A/N: You know that picture I described the last chapter? Yeah, I was thinking of drawing that... I am not that bad at drawing manga, despite the drawing I made for the cover.
I seriously need to improve on my drawings of Kaede. I can make simple girls fine, but Kaede? Nuh-uh. Maybe I should ask my friend to do it. She's better than me.
It would be awesome to see that picture, don't you think?
This chapter, I add a recurring side character! But, she isn't actually part of the main plot like Sachiko and her cousins.
It took me a while to get this chapter going; I was going to do that "marrying this guy" thing, but it didn't fit at the time.
Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC. But I do own Sachiko, Kaede, Hoshi, and Haruo. Plus Kamiko...
The Shadow Queen
Chapter Eight
Kamiko
Kamiko
My name is Kamiko. Suzuki Kamiko. I am in love with Ootori Kyoya-sama from 2-A.
A lot of girls are in love with Kyoya-sama, but that's no surprise. He's good-looking, smart, and cool; unlike myself, who's plain, dumb, and awkward. I'm a member of his fan club the "Kyoyaans," along with many other girls of Ouran Academy. I didn't want to love him this way, but joining this club has gotten me closer to him that ever before.
Now, the main objective of this fanclub is to remove any obstacles in the way to happiness with Kyoya-sama. He is not to be sullied by a maiden, for he is everyone's Kyoya-sama. But, as of recent, a certain girl has made this hard to achieve. Shirai Kaede.
Shirai Kaede is everything that I can't be: pretty, rich, good at many things, and super smart. She's unlikable though, as she's cocky, blunt, and unrefined; someone unsuitable to even gaze at Kyoya-sama.
I walked through the hallway, my head down, clutching my books to my chest. I headed to the same library that I go to for lunch, and sat down at an empty table. Nobody really comes here during lunchtime, since everyone's busy in the cafeteria or in the many centers of the school. I took out my papers for class and started working on the math.
I'm not rich; my family works under the Suohs as a maid. As payment for a long time connection with the family, they sponsor my going here. Though, due to my low social status and lack of intelligence, I attend class in 1-C.
I tapped my pencil on the table, stuck on the first problem. I'm not good in math, or in any school subject, really. I was only one thing; dumb. I groaned, unable to decipher the problem at all. I paid attention in every class; did all of the notes too, but, in the end, I couldn't do it. "I need help...," I moan.
To my surprise, someone sat across me, taking out her lunch and a book. She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. I gasped quietly, not wanting her to hear.
It was none other than Kaede Shirai herself. She smiled at me before starting to dig in her lunch and read the book. It was an English classic, something way beyond my level.
After a couple minutes, she put the book down and became devoted to her lunch. She's finished with the book already?! I thought, panicking. So it was true; she was a genius. Shirai-san looked up at me, "Are you doing your homework?"
"Y-yes," I stammered, not able to speak correctly under her steady gaze. I quickly looked down to the math problems. I started tapping my pencil on the table again, still dumbfounded.
"Do you need any help?" the pretty girl asked me, reading my action. I closed my eyes shut before looking up at her.
"Y-yes, " I stuttered again. "I haven't got past problem one."
She stood up, going to my side of the table. "Oh, this isn't calculus..." She took in a sharp intake of breath. Calculus? I thought she was a freshman! I started panicking again. She really is out of my level... I thought, starting to feel uncomfortable. "Kamiko, what does this problem mean?"
She knows my name?! Oh wait, it's written on the top of the page...
I took what little confidence I had to say, "I don't know."
Shirai-san smirked. "Here; I'll tell you..."
I had spent the whole lunch time doing homework, being helped once in a while by Shirai-san. When it was minutes until the bell would ring, I finished my homework. "Thank you very much, Shirai-san," I said, bowing low to the pretty girl.
"Welcome," she replied almost silently. "Call me Kaede," she said in an afterthought. She turned to leave, but was stopped.
"Hello," a familiar voice greeted. I gasped, not knowing what to do. Kyoya Ootori-sama! Kaede turned to face him. She flipped her hair.
"Hey, Ootori," Kaede said monotonically. "And what brings you here?"
"Shirai," Kyoya-sama gritted his teeth, "Give me back my notebook." I inched away, hiding another gasp. All Kyoya-sama fangirls knew of his notebook, but didn't dare to even look at it. Kaede laughed.
"Now, Ootori, this is what you get when you cut my manga from the Host Club merchandise," Kaede said, amused. I was shocked; Kaede, in the forty-five minutes I spent with her, did not show this side of her. "Put it back on, and your notebook will be saved."
"No."
"Then no notebook."
"..."
"Notebook~"
"I won't put your manga in the merchandise, Shirai."
"Okay, just because I had shown your true side in the manga, doesn't mean you must stop publishing it."
"Shirai, your manga could potentially ruin my reputation."
"Ha, good one. Your pride could get through the manga. What's the real reason?"
"...Fine. I don't want it on because it's too much for the fans."
"Too much for the fans, or too much for you?"
"You made me a girl in the manga and made me cute and girly." I almost snickered.
"It was either that, or a Roman style portrait just for the Host Club."
"Shirai!"
"Fine, I'll give you the notebook, but I'm still doing manga." She took out the infamous black notebook and handed it to Kyoya-sama. He looked relieved. "Just so you know, I scanned all of the pages of it for blackmail." She got bopped on the head.
"Kamiko!" Kaede ran to me the next day before school. I was walking into the school gates when she sprinted right in front of me. It was surprising, since she was wearing heels at the time. She was balanced, though; she didn't fall like a clumsy girl (like I would).
"H-hey Kaede," I stammered, not knowing if it was enough respect for her.
"Haruhi and Sachiko's ran off without me, so I'm hanging out with you!" She smirked. I sighed.
So now I'm an afterthought, I thought sadly.
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, you know," Kaede said suddenly, scratching her head. "Who are you giving chocolates to?" I blushed.
"Er...Um...Uh-"
"Ootori, right?" Kaede answered for me. I gasped.
Is it that obvious?! I thought in horror.
"It's not that it's obvious, I'm just a perceptive person," Kaede comforted me, snickering. I laughed awkwardly along with her.
"Sooo... who are you giving chocolates to?" I asked.
"Nobody, I guess...," Kaede said. "I might give some to the Host Club for the sake of making and giving chocolate." I gasped.
No one does that! I thought. Maybe she doesn't know what it means! I panicked; Kaede didn't need to have a reputation of being dumb about such well known events.
"I know it'll make a statement," Kaede added, reading my face, "but I have a plan." She fixed her glasses. She really does remind me of Kyoya-sama.
"Kamiko!" Kaede cried, seeing me in the "chocolate making" class, in which I enrolled in to try once again making chocolates for Kyoya-sama. Last time, it was a disaster.
Kaede ran to me, wanting to make chocolates beside me. "Sachiko wouldn't do it, since she gets really embarrassed about this stuff."
Is she trying to make me feel like the afterthought?! I thought, maddening slightly.
"Sooo... I've never tried making chocolates before," Kaede told me. "It wasn't really a tradition back in the U.S.; there was just candy," she explained.
"Really?" I asked incredulously.
"Mhmm," she answered. "Now, when's class starting?" As if on cue, the teacher came out to the front.
She introduced herself, and came on to introducing the history of chocolate. Kaede yawned, getting tired and bored. I realized, though, she instantly was alert after hearing the words: "Dark chocolate."
The instructor said, "You will have a choice between both milk or dark chocolate..." Blah blah blah, we got to the chocolate making in no time. I started making milk chocolate, since it seemed the kind Kyoya-sama liked. It was in the shape of hearts; rather messy, but resembled hearts somewhat.
I looked over to Kaede, hard at work. My chocolate was in the oven, baking. "Kaede? How are your chocolates?" It was certain that she was baking dark chocolate, but that was all I knew about her chocolates. She didn't look up after I said her name, but I looked over to her chocolates anyways.
"Ta-da!" she uncovered her chocolates, finally acknowledging my presence.
"You're already done?!" I asked, surprised at her quickness.
Kaede finished the last of her designs and gave me a clear sight of her chocolates. I gasped. They were... a work of art. There were chocolates shaped as music notes and little ribbons, all with intricate designs.
"Can I taste one?" I said politely.
"Sure," Kaede replied, shrugging. "I'll try one with you." As soon as I bit into the hard shell, dark chocolate flowed into my mouth. It was absolutely perfect.
"This is...great," I commented, looking at wonder at her chocolates. Kaede lit up.
"They are, I guess," she said nonchalantly, though smiling. "Oh man, Ootori's gonna be begging for these. He's loved dark chocolate for years." That sentence struck my heart.
Oh gosh, oh gosh... I made milk chocolate! I thought, panicking.
"It's okay," Kaede said, once again reading my thoughts. "Ootori likes milk chocolate too." She smirked. Though she was supposed to be my enemy, I couldn't help being happy around her. "I'm giving a batch to Ootori, and then making some for the rest of the Host Club." She smirked again, making me feel uncomfortable. She was gonna do something...
Kaede picked up some of the icing and started putting something on the chocolates. She showed them to me when I was done. "These are Ootori's," she said.
I read the neat, elegant script of Kaede. It said, "GEEK." I gasped. This was daring; I mean, the fangirls'll kill her if they knew that she insulted Kyoya-sama.
"Geek?" I asked uncertainly, ready to talk her out of this.
Kaede nodded. "Honesty is the best policy, you know."
The next day was Valentine's. I had almost forgot that on Valentine's Day, there was a special school festival. I guess my mind totally drifted off after meeting Kaede.
A bunch of fangirls targeted the Host Club with chocolates, but I waited until Kaede so I could have confidence in myself while giving Kyoya-sama his chocolates. Recently, I realized that having her around me really was dangerous. The "Kyoyaans" are probably going to do something about it, but, quite honestly, I can't shake off Kaede. She stuck.
"Sachiko!" I heard Kaede call. For once, it wasn't me. I saw Kaede running to the petite girl with chocolates in her hand. "Can you give this to Takashi-senpai for me?"
Sachiko blushed. "B-b-b-b-but-"
"-I won't have time to give it to him," Kaede interrupted, "So no excuses, my friend." Before Sachiko could give the chocolates back, Kaede sprinted away. I jumped when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around.
"KAEDE?!" I cried. She smirked.
"And that is how you match make, my shy Ootori fangirl," she said. She spotted Haruhi-kun. She's giving some to him? "I gotta go!"
I saw Kaede while going to the library for lunch. She was talking to Kyoya-sama. "And here are your chocolates," Kaede said, handing her beautiful batch to him. "My parents left a card too," she added, pointing at a small heart shaped card on the side.
Kyoya-sama opened the box, and his strict expression softened. "Geek?"
"At least they weren't from my parents," Kaede jested. "They have coconut in them." I was surprised at this, since she told me the shell was made of milk chocolate and the inside was dark chocolate.
It looked as if Kyoya-sama faltered. "Coconut, huh?"
Kaede swiftly took one of the chocolates supposedly being made of coconut, and stuffed them in Kyoya-sama's mouth. He protested, but the chocolate was already in his mouth. His eyes lit up.
"These are dark and milk chocolate!" he said, laughing. They were really close to each other.
"And my acting still tricks you," Kaede smirked. "For years I've known you, and you haven't even figured me out."
"Whatever." He ruffled her hair.
After that brief episode, I ran away with tears in my eyes. Anybody who had seen that would think they were two lovers, not just childhood friends. I cried and cried and cried, not knowing anything anymore.
Kaede
I sprinted after the figure I had seen run. Was that Kamiko? "Kamiko!" I called out. "Kamiko!"
I was startled by a tapping on my shoulder. "Who's Kamiko?" asked Ootori, panting and gasping for air.
Rich kids seriously can't run, can they? I sweatdropped. "She's a friend," I explained. "I'm looking for her."
I desperately looked around for the girl. I spotted her leaning on a tree, crying. I grabbed Ootori's hand (Ootori himself was surprised), and ran up to her.
"Ootori, Kamiko. Kamiko, Ootori," I introduced them, releasing Ootori's hand and making way for them.
Kamiko turned beet red and Ootori opened his mouth to protest. "H-hello," Kamiko said.
"Hello," Ootori replied. "Shi-"
"-I'm going!"
I yawned. Valentine's Day with Ootori was better than I remembered! A straight guy in a joke is the best... When I'm not the straight guy.
I was kind of hyper today, since I ate one too many chocolates. I found myself in an empty music room, sitting at the piano. The Valentine's Festival was gonna start, and my class was doing a bravery test or something. It sounded like something you would do on Halloween, but I was thinking, using my usual logic, that it was for girls to hug boys tightly when they're scared. I started playing the piano.
Who would I like to go with...?
Maybe I'll do it. I've never done a bravery test before.
I checked the clock. I better hurry.
I burst through the door of my classroom. "Yo, I wanna do it..."
"Shirai-san, you're with Kyoya-sama!"
A/N: Kaede was kind of out of character in this one, but lemme explain: Kaede loves romance. I am gonna say that. She doesn't get hyper on Valentine's because of the candy; she gets hyper from match-making and teasing her friends. Though she is serious and reclusive, she opens up to Kyoya (awwwww) and her female friends.
This is a two part story: I'm continuing it after Valentine's which is kinda awkward. Whatever! Valentine's reaches no limits. (I say that even though I'm also like Kaede; I'm a loner...)
Review, please! (o.\\\) -Ambiwriter-
