Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or anything related

Note: This is a dark Kyoko fic. If you like sweet, kind, perfect Kyoko, you know where the "back" button is

For Primal Red, a.k.a. Teruame, hope you like it

The puppeteer

Every moment since her birth, Sasagawa Kyoko had a nice life, a normal happy childhood with no problems for her, as she was always surrounded by her relatives and friends, who gave her tons of their love and attentions to her

That is, until she entered school.

When Kyoko started her school life, she was contradicted. Mostly because nobody seemed to care about who she was.

And that, in Kyoko's mind, wasn't right

She wanted to keep the life she was living until that moment, and she would get it done as quickly as possible.

First, she started to study her classmates. About their worries, about their history, believing and anything else she could find helpful for her cause

That's how she learnt about social links.

Being kind and acting well-mannered to grown-ups got her immediate benefits, as they started seeing her as a sweet girl; she got protection, knowledge, and even useful advice from them.

Later she found it was quite rewarding exploiting her fellow students' strengths and weaknesses. She found the profits about being especially kind to the class bullies – or being close to the bullies' closest figure of authority - meaning she gained immunity of their threatening, also recognizing if her negotiations failed, her hot-blooded big brother would save her, and make it done for her. And sometimes she was worried, not about him, knowing he was a sturdy boy every since she remembered, but the fact of losing him, would make her make some dirty work on her own, and that was a no-no in her plan for reaching perfection

She found tagging along with the class cuties made her cute for association, getting her lots of attention from the boys. But she, always wanting to be the center of the world, later improved her own beauty, so she would get more attention than anyone in her class, and that beauty alone made her well known in other classes too.

And also learnt that giving a smile and be friendly every once in a while to the class' make-me-laugh, would make people think she was a kind, compassionate soul

All was about talking to the right people the right way, without leaving her angelic-like pose

Some time later, Sasagawa Kyoko realized someday Ryohei would be leaving her side when he enters middle school.

The summer before his middle school debut, she realized she lacked a bodyguard to take her brother's place. A suitable guard should be the same age as her, so they would be in the same class, and on top of that, would be most appropriate if the guard prospect was a girl. Because a girl guarding her back would save her from rejecting people that don't please her and keep her company

And Kurokawa Hana's arrival to her life was more than welcome

At that time, Hana used to hang out with her sister, a high-schooler, and her friends, who were in a girl's gang, used to pick on fights with guys from near schools, being always left behind for being the younger one, thus the less experienced in fighting.

But sure she looked like one of the gang. Because of her "I'm not your friend" mature face, despite of her age, and the traits of a gangster she got by hanging out with them, as she always started down at anyone passing by her side, and her stare had enhanced effect because she used to hide part of her face with a flu mask, as some gangsters on TV, and the threatening aura she got around. Maybe the hatred she felt for those who weren't mature –meaning almost anyone in school uniform, most likely boys - helped a lot with that

Kyoko smiled. She was perfect for the position. She only had to pull her to her side.

First, she had to analyze her. She spent some time watching Hana and her companions –always watching from a safe distance, since her brother – as manly as he claimed he was- wouldn't lay a finger on a girl- so, by watching her standing near cafes and tea houses, is that she could figure out she had a thing for maturity. So, she went home, and some women's magazines she took a peek at from her mother's stash later, she waited for her to being alone in the shopping district, dropped some lines she thought she would be interested in, invited her some tea, and the rest was history. Kyoko and Hana became good friends.

When they entered middle school, Kyoko's reputation from her previous school followed her, so in almost no time she became well-known between the first years. All she had to do was playing her part the best

Next step was taking the attentions from seniors and sophomores

It wasn't a coincidence she wanted to assist to the same school her brother was, as she still needed him for protection, just in case, and also needed her brother to make acquaintances between the older grades. All she needed to do is to let him be his "extreme" self and tagging along with him every once in a while, acting like a worried and supportive little sister, bringing with her some kind of token of her seemingly natural kindness, like a bag full of home-made cookies, and give them to him with a smile. He'll just thank her for the gift and he would eat one and save the rest for later, making the other guys would stand around him like hungry dogs waiting for their share, in case he would be nice enough to share. And if he does, he would say some random line about how good his little sister was, that they have to be grateful for having them, smile brightly and save the remaining cookies (if there were some).

This was more than enough to make them think Sasagawa Kyoko was a perfect prospect for a girlfriend and better prospect for a wife

All there was left was letting the rumors about her beauty and kindness win over the hearts of the boys of Namimori, earning her the praises she knew she disserved, and if anyone dares to talk bad about her, her followers by their own will would take care of the situation, so that person would be soon eating his or her own words

But it was a bother to deal with the almost all Namimori's boys, -and some of nearby schools- (even if Hana was dealing with most of them). So she thought she'd better find a boyfriend herself

Hibari Kyoya was a handsome, cool, distant, and most of all, scary person, besides of reigning all Namimori (both, the school and the city). So anyone who would deal with him would have to be brave or nuts, or should have better know what he/she is doing. So Kyoko knew he was perfect for her boyfriend, as he would bring her protection and all the city would almost look like they would have to give their attentions and respect to her if she becomes his bride

But dealing with Hibari wasn't an easy task, as she first had to find him without Kusakabe on his back, and second, she had to make herself look like she disserved his attention without raising his suspicions. Her fame as the school idol, a princess between all the princesses, helped a lot with that. He seemed like he knew what her purposes were, as he froze her right in the spot with a stare, and then he walked past her, giving a cold "Your façade. I don't buy it." and left her alone confused with a failed attempt of giving a love confession

Even without dealing with boys, she had other worries in her mind. And those worries were about her future

On the beginning of the school year, her parents warned her her grades would have influence on her life, so she had to work hard if she wanted to go to a good university and have a good career

And that meant something she still lacked to that point: academics.

And if she wanted to keep her popularity, she'd better be careful with her grades.

But she wouldn't bother with the normal bookworms of her school, because she knew she would point to a place where bookworms were the day's special

And that place was Midori high

A high-class, all-smart elite school for girls, was the best of the best when it was about brains in Namimori. Since it was just girls, she thought she would get along with them. So she immediately got closer to the first group of girls she saw and talked to them naturally, to befriend them, as she did with all nerds in school

But that time, reality wasn't like she expected

-Humph! It seems some don't know where they belong to – one of the girls sighed

-Yeah, get out of here, public-school trash! – Other girl claimed in a snotty fashion, and the rest of the group seemed to look down at her in the same way

She stopped to try to get in some other of the groups right away. She wasn't there to be insulted, or to be verbally smashed, or just mercilessly being outsmarted by a bunch of preppy smartasses. So she decided to take a different approach. She had to find then someone weaker. Someone lonelier

But in a school choked-full of girls, who would be entirely by herself, without any friends around?

And the answer walked in front of Kyoko's eyes, with bright eyes and a ponytail

She followed her immediately, not wanting to loose sight of her. The girl's steps were quick and energetic, and, when they got to the shopping district, she lost the sight of the girl in almost no time

She tried later several times to follow her and discover something, but all she got was the place where she lived, and a tendency to eat pastries from time to time.

So she decided asking about the girl in bakeries and cafes, with little to no fruit.

That is, until she got into a small bakery, where an old lady was cleaning the counter

-Oh, yes, I know who are you talking about, she's one of my regulars- the woman smiled- She's coming here from some years ago. There's even a day she comes here and buys pastries like there were no tomorrow! – She gave a good laugh- Ah youth these days, so full of energy!

-A day? - Kyoko asked, seeing some kind of hint to talk to that girl

-Oh, yes, I even marked it on my calendar, so I won't forget to have something special for her that day

-May I see which day is, aunty?

-So she invited you then? That's so nice of her! I was kind of worried she comes here all by herself, so it's good if she had a friend to share all that cake! -She smiled widely- and then she pointed out her calendar lied in the kitchen. The day marked was a Sunday, and the pattern implied –gotten by looking at the previous months in the calendar-, it wasn't a day pointed by its number, but for its frequency

A friend with a sweet tooth … that would be just the thing she needed to make the girl turn onto her

So the next third Sunday of the month, she patiently waited in the bakery for her target to come

There were a lot of different cakes that day, and all of them looked delicious. She looked at them for a while, and bought a couple of them to take home, thinking she would buy some more when the other girl arrives.

Some minutes later, she heard behind her a girly voice, claiming this day would be "Haru's appreciation day" and invited someone who was with her to choose some cake.

Of course she heard her companion's name. And that name rang a bell on her head. She was pretty sure she heard his name somewhere else

-I … I think I pass - she heard him mumble. She knew that voice. She looked his way with the corner of her eye. Sawada Tsunayoshi, one of her classmates, also known as no-good-Tsuna, class' make-me-laugh in turn. She already crossed her way with him a couple times, became friends not so long ago. Nice, pitiable guy, but not much besides of that

-How come? But the cake here is really good! – Kyoko looked at the girl, and almost fainted when she recognized her. The girl with the ponytail was with him. It was a lucky coincidence, so she might use him to talk to her

-Nah, it's okay- She heard him say, ready to leave the place. The girl complained behind him, and Kyoko was pretty sure she would leave too.

That is, if she didn't do something

-Ah, Tsuna-kun? - She called him.

-Yeah, um … Kyoko-chan – And as she expected, he turned to her, forcing him to stay for a while. The girl behind him turned to her too

And in that moment, she knew, she had to make this encounter look like a happy coincidence

-Ah … Um … this is only for once a month! – She pretended to freak out, like he discovered a deep secret – I've decided that every third Sunday of the month, I could eat as many cakes as I want. – She said -but not for him, but for his friend-. And then she only had to quickly drop a line that catches her attention - It's not like I eat three whole cakes everyday! – And she mentally laughed at how random and impossible it sounded, but it was all for adding the sweet tooth to her façade. After all, a sweet tooth was considered one of the "cute" kind of traits, and she had him to leak the new at school, but not expecting too much out of him, being him the school's loser and all

-It's the same as Haru! - The girl smiled widely.-Every third Sunday of the month is a "Haru's appreciation day"!

-Same here! – She blatantly lied, smiling brightly. Of course she was happy; after all, she got her in the "we should totally be friends" mood, as she wanted

And then they started talking about cakes, and spent the afternoon on Tsuna's house, invited by the cute baby that was always with him from some time ago. All the events that happened next were more like a blurry dream on her head, only remembering she wanted some more cake

Then something started to form on her mind, about Sawada Tsunayoshi

He was pretty much a joke at school, dragging that, as far as she knew, from his earlier years, but, suddenly, he was getting pretty popular. For reasons beyond her knowledge, he started to do amazing things, also getting the favors of the new classmate, a transfer student, also a badass gangster and academic genius, besides of getting the favors of the school's baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi, even her brother acknowledged him and now Haru was by his side

It was interesting, in the way of how he could earn the trust of all those people, and a little scary, in the way he could have the same plans as her, or more, destroy her own plans.

She had to know more about him

She started to get more suspicious when her brother went to the hospital, severely injured –and she internally laughed at his lame excuse, like she would buy he just fell of a chimney and got just a really ugly-looking sprain in every part of his body-. Some time later, the guys disappeared, and then arrived at school also injured. And the last happened more than once, just adding Ryohei's excuse for them having a sumo fight, getting even Lambo, the little kid staying at Tsuna's house, almost dead

And she got to know everything when she found herself in a place where none of her social threads were there. A scary place called the future

In the future, saw a lot of things. First, she saw how Tsuna evolved to a kind of orange-eyed powerful monster, then she almost lost her ground when she found out there was nobody she knew around besides Tsuna and company, so she had to go back home, to find somebody to reaffirm her status like her brother, just finding Hana in the way and then getting locked in an underground facility, with nothing to do but household chores

And then, there was the truth

Tsuna was really a mafia boss-to-be of a very powerful family, and every guy in the group was one of his allies. A pleasant turn of events that was, as the expectation to have the whole world revere her if he had the necessary power to defeat everything on his way, and being him the way he was, with low self-steem as his main weakness, he was easy enough to manipulate him at her will

And if he needed a little push to go through things, she would help him, more than gladly, as that also helped with her plans

I tried to make it fit with the manga, so any temporal mistakes, report them to me, and I'll do my best to fix it

Well, even if I don't like Kyoko very much, I liked writing this.