FINALLY HOME

Diana Crescent

Chapter Twenty-three: Memories

Okay.um, thank you to all of those who have reviewed so far. I love you guys and I'm trying to get this out as soon as possible, so I can start on a sequel!!!!

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Hotaru smiled as Duo winked at her from his car. He had taken up picking her up every day, while Sammy stayed for basketball practice.

"Hello gorgeous." He said as she got in.

"Hey."

They drove off.

"Duo, this isn't the way to my house."

"I know.I took off this afternoon. I want to spend it with you."

Hotaru smiled. He had never taken off to spend time with her. "You don't have to do that."

"I know.I wanted to. I'm tired of getting to spend actual time with you on weekends."

Hotaru smiled and decided to let him just drive her wherever he wanted.

He stopped the car when they got to a park far away from the normal one that they usually went to. This one was full of flowers and had very few people.



*****



Hotaru smiled as they walked through. She already loved it.

Duo kissed her forehead and held her close.

She sighed. They hadn't truly kissed yet. Sure, there'd been soft, intimate ones like from the old movies that her grandmother had been around to go to the theatre for, but nothing like she'd heard about in the locker room or read about in books or seen in the sappy, romantic movies of her time. She wanted him to kiss her like that. He had been very respectful of her, and hadn't done anything he thought she'd find disrespectful or even been uncomfortable. She knew that he loved her. Without a doubt in her mind, heart, or soul, she knew he loved her, but dang it!! He was slower than a decrepit old turtle.

She had finally gone to Mina for advice about what to do. 'Take matters into your own hands!! Don't wait for him to kiss you, kiss him!! For crying out loud, it's the Twenty-first century girl!' Mina's voice rang out through her head. Hotaru smiled again as she thought of how Mina had responded. She had jumped up and down, trying to get Hotaru motivated and happy.

~Well, Hotaru, it's now or never. If you don't do it now, you'll never do it at all.~ She began to think of how she should kiss him, start him off.

"Duo," she said and stopped, making him stop and turn to face her.

"Yeah?" He asked, seeing she was nervous and a little preoccupied with something.

She leaned over and kissed him. When he began to kiss back, she took his lower lip in-between hers and gently, lovingly nipped it with her teeth.

Duo was shocked. He hadn't expected her to do this. He'd thought of it plenty of times, but for once in his life, he wasn't going to make a move until he was sure she was ready. He had sworn that he wasn't going to come on to her or pressure her into something she didn't want to do.

Duo pulled her close and began to gently suck on her upper lip.

Hotaru let out a moan that drove him mad with want. He pressed his tongue gently against her lips, asking, begging for entrance.

She opened her mouth a little and allowed his tongue to slide along hers.

He symbol shot out and connected his forehead with hers.

**

A twig cracked from behind her.

"Who's there!" She commanded while turning around swiftly.

"Just me, my love." He said from behind her.

Hotaru turned around, "Duo." She said and ran into his arms and kissed him deeply

"I love you." He whispered as his hand ran down her back lovingly, as he had always done.

"I love you too." She said and began to cry.

"What's wrong my darling?"

"What if I never see you again? We're loosing this war Duo, and what if I never see you again?"

"You have to have faith, sweet. You must have faith." He whispered against her lips and kissed her once more before he left her.

**

"For a long time after you died, I thought that I hadn't had enough faith." She whispered brokenly against his shoulder, after she had cried a great deal.

"No, it wasn't you. They were just too strong." He whispered and held her close.

Hotaru sniffed back more tears.

Duo leaned down and kissed her deeply, making her sadness disappear.

"I've wanted to kiss you like that for a long time now." He whispered huskily against her mouth.

"I've been waiting on you to kiss me like that for a long time now." She whispered back and smiled.

Duo kissed her again. "Hmm.if we don't stop, I may never take you home."

Hotaru smiled. "I don't have to be home until eleven."

"Eleven huh?" He grinned wickedly at her and picked her up.

She gasped when his arm slid under her knees and her back. He carried her over to a tree, where he laid her down on the grass and continued to kiss her there.

"I see no point in standing up until eleven if I'm going to keep kissing you." He said as he nibbled behind her ear.

Hotaru gasped in pleasure as he hit a spot, just next to the lobe of her ear, that made a shock got through her body.

"Duo.we can't.."

"I won't." He promised her, kissing her gently to seal the deal. "We won't do that until our wedding night." He said and winked, making her go bright red.



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TBC! Okay!!! Next chapter: Yaten and Michelle!!!