A/N: I've been rewriting and revising these chapters, and I drastically changed Chapter 14 and 15. I changed Kei Kurata's character, so if you're an old reader, I suggest you reread this!

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. I own Kaede, Sachiko, her cousins, Rei, Kou, Kamiko, and everyone else I made up.

The Shadow Queen

Chapter 14:

Kei Kurata

"Where are you going, Kaede?" Hikaru asked, noticing Kaede's rush to get out of the classroom for lunch break.

"I'm going to see Ootori!" She raised her hand bye, not turning back to her group of freshman friends.

Haruhi, Kaoru, and Hikaru stared at the door where Kaede had exited.

"Again...," a creepy voice came from the corner of the room. Sachiko was huddled in the corner, emitting a darkness that rivaled Tamaki's. The 3 other freshmen sweatdropped. "After all the trouble she went through to get me in the same class, SHE NEGLECTS ME FOR A WEEK," the small girl cried. The twins raised their eyebrows. They weren't that close with the girl, due to her aversion to handsome guys, but they didn't remember her being so...Tamaki?

"There, there, Sachiko," Haruhi pat her head to comfort her.

"Yeah, don't worry, she's neglecting us too!"

"But all she does is scold you guys," Sachiko sniffed.

"No, no, Sachiko, they like being scolded," Haruhi soothed.

"Haruhi!"

"Oi, Ootori!" Kaede turned the corner to a secluded garden area, finding the black haired guy quietly writing in his notebook. He looked up, slightly annoyed that someone found him. "I heard there's a transfer student in your class."

"You should know who he is," Kyoya smirked. "Kurata Kei." Kaede fell down.

"I knew it," she whined, punching Kyoya's arm. "I boosted over here, hoping that it wasn't him."

"He's quite a popular guy from the get go, I'm surprised you went all the way to me to check."

"I'm also bored," she punched him again.

"I'm not a punching bag," he sweatdropped.

"Yeah, you're too damn skinny," Kaede smirked.

He bopped her on the head.

She stopped for a second, and looked around. "Wait, where's Tamaki-senpai? Isn't he usually with you?"

"Tamaki's showing Kurata-kun around. I think he wants to him to join the host club."

"You better not let him."

"Why not?" Kaede's fist met his stomach.

"At any rate, I don't want him to know I go to this school, at least while we're doing marriage meetings," Kaede laid down on the grass. "Why did I even agree to them?" They sat in silence for a second. She then stared expectantly at Kyoya.

"Why would I know the answer?" he sweatdropped.

"I don't know, you know everything," she rolled her eyes. "I mean, even though you're the youngest, you're fighting to be the heir to your company."

"You jealous?" They were both the youngest in their families. Kaede sniffed and puffed up her cheeks.

"No."

Kyoya rolled his eyes. "I thought you wanted to start at the bottom."

"Yeah, that's fun too, I guess." Kaede sighed. "The smart side of me wants to marry Kurata Kei so that I'd easily be at the top of the business world, but the stupid side of me wants to climb my way up the company." She looked up at the sky. She didn't expect an answer from Kyoya, nor did she particularly want one.

So they just stayed there, in silence, till lunch ended.

Kurata Kei was an interesting entity. At least, that's what Ootori Kyoya observed on his first day of meeting the man.

"Ootori-kun, was it?" Kurata extended his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Yes, and you must be Kurata-kun," Kyoya put on a business smile. He somehow got the seat next to me. See, for some reason unbeknownst to the great Ootori Kyoya, he harbored an immediate dislike against Kurata.

"Let's get along!" he shook his hand violently.

I have a feeling he'll be annoying.

"Kyoya! Kyoya!" Oh great, another bother sits next to me as well. "So...what do you think?" Tamaki's eyes sparkled.

"What do I think of what?"

"You know...Letting Kurata-kun join the host club!"

"I think our line-up is enough," Kyoya sighed. "We don't want to overcrowd the host club." Tamaki frowned, but conceded.

He shrugged. "Mommy knows best~"

"Kurata-kun, Kurata-kun!" The squeals of girls drew Kyoya's interest, as he heard a name other than that of a host. Girls surrounded Kurata, as the handsome guy had gained a lot of female attention. "Where are you from?"

"Um...," Kurata started. "If y-you guys don't mind..."

"?" the girls questioned.

"...I-I'm going to the bathroom, so e-excuse me."

Kaede walked briskly through the hallways, peeking at her phone every couple steps. "I'm late... I'm late... I'm late~" she sang under her breath, tying up her hair as she went.

Once the clock hit 4:00, she broke out into a run.

Her target was in sight. The sign "Music Room #3" seemed to shine throughout the hallway. 4:05.

But before she could approach the room, the door slammed open. Two girls walked out, crying. "This is the 2nd time I've had to wait for an appointment from Shiraishi-kun..!"

"As I thought, he must've forgotten about us..."

"I don't know, Nozomi-chan, maybe we should stop going here..."

"What do you mean...?"

"I mean, I don't think it's worth it, waiting for him anymore-"

"Hold the door...!" Kaede shouted, running towards the doorway. She was panting and sweating a lot. Of course, this was acting.

The two girls blushed. "Shiraishi-kun...!"

"Nozomi-chan, Erina-chan," Kaede hung her head down, to "take a breath." "Here," she held out her hand. The girls looked in at the extended hand. "I may have been late because of this," she unraveled two small boxes of chocolates with a note attached to each.

Kaede looked up at the blushing girls. "You two always book me early, to catch your cram school, right?" she hung her head in shame. "I wanted to apologize using these chocolates, but I guess they made me later than ever." Kaede raked a hand through her hair. "Sorry, I must be such a pain." The girls' hearts squeezed.

"Nono! Don't feel bad!"

"We love these chocolates! Thank you so much!"

"So...will you come again?"

"OF COURSE!"

The two girls, who had been wallowing in sadness just a couple seconds ago, skipped away cheerfully.

"As expected of Shirai; your acting skills are impressive." Kyoya appeared from the threshold of the room.

"Thank you, thank you," I mock bowed to my imaginary audience.

"Now, why are you late?" his glasses glinted. Kaede held up a peace sign, sticking out her tongue.

"Just be glad I'm here now~" she said, brushing past him as she entered the room.

The Next Day

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "Whoops, gotta boost," Kaede jumped out of her seat, grabbing her bag.

"Wait, Kaede...!" Sachiko, Haruhi, and the twins said, sweatdropping.

"Even though we're in the same class, I feel like I never see her around," Sachiko said, frowning. "Where does she go afterschool?"

Haruhi shrugged. "I mean, she's probably going to enjoy a day off, since there's no club today."

The twins looked at each other mischievously. "LET'S FIND OUT!" they exclaimed, and ran out the classroom.

Sachiko and Haruhi sweatdropped. We'll blame it on them if we get caught...

"Wait...!" Haruhi panted, lagging behind Sachiko and the twins.

"We have to hurry up, or we'll lose Kaede!" Kaoru said, taking her hand and running.

It's times like these that I regret not taking PE..., she thought. She found herself at the entrance of the school.

"Haruhi, over here!" Sachiko waved. She was standing in front of a limo, holding open the door. Kaoru and Haruhi slid in.

"Follow that car!" Hikaru yelled to the driver, pointing to the red car that had just left.

"Yes sir," the driver said, stepping on the gas.

Haruhi and Sachiko sweatdropped. They saw the opportunity and took it...

"Whose car did she get in to?" Haruhi asked, since she had been around the corner.

"I don't know, I didn't see who was with her," Hikaru said.

"This is so interesting," Kaoru commented, with a glint in his eyes. The twins had always been unnecessarily curious people, so the opportunity to spy on Kaede was golden.

After a couple minutes, the car went to a stop. "They've stopped, sir," the driver reported.

"Where are we?" Sachiko asked, opening the car door.

Tall skyscrapers surrounded the group of teenagers, light bouncing off the glass windows of the buildings and blinding the eyes of the commoners in particular.

"It's the business district," the twins said, looking around. They recognized the place to be where their mom would often go for work.

"I've never seen this part of town," Haruhi frowned. The twins pat her head.

"Of course not! This is a rich people place!" The commoners sweatdropped.

"Anyways...I saw Kaede going inside that restaurant over there," Sachiko pointed at a tall building ornated with a red velvet overhang and gold encrusted doors. Two door men stood at the entrance with stoic faces.

"...rich people place, indeed," Haruhi muttered.

"What are you all doing here?" a familiar voice came from behind.

"AHHH!" the group exclaimed in surprise. "KYOYA-SENPAI?" It was, without a doubt, the notebook-wielding, debt-adding, monster.

The group sweat in nervousness. Out of all people, Kyoya-senpai had to show up, they all thought.

"Haha... we're just enjoying our day off," Hikaru said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, you know, freshmen bonding time," Kaoru pulled the group together in a hug.

"Oh, then, where's Shirai?" They sweatdropped. He's sharp...

"She was busy," they chimed. They all agreed that it was unnecessary for him to know of their true intentions.

"Anyways, what are you doing here, senpai?" Haruhi asked smoothly.

"I'm on some business for the Ootori Group," Kyoya said, walking towards the restaurant. The others followed.

"Oh, so that's why we had a day off," the twins and Haruhi said.

"Yes, now why are you following me?" They were inside the restaurant, standing behind Kyoya as he faced a host.

"We're eating here too, you know!"

"Reservation for Ootori," he said to the person.

"Kyoya-kun!" a voice chimed from behind the odd group.

"Kyoya-kun?" the freshmen looked at each other in confusion. They looked to see who the voice belonged to. "KAEDE?!" they exclaimed in surprise. The four were hit in the head.

"Oh wait, he's a guy," Sachiko pointed. They stared at the man. He was extremely good-looking, with short, ash black hair, and striking gray eyes. His hands rested in his pockets, creating a "cool guy" pose.

"Katana?"

"No, wait, he's taller..."

"Both of his eyes are exposed, too."

"Kaede?" the guy frowned. "You know my sister?" he asked, tilting his head.

"SISTER?!"

"You're Shirai Ryo, right?" Haruhi said. "Kaede showed me a picture of you." Ryo laughed.

"She did? Haha, I'm honored," he smiled charmingly. The others sweatdropped.

As expected of Kaede's brother...they all thought. All the eyes in the restaurant were directed at their table, which held an alarming amount of beautiful people. Shirai Ryo, however, was on a different level. His mature, yet youthful looks made every woman swoon.

Kyoya's lips twitched. "At any rate...why are you sitting with us?" he scowled at the unwanted guests. They had seemed to forget their inital objective.

"Calm down, Kyoya-kun, it's fine," the laidback businessman said. "It's not like we're on serious business, anyways." He hit Kyoya's back playfully.

"Wait, but I thought you said you were on business for the Ootori Group," Sachiko said. Ryo laughed.

"Kyoya-kun's an old friend of mine," Ryo grinned. "This is mainly just a casual hangout~" Kyoya fixed his glasses.

"Laidback as ever, Ryo-senpai," Kyoya sighed. "But we really do have to discuss your providing the Ootori Group medical technolo-"

"-all done and signed," Ryo grinned again, materializing a contract out of nowhere. "Now, how's school been for you all?"

"I'm going to the bathroom," Sachiko said, getting out her chair. She was almost at her limit with her aversion to hot guys, especially now with Kaede's brother joining in. She found her way through a maze of tables, bumping into people now and then. "This place is huge...," she sweatdropped, having walked for 10 minutes with no bathroom in sight.

She was extremely bad with directions, so when she found that she couldn't see the others anymore, she knew she was lost.

"I'm dumb...," she groaned.

"Ma'am, do you need help?" a kind voice came from behind. She turned around. Dammit, he's good looking... She felt her face heat up.

"U-uh...s-sorry-um-n-," the man's face drew closer.

"Oh no, are you okay? Your face is all red," he put the back of his hand on her forehead. Sachiko stepped back.

"I-I-I'm f-fine...!" her heel got stuck on a chair leg. She found herself falling back. Oh dear, you've done it now, Sachiko... She closed her eyes, scared, but confused when she didn't feel the sensation of the ground beneath her. Someone had caught her. "S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-sorry...!" she jumped out of their arms and bowed again and again.

"Chiya?"

Sachiko stopped bowing. Kaede stood in front of her. "Kaede...?!" she said in disbelief. "Wait..." she squinted her eyes, noticing that her hair was tied up. "Why are you dressed as a boy?"

"Ne, ne, Kae-kun, did I just bump into a girl?" a tiny voice came from behind her. Kaede sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes," she answered, exasperated. She stepped aside, revealing a guy behind her. "Chiya, this is Kurata-kun," she introduced a good looking boy with brown hair and blue eyes, cowering in fear. "He's afraid of girls."

"No way...," Sachiko's eyes widened. She'd never met a guy who was afraid of girls. She was afraid of guys herself, but only the good looking ones. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sachiko," she bowed.

"...n-nice to m-meet you..."

"By the way," Kaede frowned, "why are you here? This is the business district."

As if to answer her question, two loud voices came from overhead. "Sachiko-chan?" the twins appeared. They noticed Kaede. "...and Kaede?"

"You guys too?"

"Me too," Haruhi said.

"Me three," Ryo added in.

"RYO-NII-SAN?!" Kaede exclaimed. "What's going on?!" She felt a tug on her shirt. Kurata was still behind her.

"Kurata-kun?" Kyoya was the last one to appear.

"Oh...so you've been doing marriage meetings," Haruhi said in realization. They all had decided to sit Kaede's table, even though the bigger group had already finished and paid the bill.

"It's more like, I've been helping Kurata-kun with his problem with girls," Kaede gestured to the guy who sat to her right. "I have no intention of marrying a guy who cannot handle the opposite gender." An arrow came to stab poor Kurata. "But that's not important." Stab. "Why are you all here?"

The twins and Sachiko laughed nervously. "What do you mean, Kaede..."

"...this is our normal hangout," Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"That's funny," it was an obvious lie, but Kaede didn't really care. She was more interested in how her brother came to mingle with her friend. Ryo was squirming in his seat across from his little sister. He suddenly stood up.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" he suddenly yelled, and reached across the table. He hugged Kaede, who looked annoyed. "MY SWEET LITTLE SISTER WITH ALL OF HER FRIENDS..."

The others sweatdropped. That's one big character change... they thought.

"...SO CU-" Kyoya and Kaede covered his mouth.

"Let's calm down, Ryo-nii," Kyoya said, writing in his notebook. "Control that sister complex of yours." Ryo dropped his arms.

"Sorry," he fixed his tie and cleared his throat. He paused for a second. A grin reappeared. "I'm just so glad that Kaede has so many friends now!" he gushed. "Doesn't she look cuter now, Kyoya-kun?" he stared intently at the guy next to him.

Kyoya cleared his throat and loosened his tie, as the others, too, waited for a response.

Kaede coughed, choking on her water. Her voice was hoarse from choking as she asked, "Before that, I'd like an honest answer to my question." The twins, Haruhi, and Sachiko sweatdropped.

"We..."

"...might've followed you here..." The group prepared for a punch from Kaede.

"What, why?" she asked, sipping on her water once again. It was Sachiko's turn to suddenly stand up. She pointed across the table, pouting.

"YOU'VE BEEN NEGLECTING US, KAEDE!" her cheeks were puffed up. "BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA-"

"-she's right, Kaede, you've been neglecting your children," the twins crossed their arms. "You never stay with us during break, and you're always late to club!"

"Yeah, and when you are with us, you're always spaced out," Haruhi frowned.

"WE WANT TO BE THE ULTIMATE FRESHMAN GROUP!" the twins and Sachiko shouted.

Since when did Sachiko become so close to the twins? Kaede raised her eyebrows in surprise, as Ryo's eyes watered. Kyoya handed the sis-con a handkerchief to blow on.

"Oh, I'm sorry guys," Kaede pat their heads. "I'll spend more time with y'all."

Once it turned dark outside, the group left the restaurant and split up in their respective cars.

As Kaede walked to her vehicle, she spent the time thinking to herself alone. She didn't know she had neglected her friends that much, especially Sachiko and Haruhi, who she cared for like sisters.

I can't tell them why I'm actually feeling down...