July 9th, 2009
For the first time in a month, Minato actually left school on time today. Since it was the week before exams, there was nothing going on after school that he needed to worry about. Still, sad as he was to say it, he was actually missing the paperwork he'd been forced to do as a part of Student Council. Although it had been boring, monotonous work, at least it had given him something to do. After ruminating on that thought for a moment, he shook his head.
Did I really just think that? Maybe I should smack my head against the nearest wall next time I think about paperwork in a semi-favorable light.
Despite his boredom, or perhaps because of it, he still felt giddy and full of energy over what had happened a few days ago. Because of the lack of both Fencing Club and Student Council duties, he hadn't been able to talk to Mitsuru much since their foray on Shirakawa Boulevard apart from a few conversations they had shared in passing. Unsurprisingly, not much had changed between them, aside from a few more lingering touches and pointed looks here and there.
What had changed, however, was that the atmosphere and the energy between them flowed so much more naturally now. Anytime he talked to her or even looked at her, it was like he was being jolted with a car battery, sending a wave of powerful, uncontrollable energy right down his spine.
He sighed. Despite agreeing, quite vehemently in fact, to keep their new-found relationship a secret for now, he found it very hard to keep quiet at times.
Forcibly tearing his thoughts away from Mitsuru lest he start sighing happily like the love-struck idiot he was, he walked into the dorm a few minutes later to see Fuuka and Yukari sitting at the dining room table talking animatedly about a set of papers sitting between them. "Hey, ladies," He greeted as he walked over to them. "What's up with the paperwork?"
Startled by the sound of his voice, Yukari jumped out of her seat and quickly shoved the papers off the table. "Nothing," She said quickly, "Why?!"
Minato just stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Ok, seriously?" He asked, pointing at the papers now scattered all over the ground.
Yukari looked down at the scattered papers and then laughed, embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess that was really suspicious, huh?"
"You think?" Minato shook his head. "Here, I'll help you." With that, he bent down to help pick up the papers with Yukari and Fuuka. Curious, he glanced at one of the papers in his hand, its layout familiar. It was a print-out of a local newspaper, dated around 10 years previous.
His eyes widened. This was one of the newspapers that he had looked at while investigating the Kirijo Group, the one that had reported the 'industrial accident'. It had been the one that had led him to call in a contact to try and gain more info about the lab explosion. Standing up, he placed the paper with the pile on the table and stared at Yukari, his face becoming neutral. "So, you couldn't just wait? You had to involve someone else?" He asked exasperatedly, pointing at Fuuka.
"This is precisely why I didn't ask you: You wouldn't have wanted to involve anyone else." She stood up and shook her head. "Look, Mitsuru-senpai is lying to our faces about something to do with the Dark Hour and I think we all deserve answers about it." She gestured at the pile of papers. "At least this way, she can't deny that she knows something when we confront her with it."
Minato felt a strange new anger build in his gut at her tone. It was protectiveness, he realized. He shoved it down before it made him do anything rash. This was Yukari he was talking to. He wouldn't yell at her for having a point. She was just impatient and wanted answers now, and he could understand that.
However, the team could potentially be broken apart if she went about it this way, and that was something he couldn't allow, not now. Fuuka's involvement complicated matters further. Her powers were invaluable in the Dark Hour, and they couldn't afford to lose her. Maybe there was a way he could get Mitsuru to come clean...
"Yukari, all of this is circumstantial evidence, at best," He said, pointing at the papers. "If you try to bull rush her with this info, she could just as easily lie about it, saying it's all a coincidence. Then where would you be, huh?" He sighed. "…Let me talk to her. She knows I know something already, so maybe she'll be more willing to talk to me. I'll try to get her to come clean at the team meeting in 2 days. If she doesn't want to, then we confront her with this evidence, alright?"
Yukari mulled it over for a few moments before nodding. "Alright, we'll do it your way."
"Good," Minato said lightly. He held up a finger. "But, if she does agree to come clean… then you have to agree to drop this grudge you have against her, alright? She's not our enemy, Yukari."
Yukari flinched, his words evidently hitting the mark. She pursed her lips as she mulled it over. "…Alright," She replied finally. "You'll tell me if she doesn't agree, right?"
He nodded. "Yes, I swear on my parents' grave." He then gathered all the papers into a pile and slid them into Yukari's bag, literally putting the object of division away. "Now that's settled, tell me, what's your plan for summer vacation?"
Fuuka breathed a sigh of relief as the tension in the air began to settle at the change of topic. She had been nervous, going behind everyone's back by researching this for Yukari, but now it seemed like she wouldn't have to worry about it. She was glad, as the SEES members had quickly become a surrogate family to her. Her own 'real' family couldn't care less about her. When she'd contacted them earlier today, they had just worried about whether she thought she was going to do well on the exams in a week. She sighed. That was why she didn't want to go home for the summer holiday.
Maybe Junpei-kun will want to do something with me…
The baseball-capped teen had become fast friends with her, despite the circumstances of their first meeting. She found him extremely easy to talk to and he made her laugh. They both shared a passion for video games, and, surprisingly, romance manga. She smiled as she remembered the time she had caught him looking at one of her favorite online manga sites.
Fuuka walked into the lounge and saw Junpei sitting on one of the barstools, with his laptop open in front of him. She walked up behind him, and noticed a familiar logo at the top of the webpage he was looking at. She inhaled sharply in surprise. He was looking at one of the romance manga sites that she frequented.
Unfortunately, the noise had alerted Junpei to her presence. He slammed the laptop shut and wheeled around, clutching the laptop to his chest protectively.
"It was just porn, I swear!"
She stared at him incredulously for a moment before she burst out laughing. Junpei just stared at her for a moment, clearly confused by her reaction. The look he gave her only made her laugh harder. Breaking down, Junpei quickly followed, both of them laughing until they were both heaving for breath. After they had calmed down a minute later, Junpei fixed her with what he probably considered a serious stare, and said as seriously as he could muster, "Seriously, though, it was porn."
She just gave him a small smile. "Which one is your favorite?" She asked lightly. "Mine is 'Lovers in Space'."
He spoke before he could stop himself. "Oh, I love that one! My favorite is…is…" His face fell as he realized what he had done. He rubbed the side of his neck in embarrassment before letting his head hang. "Um…its kinda lame, isn't it? I could be out there, looking for a real girl to romance, and instead, I read about it… pathetic, huh?"
"So you're calling me pathetic?" She asked, glaring at him with a smile on her face.
"What?" His head shot up, regret written on his face. "No, no, I didn't mean that, it's just-" He stopped as he looked at the smile on her face. He smiled back, almost involuntarily. "It's not really a 'guy' thing, you know?"
She shook her head. "Natsuki-chan has been telling me that it doesn't matter what other people think you should be into. You like what you like, and screw the people who don't like it."
"Still," He said, shaking his head, "You made that noise earlier…"
"Not many people know about that site, you know, so I was just surprised to see you on there," She explained, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter to me if you like romance manga or not." She leaned in conspiratorially. "If anything, I think it's kind of cool."
"Really?" His eyes widened in surprise. "You really think so?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yup. Plus now I have someone I can share my favorites with."
"Well, in that case…" He opened up the laptop, and invited her to sit next to him. "You see, this one I find really interesting. It's about a guy who…"
"Hey, Fuuka? You in there?"
She shook herself as Minato waved his hand in front of her face. "Huh?"
Minato smiled at her. "Jeez, you were really out of it. You ok?"
"Yeah," She replied with a nod. "Just remembering something. What did you ask me?"
"I asked what are you gonna do for the summer holiday?"
She shook her head. "I don't know yet. You?"
"I dunno," He replied with a shrug. "I was thinking if I can manage it, maybe heading to my Gramps' house in the country for a few days. He owes me some answers after all… But the more I think about it, the less I care for that idea. So I have no idea."
Yukari snapped her fingers in remembrance. "Wait, didn't you say you had a cousin? You should invite her to stay here for a little while!" At that, his eyes widened comically before he suddenly slammed his head into the table. Yukari stared at him in confusion. "Something I said?"
He shook his head. "I forgot to call her…for 3 months…" His head rose up off the table, horror on his face. "…She's gonna kill me."
"How could you have forgotten to call her for 3 months?" Yukari asked, shaking her head.
"Oh, I dunno, there were a few revelations with the Dark Hour, a few close encounters with death, and, oh yeah, a long period of time where I hated literally everything, so I think I can be forgiven by the peanut gallery for a little lapse in judgment," He replied sarcastically.
"Oh yeah, I forgot all about that," She replied mockingly. "So, how much of that do you plan on telling her?"
He recoiled at the suggestion. "What, are you crazy? She would want to get involved if I told her about this shit! I'm not telling her a damn thing!"
She smirked. "Then, yes, she's probably going to kill you."
"I know…" He groaned before letting his head fall back on the table. "The worst part is that I can't even blame her for it…"
"I can't believe you forgot to call her…" Yukari said with a sigh. "For a detective, you're rather dull sometimes."
"I would deny that fact," He replied, his voice muffled by the table, "But unfortunately the evidence is stacked against me at the moment…"
Fuuka smiled as the two continued their friendly banter. They really did remind her of brother and sister sometimes.
Later that night, Minato sat reading a textbook in the 4th floor lounge, waiting for Mitsuru to arrive. He had called her earlier, saying that he had to talk to her about something important. He (understandably) wasn't very excited about having this conversation. Their relationship wasn't even a week old and he was already confronting her about her secrets. Wasn't there some kind of relationship taboo on that?
He sighed anxiously. He really, really hoped that this didn't blow up in his face.
The sound of the door opening caused him to look up from his textbook. He turned to see Mitsuru walk into the lounge, smiling at him brightly. "Hello, Minato. It's nice to see you."
"Likewise," He said, smiling back instinctively. "So, how've things been? I haven't seen you outside of class for more than a few minutes at a time for the past couple of days."
She sighed as she sank into the sofa next to him. "Busy. The report from Shirakawa has been…harder to write than I had anticipated."
"Really?" He asked, his smile growing. "Even harder than, 'This will probably be the hardest thing I have ever tried to write…'?"
She glared at him, but the effect was ruined by her playful smirk. "Yes, harder than that."
"Why is that, do you think?" He asked, giving her an innocent look.
She blushed heavily. "Y-You know why…" She sighed. "I don't know how to describe why there is a gap in events in my report, and, at the same time, I can't just put what really happened in there either."
"Why not?" He asked, giving her a smug look. "Is it…too embarrassing? Too… titillating?"
"In a way…" Her blush lightened as she smiled back, a challenging, predatory look in her eye. "…My father reads these reports too, you know."
His eyes widened in horror. "Ok, yeah, that is definitely not going in there then," He said, nodding enthusiastically. "I like not having my legs broken, after all."
"I thought not," She said with a smirk. "So why did you call me here, Minato…? That is, if you are done teasing me?"
Fear ran through his belly as his face fell. He sighed in despair. "Well, I really didn't want to do this…" He said, drawing a confused look. "…but, I feel that I have to, for the sake of the team."
"What do you mean?" Mitsuru said, her expression turning serious. "What's for the sake of the team?"
"I'm going to ask you a question," he said, his expression hardening, "And you're going to answer me truthfully. No bullshit, no lies." He turned to look her straight in the eyes. "What do you know about that lab explosion 10 years ago, Mitsuru?"
"What?!" She exclaimed, outrage forming on her face. He simply stared at her in response. She stared back at him angrily, fuming silently for a few moments. "I warned you what would happen if you brought that up again," She finally bit out a moment later. "I warned you-"
"I know that you warned me, and I agreed to drop it, remember?" He said, holding up his hand to stop her. "And I definitely wouldn't have brought it up again like this if the others hadn't forced me to."
Her face softened as the implication hit her. "What? The others…?"
He nodded. "Yukari has been suspicious of you for a while now, and she dragged Fuuka into it to help her investigate. She's been getting close too. She's almost to the point where I'm at with her research." He shook his head. "This secret is going to come out one way or another, Mitsuru. At least this way, you're the one who gets to determine how."
"So what, I tell you now, or you make me do it in public?" She asked, hurt flashing across her face.
He gave a slightly sheepish look. "Um, I actually want you to do both."
She scoffed and threw up her hands. "Oh, so I don't have a choice then? Wonderful." She stood up and walked away from him, shoulders hunched angrily. He shook his head in frustration. This wasn't working. He wasn't the enemy, and she needed to figure that out.
"Look, Mitsuru," He said, standing up and shortening the distance between them. "You've done enough for me that I trust you and your judgement. Furthermore, I don't care one way or the other what this secret turns out to be," He said soothingly. "I already knew that the Kirijo Group must have had some kind of connection to the origins of the Dark Hour. I could have pushed it, but I didn't. You know why?"
She shook her head slowly. He smiled. "If that knowledge had been that relevant or important to our mission, I know you would have told us by now." He shook his head. "However, it is something you've kept from the rest of them, and I think by now… they deserve to know."
After a moment, she turned back to him, her face softening at his words. "You…really don't care…? Even if it had something to do with your parents…?"
"Yup," He said, nodding his head. "My parents are gone after all. I mean, sure, getting my memories back would be nice, but that isn't my end-goal anymore. That path led me to misery and self-loathing, and everything in between."
She shook her head, glaring at him angrily. "But that's the only reason why you're even here, to find out about the Dark Hour!"
"It lead me here, but it isn't what's keeping me here. Not anymore." He stepped forward, taking her hands in his. "You see, before I awoke to my Persona, I would have left once I found out whatever the origin of the Dark Hour actually turns out to be, simply because I wouldn't have cared about you or your mission. Now? I don't care about where the Dark Hour came from or why I experience it."
He grasped her hands tighter. "I want to destroy the Dark Hour. I want to stop these Shadows from eating people's minds. I want to protect you and all of the others so we can accomplish that. More than that…" He smiled and brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. "I want to continue to get to know the real you, the one I've had the privilege of glimpsing these past few days." His smile widened. "I trust you, Mitsuru, no matter what 'horrible' truth lies behind those beautiful eyes of yours."
Her eyes widened. She breathed in heavily for a few moments as she took in what he had said. "...Ok. I'll tell you… and the others, when we have our next meeting."
He nodded and gently pulled her back to the sofa before gesturing for her to continue. She took a deep breath. "The Kirijo Group... We've known that Shadows have many different, strange abilities for many years now, over 20 in fact. Some of the initial research even indicated that they could affect space and time. One man quickly became obsessed with discovering and harnessing the capabilities of the Shadows…" She swallowed. "His name was Kouetsu Kirijo."
He winced in sympathy. "Your grandfather…"
"You've heard of him, I take it?" He nodded in affirmation. "I'm not surprised. Your grandfather probably had a file on him."
He nodded again. "I've read it. Kouetsu Kirijo was… Well, a piece of work, to put it lightly."
"Yes, he's not well liked by me or my father." She sighed. "We know that, 14 years ago, he assembled a group of scientists and researchers to capture, contain, and research Shadows for a massive experiment. However, 10 years ago, on the cusp of the experiment's completion, the containment suddenly failed on the Shadows' cells, causing a huge explosion and killing nearly everyone involved." She grimaced. "…Unfortunately, the experiment had still produced an unwelcome and unexpected success."
Wait, space and time manipulation…time…Oh god…
His eyes widened. "Your grandfather… created the Dark Hour…"
"Not just the Dark Hour," she said regretfully, "Tartarus as well. The site of the lab was located on what is now Gekkoukan school grounds, which is why Tartarus exists where it does."
"My god…" He shook his head slowly. "Everything that's happened was because of your grandfather…"
She nodded before taking a breath. "…There's more. The after-action report from that night said that the Shadows that had been collected apparently formed into several large groups that then dispersed, never to be seen again… At least that's what they thought." She shook her head. "We saw the first one a few months ago, and have seen at least one every month since."
"The full moon Shadows too..." Mitsuru nodded, falling silent. "So… that's it?" He asked, getting a nod in response. He waited, blinking expectantly for a few moments before sighing heavily. "Nothing… Well, so much for my memories returning after figuring out the Dark Hour…"
"I'm sorry to hear that…" Mitsuru said sadly. "I'm also sorry for not sharing this with you sooner, Minato. I knew the origins of the Dark Hour the whole time and never told you…" She turned away, rubbing her arm nervously.
"Don't be." He said, drawing a confused look. He gave her a sad smile. "It would have been worse than me just leaving, Mitsuru." He sighed heavily. "…Finding out the origins of the Dark Hour was my only reason for living for the previous 10 years. If I had found out before…" He shuddered. "Once I found out the origins of the Dark Hour, I had always planned to go to the Moonlight Bridge… and join my parents."
Her eyes widened in horror. He shrugged. "After that, there wouldn't be any more mysteries in the world I'd care to solve, plus knowing it wouldn't restore my memories would just-"
"You won't do any such thing!" She exclaimed angrily as she suddenly reached over, grabbed him by his shirt and began shaking him. "Do you understand me, Minato Arisato?! I won't let you!"
A bright smile formed on his face. "…I understand." He reached up and took her hands in his. "Don't worry, Mitsuru. I… have something to live for now."
She stared back at him for a moment before sighing in relief. "Good… I'm glad."
"Anyways…" He took a deep breath. "I think I understand why you kept this from us now. I was right too: It isn't that important, all things considered. The Dark Hour is still a threat that needs to be eradicated, no matter who caused it." He shook his head. "Still, it can't be easy, knowing that your family was responsible for something that's killed so many…" He turned to Mitsuru, realization dawning on his face. "But that's why you're doing this, isn't it…? Because you feel responsible…?"
She nodded sadly. "I had been training to fight the Dark Hour for most of the 8 years before SEES was formed. It's all I've ever known." Her face hardened with determination. "My family caused this, and I will be the one to make up for our mistakes."
"But it wasn't your fault, Mitsuru," He said, shaking his head vehemently. "It was your grandfather's. You don't need to take on his guilt as your own."
She smiled sadly. "I don't know if I believe that… but it makes me glad to hear that from you."
This was clearly a deeply held belief of hers, one that couldn't be broken from one conversation. Instead of pushing, he simply smiled back, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't be that great of a boyfriend if I held something like this against you, now would I?"
"No, I suppose not…" She said with a quiet laugh. "It would kind of put a damper on things…"
"I know, right?" With that, he sighed. "Well… let's just hope that the team sees this the same way."
She winced. "Right… I have to tell them, too…"
"Hey… you won't be alone when you do," He said, pulling her into a hug. "I'll be there too, and I'll back you up if necessary, I promise. They might not trust your word after this… But they might trust mine." He gave her a half-smirk and shrugged. "After all, I wanted to figure out the Dark Hour the most out of all of them, and if I can forgive you for keeping it a secret…"
After a moment, she nodded and pulled away from the hug, gratitude written on her face. "Thank you for understanding, Minato… Again, I am sorry for-" She shook her head and glared at him. "Actually, I'm not sorry for keeping this from you, considering what might have happened otherwise."
He chuckled. "See, there you go: thinking pragmatically. Keep it up and this'll be over in no time."
She just rolled her eyes before slipping her hand into his. "So, now that's over with, tell me what you have been doing with your copious amounts of free time…"
July 11th, 2009
Today was the day the Chairman had said they would have the debriefing on the Shirakawa operation, and Mitsuru had been a nervous wreck all day because of it. In addition to the stress of having to lie convincingly about her and Minato's… incident during the operation to Ikutsuki, she also needed to come clean to the rest of the team about the real reasons they were killing Shadows and exploring Tartarus, per her 'agreement' with Minato: a truth that, once revealed, she feared could potentially destroy SEES as they knew it.
She had been so stressed about it that, instead of going to a 'meeting' with a young business executive that her father had set her up with, she had decided to have an early dinner with Minato. She had needed some kind of comfort before this evening, and he had become her favorite place to turn recently.
She smiled sadly. He had been surprisingly understanding about the revelation of her family's dark past and involvement in the Dark Hour. He hadn't even thought twice about it, simply accepting what she told him and moved on. More than that, he had continually reassured her throughout the day, reaffirming his promise to back her up if necessary.
Somehow, he consistently continued to surprise her with his actions. He was a living contradiction: respectful to others yet irreverent with his friends, confident outwardly yet inwardly vulnerable, friendly in manner yet totally isolated in life… He had been raised by aristocracy, but lived his life in the dirt, sacrificing himself for the sake of others. More than all of that however… He was free. Perhaps that was what drew her to him…
"…so Junpei turns around after the Shadow dies and says with the most serious look in his eyes, "Is my ass out?" He shook his head. "I swear to you, I don't think I've laughed that hard in my life. Sure, it was juvenile, but god, the look on his face… I thought that Yukari was going to pass out, she was laughing so hard." Instead of getting the chuckle of laughter he had been expecting however, he noticed Mitsuru staring off into space, lost in thought.
He sighed. This had to stop. He reached out suddenly and pulled her aside, looking straight into her eyes. Fear ran rampant in them and he hated it. "Look, if I'm wrong and the others can't see that this is just a drop in the pond compared to what truly matters…" He shook his head. "Then screw it: we don't need them. We'll find a way to fix this, just you and me… Got it?"
After a moment, she nodded hesitantly, obviously not believing him. He sighed. She had really taken this guilt to heart, honestly believing that it was all her fault just by being related to the idiot who had actually caused it. Even a
His jaw tightened in determination. He would convince her that this wasn't her fault, no matter what it took. Plus, he believed in the team. He knew they'd come around. If they hadn't given up on him after all he had done, they certainly wouldn't give up on her so easily.
Once night had struck, SEES all filed into the 4th floor lounge and sat down around Ikutsuki, ready to debrief. "Well, now, before we begin, I'd like to-"
"Wait, Ikutsuki-san," Mitsuru interrupted. "I have something I need to address." She stood up and glanced at Minato, who nodded encouragingly. She swallowed nervously. "It… has been brought to my attention that some of you have concerns that I have not been completely honest with you." She hung her head. "…These concerns are well founded: I have kept something from you all."
Looking up, she took a moment to gauge their reactions. Surprised, Yukari had glanced at Minato for a moment before turning to face her, giving Mitsuru her complete attention. Fuuka stared up at her curiously, intent on listening carefully. Junpei just looked at her, confused. Akihiko simply closed his eyes resignedly.
She sighed heavily. "As you all know, Shadows are beings with mysterious, strange powers. Some research has even indicated that they can harness the power of time and space. 20 years ago, one man became obsessed with harnessing the Shadows' power for himself... That man was my grandfather, Kouetsu Kirijo."
A collective gasp went up from the 3 junior members. She nodded. "14 years ago, he and a set of Kirijo Group researchers set up a lab at the complex that would later become Gekkoukan Academy with the express intent of capturing, studying, and replicating the abilities of the Shadows."
She shook her head. "Unfortunately, 4 years later, on the eve of the experiment's conclusion, the containment for the Shadows failed unexpectedly and the lab exploded, killing almost everyone inside." At this, Yukari flinched. "The experiment however, had an unexpected and unwelcome success. It changed the laws of reality, warping time and space."
"The Dark Hour… and Tartarus…" Yukari shook her head. "…Your grandfather created them."
"Unintentionally, yes," She admitted. "In addition to this however, the Shadows that had been collected in the lab by the Kirijo Group escaped, forming into several large clusters, and then disappeared until a few months ago. These are the Full Moon Shadows that we have been facing. The Kirijo Group is responsible for everything." She lowered her eyes as she finished. "I apologize for hiding the truth from you all." She bowed her head and awaited their judgement. It was quiet for a while.
"You know," Yukari said resignedly, "I figured that it was going to be something like this." Mitsuru's head shot up in surprise. Yukari just shrugged. "I mean, it makes sense. Why would the Kirijo Group even know about the Dark Hour unless they were somehow responsible?" She looked back up at Mitsuru, a confused look on her face. "What I don't get is… Why hide all this from us?"
She closed her eyes. "I guess that…I feel guilty. It is my family's mess after all…"
"And that's what I don't get! You were what, three when the experiment started…?" She shook her head, snorting in exasperation. "You weren't involved, Mitsuru-senpai, and I can see that. To be honest, it was the fact that you didn't seem to want to trust us with the truth that was bugging me the most." She looked at Minato. "You were right; this information doesn't really change anything."
"Of course not," Akihiko said with a nod. "The fact of the matter is that we are the only ones who can stop the Dark Hour and the Shadows. It doesn't matter who caused it, we're the only ones who can finish it."
That drew a series of nods from everyone. Yukari shrugged. "Besides, now that I know that I'm not fighting something that is completely unknown, I can rest a little easier at night."
She felt humbled by Yukari's words. Minato said that she had been vehement in her desire to know the truth, even wanting to risk their team dynamic to get answers. Now that she had gotten them… "Takeba, I-"
Yukari shook her head, cutting her off. "I think I stand for all of us when I say that this doesn't really change anything. After all, you didn't hide this for a bad or horrible reason, just a personal one… And I can get behind that. We all have things in our past we don't particularly like, after all." The others nodded in agreement with Yukari.
She smiled, proud to have their trust. "Thank you… all of you. I am sorry that I concealed the truth from you, but I was afraid that-"
"-that we would blame you?" Yukari gave a snort of laughter. "Come on, Senpai, give us a little credit. We're risking our lives, yes, but for a good reason: to stop anyone else from being hurt, ever again. Your family messed up, but that doesn't mean you're personally responsible for them."
Stunned by her words yet again, Mitsuru instinctively glanced at Minato. He had a huge grin on his face and his eyes seemed to be saying, 'See? Was that worth getting worked up about?' The cold grip of fear loosening around her heart, she turned back to the others and bowed. "…I'm sorry for not trusting you all sooner."
Junpei just shook his head. "C'mon, Senpai… quit apologizing. We forgave you already. No need to keep feeling bad."
Mitsuru smiled as she sat down, her heart lightening for the first time in days. "Alright... Thank you all, again."
At the resolution of the situation, Ikutsuki smiled broadly around the room at all of them. "I am very proud of all of you. I actually have good news for you all, concerning this subject as well." He leaned forward, an intense look on his face. "The Full Moon Shadows: what if I told you that they were the cause of everything?"
Akihiko shot up out of his seat, eyes wide. "Then, if we destroy them all…?!"
"…The Dark Hour and Tartarus will disappear," Ikutsuki confirmed. "Nothing will be left holding it to our reality and both the Dark Hour and Tartarus will vanish."
"Well, 6 down, 6 to go, right?" Minato smirked. "…No problem."
"We're already half way done…" Mitsuru said disbelievingly. "I can't believe it..."
Akihiko grinned. "I can't wait."
"That makes two of us, Akihiko." Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "Now, with all that out of the way, on to the debriefing; So, Mitsuru… can you explain why there was a gap in the events you described in your report?"
Swallowing nervously, Mitsuru launched into her prepared explanation. "W-well, you see…"
After the intensely awkward debriefing had finally finished, Minato had immediately gone down to his room to do another thing he wasn't sure he was ready for. Putting off calling his cousin any further was just asking for trouble, but Currently, he was staring down at the cell phone in his hand as if it were a snake getting ready to bite him.
His cousin was an extremely calm and collected person, but she also had a vindictive streak a mile wide if you pissed her off. She was insanely creative and could ferret out even the strangest weaknesses from the most tight-lipped person, purely through observation. He often compared her to Sherlock Holmes with how scarily good she was at information gathering, and she took the comparison as a compliment… most of the time.
He sighed and steeled himself. He loved her, no matter what she ended up doing to him as punishment. Better that then telling her the exact details of why he'd forgotten to call. After all, he had made the conscious choice not to involve her in the Dark Hour all those years ago, and he would take the consequences of that choice any day over the alternative. He flipped the phone open, tabbed through the directory until he found her number, and hit 'SEND'.
The phone rang twice before she picked up.
"So… it took you this long to remember to call, cousin?"
He winced. She only called him 'cousin' if he was in real hot water. "Hi there, Naoto-chan… How are you?"
He heard a sniff of amusement from the other end. "I am well. How are you doing back in Iwatodai? Do you miss home yet?"
"Actually, I'm quite liking it here."
"Oh? Do tell."
"I've made a few friends with my classmates, joined the Fencing Club… and Student Council." He smiled. "For the first time, I feel like a regular student."
"You joined Student Council?" She asked disbelievingly. "What could have possibly happened that forced you to do that?"
He paused awkwardly. He really didn't want to tell her about Mitsuru over the phone… or at all really. Knowing Naoto, she'd be liable to "…How's Gramps doing?" He asked, deflecting the question.
She sighed and made a non-committal noise. "He's ok… Hard at work on your secret project, in addition to his cases..." She paused. "You know, I could help you two with it if you wanted…"
He sighed exasperatedly. "Naoto, we've talked about this…"
When his grandfather had begun researching the Dark Hour for him, Naoto had caught on quickly. She had brought it up to Minato, and he had calmly explained that although she could help, it was something dangerous that he didn't want her involved in. 'If any blowback happens', he said, 'it'll be on me, and me alone'.
She had accepted his point grudgingly, but didn't speak to him for the next 3 days. Luckily for him, she had respected his wishes and not dug deeper, even though she was well equipped to find out the truth if she truly wanted.
"…I know." She sighed back after a moment. "It's just…I worry about you, Minato. You haven't been the same since that case 2 years ago."
He winced. Unfortunately, Naoto had been on the receiving end of his selfish rage once, having dug into Haruya's case behind his back in an effort to find out what was wrong with him. He had regretted the incident ever since. "I know, and I'm sorry for that." He smiled. "You know, I've been feeling a lot better recently. Being here has helped astronomically."
"Really?" She asked disbelievingly.
He chuckled. "Yeah, really… Hey, you're off for the summer right?"
"Barring a sudden case that Grandfather needs my assistance with, yes."
He smiled. "In that case, why don't you come up here for a while for the week of the 19th? You can see my improvement for yourself. I can show you around my hometown, and you can meet some of the people I dorm with."
"…The week of the 19th?" She sighed regretfully. "I wish I could. Grandfather has unfortunately made plans for the two of us already. We need to head to an associate's house to resolve some 'business', he says."
"Right, cause Gramps just needs you to come with." He sighed in disappointment. "…Well, tell him I said 'Hi'… and to return my calls, you know, once."
She chuckled. "I believe that is the Pot calling the Kettle black, don't you?"
He sighed. "…Yes, I'm sorry I didn't call you for 3 months. I've been overloaded with classwork and other stuff, and I just forgot, that's all. It won't happen again, Naoto, I promise."
She laughed, the sound sending a chill up his spine. "I'm going to make sure of that, don't you worry. Talk to you later, Minato."
He returned the goodbye and hung up before slamming his head on his desk.
"I'm so dead."
July 13th, 2009
Junpei groaned in agony as his worst enemy defeated him for the tenth time that day.
That enemy's name...was Math.
He suddenly slammed his head on the table causing Yukari and Fuuka to jump and the seniors to look over in concern. "I hate this!" He groaned, his voice muffled by the desk. "Studying sucks so much! It feels like the words are just floating through my eyes and out my ears."
"Some of us just aren't cut out for studying, it seems," Minato said, smirking as he closed his book.
Yukari laughed. "Well, just Junpei."
Junpei's head shot up, a lock of amused annoyance in his eyes. "Hey, I am a fighter, not a scholar. Give me a good fight any day over this studying crap."
"Hey!" Akihiko said indignantly. "I'm a fighter too, and I have no problems studying."
Junpei reddened. "Yeah…Well…But…"
Minato shook his head. "It's alright Junpei. I can take some time to help out if you want. But first, let's all take a break. We've been studying for the past couple of hours and it's almost dinner time."
"Yeah!" Junpei said excitedly, slamming his textbook closed. "Thanks, Boss! So, Fuuka-chan…" He turned to her. "What are you planning on doing for summer break?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. Heading home, I guess."
Junpei frowned. Fuuka had told him a little about her home troubles and he sympathized. He had tried to get closer to his dad a few times, like Minato suggested, but it was even harder than he had thought it would be…
He shook his head, forcing his thoughts back to the conversation. "Ah, that sucks. Unfortunately, I don't think I have much of a better plan." He sighed heavily. "Man, I wish we could all go to the beach though. Cool blue water, nice hot sun, girls in bikinis'…"
He trailed off wistfully as Yukari shook her head. "Men…"
"You know, I could go for that too... the beach, not the girls in bikinis," Minato said with a smirk. "I haven't been to the beach in about… I don't know, 6 years? It was a work trip to Okinawa for my grandfather, but it was beautiful." He sighed. "Plus, I think we could all use a vacation. We've been working pretty hard recently..."
"Man, just talking about it has me excited!" Junpei said with a grin on his face. "I really wish we could go somewhere like that!"
"Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"
The group jumped as Ikutsuki's voice rang out behind them. Mitsuru stood up to face him, alarmed. "I-Ikutsuki-san, I-I didn't realize that you were here…"
He smiled. "You all were studying so diligently, I decided to wait until you took a break to interrupt. I was in the area, you see, and I wanted to tell you my schedule for next week." He looked straight at Mitsuru. "Your father will be vacationing at the family resort on Yakushima the week after finals. Since you all have that week off as well… Why don't you and the rest go and pay him a visit?"
"What?" Mitsuru's eyes widened. "I don't know… I-I wouldn't want to ruin his vacation plans…"
"Nonsense," Ikutsuki said with a chuckle. "Your father would be ecstatic that his daughter came so far to spend her vacation with him, I'm sure of it. Besides, as Minato-kun said, the rest of you have been working extremely hard." He smiled brightly. "I think you all deserve a break, don't you?"
Mitsuru looked over the group for a moment before smiling and shaking her head. "…Alright."
"Alright!" Junpei whooped in excitement. He shot out of his seat and pointed at his textbook. "Studying, I'm gonna kick your ass so I can enjoy my vacation! Get ready!"
Minato shook his head. "If you can keep that enthusiasm and put it into your studying, Junpei… You might be surprised how well you do."
"Really?" His grin widened. "Alright, let's do this!"
"Well, looks like I need to find my swimsuit…" Yukari said with a stretch. "What about you, Fuuka?" Fuuka glanced down at the ground, and Yukari gasped. "You don't have a swimsuit?!" Fuuka shook her head shyly. Yukari quickly got up and started dragging Fuuka upstairs. "C'mon, I have a couple you can pick from. Let's go!"
"Hey Minato, you think we can come up with a special training regimen for the beach?" Akihiko asked excitedly.
Minato tilted his head in thought. "I dunno, I suppose swimming might be good for endurance training…"
Mitsuru closed her book with a smirk. It seemed that studying had taken a back seat to travel preparation for now. Surprisingly, the thought didn't disturb her as much as she thought it would. Perhaps it was leftover guilt that guided her actions, but seeing how excited all of them had been for this trip had been the reason she'd agreed to it.
Still, something about this bothered her. Her father hadn't taken a vacation in several years. Why had he decided now would be a good time for one?
July 19th, 2009
The ferry's horn blew loudly as they neared the port of Yakushima. "Oh man, there it is!" Junpei yelled, leaning over the railing excitedly as he stared at their destination. "It's freaking beautiful there!"
Minato grabbed the back of Junpei's shirt as he started to tip over the railing. "Relax, Junpei. I doubt you want to swim the rest of the way."
Junpei smiled back at him. "I dunno, that seems like it wouldn't be that bad if I'm honest!"
He shook his head in amusement. Junpei had been practically bouncing off the walls since they'd left that morning, barely being able to sit still during the 3 hour ferry ride. Still, Minato couldn't blame him; he had been just as excited as Junpei for this trip after all. "Well, that doesn't mean you should try," He replied with a sigh. "Just… keep it contained till we're done docking, ok? We came here to relax and I can't really do that if I'm constantly making sure you don't go overboard."
"I know Boss, but… Look!" He said, gesturing grandly at the island paradise they would be staying at. "It's so damn pretty!"
Minato chuckled. "I can see that… Look, why don't you go get your stuff out of your locker with the others? We'll be docking soon, after all."
"Right!" Junpei said excitedly. "You want me to grab your stuff too?"
"Sure, thanks," Minato said with a nod.
"No problem, Bosserino!"
Shaking his head as Junpei practically ran down the side deck to catch up with the others, he turned around and sat back down in the shade next to Mitsuru, sighing happily as he looked out over the sea. After a quiet moment, he glanced at Mitsuru on a whim. She was giving him an odd look.
"What?" He asked as he turned to her. "Is there something on my face?"
"Oh, uh…no," She said with a blush. "You're fine."
She was acting strangely. "What's wrong, Mitsuru?" He asked concernedly.
She shook her head, a small smile on her face. "It's nothing important. It's just…" Her blush deepened as she shyly looked away from him. "...This is the first time that I've brought a boy to meet my father."
"…Well, I can't say that I was exactly looking forward to it," He said with a chuckle, "But this is the first time that I could potentially enjoy the experience."
She winced, recognizing what he meant. "I'm sorry. I wasn't-"
He shook his head. "Relax. That wasn't what I meant at all." He shrugged. "Besides, judging by how you speak of him, your father is a good man."
"He can be a little…gruff at first," She said with a nod, "but he truly is a caring man. I'm sure he'll like you…"
"Just don't mention my grandfather and I think we'll be ok," Minato said with a nod. After a moment, he paled as another thought came to him. "Wait, have you told him we're…you know…?"
She blushed and shook her head. "It…never came up."
He sighed. This was going to be interesting. "Well, let's just hope that it doesn't come up unexpectedly."
She nodded. "You and me both…"
The SEES members all made noises of amazement as they walked into the main hall of the Kirijo family resort. It was elegantly styled, almost like a palace or a museum. Two maids walked forward as Mitsuru lead the group into the foyer.
"This place is amazing!" Junpei said as he glanced around in awe. "I mean, I knew that Mitsuru-senpai was rich, but…damn!"
The maids bowed to Mitsuru, and spoke simultaneously. "Good day, Mistress."
"Hello, how are you both?" She greeted back, smiling familiarly at them. "Is my father here?"
Giving a bow of acknowledgement, the maid on the right turned and went into the door behind her. The left most one nodded in response to Mitsuru's question. "Yes. He is awaiting a special guest and his companion. They have business to conduct with Master Takeharu."
Mitsuru frowned. "Business? But I thought he was on vacation."
The maid smiled knowingly. "He is. This business is of a… personal matter to him."
Personal matters? Mitsuru's frown deepened. She had not heard anything of the sort when she'd been making the arrangements. What kind of personal matter could be so important he had to invite someone out for a vacation? Before she could ruminate any further however, the door in front of her opened and her father walked into the hall.
Takeharu Kirijo was a tall man with dark hair and a strong body, his face marred only by the presence of an eyepatch over his left eye. He walked forward into the hall, a stern look on his face as he surveyed the group of teens in front of him. He looked at Mitsuru first, and she saw a momentary softening of his expression as he regarded her before it hardened again. He stared at all of the SEES members, his gaze lingering on Yukari for a moment longer than the others before coming to rest on Minato. Surprisingly, his face softened again before he spoke.
"You are Arisato, correct? Minato Arisato?"
Mitsuru's eyes widened. Her father was calling her boyfriend out by name seconds after he had walked into her home. She swallowed, not liking where this was going at all.
"Y-yes, Sir," He replied before glancing at her nervously.
"I thought so," Takeharu said with a nod before gesturing to him. "Follow me, please."
Her heart began to race. There was no way that her father should have known about Minato, not this quickly. She reached out to stop him. "Father, what are you…?"
"Don't worry, Mitsuru." Takaharu's expression softened as he looked over at her. "We are just going to speak on matters that concern both of us."
What was that supposed to mean? Did that mean that he knew about the two of them after all? She caught her boyfriend's worried glance as he walked past, returning it with her own. Her heart rate skyrocketed as two of the men she cared about most in her life disappeared behind the door together.
Minato Arisato was normally a very calm person. True, he had his moments of outrage and anger, but mostly, he was levelheaded and calm. Right now though? He was a mess of nerves and fear. Takeharu had brought him into his office and gestured for Minato to sit down opposite him before proceeding to stare at Minato for the next several minutes, his expression unchanging. Minato sighed as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
He obviously knows by now. Why else would he drag you here and not speak to you?
As if reading his mind, Takeharu spoke for the first time. "How are your classes going? I hear that Ikutsuki was impressed with the diligence you showed with your studies."
Minato raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was this? It wasn't any kind of interrogation technique he'd seen before. "Um, they're going well, sir," He replied politely. "Your daughter is a good influence. She has been… encouraging me to increase the amount of time I spend on my studies."
The patriarch of the Kirijo Family smiled knowingly, and shook his head. "Of course she is… Even so, everyone needs to know when to take a break, now and again, correct?"
Minato nodded timidly. "Yes, that's why we're here, sir."
"…No, it isn't."
Minato frowned in confusion. "…Sir?"
Takeharu smiled a sad smile at him. "You are here because I wanted you here."
Minato swallowed.
Oh great. He's gonna kill me, and no one is gonna find the body. You should've known this would happen. Oh, well, you'll just have to fight for her. Let him know what she means to you.
Minato was just about to start pleading his case when the phone on the desk rang, Takeharu picking it up immediately. "Yes?" A few seconds later, he nodded. "Very well. Show his guest where she'll be staying, and bring him to my office. Then we can begin."
He blinked in confusion. He wasn't here for 'the talk' after all? "Sir, I'm sorry if this sounds impertinent," Minato said as Takeharu hung up the phone, "But…Why am I here?"
Takeharu's eye softened. "You know," He said wistfully, "You look a lot like him."
"…Look like who?" He asked in confusion.
"He's talking about your father, boy."
Minato froze at the sound of a voice he hadn't heard in 3 months. The last time he had, it had told him to go to Iwatodai.
After a few stunned moments, he stood up and looked at the man who had been both his friend and his enemy for the past 10 years.
"Hello, Grandfather."
.
.
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Edit AN: Well, this one I'm not really happy with, but I can't really put my finger on why. Perhaps it's because it didn't have parts in it that I wanted to change so much as just removing them completely. After that, it was purely a structural change to the sentences to make them flow better. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as it is now. Feel free to leave me a review or send me a PM if you like, dislike, or are concerned with this chapter. See you next time! – Dr Ninja
