytail.

She stood back to admire her handy work and nodded. "There, you look more feminine that way."

I nodded and grabbed my actual bag as Haruhi led me out of the separate room and into the main one.