Chapter 4: Plans

"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked as they were driven home.

"Yeah?" Hikaru replied.

"Do---Do you really not like Mariko?" Kaoru asked, twiddling his thumbs a bit, and Hikaru looked at his younger brother in surprise. Why would he bring up Mariko? He never talked about any designates they had. They weren't really worth talking about too much.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked.

"Well, when she walked in you showed that you were disappointed. Do you not like her?"

"Of course I like her! Not that way, but I like her. She's fun." The look on his brother's face was worth his answer. Hikaru did like Mariko, of course, but more as a designate that they could tease and make blush. Nevertheless, he liked her. But the look on Kaoru's face when he said he did, it was like joy and thanks wrapped into one look. Hikaru had a strange feeling that Kaoru saw Mariko as a bit more than a designate, but he wouldn't be sure, until tomorrow.

"She seems different, doesn't she, Hikaru?" Kaoru wondered. Hikaru merely nodded. "She doesn't seem like any of our other designates. She doesn't even go wild when we pull our brotherly love act."

"Maybe she likes it the other way," Hikaru laughed.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru frowned in confusion.

"Maybe she'd rather you be the attacker," Hikaru laughed a bit harder, not being able to see his younger brother as the "attacker" in their relationship.

"Maybe we should switch it up tomorrow!" Kaoru suggested excitedly. "She can always tell which one of us is which, but if we switch looks and roles tomorrow, maybe we can trip her up!"

"She can't tell us apart," Hikaru laughed and waved his brother off.

"Yes she can!" Kaoru insisted. "She could tell which one is me and which one is you from the very first day!"

Hikaru looked at him in disbelief, realizing that that must have been the reason why Kaoru had frozen the first day Mariko was there. His shock subsided and he grinned devilishly.

"Well, let's see if the master of identities can figure us out tomorrow. I have a plan, dearest little brother."

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She kissed his neck and chest, tenderly as their hands roamed each other's bodies. She closed her eyes to savor every touch and feel every small movement. She raised her head and felt his lips trail hot kisses down her neck, softly. His lips trailed the side of her neck and his teeth began nibbling at her ear lobe. She giggled making him smile and he pulled her close to him.

"You're mine forever now, Mariko," he whispered.

"Never let me go, Yukio," she moaned back.

Mariko sat straight up in bed with a loud shout and wide eyes. She had a cold sweat drenching her entire body, and she trembled in horror as she swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Her breathing was labored and she let out a shaky breath trying to bring her heart to a normal palpitation.

What the hell was that?! Of all people to dream about like that it had to him---the man she truly despised. What was wrong with her?! Was her mind playing an evil trick on her, or was it trying to tell her something? Was her mind trying to tell her that she accept Yukio's proposal? It would be better for everyone if she did. The only thing was she knew she would be miserable if she did it.

No. She wouldn't marry him. She had already made that decision, but this time, she made it with a promise. She promised herself that as soon as she found that man that made her palms sweat, her knees shake, her heart pound and her mouth go dry, she wouldn't let him go. She would prove Yukio totally wrong and make that commitment.

Mariko sighed and slid from her bed, deciding she wasn't going to get much sleep after that dream. She opened her door quietly and snuck down the hallway to go into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Wondering what time it was, she glanced at her watch and sighed when she read the time. One o'clock, on the nose. She knew this whole thing with Yukio was bothering her on every level of her mind now. After her mother died she used to wake up from a dead sleep at one o'clock in the morning…on the nose.

She shook the thought of Yukio from her mind as she reached the kitchen and tried desperately to think of something else while she rummaged through the fridge. Tomorrow. What could happen tomorrow? She smirked at the thought of the Hitachiin twins as she pulled out a gallon of chocolate ice cream and sat on the counter next to the sink, grabbing a spoon from the silverware drawer. Sakura had been right in choosing them for her hosts. She was a bit like them. She could tell those twins lived in their own world, just like she did. Though she couldn't sense that anything tragic had happened to them, it didn't matter to her. She knew that they knew how she felt. There had been real sorrow in Hikaru's eyes when she had told them about her mother's passing.

And other than that, she liked messing with them, although it was mostly Kaoru that was being messed with. Hikaru was too quick for her, and most of the things she did to tease them, he would do himself. She could tell from Kaoru's reactions that no one could ever tell them apart from each other and the fact that she could made it all the more fun to tease them.

It really wasn't that hard to figure out which one was which. Hikaru pretty much always had his hair parted to the right, and Kaoru had his parted to the left. Then there was the difference in their personalities. Together they were a pair of devils, but Kaoru was more innocent, that was very apparent to her.

"I wonder if I'm the first one to be able to tell which one of them is which," Mariko thought aloud, taking a bite of ice cream. "I'm sure someone else had been able to tell Hikaru from Kaoru."

"Are you talking about the Hitachiin twins?" her father suddenly asked, making her jump and look to the entrance. He walked in casually and pulled a spoon from the silverware drawer.

"Yeah," Mariko said, handing him the ice cream. "They're my hosts in the Host Club at school."

"I'm still considering keeping you away from that place," Saigo said, taking a bite of ice cream then handing it back to his daughter.

"It's on campus," she reminded him. "And besides, I didn't know the school had a Host Club until I was dragged there by my new friend over there."

"What does this Host Club do?"

"I told you last night."

"I was distracted with the other things we were yelling about last night. I didn't quite hear that part of the discussion."

"You call that a discussion?" Mariko smirked.

"Never mind that, just answer the question." Saigo smiled, taking the ice cream from her again.

"Basically, they sweet talk to girls and make them feel loved. They hang out with them and talk, there's always more than one girl with them at a time. Usually four or five."

"Are these hosts handsome?"

"Of course they are, dad," Mariko laughed, taking the ice cream back after he had a bite. "They wouldn't be hosts if they weren't." She took one last bite of the ice cream and slid off the counter to walk to the fridge and put it away.

"How did you end up with two hosts?"

"The Hitachiin twins come as a set."

"So you have two, handsome twins with you after school telling you what you want to hear?" Saigo could feel his blood boiling at the fact that not just one but two boys were around his daughter when he wasn't there, but he kept a look of calm on his face and a tone of casual conversation in his voice. Mariko however could see right through his peaceful mask, and smirked when she walked back to her father.

"Yes, I do," she smiled, innocently. "Did I mention that they kiss your hand and even hold you sometimes?"

"Are you trying to make me angry?"

"Of course not, father. I wouldn't dream of it." Saigo shook his head with a small smirk. "But I am having fun over there. I don't fall for any of their ploys, but that's the beauty of it. I'm not like the other girls that hang out there. They all swoon and totally fall for all their little games. I'm gonna give them a challenge with me. They'll have to work extra hard to sweep me off my feet." Mariko clapped her hands together and grinned devilishly as she giggled and Saigo shook his head again.

"Mariko? Why are up anyway? You couldn't sleep?"

Mariko looked up at her father in surprise then sighed as she took her place on the counter.

"I woke up at one," she confessed, and Saigo looked at her worriedly.

"One?"

Mariko nodded.

"Is it about Yukio?"

She nodded again, and he sighed.

"I'm dreaming about him, and I don't want to!"

"Dreaming about him? What are you dreaming about?"

"Well, in one dream I was saying that I want him and in another dream we were…doing stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Saigo wondered through clenched teeth. He already had an idea of what she meant and the look in her eyes confirmed it when she looked at him for a split second then looked away. He didn't scold her. How could he? It was her subconscious and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't control that to protect her.

"I'm sorry dad," Mariko murmured.

"For what?" Saigo frowned in confusion.

"For dreaming that way," she mumbled. Saigo couldn't help the burst of laughter that erupted from his lungs. Mariko glared at him as he continued laughing. "What do you find so funny?"

"You don't have to apologize for your dreams you silly girl!" Saigo smiled. "You can't control your dreams!"

"I'm glad you think my misery is amusing, father," she said sarcastically.

"I don't find your misery amusing. I find your apology to be utterly ridiculous! What do you think you would be able to do about your dreams?" Mariko shrugged, and slid off the counter.

"I'm gonna go to bed and see if I dream about something else other than the pretty-ugly-boy."

"You know where I am if you have nightmares, baby."

"Please, dad, I'm a freshman in high school…I don't have nightmares anymore." She turned to walk away as her father shrugged, but then she turned to look at him and he frowned at her in confusion. "Could you leave your door open, just in case?" Saigo chuckled and nodded making her smile guiltily before she walked down the hall to her room.

Saigo turned to lean forward on the counter and sighed. He couldn't get over the fact that she was growing up and thinking about…that. If he didn't want her to be happy so much he wouldn't let her go to the Host Club. Who knows what she could get into?! But she had mentioned that multiple girls go in at a time, and it was a huge room with no place to hide, really.

His thoughts suddenly wandered to Yukio. In all truth, he hated the boy. He wished he could leave his daughter alone and not use her to get to the firm. But as much as he hated him, Saigo had to admit he was the best candidate for both taking care of his daughter and the firm. His grades were good, and he could provide for Mariko in any way was needed, but there was something in that boy's eyes that spoke true treachery.

Saigo knew he was treading on thin ice with this whole situation. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand his daughter being miserable for the rest of her life, and he hated the idea of Mariko being with Yukio. He had to make a decision. He had to decide what was best for his daughter. To let her find the man she loved and hope that she found someone who could run his firm as well, or force her to marry Yukio for the good of the firm.

"Oh, Akina," he whispered his late wife's name. "What would you do? You were better at raising her than I am. I must be a terrible parent. You wouldn't even think of forcing her to marry someone she hated, would you?" He clenched his fists in anger at himself and slammed them on the counter. "That's it then! She can marry whoever she wants! I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to!" He turned and ran down the hall to Mariko's room. He was going to tell her tonight. This was the last time she would wake up at one in the morning for this.

A/N: Ok, so daddy Saigo made a huge attitude adjustment. I wanted to make him nicer cause he's all Mariko's got, and they have to have some niceness goin on, eh? Ha ha! Reviews please?