Saranghae(I Love You) - By Imari Jade

Chapter One
"You guys are going to get us in so much trouble," Cristal Gentry said to her two cohorts in crime, Satoshi Hayashi and Takumijo Yamazaki, as they helped her scale the wall of the Aomori compound after sneaking out to go party and drink beer.

"Your big mouth is going to give us away," Satoshi warned as he put his hand on her butt and tried to help her climb the rope Takumijo had dropped down to them once he made it over the wall safely. His fingers pressed into her cheeks.

"Hey, watch that."

"Sorry," Satoshi said without embarrassment. "The opportunity presented itself."

He is such a leach. Cristal continued to climb the wall, glad she had opted for boots instead of heels when she'd dressed the previous evening. Takumijo grabbed her hand and pulled her over the wall. He stood on a ladder they had used to make their escape. Cristal put her feet on the rungs and climbed down behind Takumijo, thankful that she had worn pants, or both men would have gotten quite an eyeful.

Takumijo climbed back up and tossed the rope back down to Satoshi while she waited at the bottom and acted as a lookout. Satoshi climbed over, and both men grabbed the ladder and stashed it back amongst the cherry trees.

"We'd better get back inside the house," Takumijo said.

Satoshi nodded. "Masaaki will kill us if he finds out we snuck out without the bodyguards."

Cristal had only been working with them for nearly two months, and even she knew that Aomori's manager would have a fit if he found out they'd left the compound without their bodyguards. Satoshi and Takumijo were two of Japan's hottest J-pop artists, and fans mobbed them wherever they went - except for last night, because they wore disguises so they wouldn't be recognized. Of course they did draw a lot of attention from the ladies in the club, since they were both over six feet tall. Being best friends with them did have its disadvantages, especially for these two, who had a penchant for breaking rules and getting into trouble. There were two other members in the J-pop group, Ichiro Yoshida and Yori Morioka, both newlyweds and out of the country with their brides. Both couples would be returning soon for a meeting with Mr. Niigata and Aomori's manager Masaaki.

They entered the farmhouse quietly through the side entrance. Takumijo flipped on the light and gasped. "Shit, we're busted."

Cristal peeped around him and then hid behind him again.

Masaaki Fugimoto and her boss, Goro Niigata, sat in the living room waiting for them.

"Do come in and sit down," Goro said to the three of them as he rose.

Mr. Niigata never raised his voice. He didn't need to in order to get his point across. Masaaki, on the other hand, yelled at them a lot.

"You are so grounded," Masaaki said to them as if they were a bunch of kids.

Satoshi and Takumijo left her and sat down on the sofa like two obedient babies. Cristal sat on one of the leather armchairs, wanting to slap the shit out of them for acting so docile.

"Where the hell have you three been?" Masaaki asked.

"Clubbing," Satoshi volunteered.

Cristal scowled. He didn't even try to lie. Big baby.

Mr. Niigata glared at him. "Without your bodyguards?"

Satoshi picked at an imaginary piece of lint from his pant leg. She was surprised he could still see after all the Shochu and beer he had consumed earlier. Hell, she was surprised that any of them had made it home. "Yes, it was just a spur of the moment thing. We were just sitting around bored, and Takumijo suggested that we get out of the house for a spell."

"And you listened to him?" Goro asked.

"Never again," Satoshi said. "I knew it wasn't the smart thing to do."

Oh, please, Cristal thought. Satoshi was the one who dragged both of them out of the house.

Mr. Niigata turned toward Takumijo, who just sat there looking innocent. "I figured you were the ringleader in all of this, but did you have to drag Ms. Gentry with you?"

Takumijo shrugged. "Well, we couldn't very well leave her in this big house by herself. What if someone would have gotten in?"

"That's what the guards at the front gate are for," Masaaki answered.

"Didn't stop us from getting out," Takumijo reasoned.

Masaaki stared daggers at Takumijo. "Didn't you two idiots learn anything from the Shaundra Morrison incident?"

"What Shaundra Morrison incident?" Cristal asked. She slapped her hand over her mouth, regretting opening it.

Mr. Niigata turned to