Chapter 45

Last chapter Mariko explained to Tony that she didn't plan on surviving her encounter with Savage. Riza took the time to talk to M'gaan and Superboy about their past a bit, and explained that Mariko's their savior. Oh yeah! And Tony kissed Mariko. How will she react? You're about to find out! ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!

When Tony pulled away from Mariko she stared up at him in silence. Then her face twisted in anger.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She shouted pushing Tony away from her. Tony held tight to her hand refusing to let go.

"Mariko…I love you!" He said, Mariko scowled as her face began to turn a slight shade of pink, she ripped her hand out of Tony's grip and glared.

"Well….I don't love you! Stupid! How could you think such a stupid thing! Antana baka!?" She scolded, "Saying such a stupid thing at a time like this?! Moron! How dare you!"

"I won't let you die!" Tony shouted, Mariko paused then suddenly back handed him across the face.

"That's not your call cyborg!" She shouted as Tony held the place where she smacked him. "Moron! Why would you do that?! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! You're so stupid!"

Tony watched as Mariko had a sort of a breakdown. If he knew saying what he did would cause that much trouble, he probably wouldn't have done it. He shook his head, what was he thinking? This was all her fault! She was the reason he did what he did, and it was time for her to know that.

"You grow a backbone and this is the first thing you do?!" Mariko shouted falling to her knees, "You're so stupid!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Tony mumbled, repeating what Mariko said, she paused and looked up at him. (THAT WORD IS STARTING TO SOUND WEIRD IN MY HEAD!)

"Is that all you have to say? Really?" He said sternly. Mariko looked at him with shock, she never would have thought that he would ever talk to her like that. Tony always kept whatever comments to himself. He was too afraid of her to say this kind of stuff out loud, "I've spent the better half of my days as a cyborg! Watching you fawn over some jerk, risk other people's lives to save your friends and now you're telling me you don't plan on surviving! I'm the stupid one?!"

Mariko glared then tackled Tony to the ground placing her hands around Tony's neck.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she shouted, "You're the one who had to go and tell me this at a time like this! You're the stupid one!"

"I said it cause it was obvious to everyone but you!" He said, Mariko paused. She then stood up and got off of him. Tony sat up, "Don't walk away because you can't take it!"

Mariko then spun around and kicked Tony in the back of the head.

"Ow! What the heck!?" He shouted.

"Don't ever talk to me like that! I can still kill you if I wanted!" Mariko shouted, "I'm still the boss here!"

"Geeze, as much as I'm enjoying watching you two fight," Klarion's voice said, the duo turned to look at the Witch-boy. "We do have things to do."

Mariko glared and walked up to the Lord of Chaos, and grabbed him by the tie and glared blue and purple daggers at him.

"You knew about this didn't you!?" She hissed, Klarion smirked.

"Maybe." He said his smirk turning into a grin. Mariko growled, "Listen does it really matter? Let's all agree that this was ill-timed. Now, we really should get goin' Match is waiting and he's impatient."

Mariko let out a growl of frustration. With this on her mind now how the heck was she going to think?! She then pushed Klarion over and walked off.

"HURRY UP!"

~0~

"Robin-kun!" the twins whispered poking their heads into a room. They smiled when they found the boy wonder, and he looked back. They giggled and snuck up behind him, he cocked an eyebrow in confusion. They knew he could see them, right?

"Nandesuka…"

"…Shi teru?" Haruko asked, Robin looked to the duo with confusion as they walked up behind him. He still didn't understand what they were saying. The duo looked to each other then to him and frowned.

"What are you doing?" They translated. Robin sighed.

"Looking for someone."

"Mariko-chan?"

"No."

"Why, not?" They asked. Robin was silent for a moment, not really wanting to answer the question. Especially since he was lying about not looking for Mariko in the first place.

"Don't you…"

"…Love her?" Haruhi asked, Robin narrowed his eyes at the twins, as they looked to him with confusion.

"I don't." He grunted, the twins looked to each other and scowled. They then pointed to Robin and 'hmphed.'

"liar!" They said Robin stared, what would they know anyway? Mariko was just some crazy girl, with a twisted sense of justice, and weird eyes…that were kind of pretty…Robin shook his head.

"Why don't you two go play with your dog?" he asked, hoping they would go away.

"Yukie does not."

"Want to play." Haruhi said. When Robin didn't say anything the two looked to each other as if they were seriously thinking of something serious. They then nodded and snuck behind Robin and stole his small computer and took off.

"Hey get back here! Give that back!" He shouted chasing after the girls as they ran, giggling, into the main hall and disappeared. Robin cursed. How could he lose them in a place they don't know?

Meanwhile back in a different room the twins fiddled with Robin's minicomputer. Haruhi looked to Haruko and giggled.

"Robin-kun lies." She said.

"He likes Mariko-chan." Haruko said, the twins nodded, the thought about Tony.

"Nee, Haruko nee-san?" Haruhi mumbled.

"What about Tony nii-chan?" Haruko mumbled back, then the two got really quiet, they missed Mariko, and they missed Tony. Even if they hadn't been around him for very long they grew attached quickly.

"I think…"

"Me too…" Haruko said, holding Robin's computer, they then felt a presence behind them. They turned and saw Robin standing over them. Robin went to scold them but then saw their faces, as they handing him his computer.

"Gomen…"

"..Nasai." Haruhi said. Robin sighed, taking his computer back. For some reason staying mad at those two was much harder than it was to stay at Mariko. Maybe it was because they were innocent in all this mess?

"I'm not mad." He said, "But you shouldn't take things without asking."

"We know." The two said, "We just miss Mariko-chan."

The twins then looked up at Robin with sad eyes.

"Will you…"

"…Find her?" Haruhi asked, Robin paused. Of all the things he would have expected to hear that was probably the last thing. Robin was quiet for a long time before he spoke again.

"Alright, I'll find her." He mumbled, not entirely sure why, "And I'll bring her back safe."

After he said that he felt the twins engulf him in a group hug. Robin felt his face grow red with embarrassment. He had already told himself that he wasn't going to go looking for that girl and here he was promising to her friends to do the exact opposite. He sighed.

"Arigato gozaimasu! Robin-kun!" The two said hugging Robin tightly.

~0~

"You're going?" Zatanna asked, Robin nodded as he suited up his motorcycle to head out and find Mariko and Tony, and with any luck stop them from doing something really stupid.

"I told them I would, Mariko means a lot to those girls." He said, "And I think they know the same thing that I've been thinking."

"That Mariko's practically gone on a suicide mission?" Zatanna asked, Robin paused, "Do you think she knows that?"

"Of course she does, otherwise she wouldn't have left." He said, "She's not stupid…"

"This action kind of proves otherwise." Zatanna said handing Robin his helmet.

"She has something up her sleeve, I'm sure of it." He said, "I've got to stop her."

Zatanna suddenly got really quiet, as she looked to Robin who stared back at her with some confusion.

"What?"

"Is this your way of admitting that some small part of you actually does…love Mariko." She asked, Robin scowled, placing his helmet on his head. Zatanna rubbed her arms, "It's ok if you do Robin…but it's killing me, and it's probably killing her too."

"I better hurry." Robin said, ignoring Zatanna's comments and then drove off. Leaving a sad Zatanna behind.

I am soooo sick of the short chapters! AH! Anyhow poor Zatanna, and poor Tony! Robin refuses to admit anything to himself. And Mariko, flat out rejects Tony's feelings. Am I cruel or what?! Hahaha! See you later armadillos—unless I see you first hahaha! REVIEW!