A/N: Some of you faithful readers are expressing concerns about the rest of the Host Club. My only advice is patience...we'll get there. I have something special planned. wink

Chapter 11: The Mall

"Oh, this blouse is so cute!" Mariko smiled holding up a blouse to the twins. "Isn't it cute?"

"You just like it because it's purple," they replied and Mariko made a face at them. They had figured out a long time ago that purple was her favorite color, making it easier for them to get her things if they were to buy her presents.

"And what is wrong with my liking it because of its color?" Mariko wondered, putting the blouse back on the rack she had taken it from.

"It's not stylish," they replied making Mariko stare at them in disbelief.

"What do you mean?! It's adorable!"

"You don't shop for yourself much, do you?" Hikaru wondered and she shook her head. "I rest my case."

"Hikaru!" Mariko gasped in disbelief and began hitting him in a playful way. Kaoru wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her away as they all laughed.

"Now, Princess, you don't want to make a scene," Kaoru whispered in her ear as he let her go. She smiled and turned to kiss him on the cheek. He blushed and as she turned back around, she saw a jewelry store making her face light up.

"Come on!" she laughed, grabbing Hikaru's and Kaoru's hands and dragging them toward it. They entered the store and she let them go then suddenly disappeared.

"She doesn't waste time, does she?" Kaoru chuckled and Hikaru smiled a bit weakly. Kaoru frowned at him in confusion and he shook his head but Kaoru wouldn't have it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Hikaru lied.

"Hikaru, don't lie to me."

"I saw Rose at the beach today," Hikaru chirped, trying to change the subject and they walked deeper into the store.

"Who?" Kaoru truly didn't know who he was talking about.

"One of our designates," Hikaru replied. "Rose Destler."

"Oh, I remember."

"She was talking crazy," Hikaru laughed. "She was saying that Mariko was trying to take you away from me." He didn't want look at Kaoru looking at him in disbelief. He had brought it up casually because he didn't want Kaoru to think that he believed Rose.

"What made her think that?" Kaoru wondered and Hikaru merely shrugged.

"I don't know," Hikaru mumbled, stopping at a rack of necklaces and lifting a chain to examine it. "Maybe because she's your girlfriend and not mine."

Kaoru looked at him in shock again.

"Not that I expect you to share or anything. Maybe it's because we're spending a lot more time with her and you're her favorite. Maybe---" He stopped when he felt Kaoru's hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around and Kaoru smiled warmly at him.

"Nothing can tear us apart, Hikaru," he murmured. "Not even a girl."

Hikaru scoffed and they slung their arms over each other's shoulders. They walked deeper into the store to look for Mariko, and Kaoru suddenly stopped as they passed a rack. He lifted a puka-shell necklace in his hand and examined it, then showed it to his brother.

"What?" Hikaru shrugged.

"Do you think Mariko would like this?" Kaoru hoped.

"We're in a jewelry store," Hikaru scoffed. "I'm pretty sure she'll like everything." They laughed and Kaoru paid for the necklace before Mariko saw him with it then shoved it in his pocket. Hikaru looked at another rack and examined a silver chain with a diamond heart outline hanging from it. He held it toward Kaoru.

"You think Kristine would like this?" he asked, and Kaoru frowned in confusion.

"We don't have a designate named Kristine," Kaoru recalled.

"I know," Hikaru replied. "She's not a designate." He didn't say anything else making Kaoru grin devilishly. "What?"

"Who is she?"

"Never mind, I'll just buy it without your opinion." Hikaru walked to the counter to pay for the necklace with Kaoru on his heels.

"Who is it?!"

"If you can't figure it out then I'm not telling you."

"Hikaru, that's not fair!"

Hikaru shrugged, and Kaoru crossed his arms in a huff. He thought hard as Hikaru received his change and the necklace. Kristine. He knew that name. He heard it somewhere. Another man had said that name. Mariko had said that name. It hit him in a split second and he grinned devilishly making Hikaru's eyes shift in nervousness.

"The maid," Kaoru whispered. "It's her, isn't it?"

"Don't tell mom," Hikaru said quickly and Kaoru's face lit up.

"It is! You like Mariko's maid!"

"Not so loud!"

"I'm telling Mariko!" Kaoru tried to dart off to find her, but Hikaru grabbed his arm in a bruising grip, making him stop and look at his brother in shock.

"Don't say anything to anyone, Kaoru," Hikaru growled. "You do and we'll play punishment games that you will not enjoy." Kaoru stared at Hikaru with wide eyes.

Kaoru knew why Hikaru didn't want anyone to know he had a crush on a maid. If their parents found out, they would strongly disapprove. Like most rich and prominent families, the boys were expected to marry in their economic status.

Kaoru nodded to his brother, and Hikaru let his arm go.

"I won't tell," Kaoru promised and Hikaru nodded in thanks. Mariko suddenly appeared again as quickly as she had disappeared.

"Ok, we can go now," she said, and dragged them out of the store. "I can't buy anything anyway, I didn't bring any money."

"But we still left with a souvenir," Kaoru smirked and Mariko whirled around with a frown of confusion on his face.

"What do you mean?"

The boys grinned, and Kaoru pulled out the necklace he had bought for her. They grinned wider as her face lit up and she gently touched it but didn't take it from him.

"Simple, yet beautiful…like you," Kaoru whispered. He stepped behind her and placed the puka-shell string around her neck.

"Kaoru, you know you didn't have to!"

"He wanted to," Hikaru said as she stared at the necklace while holding it gently. She looked at Kaoru as he stood next to her and he smiled. She hadn't gotten a gift from a boy before, except her father. He had no idea how much this meant to her.

"Thank you," she whispered then slipped her hand in his.

"Let's go," Hikaru said, slinging his arm around Mariko's shoulders making her smile at him. She had to fight the tears coming to her eyes from spilling onto her cheeks.

It wasn't the fact that she had twins attending to her, it was because for the first time in her life since her mother had died she was truly happy with these guys. She felt like this was all a dream and she was going to wake up and be back in her bed with no friends and her mother gone as well.

"Want something to eat, Mariko?" the twins asked, and she was jolted from her thoughts.

"Sure," she said, and couldn't help the small shudder that shook her shoulders. The twins looked at her with frowns of confusion.

"What's wrong?" they asked, completely concerned.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm just so happy," she whispered so low they almost couldn't hear her. "You guys have no idea how much you both mean to me." The twins looked at each other in shock. "As friends, and so much more, I mean. Besides Sakura you guys are the only friends I've had in a long time." She glanced between them, and hugged one arm of each twin. "Thank you."

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"He's buying her things?!" Yukio hissed as he hid behind a plant outside the jewelry store. He had followed them after they left the beach. "How can he be buying her things?! They only met three days ago! This is going too slow. To hell with Rose's plan, I'm getting this done now!" He stormed out from his hiding place when the three were far enough away and shoved people out of the way to get to them.

He tapped the twin holding her hand on the shoulder and when he turned around Yukio didn't hesitate to give him a fist to the face. The twin fell to the floor as Mariko gasped in horror, and the other brother tackled Yukio without a second thought. The two fell to the floor and Mariko gasped as the twin punched Yukio without mercy several times.

"Hikaru!" Mariko shouted as she sat with the other twin on the floor and wiped the blood from his lip. "He's not worth it!"

Yukio took this opportunity to turn the tables in his favor and gave Hikaru a right hook while the twin was looking at Mariko. She gasped again and Hikaru fell onto his back and Yukio pinned him to the floor to punch him several times. Kaoru growled in anger and scrambled to his feet then tackled Yukio to the ground.

By this time a crowd was gathering to watch the fight and Mariko was soon surrounded by people, but they were pushing her away from seeing the three. She struggled through the crowd and shoved people out of the way to get to them. She had to stop this. The twins were going to kill him, and she wouldn't let them get in trouble for something that had nothing to do with them.

She finally reached the center of the crowd and gasped in horror at seeing the twins punching Yukio together. She ran toward them and pulled them away from the boy as hard as she could. They tried to shove Mariko away as Yukio stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth, but Mariko stood in front of them and would not move.

"Stop it, all of you!" she shouted. She turned to Yukio and walked toward him. "Leave me alone. And leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this!"

"They have everything to do with this!" Yukio argued. "You and I belong together! Our families---"

"Our families' history has nothing to do with what has happened between us!" Mariko spat. "Nor do they control our feelings for others or each other!"

"Feelings?! You're one to talk about feelings, considering that you lied to your last boyfriend!"

"Shut up, Yukio," she warned through clenched teeth.

"Haven't told them, have you?" Yukio smirked as much as he could. "Bokura really liked you, didn't he Mariko, and you broke his heart to the point where he couldn't live anymore. How does it feel to know that you were responsible for---" A smack and a gasp of the crowd resounded and the twins stared at Mariko and Yukio as he lifted his hand to his cheek in pain.

"I told you, shut up," Mariko repeated. She turned to the twins and sighed in despair at their bloodied and bruised faces. "Let's go, boys."

"So many secrets," Yukio murmured. "So many lies. You told Bokura you loved him. Did you, truly? Or was it just to keep him happy and with you?"

"She told you to shut up!" Hikaru growled, getting ready to jump him again. "If you know what's good for you, you'll do what she says!"

"Shouldn't it be the other twin growling at me?" Yukio smirked. "Or are you too chicken, Kaoru?"

"I'm gonna rip you apart!" Hikaru roared. He lunged toward Yukio, but Mariko and Kaoru gripped one arm each holding him back. Kaoru wrapped his arms around Hikaru and Mariko walked toward Yukio again.

"You like making trouble, but I am not going to let you make trouble for me or my friends. Leave me alone." She turned and walked back toward the boys, taking one arm each and leading them away.

"Mariko?" Kaoru whispered. "What was he talking about?"

"I'll explain it when we get home," Mariko replied, still leading them away. "When we get home."

A/N: Ah, yes, the long awaited fight between the twins and Yukio. Aren't you all happy? Anyways, let me explain this before I get reviews that say 'NO!!!! Hikaru likes Haruhi! Why would you sick him on the maid!!!' I felt bad that Hikaru didn't have anybody, and I figured I'd make him like Kristine because it's pretty much only implied that he likes Haruhi like that, and, so, yeah. Anyways, I think Tamaki and Haruhi make a cuter couple anyway. In my head, Tamaki and Haruhi are together...always, always, always!! lol! Ok, now you may review.