Episode 17

A Challenge from Lobelia Girls' Academy!

Jin sighed and leaned back in her chair, stretching out her back as the other students starting packing away their things. Finally! Lunch time! She leaned forward over her desk and stretched again. A few joints popped here and there and she let out another sigh, her eyelids flickering shut.

Until the past week or so, Jin would normally be already packed up and out the door, on her way to Haruhi's classroom to eat with her sister. But now she was content to hang around with Tamaki and Kyoya until most of the other students were out of the way. The boys were actually pretty cool to hang around nowadays. She enjoyed their company.

Something that Haruhi couldn't understand for the life of her.

"Jin, are you ready to head to the club room?"

The brunette cracked one eye open, "Hm? What are you talking about? Do we have another lunch meeting today?"

"I suppose you could say that." Kyoya flipped his bag closed, "All afternoon classes have been cancelled for the day, so we're taking this extra time to extend our hosting hours."

"Wait, the afternoon classes were cancelled? Why?"

Tamaki bounced up from his chair, "No one told you? It's been on the bulletin board for weeks!"

"I kind of skim it when I pass by in the hallways… but no, no one's told me anything." Kyoya let out a little hum before he pulled out a flyer from his bag and handed it over to her.

"Ouran hosts an exposition for the cultural clubs annually. It will take place over the next two days, during which classes will be cancelled to allow students to partake in the activities and free up the classrooms as temporary prep rooms for all the performers. Considering the drama and choir clubs from other prestigious schools from around the country have been invited, Ouran needs all the practice rooms it can possibly have."

"Wow…" Jin read the flyer. It seemed like 40 or so schools were sending over their finest performers. For the entirety of Thursday and Friday there would be concerts and plays and skits going on around the school. In hallways, some of the larger classrooms, the gym, the refractory, and there would even be a musical in the auditorium. It looked like that one was being put on by some really popular group or something.

"Since the host club will be cancelled for the next two days, we've decided to extend our hours during the cancelled class time. Hopefully this will tide over our guests for the following two days and the weekend."

Jin cocked an eyebrow and handed the flyer back to the ravenet, standing up with the other two, "So… we're hosting right after lunch?"

"Of course not, silly! Lunch first, then we go get set up for the next hour or two, and then we host! We're only adding in about two hours to our usual time frame."

"Alright."

The three 2nd years walked along down the hallway, discussing what expositions might be interesting to go see for the following two days, not having a clue as to what was really coming.

* Timeskip *

Jin frowned at the double doors, "This isn't right. Haru should've been back by now…"

"Maybe she got stuck around the renovators! They've probably started changing around the classrooms by now, so she could've gotten redirected around the hallways they're working on." Jin hummed, but didn't comment. Honey noticed how his friend was still worrying, so he hugged her leg tightly, which was a little difficult with his bulky armor.

"Don't worry about Haru-chan too much, okay Jin-chan? I'm sure she's learned her lesson from when we went to the beach."

The brunette blinked at the small blond before patting his head, "Okay, I won't."

"Good! Now you should probably go get into your cosplay! Kyo-chan said we need to make sure everything fits!"

"I will once you let go of my leg, Honey-senpai!" The girl began staggering to the back of the room, her friend holding on tightly and laughing playfully. Jin laughed as well, knowing they probably looked utterly ridiculous right now. A teenage girl dragging a small boy in pink medieval-style armor who was clinging onto her leg, which made her skirt tighten around her free leg, so they only shifted about an inch along at a time.

Again, ridiculous.

"Honey-senpai, could I please request you release Jin so she can go change? We might have a few hours to prepare, but that doesn't mean we can slack off."

The short blond pouted but did as he was told. Jin made a show of straightening out her skirt before flashing a smile at her classmate, "Thanks, Glasses." Kyoya smiled slightly back before turning to face his journal again. He, along with the other boys, were already clad in their cosplay for the day, so he was taking some of this free time to calculate the club's financial stance after it's most recent cosplay purchase.

"Hey… Kyoya-senpai?"

"Did Jin-senpai just call you 'Glasses'?"

Kyoya didn't look up at the twins, knowing exactly how smug their faces probably looked, "Yes, she did."

"Aww… she's got a nickname for you!"

He didn't even bother responding. For whatever reason the redheads were clearly going to continue with that joke, no matter that no one else found it funny, and he wasn't going to waste his time trying to correct them. They were arguing for the sake of arguing, and he wasn't going to play into their game.

And, thankfully, before they could say anything else, the doors opened.

"Welcome, ladies!"

It was a gut reaction from them all. The doors open, and you greet the guests. But the guests weren't supposed to arrive for another two hours…

And then he noticed the uniforms they were wearing. Oh… my.

* With Jin *

Jin was putting on the finishing touches when she heard the doors open. Her head perked up. About time Haru got here. It wasn't like her sister to get lost and the tardiness had been more than a little concerning.

Yeah, yeah, she'd told Honey that she wouldn't worry, but it wasn't exactly something she could stop. The sun rose every morning. The sky was blue. And Jin worried over Haruhi. It was just nature, and wouldn't stop unless something apocalyptic occurred.

Reasoning she could stay in the back room for a little longer, Jin continued to fiddle with the knife hanging at her hip. It wasn't real, of course, but the effect was perfect. She was all decked out in a green and black medieval dress, and with the fake hunting knife and the way the large hood hid her eyes, her ensemble gave her a very mysterious appearance. There were a few other accessories for her to play with as well, including a black cloak that was even longer than her dress, and a bow should she have decided against the knife. But she liked how it gave her a more dark and dangerous kind of look than the bow. So… knife it was.

Tamaki's voice then drifted out from the music room, "Well, I see you ladies are from another school."

Jin's head lifted. Another school? So Haru's not here yet? The panic that had previously left her came back full force, but at the same time she felt a sort of interest. If Haru wasn't here… then who was? Tamaki said 'ladies', so they were girls, but there was no squealing. Maybe they got lost and were looking for directions?

She listened as Tamaki made his usual grand proclamations of devotion. Her eyes rolled. Does Tamaki never consider that some people who come in here might not have sought them out? Yes, she did enjoy his company at times, but more often than not Tamaki was just an idiot. Jin's hand touched the doorknob of the changing rooms when a different voice spoke up.

"Oh my, do you really think you'd be able to protect us? That's awfully arrogant of you, wouldn't you agree? You think that's what a woman wants to hear? Well, you're wrong."

"Come on, give him a break, Sister Suzuran! Men are just lowly life forms who don't care about anything other than perpetuating their testosterone laden image! By 'protecting' us, he is actually attempting to disguise the fact that he is weak and unable of even protecting himself!"

Jin's mouth fell open at the cruel comments. That was uncalled for! I mean, sure, Tamaki can be a bit much on occasion, but calling all men lowly life forms just goes too far! She could feel her mouth twist into a sneer. There wasn't anything Jin hated more than self-righteous, arrogant bullies.

She stalked over to the cloak and yanked it off the wall, throwing the thick fabric over her cosplay. After clasping the billowing fabric in the front and lifting the large hood over her head, she gave herself one final look in the mirror.

The dress she had on was very tight in the torso, and combined with the way the large cloak hid her body, her feminine figure was actually hidden very well. Her smirk grew into a large, evil looking smile as she reached underneath the hood and tucked a few stray hairs into the shadows.

She threw open the door and stepped out into the open just as a third voice sounded from the front of the room.

"Maybe something like, I would never leave my lover alone…"

Jin tilted her head up slightly and her vision tinted red.

There were three girls standing at the doors to the club room in uniforms she sort of recognized. They were students from the school putting on the big musical tomorrow afternoon, which means they had taken the time out of their rehearsal schedule to seek out the Host Club and insult them. But that wasn't what angered her…

The tallest of the girls was standing just outside the music room, her left arm wrapped tightly around Jin's baby sister. Haruhi looked completely lost, clutching at the paper bag full of instant coffee like it was a lifeline. Jin's steps became faster paced.

The tall Lobelia girl began swinging Haruhi around like a ragdoll, "If we fight, it'll be together! If we fail, we fail together! Even if I were to die, I promise you that I will never leave your side, my love…" Her mouth tilted down to press a kiss to the back of Haruhi's hand-

-and that's when Jin struck.

She shot forward and snatched Haruhi away, pulling her close against her chest and out of sight. The others were probably staring at her in complete shock, but she kept her hood down. Her large, feminine eyes would most likely be a dead giveaway, so she had to hide them for now.

If you want to be hateful of men, let's see how well you fair with this.

Purposefully deepening her voice, she growled, "Please refrain from touching my sister, thank you. " Haruhi let out a light gasp, and Jin automatically knew that Haruhi understood. She'd play along.

It wasn't until Jin had steered Haruhi back into the club room that the girl snapped out of her surprise. "Don't touch her, you barbarian!" She tried to grab Haruhi yet again, but Jin pulls her sister behind her, out of reach.

"No, you will not touch her." A fist flew at her face before she even finished speaking, and she grabbed it with her own hand. Purely on reflex, but it got the point across. There were a few callouses on her palm, mostly from Jin rejoining Honey and Mori for practices at the Dojo, and now the brunette found herself thanking them. It wouldn't be any fun if these girls found out she wasn't a male sooner than she wanted.

Still, the others in the room gasped at the contact and the Lobelia girl's eyes widened. Jin pushed the fist away, making her adversary stagger back a few paces.

"So I suppose we can add 'violent' to your list of lovely traits, huh?"

The other girls came to their classmate's aid, "Sister Benibara is not nearly as violent as you men! It's cruel, evil males such as you who are the real horrors of this world!"

"You'd take your own sister and decide her life! This poor maiden should be allowed to escape this horrific testosterone infested land if she wishes to, not if her brother has any say in it!"

For a moment, there is nothing but silence in the music room. Then Jin starts chuckling, "Oh… Hun. " Her voice slowly rises back to normal as her right hand comes up to pull her hood back, "Now this is just embarrassing."

Instantly the girl's jaws drop. They stare as the newly revealed girl laughs at the trick she just pulled. She turns her gaze to Haruhi and gently touched her shoulder.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. She ambushed me in the front of the school." Jin nodded and gently lead Haruhi over to the boys. They were watching her as well, though they looked more impressed than scarred for life.

"My fair maiden… what has become of you?"

"Hm?" Jin didn't even bother looking around, shucking off her heavy cloak to drape across the couch, "Nothing has become of me. I just simply didn't like the way you were touching and tossing around my baby sister. Or the rude way you were speaking to my friends."

The tall girl in the center straightened up, "Well then, I suppose the rumors we heard were true. How disappointing." She looked at the hosts, ignoring the two sisters for a moment, "You boys are just some weak little punks who enjoy toying around with young lady's feelings. Even tricking these two maidens to fight your battles… is there no limit to your twisted practice?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "Those uniforms…"

"Lobelia, in case you guys were wondering." Jin confirmed, glaring daggers at the girls.

The tall girl, who Jin assumed was the leader of the group, smirked gently, "That is correct, my intelligent maiden."

Suddenly, the three girls threw off their uniforms, revealing one tux and two frilly dresses. The hosts club leaned away as they introduced themselves... by singing.

"Lobelia~!"

"Lobelia~!"

"Lobelia~!"

"Saint Lobelia Academy 2nd year… Benio Amakusa."

"Lobelia~!"

"2nd year student, Chizuru Maihara."

"Lobelia~!"

"1st year student, Hinako Tsuwabuki!"

"Lobelia~!"

Benio stepped forward, a determined look in her eyes, "We are the members of the Saint Lobelia Academy's White Lily League! Also known as…" she tossed her hat away flamboyantly as they threw off their clothes again to reveal even frillier get-ups.

Feathers and ruffles and sequins... oh my...

All three girls were grinning madly, arms outstretched as they delivered their last line in unison:

"The Zuka Club!"

Fanfair of trumpets.

The host club gaped for maybe ten or fifteen seconds before four of their members collapsed in a fit of giggles. Hikaru and Kaoru were laughing so hard they could hardly stand while Jin and Haruhi tried holding back as much as they could.

"The Zuka club?! That's what they came up with?"

"Oh man, what a stupid name!"

"They look so proud of it too!" Jin snorted through her fingers, squeezing her eyes shut as Hikaru leaned up against her, trying to remain upright.

"The Zuka club?! My stomach hurts!"

"That was priceless! "

"How did they manage to hide all those different clothes underneath their outfits?" The four continued laughing until a screechy voice echoed from underneath their feet.

"You shouldn't underestimate the Zuka club!"

Jin froze and her good mood fell through the floorboards. Oh great. Now what?

Renge's pedestal pushed her up into the music room, "I may not know much about instant coffee, but I'm fascinated with girls' school." The girl took a sip of her coffee and almost spit it back out again. As she swallowed the drink with a shudder Jin raised an eyebrow in Haruhi's direction.

What was that about instant coffee?

I'll tell you about it later.

The sound of shattering china returned their attention back to Renge who clasped her hands together, "Saint Lobelia Academy, it is truly a woman's world there! The Zuka club is a group of strong young maidens who consider women to be superior in every way! It's a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens! Zuka club activities include maiden tea parties, the maiden debate forum, and most importantly, widely-acclaimed musicals performed by the society's top members!"

Jin shifted her weight to rest on one leg, crossing her arms, "Okay, those sound fun or whatever, but consider this: Their blatant misandry is really getting on my nerves."

Renge cracked an eye open, peeking at the brunette, "Um… I'm not quite familiar with that term."

"Misandry. Noun. A hatred for men. Which makes these three," she jerked her head towards the Lobelia girls, "misandrists. Another noun. People who dislike, despise, or are strongly prejudiced against men."

"Ah…" the French girl pondered the terms, "I'm not… I'm sure not all of them hate men. There must be a few of them who... uh... well, just because they believe women are superior doesn't mean... ah..."

Kyoya cleared his throat from across the room where he had finished taking off his armor, "You seem to have quite an extensive knowledge on Lobelia, Ms. Renge."

"Er, well I've always admired girls' schools, but I wouldn't go to someplace like that. After all, how could I live without any boys around?" Renge was fiddling with her fingers as her pedestal sunk back into the floor. Jin wasn't sure whether to be sad or somewhat pleased with Renge's reaction, but another voice broke through her thoughts.

"Young maiden, I'm afraid you don't quite understand what it is we do at Lobelia." Chizuru stepped forward and gently ran a hand through Jin's hair. The girl jolted and spun around, taking a few steps away. Chizuru simply smiled lightly and threaded her fingers together.

"A maiden's beauty… it means possessing a spirit pure enough to not give into power or to lust."

"We've had quite enough of the oppressive male contempt for women kind!"

"And our pride comes from having meaningful relationships based on equality… because we're the same sex. Including relationships of love..."

At that, the three Lobelia girls looked up at the boys, smirking and waiting for someone to explode on them. There was nothing more hilarious than a man's face after he hears that beautiful women have no interest in him. But instead, the only hosts paying any real attention to them are the girls.

"Yeah, that's nice. Whatever."

"Look, maybe you girls should just scram already."

Chizuru blinked rapidly before turning up her nose, "Oh really? Is that all you have to say? I must say, it's interesting to find a group of men who are so disturbed by our maidenly love for each other that they outright ignore it."

"Nope, that's not it, I'm afraid." Jin crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk, "They're just smart and kind enough to know that it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, if you're a jerk, you're a jerk. End of story."

Benio clenched her hands, "Maiden… you are truly trying our patience."

"Oh, patience? Is that what I've been seeing lately?"

The short-haired girl marched forward a few paces, letting her arms fall away from her fellow students, "Why are you so defensive of these heathens? Exactly what drives you to turn against your own kind? I must know."

Jin sneered, " Excuse you , but did we come over to your school and insult you without even announcing our names? And unless I'm mistaken, every single person in this room is the same species! We're all human, and it's not right to treat others like they're not! Besides, despite all of your petty insults and the stuck-up attitude you're throwing around the place, none of these boys have responded to your bitterness. Remind me again who you think has more maturity here?"

"Do you really want to go down this road with me, maiden?"

"Only if it's to someplace with candlelight~"

Benio's mouth fell open for a few seconds, so her followers had to come to her rescue, "Don't take her words to heart, Beni-bara~ She's merely been brainwashed by this notorious Host Club."

"It'll be alright, Benio. We can still save her and her sister."

Haruhi tilted her head and gave her sister a look, "Nēchan, are they really notorious?"

Jin shrugged, "Yeah. That's one way to put it." Her attention went back to the Lobelia girls as Benio regained her composure.

"Of course, you're right, we can save them still. Not even the Host Club's pretty little Halfer of a president can brainwash these girls forever! Listen well, men . I promise you, we will not rest until we see the end to your club! The Ouran Host Club will be abolished!" Again, the host club was silent, but Jin was not.

"Hey, guys, we have the Zuka Club as our arch-enemy." The twins snorted and she cracked a smile.

Benio's lower eyelid twitched, "I… will no longer… listen to your displaced mockery! You've been tricked by these-"

"-teenage boys who wish to make young girls feel liked and pretty and confident in themselves?"

"That's not even close to what they are!"

The older Fujioka girl gestured to the music room they were standing in, "Look around you! That's exactly what they're trying to do! This isn't some prostitution activity! What the host club does with its clients is nothing that either side feels uncomfortable with! The only thing they have done to bring your "wrath" down upon them is by being male, which isn't exactly something they can control, if you can imagine! A hatred of the male sex is not going to change how society looks at women or men, and if you truly cared about changing how we are looked at you'd start by treating men and women as equal as they can be!"

"But men are not equal to women!"

"No, they're not! And women aren't equal to men! We have biological differences and mental differences as well. We will never be perfectly equal, but that doesn't mean one side is better than the other! Hate is never the answer! You don't have to put down one side to build up the other! That's not how this works!"

The hosts, who had moved to tend to Tamaki's current dosage of culture shock, were staring at Jin in awe. They seem to do that quite often, as it turns out.

She was... defending them. Normally, if they had been left to their own devices, they would've just ignored the girls until they went away. It wasn't uncommon for them to hear the occasional complaint about their practices, so this wasn't exactly anything new… but the defense program Jin was lying down was almost heartwarming.

"She really does care about us…"

"I can't believe Jin-chan feels so strongly about this stuff."

"I've never even heard of misandry. And can you believe the comebacks she has?"

"I'm surprised by how calmly she's handling this. She's not shouting, but is certainly emphasizing her point."

"Hey… do you see that way that Chizuru girl is looking at her? And the way she stroked her hair earlier?"

"Well, that Benio has some sort of crush on Haruhi, so I guess it wouldn't be that far of a stretch-"

Hikaru was cut off as Tamaki suddenly jumped out from underneath his blanket and charged the Lobelia students, "You girls have it all wrong! Can't you see there's nothing to be gained in a romantic relationship between two women?! If that were the case then why did God create Adam and Eve?!"

If peace could shatter, the silence that followed his shouts would be the sound. Jin's entire body seized up as Tamaki tripped over his own two feet and face-planted the floor right in front of her. She didn't even make a move to catch him.

And then she was gone. The boom of the music room doors was the only indicator of where she'd disappeared to, and the hosts felt like their heads were spinning. Had Jin just... abandoned them?

Tamaki lifted his face from the floor, "Hey, where did Jin go? I thought she was right here?" He looked up at Haruhi and jolted. She was glaring heatedly at her senpai.

"She was here... until you offended her. Now you're in real trouble."

A dark chuckle turned everyone's attention back to the Lobelia girls, "Well, well… it looks like our point has finally gotten across to the young lady. And now that we know what is going on, we can not allow for her younger sister to remain here either!"

Benio stepped over the blond to gather Haruhi in her arms, "We shall be forced to take this lovely maiden and her confused sibling with us back to Saint Lobelia, where they can learn and grow properly without the poisonous influence and control of man! Their papers will be completed by tomorrow morning and they shall be transferred out of this accursed academy by next week! The Zuka club will welcome them with open arms!"

Immediately Haruhi began pushing back against the taller girl, "H-hey! Woah! Woah! Who said I wanted to go anywhere?"

Benio smirked and tilted Haruhi's chin up, "If you were to ask your sister her opinion on whether you should stay or not right now… would she agree with you? The halfer… what he said to her. How do you think that made her feel? Haven't you encountered your fair share of those demeaning phrases during your time here? If I am correct… your choice of hairstyle was not received as well by these men as... say… by your own sister?"

The shorter girl turned her head away, "Look, lady, that's just… culture shock."

"Is it? After all this time that these men have known you and they still do not believe in equality?"

"Well, maybe… but Nēchan was still right, because neither do you! So how could you be any better?"

Benio stepped backwards, heading towards the doors, "We believe women are superior because of how long we've been pushed into the shadows of history. Perhaps it's time for men to understand that feeling. Still, we will give you some time to think our offer over. We will return in two hours for you and your sister's response." With one last smug smile, she asked, "Were these boys as considerate when you first joined?"

Boom!

The music room was silent.

Haruhi kept her gaze trained on the floor, her bangs covering her eyes. Benio's parting words still echoed in her ears and her chest felt like a food processor.

"Haru-chan..?"

"I need to go… think for a while." Haruhi took slow, measured steps towards the doors. In...2...3...4… Hold...2...3...4… Out...2...3...4… Hold...2...3…4... Man, I wish I could find Nēchan. I'll do that in a bit, though. Right now, I think I need someplace quiet.

As she wallowed within her own thoughts, behind the closed music room doors the host club began panicking.

"Wahhhh! What are we gonna do?!"

"What are we gonna do, boss?"

"Nuh-uh! It should be you fixing this mess! You put us here in the first place when you insulted Jin-senpai!"

"How was I supposed to know she felt so strongly about females being in romantic relationships!? I was just tired and shocked, I didn't really mean it!"

"Well, what if Jin-senpai is a lesbian, did you ever think about that? I mean she hangs out with us all the time without reacting and has never even mentioned having a boyfriend before! What if she's homosexual? You've just made her hate you!"

"How could I have figured that out? She didn't give any signs! "

"Get a hold of yourself, Tama-chan! Maybe you can fix this!"

"Maybe… but-" The taller blond dragged his feet over to the window and pressed a hand to the clear glass, "Just think about it for a moment. Haruhi might be basically indifferent, but if she had to chose, we know that she tends to favor men's clothing. And besides, when Haruhi first joined the host club, didn't she tell us that she wouldn't mind having girls fussing over her? Perhaps… they would be a better match for Haruhi…"

"But what about Jin-chan?"

Kyoya spoke up this time, "Jin would have a couple reasons to transfer as well. After Tamaki's latest comment, it's unclear who she's more upset with at the moment. And the only time we've ever seen her in a skirt is here, in the school uniform. She obviously has some very liberal views, and while she wouldn't join the Zuka club… the overall atmosphere that men are not superior to women might appeal to her." He thumbed the lip of his journal, but didn't open it up, "On another note, should Haruhi decide to transfer, Jin would follow her regardless, and vice versa."

Honey burst into tears, "Haru-chan and Jin-chan are gonna transfer away?! No, they can't! I c-couldn't take it! T-Takashi and I j-just got Jin-chan back! "

The twins grabbed at each other, "What are we going to do?"

"We can't just let them leave without a fight!"

"They're both smart enough to breeze through Lobelia's entrance and scholarship exams!"

"Could we hide their transfer papers somehow?"

"Lobelia has the money to pay off their debt if they do transfer, as well. I'd even be willing to bet the Zuka club could cover all the expenses themselves if they wanted to." Kyoya's toes tapped at the tile floor. He felt oddly concerned that the Fujioka girls might possibly be leaving. If anything, he should've felt content with being repaid the large sum of debt in cash, but instead it was like a gaping hole in his chest was opening up. And he had a feeling the others felt the same. Call it intuition.

"Calm down, gentlemen! We still might have a chance! If I can patch things up with Jin, then perhaps Haruhi will decide to stay and we'll keep both girls! So that means the first item of business is to find Jin! And I'm going to need your help!"

"You got it, Boss! We'll take the libraries and her classroom!"

"Takashi and I will look around the expo fair to see if she's browsing any of the exhibits that have already been set up!"

"Perfect! That leaves the school grounds for Kyoya and I! If you see Haruhi, do not engage! Our sole purpose for this mission is to locate Jin first! If you find her, text me the location! Now, forward march! "

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Jin? Jin, I'd like to talk to you! If you can hear me please come out?"

"Tamaki, she is not a dog." Kyoya walked along the stone pathway behind his friend, "Besides, if Jin truly does not wish to speak to you, then I highly doubt calling her name will help us find her."

The blond currently digging through a clump of bushes straightened up with a frown, "Well, we're not finding her very quickly, so do you have any other suggestions?"

He didn't.

Kyoya sighed, looking around the area, "We should search the maze next. Perhaps she found one of the gardens?" Tamaki nodded and the two entered through a gap in the hedge.

The green, bushy shrubbery towered above the boy's heads as they wandered the maze. A few flowers dotted it here and there, throwing little sparks of color among the dark green. Knowing the maze like the back of their hands, the two second year students found the first miniature garden in under three minutes. There was a ring of water circling the small clearing with four bridges, each leading from one maze opening to the clearing. The clearing itself didn't have anything incredibly noteworthy. A few groups of colorful flowers bloomed around the space, but there wasn't much else.

"Let's start with the one to the left."

Kyoya nodded and the two walked over the bridge in front of them. They were rounding a collection of tiger-lillies when Tamaki cleared his throat.

"So, uh… do you think Jin is… you know..?"

"Lesbian? Bisexual? Pansexual? Queer in general? Unclear. It isn't as though she has a sign on her back telling us one way or another."

"Yes, but… what do you think? "

The ravenet crossed the second bridge before turning to face his friend again, "I recognize that tone of voice, Tamaki. Are you truly that concerned over Jin's sexuality? It shouldn't concern you or how you look at her from today onwards."

"I know, I know…" Tamaki crossed the bridge and the two continued walking, "It's just… I'd be surprised if she was. I thought for sure she liked, or at least used to like-"

"If you dare end that sentence with my name I swear I will push you through the hedge. Now is not the time for jokes."

"What?" The blond whipped his head around in surprise, "Of course, not, Kyoya. I was going to say Mori-senpai! The twins and I teasing you about Jin… that was it. Teasing!"

Now it was Kyoya's turn to look surprised, "Oh?"

"Yeah. It was strange and a little funny to see you display so much emotion whenever we brought it up, which is why we did it so often. But, no, we never actually considered it to be possible. That would just be..." Tamaki made a vague motion with his hand, "...highly improbable. If not completely impossible. Not to mention weird."

"Hmm."

The two friends walked in silence until the next garden. Again, it was devoid of students. There was a small fountain in the center that had water splashing down its sides to pool in a small koi pond. A few stone benches were placed strategically around the pool for optimal viewing of the fish.

Tamaki sighed, " Jin, where are you? "

The two walked to the right this time, pausing only for a moment to watch the fish swim around. It was relaxing, even in their current situation.

"When you say highly improbable, what do you mean by that?"

Kyoya didn't think it would be that odd of a question. Jin was a very admirable young lady, not to mention pretty, so he was simply curious as to why Tamaki didn't think the two of them would be a good match. Kyoya knew they wouldn't be, but he wanted his friend's explanation as well. It wasn't like he knew what he was thinking all the time, so what was it?

Tamaki, however, made a sound as if he was choking on imaginative water, "Wha? Why are you so curious about it?"

Kyoya hummed lightly and continued walking, "No real reason, I suppose. She's simply a beautiful, talented, and intelligent woman, and being told we wouldn't be a good match doesn't seem to reflect positively on me. And, as a side question, why Mori-senpai?"

A gape was all he received as a response at first. Then, "Well, it's not an insult to either of you. It's more that your personalities tend to clash. For example, you look at situations in a very practical sense, even if it means someone has to enter or leave the playing field with uneven odds, while Jin seems to strive for equality between everyone. And while you both may be very passionate in what you pursue and your activities, when everything simmers down, you tend to look out for yourself first while Jin would care for everyone else in the world before giving herself a thought."

Tamaki stuffed his hands in his pockets, "That's also why I feel like Jin must've felt something for Mori-senpai at some point, even if she somehow doesn't now. They're both so similar in how they feel and care… it just makes sense."

It took a few seconds before Kyoya felt the need to point out, "You and Haruhi don't share many personality traits. Is that why you try so hard to push your views onto her?"

The blond jolted, "That's different! Haruhi is my daughter, not my… my g-girlfriend! I'm merely trying to raise her and prepare her for the world after high school! Why are you so defensive about it anyways? I thought you hated it when we said things like that!"

"I'm not defending anything. I was simply curious as to why you continuously brought it up if you truly didn't think it had any value."

"I know you two are there." The boys jumped a bit at the sudden voice coming from the clearing in front of them. Tamaki rushed forward, his friend trailing along behind him, and jumped into the garden. A single cherry tree stood in the exact center, providing shade to the surrounding grassy area. Along one side of the garden's edge a slab of stone was propped up against the hedge, a continuous sheet of water flowing down the rock. The sound of trickling water rushing into another small lily pond set out a peaceful atmosphere.

Sitting down on the marble bench that faced said pond was a girl in a green and black medieval dress.

"So...are you here to lecture me on the wickedness of my morals?"

Tamaki visibly flinched at the cold, harsh tone of Jin's voice. It had a faint robotic tang to it, like she couldn't be bothered to put emotion behind it. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward until he could take a seat beside her. Kyoya hung back, deciding to allow Tamaki a moment to try and fix the issue on his own. But as Jin shifted to the very edge of the bench once the blond sat down, Kyoya had a feeling it might take a miracle to keep the Fujioka's at Ouran.

Tamaki wasn't feeling very optimistic either. He twiddled his thumbs and stared at the rock for a moment. The water running down the rock face was interesting and calming to watch. The sunlight flickered sporadically across the sheet, and while he knew that the water was flowing along the rock, it almost looked like the liquid was suspended against the wall. And the way the water splashed into pool at the base of the rock sounded eerily similar to a rain shower. He understood why Jin had chosen this particular spot.

"Well? Let's get this over with. Where do you want to start?"

Tamaki glanced at Jin from the corner of his eye, "I'm not angry." The girl scoffed so he was quick to follow up, "I'm not, Jin. Promise. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just… I… I don't really know what to say right now except sorry."

"Tamaki, listen. You're not the first homophobe I've met, and you won't be the last-"

"I'm not…" Tamaki felt like his throat was drying up, "I'm not homophobic, I swear it. I was just… tired. And upset. And angry at those Lobelia girls. They surprised me."

Jin's eyes closed, "Tamaki, really, you don't have to lie."

"I'm not! Didn't Haruhi tell you about how I thought she was a boy when we first met?" The girl beside him didn't speak, so he continued, "When she first walked through the door and I thought I was dealing with a boy, I offered our service to 'him'. It didn't even cross my mind that 'he' had wandered in by accident, and I was ready to host 'him'. I'm not homophobic, Jin, I promise."

The brunette was now staring forward at the rock again, but the tension was leaking out of her shoulders.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Tamaki tried for a small laugh, "I do believe in love, Jin. Between any gender. Truly. I just… wanted to hurt the Lobelia girls. It was wrong… both what I said and why I said it." Jin slowly turned her head to face him, tentative belief surfacing in her brown eyes. Deciding now would be the best time, he addressed the elephant in the garden.

"Jin, are you a lesbian?"

Emotion sprung up in the brunette's body. Her head tilted left as her upper body shifted away. Her face contorted into a confused look as she and her classmate continued staring at each other. Immediately, Tamaki regretted his decision. Does she think I'm judging her? Or making fun of her? Oh no, oh no, oh no!

But, instead of reverting back into her original cold-shoulder attitude, Jin threw her head back and laughed, "Oh my… way to be subtle, Tamaki! Oh, wow , you don't beat around the bush, huh? And, as far as I'm aware, no, I'm not. You don't have to be gay to be an ally, you know? I mean, I'm not gonna rule anything out, but I'm pretty sure I'm straight." At that, her eyes softened into a more serious look, "But I do have a lot of friends and a few family members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, asexual, and everything else under the rainbow. You realize that Haruhi is Nonbinary, right?"

Tamaki blinked, "She's… what?"

"Haruhi told me all about your first days together. If I remember correctly… she said that she doesn't care about what gender she's recognized as, right? Well, she wasn't kidding. Yes, she's biologically a girl, and she tends to prefer female pronouns, but she doesn't really feel like she's a girl or a boy, and it has nothing to do with her flat chest. A few years ago she decided Nonbinary was the best term for her, but she kept the female pronouns because that's what she'd grown up with and made it easier for everyone she met." Noticing the confused look on her friend's face, Jin held up a finger, "Another commonly used term is genderqueer. Have you heard of that?"

"Oh!" Tamaki nodded, "Yeah, that one I've heard of! I just, never connected Haruhi with that term."

Jin shrugged, "We don't make that big of a deal about it, really. I love Haru no matter what sort of gender she, or they, technically, feels like on the inside."

The blond looked back at the water-rock again, filing away that new information away to look at later, "Alright, but why did you leave so suddenly? If you'd stuck around you could've just told me-"

"Because that's not what I was mad about!" Jin's eyes grew cold once more and Tamaki almost fell off the bench with the force of her anger, "I was mad because you put the bible into it! I hate it when people use a religion that is supposed to support peace and love to say two people cannot be in love with each other! That's just being a backwards thinker, and it's ridiculous!"

"...so you're upset over my religion?"

Jin closed her eyes before pulling her feet up on the bench, "Not at all, Tamaki. Sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. You can have whatever religion you want, and follow the bible down to the last letter if that's what you truly believe. However, it doesn't seem right to me for someone to take their belief and use it to dictate other people's lives, especially if they don't believe it. I mean, you're not going to change who they are, no matter how often someone preaches to them. It's not like changing a shirt, someone's sexuality isn't 'reversible' or 'evil' or anything. If someone believes that Gay Marriage isn't Christian, then fine, they don't have to get married to someone of the same sex. But telling someone else that their love isn't valid because they're LGBTQ? Because their religion says so? It seems unfair. Just because one person decides to become a Vegan doesn't mean the rest of the world has to stop eating meat. It's their choice, but it shouldn't given them the right to make it everyone else's."

"Oh. Are you... Christian?"

"Eh, not really. I'm not really religious at all, not strongly at least, but my host family in America was Catholic. I went to church with them sometimes, and there was a lot of love that was preached. That was my take on it; that Christians were all about love. And I talked with a lot of people at that church, who were good people, and even a few LGBTQ church-goers. It was a very accepting atmosphere. So when someone says because they believe in a religion that's purely about loving one another no matter what, and then say that two people can't be in love because of what's in their pants? It's... I jump on the defense really quickly. I should probably learn to not do that… it'll get me in trouble one day."

"Jin… I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. Really."

She sighed and bowed her head, "I'm sorry too, for biting your head off and making it seem like I was attacking your religion. I guess I just get so touchy about it because… sometimes it's rough for me and Haru. We just get so much bashing, from both sides. So when my friends..." She cut herself off, sucking in a deep breath.

"...Bashing?" He prompted.

Giving Tamaki another emotion filled look, Jin gripped her elbows, "There are a lot of people out there, both in and out of the LGBTQ community, who don't even think people like me and Haru exist. Gender-neutral, bisexuals, agenders… those people exist! It's not pleading for attention or making a joke, and sometimes it's hard when you feel like the entire world wants to deny you as a person."

"Wait… didn't you just say that you're straight? How are you in the LGBTQ community?"

"I'm demi-sexual."

Tamaki leaned closer, resting a hand on his classmate's shoulder, "And what's that?"

"It's kind of like the middle ground between sexual and asexual. A bit of a grey area, since you can lean more towards either end. Basically, I don't feel sexually attracted to people unless I have an emotional bond with them. Sure, I can appreciate someone's attractiveness, but nothing past that, really." She shrugged, but didn't dislodge his hand from her shoulder, "I just… don't feel the need for it, or at least not towards anyone."

"Huh." The blond dropped his hand and leaned back on the bench, tilting his gaze up towards the sky. It was such a pretty, light-tinted blue today. Not exactly what you'd expect a heavy discussion to occur under.

"You seem very informed about all of this, Jin."

The girl shrugged, looking at the sky as well, "I've had a few years of experience with these conversations. Picked up a few tips."

"Were they all this quick?"

"Not even remotely. Some of them were nice and I was given tips on how to try and not offend anyone while stating my own views… still working on that, though. I also talked with a lot of my friends who thought the same way as me and a few who didn't, and we had a very calm talk about it. I've heard a few coming-out stories where the parents weren't exactly accepting and one where she was asked to leave her church because of it. My best friend is gay, however, and there was one person who attempted to bully him about it."

"...Again, I apologize for offending you, Jin. Could you, maybe, talk to me later in more depth and help educate me? I'd like to understand more thoroughly why you feel so strongly on the matter."

He couldn't see it, because he was still staring at the sky, but Kyoya noticed the kind smile spreading across Jin's lips. "Sure, Tamaki. Just give me some time to become more comfortable to talk about it with you."

"Okay." Tamaki stood back up, "Are you ready to come back to the club room?"

The girl shook her head, "I'm enjoying the scenery too much right now. I'll come back some time before we open for the day, I promise."

He nodded and passed by behind her. Kyoya walked out of the courtyard with him and said nothing until Tamaki suddenly folded in half, breathing heavily.

"I've never * gasp * felt so * gasp * stressed * gasp… * * cough * * cough * in my life!" The ravenet beside him watched the show, unimpressed, but waited for his friend to at least stop gasping obnoxiously.

"You do know that you are overreacting, right?"

His friend waved him off, "Well, do you think that did it?"

"I'd say so," Kyoya peeled open his journal and flipped to the last page that had been written on, "I managed to capture the main points she gave, and if I had to draw a final conclusion, I would certainly call this mission a success. Jin won't be the one to bow down to the Lobelia girls."

Tamaki grimaced, "Half the battle has been won, then, but we have to ensure we don't lose the war!" He stood up straight, pointing forwards in his signature 'I-am-determined-and-driven-and-have-an-insane-plan' gesture, "Even if Jin would prefer to remain in the Ouran Host Club, we must ensure that Haruhi wishes to do so as well!"

He turned to his friend, "Have our costume orders arrived yet?"

"They should be delivered any moment now. Thankfully they were cheap...ish. If we call everyone back now, we should have enough time to prepare everything before Ms. Amakusa and her fellow club members return for their answers."

"Perfect! I shall rally the troops!" Tamaki whipped his phone out and started texting the other hosts. He was so absorbed in his task (no doubt imagining himself as a war commander) that he didn't notice the slight grimace on Kyoya's face.

Why do I encourage him?

* Timeskip *

"I thought practice went amazingly well, don't you think Beni-bara?"

"Indeed. There's no doubt in my mind that tomorrow's performance will be just as incredible. But…" Benio's eyes flashed with predetermined victory, "Our true success is just around the corner."

The girls laughed at the joke, because just at that moment they rounded the final corner and saw the doors to Music Room #3 at the end of the hallway. But what made the joke even sweeter was the fact that little Ms. Haruhi Fujioka was standing in front of said doors.

"Ah! Young maiden, you nearly beat us here!"

The short-haired girl jumped in surprise and spun around, her raised hand falling to her side, "O-oh! Hello, there." She was quickly scooped up into the tall girl's arms again.

"We are here for you, my dear!"

"Those Ouran idiots won't know what hit them!"

"As soon as we set the record straight we can finish filling out your papers and have you officially transferred to Lobelia!"

Haruhi's eyes grew wide, "B-but… I'm not-"

"Don't you worry, young maiden, we will not let them harm you! Now," Benio grabbed one handle while maintaining her hold on Haruhi with the other, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Creaaaaaaaak…

The four girls' faces fell into confusion. The room was dark. Pitch black, actually. Haruhi couldn't see a thing past the faint glow of light shining into the room from the hallway.

" Guys? " Two shadows moved from further into the room and, one after the other, sang:

"Ouran~!"

"Ouran~!"

Haruhi blinked. What the...

"Ouran~!" Was that… Mori-senpai?

"Ouran~!" At that particular voice, Haruhi felt her spit go down the wrong tube and started coughing horribly. Kyoya-senpai?!

"Ouran~!" H-Honey-senpai?!

The lights flashed to life above the mass of bodies that… sounded like the Ouran host club… but definitely did not look like the hosts. Am I dreaming? Or did someone sneak something into the tea I had this morning?

"Ouran~!"

"Host Club~ Welcomes you!"

Haruhi's mouth fell open.

Tamaki sort of daintily shuffled forward, "Oh, Haruhi… you've returned!"

" Senpai… you... heels? " It was like Haruhi couldn't use the proper amount of air to push all the words out. The host club was dressed up… like women. Like stereotypical women, no less. Makeup and dresses… long hair… boobs… Haruhi felt like she was going to pass out.

"Why yes, I am! The pain might be nearly imaginable, but they make my posture so perfect!"

"Look, Haru-chan!" Honey twirled around, his long hair splaying out around his head, "I look just like a princess, now! Aren't I cute?"

From behind her, Benio snarled, " What is the meaning of this? Are you men so insensitive that you'd outright mock us? Even for you poor excuses for human beings, this is low! How dare you?"

"Why that's not it at all, madam! This is merely our strategy to keep Haruhi in the club with us. You had your turn, now it is ours! And it would seem as though we have an advantage, because we know something that you do not: Commoner's are all equipped with one weakness, and that is free things! So how about it, Haruhi? It's a buy one, get one free deal! Have a host club full of brothers, and you'll get sisters as well! Two in one! A bundle! No way you can resist! After all, I got the idea from how Jin behaved as your brother earlier!"

Tamaki was shoved to the side and the twins took his place, speaking in a unison high-pitched voices, "We're the Hitachiin sisters! Which one of us do you think is prettier?"

Honey was next, "Just think about it, Haru-chan, now you can call me Nēchan as well! Isn't that great?"

"Why… I've never seen anything so half-brained in my entire life! Do you really believe a noble woman such as this maiden can be fooled by-"

"HAHAHAHAHAA!"

Her enraged outburst was cut off by a strange sound, one no person in the room had ever heard before. Benio's anger fell away as she turned her head to see Haruhi laughing just as hard as the twins had been earlier. The girl had dropped to her knees, gripping at her stomach like it was about to fall out. Tears were squeezed out as she continued laughing.

The doors behind them creaked again, "Haru? What are you laughing a-" Jin took two steps into the room before she took in the full scene. Immediately she spun around and placed one hand across her mouth, bracing her body against the closed door with the other.

"Uh * snort * Is this a bad time? " Jin's body is shaking in clearly restrained laughter, so the twins twirl over and forcibly spin the girl around. She opened her eyes, took in their heavy makeup and burst out laughing, " Pfffffhahahahaha! Oh my goahahaha! "

" This is too much, you guys! What are you even trahahahahang to dohoohoahaha? "

The twins leaned forward into Haruhi's face while Honey grabs Jin in a hug, "Are we really that funny?"

The girls shrieked. Haruhi frantically tried to crawl away from her classmates. Jin shoved her friend off and held her upper body up with one hand, on the cusp of hyperventilating with tears streaking down her face.

"Call us Nēchan! Come on, do it! Call us Nēchan! You know you want too~ Pretty please~!"

" No! Oh my gosh! I * gasp * need * gasp * AIR!" Jin scrambled to the door and practically threw herself into the hallway. Even as the doors shut behind her, they could all hear her laughter bouncing off the walls.

Haruhi managed to shake off the twins and lay back on the floor, gasping, "You… are all… such idiots … hee hee…" she pushed herself up into a sitting position and smiled at the boys, "I know why you did this * snicker * but it was really unnecessary."

"Maiden?" The brunette looked up at the Lobelia girls, "Does that mean you've made a decision?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I made it ten minutes after you offered." Haruhi stood up and brushed off her pants, "I think I'm going to stick around, if you can believe it. The idea of a girls' school is interesting and all that, but your club's not for me, or Nēchan. We came here to Ouran as a plan for our future, and I can't always speak for her, but I know I'd rather remain here and stick to that plan."

The doors opened once more and all eyes returned to Jin. She was leaning up against the doorframe, but clearly not looking at the hosts. Still, she was smiling.

"Oh, Haru. You should know me well enough by now to answer for me, too."

"Maiden-"

Jin held up a hand, "Girls, you are barking up the wrong tree. Because, you see, I believe men, women, and everything in between are equal . Here, at Ouran, I have a club, friends, and a future. Joining your club and attending your school was never even a consideration." She pushed the door further open with her back and made a jerking motion towards the hallway with her head, "After you, ladies." She smiled brighter, "Don't bother coming back."

Benio stared at Jin for a few more moments before facing Haruhi once more, "Know this, maiden. Your sister may be a lost hope, but I still have faith in you. We will not give up until you've decided to reject this male banter and come with us to where you belong. Keep this in mind the next time you have doubts."

Haruhi crossed her arms and took three steps backwards, towards the hosts, "Right. See you gals around."

Frowning, but not looking like they'd given up any less, the three girls spun out of the room. Chizuru brushed her fingers across Jin's cheek before departing. To give the girl some credit, she didn't even flinch.

Instead, she watched them all the way until they reached the banana peels strategically placed down the hallway. Almost as if someone had told someone else how the Lobelia girls tended to leave the club room, which caused the second someone to walk into a room later than planned because they were setting down said banana peels.

Jin smirked as she closed the doors once more.

But she didn't turn around.

"Hey, I have a question."

"Oh?"

"Yeah… it's for Kyoya."

As soon as she said his name, Kyoya felt his mind race in a strange form of panic. Not quite how he felt when she was bleeding in his arms... but similar, and he didn't know why. Did she hear something in the maze? Tamaki wasn't exactly keeping his voice down, so does she know that they used to tease me about us getting together? Did it make her uncomfortable? Does she think I like her? Does she like me?

Of course, on the outside he only said, "Yes?"

The girl shook with poorly restrained laughter, barely able to muscle out the words, " How on Earth did Tamaki convince you to wear that? "

And then the girls collapsed into fits of laughter again.

"I can't breathe! "

"Hahaha! My stomach hurts! "

Jin took in several deep breaths and managed to work her laughs down to heavy giggles, "M-maybe you guys should go get changed."

"Yeah, just… don't expect us to take any of you seriously for a few days!" The girls continue laughing as the hosts quickly shuffled into the changing rooms. Noticing the heavy glare he was receiving from a certain black-haired boy in a purple dress, Tamaki chuckled nervously.

"Well… at least the plan worked? We get to keep the girls! Isn't that worth a little embarrassment?"

Kyoya couldn't help but mentally agree. But that didn't stop him from whacking the blond upside the head with his fan.