As promised, Araya and Hayato showed up at her apartment at the end of the week. The apartment was a bit of a mess since Keigo was moving his stuff that day, but she wasn't worried about how presentable it was to the boys, she'd seen their dorms when they were teens- they weren't the orderly types.
"Hey Mari, good to see you again," Hayato greeted giving her a brief hug before entering the apartment.
Araya followed in after him, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek before slipping in through the door.
Keigo, who had been putting boxes away in his bedroom, came out just in time to witness the exchange. "Heyo!" he greeted. He flashed the males a false smile as he attached himself to the brunette's side.
Mariko gave him a small smile before slipping out of his hold and heading to the kitchen. "Anyone want anything to drink?" she asked as they walked in.
"Yes please," Hayato and Araya said simultaneously.
"Hayato?" she asked, turning to the blonde first.
"Water for me thanks."
Mariko nodded in understanding and turned to the ravenette next to him. She tilted her head, an expectant look on her face.
Araya winked at her, "You know what I want," he said, walking towards the couch.
Keigo glared at the dark-haired male's words. How was it possible that he was already so infuriating despite only being in the apartment a total of two minutes?
Mariko nodded and went to the refrigerator; she knew she had a juice box somewhere...
The male sat down next to him. "So, Hawks," he started. "I heard you're investigating the League of Villains," he said casually.
The blonde's eyes widened and drifted to Mariko, the only person he'd ever told about his assignment. "You told him?" he asked, his voice low with anger.
The brunette glared at him as she walked towards them- the males' drinks in hand. "Of course not," she snapped as she handed them out. She took a seat on the couch between him and Araya. How could he think she'd do something like that? She of all people knew how important confidentiality was.
"I've got my own sources. It's kind of my job to know these things, especially when they relate to Mari or a mission- which applies to both in this case." The tall male leaned back, stretching an arm over the back of the couch behind Mariko's shoulders.
The gesture only succeeded in pissing the blonde off even more.
Mariko glared at him, noting the arrogant tone in his voice. "I fucking knew this would happen," she thought bitterly.
"Why the hell would Mari be a factor?" Keigo growled.
The male dropped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. He smiled childishly and put up the most annoying peace sign the blonde had ever seen as he said, "Didn't you hear what Sakura said earlier? We're soulmates."
"You bas-"
"Do you guys seriously think I'm stupid?" Mariko growled lowly. Her voice dripped with enough venom to paralyze both of them. "You're acting like children. Knock it off." She cut them a glare; her gaze so cold it seemed to ice the room over. She opened her mouth to go on a tirade about their attitude when she stopped herself, opting to exhale slowly through her nose to calm herself down. "I need a drink," she decided, standing up and walking to the kitchen.
Hayato looked at Araya with a serious expression, "Araya, Stop messing around."
The dark-haired male sighed. "We're aware of your mission and the progress you've made so far. The way things are looking, the League of Villains is going to be our best shot at locating Mineko Shimizu. You've already inadvertently become involved in this mission, why not work with us until we've both got what we want?" he proposed.
Keigo was slightly taken aback by the offer. Truthfully, he didn't want to accept. "What would I get out of this?" he asked.
"Better standing with the League of Villains? You can put it as though we're being manipulated. It doesn't really matter as long as she's dead by the end of the mission," he said seriously.
Mariko held her breath as she took a shot of vodka, the warm feeling that flooded through her body distracting her from having to think about killing Mineko again.
"M, stop being an alcoholic for a sec and come here," Hayato called out to her.
Araya and Keigo looked at her simultaneously, concern evident in their features. They knew she wasn't a habitual drinker; her drinking was a sign she wasn't taking this well. Their eyes followed her as she sat by herself on the armchair next to Hayato.
"You agree with us, don't you love? Hawks would be a great addition to the team," the ravenette told her.
Mariko glared at him. She knew he understood how much weight her words had on the matter. The fact that he was trying to use her to sway Keigo's decision pissed her off. "Don't ask me shit like that. This is Hawks's decision. He's a grown-ass man he'll do what he thinks is best," she spat. She narrowed her eyes at her old friend, watching his expression changed from playful and cocky to something else she couldn't quite place, but felt familiar all the same.
Meanwhile, the blonde received a confidence boost from her trust in him. Up until now, he felt like he was being stepped on with Araya throwing his and Mariko's history in his face. His mind flashed back to what Sakura had said about her trusting him more than anyone. A small smile flashed across his features, but it was gone instantaneously as he saw the grave expression on the brunette's face.
"I'll sleep on it," he said.
Araya looked at him, "Try to nap on it instead. We're a bit pressed for time. Let us know when you reach a decision though. We'll proceed accordingly." He stood up, Hayato and Mariko following in suit.
"We should get going. It was really good seeing you Mari," the ravenette said, holding his arms out to her again.
She looked up at him, irritation still evident in her expression. "I'm still pissed at you, you know," she told him as she hugged him.
He smiled at her. "I know. We'll be around for a while though so I'm sure I'll get the chance to make it up to you."
She said nothing and turned to Hayato who just pat her on the head. "We'll keep in touch," he said, leading both of them out.
Mariko nodded and closed the door behind them.
"Mari..." Keigo started.
"What the hell was your problem?" she asked, whipping around to face him.
"What's my problem? What's his problem! He was all over you the entire fucking time! Spouting shit about you two being soulmates and walking around like he owned the damn apartment!" he exclaimed.
Mariko stared at him. He'd been- still was- jealous. The realization made the anger disappear from her system. "You're jealous again," she stated.
The blonde flinched at the accusation, "I am not jealous. It just pisses me off that he hasn't shown up in three years and he's acting all high and mighty."
She rolled her eyes, "You're worse than that time at the hospital," she commented, referring to his attitude after he'd met Hayato for the first time.
"I am not," he hissed angrily.
The brunette looked at him disbelievingly. "Jesus you're so stubborn," she muttered taking his hand. Her touch was a lot gentler than he anticipated; it disarmed him completely. "I'm only going to say this once: Sosa and I are completely platonic," she emphasized.
"What happened to being soulmates?" he asked bitterly. He knew that most people still felt something for their first ex. Why wouldn't he be worried when it seemed like they'd had a wonderful relationship?
Mariko sighed deeply. "We were fourteen when we started dating. We didn't know anything. We'd been friends for so long and we were already really close. We thought we loved each other, and I guess we did, but we weren't in love with each other. We missed being friends, so we broke up. I still love and care about him, but I'm not nor have I ever been in love with him."
His golden eyes searched her blue ones, looking for a glimmer of regret or falseness in her statement. The cerulean irises held nothing but sincerity though and he felt the uncomfortable knot in his stomach untangle and the heat in his chest cooled down. It was like a weight had been lifted off him. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft hiss on the back. "I was kind of an ass wasn't I?" he asked.
She smiled a bit, "Maybe a little bit. But he was too, so I don't completely blame you," she told him.
Keigo pulled her into a hug, nuzzling into her hair. He breathed deeply, suddenly feeling a little bit frustrated. It was moments like these when he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He knew he couldn't do that though.