Chapter 12: Let's Get Together…Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

"You guys look horrible!" Mariko breathed as she and the twins sat on the couch in her den. She was wiping the blood from their mouths and they held ice packs on their bruises where they had been punched.

"This is nothing," they smiled then winced at the pain.

"You guys are reckless! How do you know he wasn't armed, or something?!"

"Wouldn't matter. He's a wimp," they replied making Mariko giggle because it was true. Yukio was a bit of a wimp.

"So this Bokura guy was your boyfriend?" Kaoru reiterated a bit sadly and Mariko nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Mariko said as she sat between them on the couch. "Actually, you couldn't really count him as a boyfriend if we didn't go out or kiss or anything. We just saw each other and hung out at school."

"Did you love him?" Hikaru wondered and Kaoru held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"I don't know," she breathed, looking into the fire. "I suppose I liked him, but he told me he loved me and I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I told him I loved him too. I guess Yukio was right."

"Don't say that!" they said together, and Kaoru turned her toward him.

"Now that we know the truth, we know that nothing Yukio says is right," he said. "You're nothing how he says you are."

"But I lied to Bokura," Mariko repeated near tears. "And it's because of that lie that he…"

"What?" the twins asked.

"He…killed…himself," she mumbled sadly, and the twins looked at each other in horror. She had been through so much, and she thought she was carrying this boy's blood on her hands.

"Mariko, listen to me," Kaoru said, shaking her to get her attention. Her eyes snapped to his and he saw so much hurt and guilt in them it was almost hard to look at. "You had nothing to do with his death. He took his own life, but you don't know why, do you?" Mariko shook her head weakly. "Then, you don't know if he did it because of you, which I'm sure isn't the case."

"I guess," she mumbled, looking down at her lap. The twins looked at each other and Kaoru wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Hikaru slid his hands in his pockets and felt something. He suddenly realized what the something was and looked at Mariko.

"Where's Kristine?" he said without thinking, and Kaoru looked at him in disbelief as Mariko frowned at him in confusion.

"Kristine?" Mariko wondered if she heard right. "Why?"

"Well, I just wanted a glass of water, actually," he shrugged.

"Oh, she's outside the door," Mariko explained, but she still looked at him with a frown. "Just knock on the door and tell her what you want." Hikaru nodded and walked toward the door. Kaoru and Mariko stared at the fire and heard him knock and speak to Kristine. They heard the door close again, and looked at each other with a smile.

"So, he has a crush on her?" Mariko figured out on her own.

"Yeah," Kaoru nodded. "But if he asks how you figured it out, I didn't tell you anything."

"I know. I figured it out myself, right?"

Kaoru scoffed and nodded. Mariko smiled, and looked down at her necklace again.

"Where's your dad?" Kaoru wondered.

"He's at a meeting at the firm," Mariko explained. "He's having a big meeting tomorrow. Tonight is just the preparation meeting. He does this every week."

"What's the meeting about?"

"Nothing, really, just different work things. To tell you the truth, I don't really pay attention. He's usually gone all night. Then tomorrow, I'm gonna have to go with him to be the trophy daughter."

"You go with him?!"

"Yeah. I don't mind. After the meeting I end up chatting it up with some of the lawyers and the younger ones try to impress me with their smarts and what not." She snuggled closer to Kaoru and looked up at him. "But now I can tell them I'm taken." Kaoru grinned at her and she turned so that she was almost lying on top of him.

Kaoru studied her face and saw what she wanted in her eyes. He grinned and leaned toward her face a bit as she leaned a bit toward him. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip and she smiled with a blush.

"You're bad, Kaoru," she whispered.

"I can't help it," he whispered back. "You bring out the bad in me." He pressed his lips slowly to hers as she giggled and slid her arms around his neck. They slid down and she was lying on top of him as they devoured each other's mouths. His arms wrapped around her as he gently bit her lower lip making her groan in approval. She ran her hands to his hair to deepen the kiss as deep as she could and suddenly felt Kaoru's fingers brush against the skin on her back under her shirt. She gasped and pushed up looking at him with wide eyes, realizing what was going to happen.

"Kaoru---" He pressed the tips of his fingers on her lips.

"It's alright, Princess," he whispered. "I don't expect anything."

Mariko looked at him in surprise. It was as if he had read her mind and knew exactly what she was worried about. Could he be any more perfect? She sighed and smiled making him smile back. She let herself settle onto him again and he pulled her close as she snuggled her cheek to his chest.

"Thank you, Kaoru," she whispered.

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"You didn't need to come with me, Sir," Kristine said as she and Hikaru walked down the hall toward the kitchen.

"I know," he shrugged. "I just needed to stretch my legs." A lie. He wanted to get her alone so that he could give her the necklace he bought for her. He thought she would like it, and he didn't want anyone to see that he liked her enough to give her a gift.

They rounded into the kitchen and she got him a glass of water as he sat at the counter next to the sink, where she was getting his water.

"Tell me, Kristine," he started as she handed him his water. "Do you like pretty things?" Kristine looked at him with a slight frown and his eyebrow picked up in amusement.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Pretty things. You know, like jewelry, flowers, things of that nature?"

"I suppose I do."

"Really? Because I found this, and I thought you'd like it." Hikaru slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out the heart necklace he had bought at the mall. He watched in amusement as a blush stained the maid's cheek and her eyes grew wide.

"Sir---"

"Call me Hikaru."

Kristine looked at him then back at the necklace.

"You shouldn't have, really---"

"I know," Hikaru smiled, sliding off the counter and walking behind her to drape the necklace over her neck and clasp it in the back. "I just thought you'd like it." He walked in front of her to see how it looked on her. "Just as I thought."

"What?" she breathed.

"You make it even more beautiful," Hikaru smiled making her blush and cast her eyes down.

"Please, Hikaru," she couldn't help smiling. "You flatter me."

"With good reason," he said, stepping close to her. "You're worth flattering."

"Please…"

"Yes?"

Kristine looked up at him with a deep blush staining her face.

"K-Kiss me?"

Hikaru stared at her in shock. He had to admit, he liked her forwardness, but they had just met. He would have thought she would be completely shy and tell him she shouldn't fraternize with any of Miss Hasigawa's friends. However, this girl was turning out to be rather interesting.

He smiled at her then leaned toward her, slowly and captured her lips with his. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She ran her fingers through his hair to deepen the kiss as her tongue plunged into his mouth making his eyes open in surprise. He quickly melted back into the kiss and pulled her closer as they devoured each other in passion. Now he understood why Kaoru liked kissing Mariko so often.

A/N: Reviews please?