A.N.: HELLO, and welcome back to another chapter of the Shadow Queen! KaedexKyoya is officially canon yayayayay! This chapter will be focusing on Sachiko, whose character has been a bit shaky for a bit, as I've been trying to find out who to ship her with.

On another note, I have changed Chapter 13,14, and 15, drastically, as of July 20, 2018. So if you read it before that date, I suggest you reread it. It doesn't mess completely with the plot, they're more like separate short stories as I thought they were quite boring. ESPECIALLY 14 BECAUSE THIS HAS MANY REFERENCES TO THAT.

I also changed the fact that Sachiko had liked Haruhi and made it so that she was observant enough to figure it out herself. I know, sorry to change a lot, but I was not content with her character;;

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC.

MAYONAKA SACHIKO:

A small girl, shorter than Haruhi, with light brunette hair. Despite her size, she is reasonably fit, thanks to Kaede forcing her to take athletic clubs. She prefers to be a background character, and can only talk to hot guys with the support of Haruhi or Kaede. She has a terrible tendency to get lost, and is clumsier than average. Because of her status as a wallflower, she observes people very well. When she's in a group of people, she can be more outgoing than when she's talking one-on-one. She acts childish with people she's close to, and can get very dependent on them. She hates being teased, but gets teased a lot. She didn't speak well with the host club in the beginning, as she was still learning Japanese.

SHIRAI KAEDE:

A tall girl, between Kyoya and Haruhi's height. People remark on her likeness to Kyoya, as she, too carries a notebook, wears glasses, and is extremely intelligent. Her personality differs in key areas, though, as she is more arrogant, mischievous, violent, and expressive in her feelings. She is very blunt and unapologetic but is generally sweet to girls like Haruhi and Sachiko. She doesn't hesitate to threaten people despite social status, and is very protective of the ones she holds dear. As a child, she was more outgoing, as the events of her middle school years left her more cynical than ever. She hates being bored more than anything.


Friendship


"Chiya~" Kaede walked up the entrance of Ouran Academy, spotting her small friend passing through. Her light brunette hair was permed, and her skin looked nice and plush. "Ooh...you're looking nice!" she gave a thumbs up. Sachiko fought a bashful smile.

"Haruhi rejected the twins' offer to get a makeover after school yesterday," she said, touching her hair, "so they kidnapped me instead." Kaede raised her eyebrows. Since when was she this close to the twins?

She frowned. She had left her alone for that one week (back in Chapter 14), and suddenly her cute little Sachiko was already grown up. She was fully immune to the twins' hotness, and even had the composure to hang out with them without Kaede or Haruhi around.

It's not only the twins, she added. Because of her joining kendo, Sachiko had grown more accustomed to Mori, as well as Honey (although it's quite easy to get along with him). Plus, Kaede suddenly recalled, she's starting to roast Tamaki-senpai. Kaede gasped inwardly.

SHE'S BECOME ONE OF THE HOST CLUB?! she thought in horror. Sachiko's awkwardness had always gotten in the way of her truly expressing herself, but, Kaede suddenly realized, the Host Club were professionals at not making girls feel awkward. She pinched her nose bridge, looking at the unknowing Sachiko. Now that I think of it, she's been hanging around with us lately, she remembered her showing up at her door when the Host Club randomly visited. I mean, I'm glad that she's made a nice basis of friends, but I'm confused as to how she's made them.

As if answering her confused pleas, the twins appeared by her side. "Good morning, Sachiko-chan, Kaede!" they greeted.

"Good morning, Hikaru, Kaoru," Sachiko responded. The two inspected her for a minute, then gave a thumbs-up. Sachiko responded with a nod.

They have telepathic communication?! Kaede thought, shocked.

"How're you liking your new hair?" Kaoru asked, touching the perm.

"It's nice," Sachiko said, smiling.

"I'm so confused...," Kaede mumbled.

"Hm?" Hikaru questioned.

"KAEDE!" a voice from the distance cried out. She turned around to find a flash of blonde going straight for her.

"Whoa there," she dodged Tamaki before he could bump into her, grabbing him by his collar before he could go any further. "Why are you running at me first thing in the morning?" She flicked his forehead, holding him up.

"K-k-ky-" he stammered. "I woke up Kyoya to go to school together the commoner way, and I ENDED UP AWAKENING THE MONSTER!" He pointed, his hand shaking, to an area with a black aura. Looking closer, it was Kyoya, bed hair and all, on a zombie walk to school. Kaede laughed at the monstrous state of her boyfriend. She let Tamaki down and walked over to him. "W-wait, Kaede, I don't think that's a good idea-"

Kaede flicked the zombie on the forehead.

"KAEDE?!" Tamaki shouted in horror as Kyoya's aura grew.

"Relax, senpai," she said, rolling her eyes. She picked up Kyoya. "I'm gonna go inside and get some coffee for him. See you at lunch!" She disappeared in a flash.

"That's Kaede for you," the twins commented, reappearing. They had hidden at the sight of Kyoya.

"As expected of the woman who beat Honey-senpai," Hikaru said, sweatdropping.

"I wonder if she gets like the two beasts when she wakes up," Kaoru said thoughtfully, referring to Kyoya and Honey. Sachiko popped up from her hiding spot. She too, had heard of Kyoya's monstrous half-asleep state.

"Naw, Kaede's pretty mellow when it comes to waking up in the morning," she answered. "She's good at not sleeping."

The others sweatdropped, remembering the times when Kaede had gotten sick. "Rather, she's fully functional without any sleep..."


"Kyoya, wake up already," Kaede said, flicking him once again. She had gone to the cafeteria with him, as they served as a cafe in the morning. She ordered a latte and a croissant, ready to spill the piping hot coffee onto her sweetheart. She laid him down on a sofa, and took a seat at his feet. "School's starting in a half an hour," she slapped him softly.

He stirred, but didn't wake up.

How did he walk through the entrance like this..., Kaede sweatdropped. She looked down at his sleeping figure, noticing his eye bags and tousled hair. She smiled. He's so cute when he's not awake, she gushed inwardly. She stroked his hair, and moved to take off his glasses. "Wake up, or I'll rip your notebook in half."

His eyes opened, his body jerking up in a quick movement.

In the course of one moment, his loosened glasses flew off his face toward the ground, and right under the foot of a passerby.

"Ah."


"Where's Kaede?" Haruhi asked, going up to the twins and Sachiko, who sat at their respective desks. "She usually gets here pretty early, and class is about to start."

"She got permission from the teacher to skip class," Hikaru said, shrugging.

"Something about Kyoya-senpai's glasses," Kaoru added.

"He's like, legally blind, or something," Sachiko concluded.

"Kyoya-senpai again, huh?" Haruhi frowned. "Wait, you guys don't think..." they looked at each other, as Haruhi paused expectantly.

"...they're dating, right?"


"Achoo!" Kyoya sneezed.

"Bless you," Tamaki and Kurata said.

"Thanks."

"Are you getting sick or something?"

"I must be, because, for some reason, I see a blur that looks like Shirai."

"Ootori-kun, that's her," Kurata sweatdropped.

"Ahaha, that's funny, because class starts in 5 minutes and the first year classes are down a floor."

"Yeah, almost as funny as the way your glasses broke."

"Aha, I must be sleeping right now."

"Kyoya, I think you mean 'dreaming...,'" Tamaki sweatdropped. They were in the 2nd year classroom, and Kaede had pulled up a chair in between Kyoya and Tamaki's desks. Their classmates looked, amazed, as the rumored "Miss Perfect" was sitting comfortably right in their classroom.

"I thought she was a first year..."

"So she's really Kyoya-kun's girlfriend, huh?"

"How cool..."

The murmurs of the classroom reached Kaede's ears. She smirked.

"My teacher's letting me help you in class today, since I broke your glasses," she shrugged. "You're as good as blind without your glasses, and the nurse's office doesn't carry your prescription. Anyways," she turned to Tamaki, holding out her hand, "I'll be in your care, senpai." They exchanged a manly handshake.

"By the way, Kyoya, I have new ideas for the host club tomorrow!" he took out a bunch of papers and magazines out of his desk. Kyoya moved to fix his glasses, only to find that they weren't there. He slumped over in depression. Tamaki and Kaede sweatdropped.

"I'll help you arrange the stuff, Tamaki-senpai," Kaede said, taking out her notebook. "I'm as good as Ootori when it comes to managing the club, anyways."


"It's the first years!" Honey-senpai greeted Sachiko, the twins, and Haruhi cheerfully. They were walking to the cafeteria.

"Hi, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai," Sachiko greeted.

"Where's the fifth one?" Mori said, referring to the missing leader of the group.

"Kaede spent our morning classes in Tono and Kyoya-senpai's classroom," Hikaru said, shrugging.

"She broke his glasses, or something," Kaoru added.

"Haruhi suggested they were dating, but that's not possible, is it?" Sachiko asked the older boys. They seemed to know a lot about the host club, as they sometimes sat aside with Kyoya to observe the younger boys.

"Kyo-chan would only date a girl who rivaled his wealth and social status," Honey said, stating the obvious.

"Now that I think of it, Kaede doesn't seem super rich," Haruhi frowned. "She said her family's a first generation rich family, and she doesn't live in a super fancy house." The others tilted their heads.

"Haruhi, do you have a cell?" the twins asked.

"No, why?" The others took out their cellphones. Looking closer, Haruhi noticed that they all had a distinct "Shirai" logo plastered on the back.

"When Kaede's father was 25, he was the youngest billionaire in the world," Sachiko informed the other commoner.

"Although newer to the business world than most families-" Hikaru started.

"-the Shirai company is the leading technology developer in the world," Kaoru said.

"Kae-chan's as rich as Kyo-chan, if not richer," Honey concluded. Haruhi touched her chin and thought for a second.

"So you're saying, if Kyoya were to date anybody, it would definitely be someone as influential and well off as Kaede?"

They all gasped in realization.

"Oh, they found us out, Kyoya," Kaede appeared, along with the second years. "Who found out first?" They pointed to Haruhi. Kyoya walked up from behind Kaede. The others raised their eyebrows, as they rarely saw him without glasses.

"That's true, I'd only date a girl as influential and well off as Kaede," Kyoya took out his notebook and moved to fix his glasses. He slumped into depression again.

"YOU'RE DATING KAEDE?!" Tamaki exclaimed, shaking the worn-down Kyoya. "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL YOUR BEST FRIEND?!"

"At any rate, how's Kyoya-senpai coping without his glasses?" Hikaru asked Kaede gravely.

"Must we cancel the host club today?" Kaoru said.

"He's functional, but the emotional damage has taken a toll," Kaede answered seriously, looking at Kyoya with eyes of pity. "He doesn't even have the coordination to hit my head."

"Ah!" the twins blew their noses on handkerchiefs dramatically.

"No mind! No mind! I'll take care of the host club while Kyoya gets his new glasses afterschool!" Kaede said, her hands on her hips. The twins clapped.

"We do still have the president...," Haruhi sweatdropped.

"You sure are energetic," a hand grabbed Kaede from behind. Kyoya's hair was standing up on its ends, as the tired monster had awakened. "I'm fine, I can do my work on my own." Kaede frowned, and put the back of her hand on his forehead.

"Kyoya, you have a fever."


"I can't believe you're dating that demon," Sachiko shuddered. The freshmen were walking back to class together, having dropped off the reluctant Kyoya to the infirmary. Although Sachiko had a generally good view on people, she was rather wary of the enigma that was Kyoya. He seemed to know everyone and everything from a business perspective, and didn't seem like the type that would care for her best friend. Maybe it's just the fact that they're childhood friends? she thought.

"And I can't believe you became such good friends with the twins," Kaede retorted.

"What's wrong with us?" the twins asked innocently.

"Chiya doesn't make friends that easily, especially with good looking guys," she said, shrugging.

Sachiko sweatdropped. Although it was true, Kaede was quite brutal when it came to stating facts.

"Ey, you called us good looking," Kaoru pointed out optimistically.

"I'm more good looking though, so calm your egos," Kaede rolled her eyes.


Three weeks ago,

during Kaede's neglect phase...

"This is Mayonaka Sachiko, she'll be transferring in from 1-B," the teacher introduced. The girl stood at the front nervously, as all eyes looked to her. "Pick a seat, Mayonaka-san."

She looked straight to Kaede, who sat in the back between Haruhi and the twins. The only seat available near them was the one in front of Kaoru. "I-I'll be in your care," she bowed respectfully. She had been reading up on Japanese manners, so her way of speaking was very stiff and polite.

"Ne, ne, Sachiko-chan, do you know which twin I am?" Kaoru asked mischievously. "If you guess right, I'll let you sit next to Kaede. If you guess wrong, you owe me a snack." Sachiko tilted her head.

"Y-you're Kaoru," she said immediately. The twin raised his eyebrows, taken aback.

"Wh-how'd you know?" he was surprised to know that someone other than Haruhi and Kaede could tell them apart.

"Your voice is more soothing," Sachiko stated confidently. She was used to dealing with twins, as her cousins played this kind of game when they were little. Plus, she was very observant of people, as she usually observed friendship candidates closely before attempting contact. However, she usually didn't have the guts to do so. "I-it's fine, Kaoru, I don't mind staying here," she said as Kaoru moved to change seats.

"Oi, Kaoru, are you bullying Chiya?" Kaede said, noticing their conversation.

"Sachiko-chan can tell us apart," Kaoru said, frowning, catching the attention of his twin.

"Wait, really?" Hikaru piped in.

And so, that began the twins' interest in Sachiko.


"Sa-chan, you're here today!" Honey-senpai exclaimed, as Sachiko ate tea and crackers at one of their tables.

"Hi, Honey-senpai," she greeted politely. She was rather fond of the small boy, as he was the nicest and easiest to speak to out of all the hosts.

"Oh, Sachiko-chan, you're here," Kaoru said, walking up to the two, holding a tray for the guests. "Sorry, Kaede's not here today, and Haruhi's out on errands."

"Oh…," Sachiko frowned. She put down her cup of tea.

"B-but feel free to stay! Honey-senpai here needs someone to eat cakes with him," Kaoru placed Honey in front of him, scratching the back of his head.

"Hn!" Honey said, taking out plates for him and Sachiko. She looked around.

"Where's Mori-senpai?" she inquired nervously.

"Takashi's at club right now," Honey answered cheerfully. "Vanilla or strawberry?"

"Vanilla, please."


As the next day passed, Kaoru found himself observing Sachiko. She didn't have the feminine, spaced-out charm of Haruhi, nor did she have the clever, mischievous charisma of Kaede; yet he found his eyes drawn to her during class. That, and she sat right in front of him.

He was quite confused as to how he had noticed her only now. She had tagged along to many Host Club activities (as she was a close friend of Haruhi and Kaede, as well as buddies with Honey), but he hadn't made himself truly comfortable with her. She wasn't the same as Haruhi; she mostly stuck to the background, and, for a while, could only talk normally when Kaede or Haruhi was around. She could pipe into group conversations, but when it came to one-on-one, she became a nervous wreck (except with Honey).

Maybe it's the fact that she can distinguish me from Hikaru, Kaoru thought. Or maybe it's because Kaede has made me forget how a girl actually acts. But deep down, he knew that Sachiko was different. She was rather adorable, with the way she got lost all the time, and her tendency to trip on nothing, yet he always found her looking closely at everyone around her. She didn't use her influence (like Kaede and Kyoya) to find out about people; she used her own eyes and did it herself.

It's a shame that she likes Mori-senpai…, Kaoru thought regretfully. He'd never place anyone above Honey-senpai.


"Kaoru, it's lunch," Sachiko waved her hands in front of him. He found himself looking eye-to-eye with the girl he had been observing. "The others went ahead while you were dozing off."

He tilted his head, confused. "Are you not nervous to be alone with me?" He thought she was a nervous wreck that got flustered whenever she was alone with a guy. She raised her eyebrows, taken aback.

"Uh-um-well-I usually am," she laughed nervously at the question. "But I've been hanging around the Host Club for a while, so I'm getting pretty comfortable. And, I've gotten pretty good at Japanese, so I can converse better, ahaha…"

"Oh, that's good…," Kaoru said. They sat in silence, not knowing what to say. Sachiko suddenly stood up.

"Anyways, let's get some fo-" she suddenly stepped on a banana, and fell straight towards Kaoru. He found himself catching her in an awkward embrace. Sachiko went stiff as her brain cells slowly shifted into lock down.

For a second, they stood in silence awkwardly. Then, Kaoru burst out in laughter. "How'd you even slip on a banana?!" he laughed at the flustered Sachiko. "You're so clumsy!"

She blushed immensely. "I'm sorry, okay?! I don't even know how a banana got there!" she cried as Kaoru laughed even more. "Mou...c'mon, let's walk to the cafeteria." She jumped out of Kaoru's arms and walked out the door. He laughed even more.

"Sachiko-chan, the cafeteria's the other way!"


Ever since then, Kaoru made it a point to tease Sachiko about her clumsiness and bad sense of direction, eventually blossoming it into a friendship.

"Are, are, it's Sachiko-chan!" the twins greeted the girl as she walked to their classroom.

"Hi, Kaoru, Hikaru," she responded.

"Ne, ne, are you, perhaps, lost?" Kaoru said, grinning. The two circled around her as she walked.

"What? No, I know my way to the classroom," she frowned. The twins snickered. "Wait, am I going the wrong way?" She turned back around.

The twins laughed harder.

"Don't bully Sachiko," Haruhi scowled, appearing behind the twins. "You were going the right way," she said to the confused girl. She puffed up her cheeks in anger.

"You guys are jerks," Sachiko complained. She pulled Haruhi into an embrace, hiding behind her. "Well, no mind, because you'll never be able to be this close with Haruhi!"

"Hey, no fair!" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Let's settle down guys," Haruhi sighed, patting Sachiko's head. "C'mon, we'll be late to class."

And so interactions with Sachiko became increasingly more childish and fun, and the mischievous twins realized how easy it was to get along with her.


Now…

After School, in the Club Room

After sending Kyoya home in his car, Kaede walked to the Host Club with a skip in her step. She had always wanted to try managing the Host Club, and with Kyoya's absence, she could use her abilities to help around. I haven't been doing any good lately..., she thought. She felt like besides Kyoya and Haruhi, she hadn't been able to interact much with the others.

"Kaede!" Tamaki greeted her as she walked through the doors. "Here's all my ideas for next week," he handed her a stack of papers and magazines. "Kyoya usually goes through them and makes arrangements beforehand."

"Okay, will do," she set everything down on Kyoya's usual table at the side. She went through the magazines, surprised at the amount of ideas Tamaki had thought up. Although, most were rather dumb. She quickly did the work and ended up finishing the pile in 10 minutes. She yawned, stretching. Well, that was boring, she thought.

"Shirai-san, I heard you were filling in for Kyoya-kun today!" she turned around, finding Renge behind her with books in her hands.

"Otaku-chan, haven't seen you in a while," Kaede greeted. The animosity between then had extinguished after she became a Haruhi fan. "What do you need?"

"Kyoya-kun usually looks over my doujinshi before putting it in the merch store," she held out a couple manga volumes.

"Oh, nice~" Kaede whistled, taking the books from her. "Doki Doki Ouran Diaries, right? I've never read them before."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, Shirai-san," she smiled. She then departed on her platform.

"Kyoya's job is surprisingly easy," Kaede remarked to herself, opening her notebook to write. She was emulating Kyoya today, so why not? She put her feet on the table, sat back, and relaxed. "Maybe I should do this instead of being Katana."

"Mou...where's Kyoya-kun today?" Kaede's ears perked up. She noticed 3 girls sitting on a couch, with a depressed aura emanating from them. She decided to talk them, who were without a host despite the fact that everybody except Tamaki and Haruhi didn't currently have guests.

"Sorry, princesses, but Kyoya-kun's out sick," she walked up to the girls on the couch, leaning on the back.

"Sick?!" they exclaimed, worried.

"Kyoya-kun never gets sick!"

"Is he okay?"

"Mhm," Kaede nodded. The girls paused, looking closely to her face.

"Ah, wait! You're Kyoya-kun's girlfriend!"

"Yup," she smiled. "I'm glad to know that he has such caring guests," she said charmingly. The girls swooned at her mature side. "Please, feel free to request a host; Kyoya wouldn't like it if you didn't enjoy your time here~" She walked away, as the girls felt the brunt of her charm.

"Wow, going into 'caring onee-san' mode, huh, Kaede," the twins appeared in her path.

"You should act like that all the time," Hikaru said. Kaede bonked him on the head.

"I usually act like that, what do you mean?" she said, flipping her hair. "I just don't act like that when I'm with you guys."

"You're such an unstable character…" they sweatdropped.

"At any rate, you've softened quite a bit since you came here," Kaoru told her, remembering how cold and mean she was when they first met. "Although you hit us more nowadays."

"Really?" Kaede raised her eyebrows.

"He's right, my sister!" Tamaki appeared, coming from one of his appointments. "You may be blunt, tomboyish, and violent, but you really do care!" He ran to hug her, but she caught him in the face.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"A GREAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS CHARACTERIZED BY-"

"-oh boy, here we go…"

"THE AMOUNT OF SOFTNESS A PROTAGONIST DISPLAYS," a platform arose as Renge appeared.

"You literally just gave me a doujin, how the hell…"

"What's going on?" Haruhi inquired, walking up to the commotion, followed by the third years.

"SHIRAI KAEDE, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY TURNED…...SOFT!"

Everyone in the room gasped at the revelation.
"Soft? What are you talking about?" Kaede scoffed.

"It's true!"

"She's right!"

"She's soft!"

"Allow me to explain," Renge said, pulling up a projector. "Shirai Kaede, circa. Chapter 1." She showed a picture of Kaede sitting alone in her classroom. "Hostility rate 92%." She took out a pointer, pointing to Kaede's face. "Notice the furrowed brows and constricted pupils," she said, as the rest of the Host Club stared in curiosity. "Now see here," she went to the next slide, "in an interaction we had just moments ago."

When did she take that picture? Kaede sweatdropped.

"Her eyes are softened, her brows raised, and her lips upturned in a smile." Renge took a deep breath, "Thus proving that Kaede-chan's character has changed into a SOFT TOMBOY!" Renge ended grandly, meriting applause from her audience.

"Truly a change for the better," Tamaki said, wiping away a tear. They smothered Kaede in an big embrace.

"Kaede, we'll be your friends forever!"

"Kae-chan!"

"Don't hit us anymore please!"

"Good grief…," Kaede said, pulling herself out of the embrace. "What's with all this soft stuff?"

"They read a portion of your notebook," Sachiko said, appearing out of nowhere. "I saw them from my seat with Haruhi."

"Sachiko-chan, I thought we mouthed to you not to tell her!" Kaoru stage-whispered.

"You guys weren't exactly acting inconspicuous about it," Sachiko put her hands in the air, taking a seat. Their heads turned as a low laugh came from Kaede's direction.

"Ahahaha….I must be dreaming right now, because I think I just heard Chiya say 'they read a portion of your notebook,'" Kaede chuckled darkly.

"IT WAS ONLY OPEN ON THE HOST CLUB PAGE!" Tamaki said nervously, his hands up.

"YEAH, YOU LEFT IT OUT WHEN YOU WERE TALKING WITH THOSE GIRLS, SO WE TOOK A PEEK-"

"-AND YOU SAID SO MANY NICE THINGS ABOUT US ON IT, AND EVEN PUT AN ENTRY FOR OTAKU-CHAN-"

"-WE JUST NEVER KNEW THAT YOU THOUGHT OF US LIKE THAT-"

Kaede's anger wavered.

"Okay, but how'd Renge-chan make a presentation in that short of time," Haruhi muttered.

"We didn't know you thought of us as your friends, Kae-chan," Honey smiled at her, diminishing the rest of her rage. She bonked each of the guys on the head.

"Of course you're my friends, you idiots, what else would you be?" she said. "I tag along on your dumb plans, do the stupid cosplay, and eat lunch with you guys almost everyday."

"You really meant the part where you said, 'I wouldn't mind spending my high school life with these idiots?'" Haruhi said, reading the notebook herself.

Sachiko went over to see. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Kaede…"

The taller girl sweatdropped. She pulled the two in a hug. "Damn, I've been found out."


A.N.: Random ass friendship moment :/

I know, it's kinda unrealistic, as the host club isn't that sentimental (except tamaki and maybe honey) but what Kaede wrote in her notebook was just that amazing.

Please review! I really appreciate any feedback you have!