"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club."

The members of the acclaimed Host Club greeted whoever has opened the door, granting the bright light to shine through and the red rose petals to descend out the door.

Today's club activities were a bit different. Rather than the Host Club wearing their normal school uniform, they had the apparel of Arabian style clothing, delineating an Arabian Palace. They were standing--some of them were sitting on the floor with a cushion beneath them--in front of a colorful backdrop that had a beautiful design on it. Tamaki dressed as an Arabian sheik while the rest of the hosts dress as Arabian traders and warriors. Y/n was wearing a white Middle East Arabian robe that was long sleeved and had golden rhinestones embroidered in the dress. She wore a red hair covering that reached down to where her shoulder length, wavy hair stopped. The material didn't wrap around her brown hair, it just concealed the back of her head.

"Oh, it's just a kid." Hikaru delivered once the individual who opened the door revealed themself.

"Not only that, it's just a boy." Kaoru furthered, the hosts staring at the young boy who was on the floor, looking at the Host Club with a aghast expression.

The young Ouran Academy student was wearing a dark green uniform consisting of short trousers and a double-breasted jacket with lapels, under which is worn a short sleeved, white shirt and black loosely-bowed tie.

"What's wrong, little boy? Did you come to my palace in search of something?" Tamaki asked in his usual smooth voice, slightly bringing his hand out as he was clearly deep into the role of an Arabian king.

The child got back onto his feet, his arms by his sides while his blue-grey eyes gazed at the Host Club. "Um, are you the king of this place?" He searched directly towards Tamaki.

Tamaki's lilac colored eyes widened before they came to a close and a dreamy sigh escaped his mouth.

"Well, are you?" The young student persisted.

"Come closer, lost one." Tamaki voiced evenly and the boy walked closer to him. "What was it that you just called me, little boy?"

"The 'King'?" He repeated, more so questioning his statement.

"Aah, the 'King'!" Tamaki sighed cogently, bringing the back of his hand to his head while he brought the other hand to his slightly exposed chest. "Yes, I'm the king of the Ouran Host Club! Long live the host king!" He extended his arms out, indisputable stars in his eyes, and he had a very small, child-like smile on his lips.

"I'm an elementary fifth year, Shiro Takaoji!" The boy introduced and pointed his index finger at Tamaki, who now had his hands on his cheeks. "I want the Host Club King to take me on as an apprentice!"

Tamaki blushed lightly as he stared at the boy in wonderment.

Y/n glanced at her sister from the corner of her eye, a vacant expression on her face. 'Oh no... Tamaki-Senpai's ego is even bigger than before, I bet.'

- - - -

"Oh my, Tamaki, you have an apprentice?" Tamaki's customer asked.

It was another day and the Host Club was open for business. The hosts weren't wearing any cosplays, they were just wearing their regular school uniforms.

"Yes. He's still in elementary school, but I like the fire in his eyes." Tamaki answered sincerely.

"But are you sure it's okay for such a young boy to become a host?" The girl with black hair continued with a small, light pink blush.

"Why wouldn't it be? Love has nothing to do with age." Tamaki expressed, putting his thumb and index finger on her chin. "Take us, for instance, whenever I look at you, my heart starts pounding." He gently pulls the girls face closer to his. "Suddenly, I feel no different than a lovesick little boy."

"Oh, Tamaki."

"Don't you think it's weird that he's making the kid observe him up close like that?" Haruhi questioned, her, Y/n, and Kyoya standing in the sidelines while viewing the encounter a few feet away.

"Yeah, you're not the only one who thinks that." Y/n conceded. "Look at how intensely he's staring at them."

"There is a theory that people are considered more beautiful the closer they are viewed. Tamaki seems to live by that theory." Kyoya acknowledged and glanced down into his black book. "Well, let's leave them alone."

Y/n and Haruhi let out a small hum while glancing at the second year student with glasses.

"I don't think it's beautiful when someone can see the nose hairs that are in my nostrils..." Y/n uttered in a low tone.

"What was that, Y/n? Did you say something?" Kyoya catechized, glancing at the girl from the corner of his eye.

Y/n moderately flinched. "No."

"You naughty girl, you've drawn me to the forbidden fruit, dearest." Tamaki inaugurated, taking a hold of one of the girls' hands. "You're a mermaid who's brought light into my lonely sea. My mermaid princess." He polished in a soft, charmingly voice.

"I remind you of a mermaid?"

"You look more like the carp that swim in my pond at home." Shiro abruptly claimed, pointing his finger at the black haired girl. "I'd never give false compliments like that!"

"Carp?!" The girl cried, her morale possibly lowering after the little boys rude comment.

Y/n let out a small gasp, her mouth was agape and her brown eyes were wide in disbelief. "Oh my god..."

"Oh, don't listen to him. He's just a kid--you know how kids are--they can't help but be honest." Tamaki tried to comfort the crying girl, but that only made things worse.

"Honest?!"

"But that's just his opinion! I wouldn't say you look like a carp." The blond haired male tried to solve. "And even if you did look like a carp, you'd be the most beautiful carp of them all!"

"So I am a carp!"

"Tamaki-Senpai, just stop talking!" Y/n shouted over to him from where she was standing, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment for the girl. She placed her hand on her forehead, tilting her head downwards. "He's an idiot..."

"Uh, no, that's not what I meant." Tamaki floundered over his words, sweating profusely as he was now out of his chair and holding his hand out.

The young woman began to run away from Tamaki. "Tamaki, you're an idiot!" She wailed.

"No wait! Mermaid Princess!"

"Man, what a crybaby." Shiro said bluntly, standing on the floor with his hand on the table before sitting back down on the chair with a indifferent disposition, making Tamaki glance back at Shiro from over his shoulder and growl at him.

"So how's it going, boss? That's an adorable little apprentice you've got there." Hikaru teased, snickering alongside his brother.

"Hikaru, do you wish you had a little brother like Shiro?" Kaoru asked, his laugher was gone and was replaced with a self-conscious definition. He avoided eye contact with his brother and his thumb was ghosting over his lips.

Hikaru brought Kaoru into a close hug. "Don't be silly. I could search the globe and I'd never find a better brother than you, Kaoru."

"Hikaru."

"Look! They're doing it!" A girl exclaimed excitedly, her hands clenching into fists on her chest.

"It's forbidden brotherly love!" The other girl admired.

Shiro was once again standing up, stumbling back at the twins' act. One of his hands was resting on the small, circular table while the other one was holding his chest. "They're homos! And they're brothers! That makes this totally 'insectuous'!"

"I think what you meant to say was incestuous." Tamaki corrected with his arms crossed over his chest, standing behind the elementary student.

Shiro slowly turned around to look at Tamaki, his body slightly trembling while his face held a mortified interpretation.

"Hey Shiro-Chan!" A sweet and ecstatic voice called out to the young boy, jumping on his back. "You wanna have a piece of cake with me? We've got three kinds: chocolate, strawberry, and lime."

Shiro pushed Honey off of him. "Hey, back off! What grade are you in, anyway?! Why are you wearing a high school uniform?"

"Something wrong, Mitsukuni?"

Shiro turned around to see Mori towering over him and Honey, making the elementary student let out a quiet shriek as his mouth was agape.

"That's not fair! A little kid like you isn't supposed to have a cool, older friend like him!" Shiro exclaimed to a crying Honey who was now on Mori's back.

Shiro took a couple of steps back until he bumped into Haruhi, who was holding a tray full of teacups and a teapot.

Y/n witnessed the situation from where she was standing, holding her breath and hoping that Haruhi doesn't lose the trays balance and that the cups don't fall and shatter on the floor.

Thankfully, Haruhi kept the trays balance and showed Shiro a friendly smile. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" The young boy turned around to look at Haruhi.

Y/n breathed out a sigh of relief before approaching them, deciding to be friendly with the child, not like she isn't nice to children or anything like that. "We know. It's kinda hard to get used to all the weirdos around here."

"It took us a while to get adjusted to all the craziness, so don't freak out. I'm sure you'll get used to it." Haruhi stated further with a closed eyed smile.

Shiro stared up at Haruhi with thoughtful eyes, which was noticed by her and Y/n.

"Something wrong?" Haruhi examined, wanting to know why the young boy was looking at her so charitably.

"Are you a cross-dresser?" The young boy questioned blankly, his shoulders slightly hunched over.

Y/n almost choked on her own saliva as her brown eyes widened and quickly glanced over at Haruhi who was standing beside her.

Tamaki and the twins heard the conversation, sweat dropping as their skin got pale. "Oh, no." They mumbled.

The blond haired, second year swiftly slid over to the group of three and covered Shiro's eyes. "Okay, that's enough. I think Shiro should take care of the tea for us, don't you?"

The twins also appeared and patted Haruhi on the head. "Wow, Haruhi, you're looking extra manly today!" Kaoru pointed out.

"Now do what the boss says and let Shiro take care of that tea set, it's part of his training. You're too macho for tea sets." Hikaru alleged as he, Kaoru, and Tamaki began to nervously laugh, making Haruhi let out a small, draining sigh.

Shiro removed Tamaki's hand away from his eyes, making the blond haired male glance down at him with slight exasperation and for the twins to look at him with agitate definitions.

Haruhi began to hand the tray that held the tea set to Shiro. "Now be careful with it. It's pretty heavy."

"Please be careful." Y/n pleaded subtly, sweat dropping on her forehead anxiously.

Once Haruhi detected Shiro's hands on the tray and that he's got a grip on it, she slowly unfastened her hands from the tea set.

Bad idea.

Shiro didn't even get to hold the tray for a second considering that he dropped it once Haruhi dislodged her hands from it. The tray clattered on the floor while the tea set shattered into pieces, making the twins, Tamaki, and Y/n gasp.

"It's not my fault I dropped it. It's your fault 'cause you're the one who made me take it in the first place." Shiro averred with narrowed eyebrows as he looked up at Haruhi.

"Say what?" Haruhi inquired, looking down at the young boy with somber in her tone.

"Haruhi, that's another one hundred-thousand yen for you and your sisters debt." Kyoya mentioned, standing a few feet away from the two sisters with his back facing them.

Y/n and Haruhi spun around to look at Kyoya, gasping loudly at the extension of their debt.

"Hey! You should make the cross-dresser do all your stupid chores! I'm not here to carry tea sets--I'm here to learn how to make women happy!" Shiro vociferated, rotating around to stare at Tamaki with his fists clenched.

Y/n slowly turned back around to glare at Shiro, a dark shadow casting over her eyes. "You wanna know how to make women happy? How about we start with changing your attitude, hm?" She advised through her teeth, her hands resting on her knees as she leaned towards the fifth grader. Haruhi grabbed one of Y/n's arms and pulled her away from the young boy, keeping a hand interlocked with hers.

"You won't get anywhere with that attitude." Tamaki began, slightly quivering in annoyance. "And I am not going to let you disrespect Haruhi. So! Put this brat in isolation!" He ordered, pointing his finger at the said boy.

"You got it, boss!" Hikaru and Kaoru yelled, raising either of their hands up.

A big cage lowered itself from the ceiling and captured Shiro behind the bars.

"What's going on here?! Why'd you put me in a cage all of a sudden?!" Shiro shouted, his hands wrapping around two bars.

"Yeah, where'd it come from?" Haruhi questioned, standing in front of the cage with her sister. "This is supposed to be a music room, right?" She glanced back at the hosts, sweat dropping. Music room three was now empty from its guests, Kyoya having them escorted out due to certain circumstances.

Shiro climbed on the bars and held on to them to keep himself off the floor. "This is no way to treat your loyal apprentice! Now let me out of this cage!"

Tamaki was now seated on a chair drinking some tea. One of his legs were crossed over the other leg, a distant definition on his face with his violet colored eyes closed. "Not until you've learned your lesson. I made you my apprentice because I thought you were serious about becoming a host but I guess I was wrong."

"I am serious. Totally serious." Shiro pronounced desperately, glancing at Tamaki who just simply took a sip of tea. "I want you to teach me how to make a woman happy!" He begged and lost his strength from holding himself on the bar, descending to his knees. "I'm gonna run out of time. Please, won't you teach me?"

'Run out of time? What does he mean?' Y/n thought, her irritation towards the young boy dissipated.

"You're a host because you like girls. You like bringing a smile to a girl's face--that's why you do it, right? Please, won't you teach me how to be like you? You're a genius at it! You're the king!" Shiro proclaimed, lifting his head up to glance at Tamaki.

Tamaki's eyes widened as a small sigh left his lips. He got up from his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face. "Well, you may be a brat, but I admire your desire to become a host, so I'll teach you." He paused and a small blush appeared on his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around himself. "You know, Shiro, you and I are so much alike."

"You poor kid." Y/n and Haruhi said to the elementary student, slight sarcasm in their tone.

"Then you'll help me become the kind of host that can make any woman happy?!" Shiro questioned with hope in his blue-grey eyes and a wide smile on his face as he picked himself off the floor.

"Of course, making women happy is the sole purpose of being a host. If this is what you really want Shiro, then you'll have to figure out how to use the material you already have." Tamaki stated, looking at the young boy in the eyes.

"What does that mean?" He quizzed, questioningly.

"You see, here at the Ouran Host Club." Kyoya prepared to explain, Shiro turning around to look at him since he was standing on the backside of the cage. "Our policy is to use our individual personality traits to meet the needs of our guests. For example, there's Tamaki, who is the princely type. There's the strong, silent type. The boy Lolita type. The little devil type. And the cool type." One by one, each host goes to stand beside Kyoya, holding their own colored rose. "It's all about variety. And now our group is complete with the addition of Haruhi, the natural. And Y/n, the sisterly type."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself. "The natural?"

"It would seem that right now we have a perfect blend of characteristics, so it's going to be difficult to find a new type for Shiro." Kyoya informed, holding his notebook in his hand.

"If you go by his age, he should be the boy Lolita type." Hikaru indicated.

"But Honey-Senpai's already got that covered." Kaoru commented, directing his thumb at the said third year who was currently crying while holding his stuffed bunny.

"Even if Honey-Senpai didn't have that title, this kid wouldn't match it at all with his personality." Y/n defended with crossed arms.

Tears continued to flow down Honey's cheeks as his voice cracked a bit. "Is he gonna replace me?"

"Oh come on! Is that all you've got?" A high pitched voice echoed.

The same powerful motor from last time sounded through the room and the floor began to lift up into a pedestal.

"What's up with this place? It's supposed to be a music room." Haruhi muttered, sweat dropping as Renge stood on the podium with a arm raised high with her index finger pointed upwards while her other hand was on her hip.

"Sorry to interrupt gentlemen and Y/n, but what's with the lackluster character analysis?" The girl with light, chestnut brown hair shrugged her hands out. "I must say, I'm quite disappointed. I thought I taught you better."

"Alright then, Miss Manager. How would you work Shiro into our collection of characters? He can't be the boy Lolita because Honey's already got that covered." Tamaki informed and held up the tearful third year.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Renge questioned, making Tamaki and Honey freeze. "Now listen up! There are plenty of girls out there who have a thing for younger boys or boys with baby faces. These girls would be considered shota fans. Now, shota can be a fairly broad category so it's important to know that the genre can be broken down into many different smaller sub-categories. For example, shota fans with an interest in Lolita boys would favor a boy like Haninozuka-Senpai. But this little boy is different. If I had to pick a character for him." She pointed her finger at Shiro, a satisfied smile reaching her lips once an idea came to her head. "Yes! He'd be the naughty-boy type, without a doubt!"

"The naughty type?" Shiro mumbled, query.

The cage that was surrounding the boy began to go back to where it came from, which was up in the ceiling.

Renge blows on a whistle that abruptly appeared in her hand. "Now to play up the naughty type, you have to wear shorts, okay!" She crouched down next to Shiro and points at the shorts he was already wearing, blowing her whistle to the next step. "You've gotta have bumps and bruises! Give him a couple of scars!" She pointed at the boy, her whistle hung around her neck.

Hikaru and Kaoru put bandaids on one of Shiro's cheeks and knees, drawing some scars on his face with black marker.