Mitsuru, for the most part, was normally a calm and level-headed person. Sure, she had her moments of icy rage when someone wronged her, but on the whole, she was very poised and collected.

Right now, though? Right now, she was panicking, pacing back and forth nervously in the entrance hall of her family's vacation home. Her secret boyfriend of less than a month had just been spirited away by her father, a (former) Yakuza Clan leader, less than a minute after stepping through the front door with absolutely no explanation as to why he wanted him. Add in the fact that the two had decided to hide the fact that they were currently in a relationship due to a Shadow's interference a few weeks ago, and it was easy to see why she was so nervous.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around. It was Akihiko. "What was that about?" He asked with a concerned look in his eyes. "Why'd he take Minato?"

Mitsuru shook her head. She knew what might be the reason, but…

No, there is no possible way that he could know about us. We haven't done anything that could have aroused suspicion… right?

In a flash of insight, she suddenly remembered the young executive that she had stood up on the day when she had told SEES about the incident. The man had probably complained to her father when she hadn't shown up to their established 'meeting'. That might have given her father some cause for concern, but given what she had revealed that day, it wouldn't have surprised him that she'd stood up the banker at all.

But, if that incident had somehow led him to the truth of the matter… How had he managed to piece it together in such a short time? And if he hadn't, why had he taken Minato aside in the first place?

Akihiko waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Mitsuru, what is going on?" He asked pointedly, his concerned look growing in intensity.

She shook her head again. "I…don't know..." She replied, her voice low and uncertain. "I have no idea what is going on either…"

"What is going on with you…?" He stared at Mitsuru for a few moments before his eyes widened. He leaned back in and whispered, "Hey… is there something going on between you and Minato I need to know about…?"

Mitsuru cursed under her breath. He always could read her well. Still, she just had to tell him no to get him to drop it.

But why…?

That small question stopped the thoughts racing through her mind. Why did she need to deny it? She knew why she didn't want the general public to know about the two of them, but Akihiko was her best friend. Out of everyone that she knew, he was one of the most trustworthy, and it honestly felt wrong to keep it from him. Her mind set, she nodded slightly and said in a low whisper, "We've been…going out… since the Shirakawa operation."

"Really?" He asked, surprised. Akihiko had been a first-hand witness to the state she had been in after Jubei, so it probably came as a shock to him. After taking a moment to process, Akihiko smiled slightly before concern slipped back into his features. "…Did you tell your father about this… development?"

"No," She admitted, "But there is no way he could've-"

"Come on, Mitsuru, you know your dad better than anyone!" He interrupted, his voice straining to keep quiet. "If anyone could find out, it would be him!"

…He had a good point. She felt a large lump of fear settle into the pit of her stomach. If her father had found out that she'd started seeing someone again, especially after the last time, then there was no way she could guarantee Minato's continued wellbeing.

I have to stop this before-

The sound of the main door opening suddenly knocked Mitsuru from her thoughts and caused the rest of the SEES members to turn towards the door. Standing in the entranceway was an older, stern-faced gentleman, his silver hair shot with streaks of blue. He was wearing a dark-blue plaid suit jacket, a white button up and dark blue dress pants, in addition to carrying a wooden cane. Next to him was a blue haired boy who looked as if he was in his early teens. He was wearing a blue plaid hat, a light blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and blue dress pants.

At their arrival, the two maids came up to them and bowed respectfully. The maid on the right said something to the older man, who nodded in response. Walking swiftly despite his age, he strode past the group without a word and went through the same door that both Minato and her father had gone through only a few minutes earlier. She stared after him blankly. Was that the person her father had 'business' with? If so, why take Minato with him? What was the connection?

The maid on the left spoke with the boy for a few moments before gesturing towards the guest wing, intent on showing the boy to a room. Instead, he shook his head politely and walked up to the group of SEES members. "I wasn't aware that Kirijo-san would have so many guests," He said as he stopped in front of the group. "Friends of the family?"

"Uh… yeah," Akihiko said hesitantly. "…Are you?"

"No, I am merely accompanying my grandfather," He said with a shake of his head. "He apparently has business with Kirijo-san, and Kirijo-san was kind enough to invite us to stay here for a few days. It seems we will be rooming together for the duration." The boy stuck out his hand. "I'm Naoto Shirogane, pleased to meet you."

With that, the pieces finally came together. The others all reacted the same way, turning and looking at her in confusion and surprise. Without a word, she turned and ran through the doors leading to her father's office. If that man who had walked by was who she assumed it was, then a violent confrontation between him and Minato was entirely possible in the near future.

She just hoped she could get there in time to stop it.

Astounded, Minato just stared at the man he both loved and hated equally. So many emotions coursed through him at the moment; anger, confusion, even a bit of respect. It was a well laid trap, he had to admit. Still, that didn't diminish the overwhelming urge he had to stride up to his grandfather and throttle him. He would be entirely justified for reacting that way, he felt.

Instead, he turned to Takeharu and said in a level, but dangerous tone, "What the hell is this?"

Stunned for a moment, Takeharu's face quickly split into a grin and he barked out a laugh. "Well, I guess I deserved that for keeping you in the dark." He turned to Kyohei Shirogane. "How was your trip, Shirogane-san?"

Kyohei snorted. "Skip the pleasantries, Kirijo. We are here to discuss the past, not the present."

Closing his eyes, Minato willed himself not to act on his urges. "1… 2… 3… 4… 5…"

Once he'd resisted the urge to commit parricide, he started to run through the available facts in his head. First, his grandfather knew Mitsuru's father and, judging by their tones, had been in contact with him for some time. Mitsuru's father apparently also had known Minato's father, enough to be able to recognize familial traits just in his looks. His grandfather did not like Mitsuru's father that much, judging by his tone and demeanor. All of that was fairly evident.

One question still remained, however: He still didn't know why they were there.

Stepping into the room, Kyohei quickly sat in the seat next to Minato, leaning his cane on the side of his chair. Standing up and turning to the small bar behind him, Takeharu held up a decanter of alcohol in an offering, and Kyohei shook his head. Takeharu then poured himself a drink and sat back down, staring at the two men before him.

Minato's patience was already running thin. He didn't like not knowing what he was walking into, and he had been a bundle of nerves and fear from the moment he stepped into the office. He wanted answers… now. "What… The hell… is this?" He repeated, his tone becoming dangerously agitated.

With a grunt, Kyohei reached over and smacked his arm reproachfully. "Language, young man," He said sternly. "We are guests, after all."

The old man's condescending tone was the last straw. "I'm sorry, but being a guest requires you to show a certain measure of civility, something I don't think I'm quite capable of doing right now! I mean, what the hell are you even doing here!? I've been trying to call you for 3 goddamn months, and then you just show up during my well-earned vacation?! I ask you, for the last goddamn time, what the hell is this?!"

Face twisting with rage, Kyohei stood up, probably to yell back, but Takeharu held his hand up to stop him. "He has a point, Shirogane-san," He said calmly. "You have chosen to keep him at arms-length for the duration of his stay in Iwatodai…" He shrugged. "Perhaps I should be the one to open this conversation."

Kyohei scowled at Takeharu for a few moments before scoffing and sitting back down. "Do what you will, Kirijo."

Minato stared in shock, animosity forgotten. No one told Kyohei Shirogane to stop. Anyone who tried had quickly learned exactly why he'd earned his moniker of 'The Iron Detective'. Yet Kyohei had just ceded the point to Takeharu without a fight, like it was no big deal. He was so shocked that he simply slumped back into his chair, animosity forgotten as Takeharu cleared his throat.

"Minato-kun, the reason I had you brought here, the reason your grandfather is here, is for us to tell you the truth."

His eyebrows furrowed. "…The truth about what?"

The older man simply smiled. "This whole story all started around… hmm, 20 odd years ago now? I was just a teenager then, perhaps a bit younger than you at the time. My father had just split our family away from our Yakuza family in a violent attempt to start our own empire. In doing so, he stole around a third of their manpower, including a good portion of their business. Knowing that, it was foolish of him to think that there would not be... retaliation."

Minato frowned. "With all due respect, what does that have to do with me?"

He shook his head, ignoring the question. "One day, after school, I was walking home when I noticed two men following me. I knew what this meant, so I attempted to make an escape into a nearby alleyway." He grimaced. "It was a carefully prepared trap. Two more men appeared at the other end of the alley, cutting off my escape. As they advanced on me, one of them pulled out a knife and said, "The Nanjo group sends their regards." He shuddered. "I'll be honest: I thought I was going to die in that alleyway."

Takeharu smiled wistfully. "...All of a sudden, out of one of the backdoors of a butcher shop, a teen slightly older than me comes out with a cleaver in his hands, and stands between me and the two in front of me. He told me to go inside, that he would handle them."

He shook his head in fond remembrance. "I was young and foolish back then. Hah… I actually remember thinking, 'I can't let this commoner show me up! I'd never live it down!'" He chuckled. "The two of us waded into battle together, and that's where this…" He gestured to his eyepatch. "…came from. We took them all down, but not before the last one managed to nick my eye with his blade."

His smile brightened. "That's when something even more unexpected happened: The teen that had helped me rushed inside the butcher shop to get a cold towel for my wound, and then walked me to the hospital. Afterwards, I attempted to pay him for his trouble, and the help that he had given me, but he refused. He turned to leave, and on a whim, I asked for his name. He turned back to me and smiled before saying, 'My name is Saburo Arisato. It was nice to meet you.'"

Minato felt his stomach drop. He swallowed. "My father? My father saved your life?"

"He did, and it was a debt that I am sad to say that I have never truly repaid. I've tried my hardest over the years though." Takeharu's eyes became unfocused for a moment before he shook his head, returning to his anecdote. "Anyways… Later that day, I told my father about the incident and the one who had saved me. He initially looked into getting your father a job working with the newly formed Kirijo Group as repayment for his actions, before eventually deciding against hiring him."

"What? Why?" Minato asked curiously. "If he saved your life…?"

"My father was very… old fashioned, to put it nicely," Takeharu said with a scowl. "You see, he looked through Saburo's family history and found something… unsavory in his past, something he couldn't overlook."

"What was it?"

Takeharu frowned in disgust at the memory. "He found out that your father was descended from a burakumin family. The Nanjo group's reliance on burakumin in the past had been something that irked my father considerably, and had been one of the myriad reasons behind our coup. In the end, he couldn't take having someone like that working for him, even though Saburo had shown more loyalty in the 5 minutes I knew him than most of the other 'desirables' we had working for us at the time."

He shook his head. "I pleaded with my father to let me help him in some way. He eventually relented and allowed Saburo to join as a 'little brother' in one of our lower tier gangs." A regretful smile appeared on his face. "Your father's talents were wasted there."

Kyohei scoffed, the first noise he had made since the start of the conversation. "Talents…? If you call beating up innocent salarymen for their pocket money 'talent'."

Takeharu glared at Kyohei. "As I said, his talents were wasted there. Luckily for him, he proved himself to be a fantastic moneymaker within a year or so, making an increased profit for most of the 'activities' that that gang provided with very little bloodshed. We quickly found out that Saburo could talk his way around anyone. After that, he quickly moved up the ranks, eventually ending up running his own mid-tier gang. That was when things got a little… strange."

"Strange, he calls it…" Kyohei interrupted with a snort of amusement. "One day, about 18 years ago, I get a call into my office. There had been a murder in Iwatodai and the killer was currently on the run. They needed someone to help track him down." He turned to Minato. "The killer had been positively identified as one Saburo Arisato."

At that point, a knock sounded on the office door. Takeharu frowned. "Who is it? I asked not to be disturbed."

Mitsuru's muffled voice came through the door. "Pardon me, father, but I was just concerned about Arisato…"

"What is going on with that girl…?" He said to himself as he got up to answer the door. When he opened the door, Mitsuru regarded him with a worried expression on her face.

"Father…"

"Mitsuru, this is a private conversation," He said sternly. "I appreciate your concern for your teammate, but-"

"She can come in," Minato said suddenly. "She deserves to know why we're apparently here. Besides," His voice became softer, "I don't mind if she hears this."

Takeharu's eyes widened as he turned to look back at the blue haired teen, surprised at the softness in his tone. Minato had been ranging from nervous to hostile the entire time he'd been in the office. Now the boy had a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his face as he stared past Takeharu at his daughter. He looked back to see her regarding him with an equally small smile. He felt a small grin tug onto his face before schooling it back into a neutral expression. "Very well, if Minato-kun has no objections…"

Kyohei glared at Takeharu as Mitsuru entered and began leaning on the table behind him. "If there are no more interruptions…?"

"Of course, Shirogane-san," Takeharu said with a slight bow. "Please continue."

"Hmph… Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, the murderer was reported to be one Saburo Arisato." He heard a small gasp from the girl behind him. He ignored it and continued. "I was busy with a dozen different cases at the time, so I sent my protégé instead to deal with this open and shut case."

"Mom…" Minato closed his eyes as he put together the pieces. "You sent Mom…"

"My own daughter," He said with a nod. "At the time, she was determined to be the first woman independent detective our family had seen. She was incredibly smart and determined. I knew that she would be able to solve this case without incident."

"Well," Minato said with a snort of derision, "When you're wrong, you're wrong…"

"I didn't think that she would fall in love with the man she was sent there to catch!" Kyohei retorted, outraged. "I taught her better than that!"

Minato smiled condescendingly. "I know, right? Cause love is such a foreign concept to you!"

"Enough… please." Takeharu said, holding up his hands placatingly. Kyohei's nostrils flared angrily as he glared at Minato, but he held his tongue. Takeharu sighed. "The truth is, sadly, a tad more complicated than that. You see, a rival boss from one of the other gangs in the organization tried to frame your father for murder in revenge for Saburo encroaching on his territory."

He shook his head. "It almost worked. They lured him to the scene of the crime, knocked him out, planted the murder weapon on him and smeared the blood of the dead man on his clothes. When Saburo woke up, the police were already there. He barely managed to escape them, but not before they had seen what he looked like."

He shrugged. "Luckily, your father had plenty of friends throughout the city. Over the years, your father helped many people out, often with no regard to himself. In return, many of them would have given him asylum in his time of need with no thought to themselves… following his example."

Takeharu smiled brightly, looking at Minato with admiration in his eye. "Minato-kun, your father was the best man that I ever knew. He embodied what makes the Kirijo Group strong: 'Two in harmony surpass one in perfection.' By helping others regardless of their situation, and doing so without thought of payment or reward, he helped generate something that is so much more powerful than fear; loyalty. He helped lay the groundwork for what I do with the Kirijo Group now."

At this, Kyohei coughed, glaring at Takeharu with a pointed look in his eyes. Takeharu chuckled and nodded. "Of course, Shirogane-san: I was going off track, I apologize. Anyways, your father managed to successfully hide out from the police and started searching for the ones who had framed him in the hopes of proving his innocence. Little did he know, he had a shadow."

He shook his head in amusement. "Your mother, Akane, was determined in her pursuit, nearly catching him several times over the next few days. However, as Saburo investigated, so did Akane. She quickly came to the conclusion that he had not, in fact, committed the murder-"

"-based on the word of his confidants, not actual fact and evidence!" Kyohei interrupted. "For all she knew, they were lying about Arisato to protect him!"

For the first time, Takeharu glared back at Kyohei with real heat in his gaze. "I am not getting into this argument with you again, Shirogane," He said angrily. Kyohei simply crossed his arms and fell silent. Shaking his head, Takeharu continued. "Saburo eventually found out which gang had set him up. He went to their headquarters and tried to find evidence he could use to clear his name, but was caught and captured. Akane had been close on his trail, and, after seeing the trouble Saburo was in, called in backup. The police came in, arrested the culprits, and, after a thorough re-examination of the evidence, cleared your father of all charges."

"Wow…" Minato shook his head incredulously, a small grin on his face. "I… How the hell did my mom go from chasing a potential killer around, to marrying him and having his children?"

Kyohei smirked humorlessly. "I never understood it myself. I didn't know why Akane chose to stay in Iwatodai until she called to tell me she was getting married months later, to a Yakuza thug no less."

"You only call him that because you never met him, Shirogane-san." Takeharu shook his head. "As for how, it was a whirlwind romance. After the investigation was over, the two of them became fast friends, their cat and mouse game having formed some kind of bond. They became closer and closer as time went on, and, once Saburo mustered the guts to tell her how he felt, they started dating. Shortly after that, they were married. A couple of months after that, they found out that Akane was pregnant with you and your sister."

At the mention of Makoto, Minato smiled briefly, then frowned again as another question came to mind. "Well, I appreciate you telling me this and all, but… what does it have to do with you, sir? What is your stake in all of this?"

Takeharu laughed. "Who do you think was present at the time of you and your sister's birth, making sure your father didn't go crazy with worry?"

The two teens in the room stared wide-eyed at him. Takeharu simply smiled. "I was very surprised when he asked me to be your godfather. He wasn't Christian, but he must have thought it was ironic. He always did have a good sense of humor."

"You're… my godfather?" He asked incredulously. Takeharu nodded, and Minato gave a bark of laughter. "I…don't know what to say…"

All of a sudden, Minato shot out of his chair and rounded on his Grandfather, his face a mask of anger. "You son of a bitch!" He yelled, getting right into Kyohei's face. "You knew this whole time, didn't you?! Didn't you?! I could have known this whole time that I had others that cared about me, that knew my family… but you never said a word!"

Pulling away, Minato began heaving, hyperventilating as the weight of his grandfather's betrayal crashed over him. "All that time…and you hid it from me…"

"That's enough for today…" Takeharu said, shaking his head sadly. "We're done, Minato-kun. You can go. We'll discuss the rest of what we need to tomorrow."

Minato turned and walked out of the room without another word. After a moment, both Kyohei and Mitsuru got up to follow him. "Wait, Mitsuru," Takeharu said, causing her to stop and look at her father. There was an unknown look was in his eyes. "Stay. I need to speak with you."

Anger burning in his chest, Minato stomped towards the main entrance hall. He felt drained. He'd always assumed his grandfather had been keeping secrets about his family from him, but it turned out he'd kept even more than he'd feared. The sound of footsteps behind him reignited his anger, and he wheeled around, glaring at his grandfather.

"I don't want to see hide nor hair of you for the rest of this trip," He bit out angrily. His grandfather opened his mouth to retort, but Minato cut him off. "You lied to me for 10 goddamn years! You said that they had no extended family, no friends who'd remember them, that they kept to themselves… and you were lying straight to my face!"

Minato turned and left him there floundering for words as he stormed toward the entrance hall. The veil of his Grandfather's lies had finally been lifted, but it left a stinging pain in its wake. He wiped his eyes, hoping to prevent the angry tears from falling.

The look Takeharu was giving her felt like it was drilling into Mitsuru's skull. He was smiling at her, but she couldn't help the feeling that he was displeased. She had barged into a meeting that had been private, after all. She swallowed nervously. "Father, I'm sorry for intruding on the meeting you had with Arisato and Shirogane-san."

Her father's eye twitched at the mention of Minato's name. "So, how well do the two of you know each other? He mentioned you during our admittedly brief conversation before Shirogane-san arrived."

She felt her heart rate increase. "…Well enough. As I'm sure you're aware, he leads the team in the field, and I deal with management, logistics and other things of that sort."

"That isn't quite what I meant, Mitsuru." Her father shook his head, smile intact. "No, how well do you know each other, personally?"

She swallowed involuntarily. "Oh. Well… We sit next to each other in class. He's smart… and studious."

"Anything else?" He asked pointedly, his tone prodding.

She sighed. "He… has told me some of his past, such as… his relations with his grandfather. That is why I came here and interrupted. I was… concerned."

"Why? Because you recognized that he was Minato's grandfather?" He snorted. "Please, Mitsuru, I know you better than that. It would take more than that to make you interrupt a private meeting between me and an associate, regardless of who it was. You acted strangely in the hall too, when I called on Minato-kun to follow me. Why was that?"

She lowered her eyes. "I…didn't know what to expect. I-I thought that he might have done something to displease you…"

He raised an eyebrow. "And that worried you?"

She nodded once. "He has done a fantastic job leading the team. Any blame for any failures should be put on me."

"I see…" He said with a nod, accepting her point. "Well, what about him then? Why would he allow you to listen to his past, see his pain, if you only know each other as well as you describe; as colleagues, and nothing more?" He smirked. "I know something of the boy, and I know that he doesn't trust that easily."

"We have been in battle together, nearly died together," She said with a hint of indignation. "Of course we would trust each other after all we have experienced."

"With your lives, maybe… not with your hearts. That takes… something else." He had a knowing look in his eye as he smiled at her. "You know, he had a similar experience to you in the past, an event that made him wary of trusting others with his heart: He too had his heart broken by someone he cared about." He sighed. "You see, a girl named Haruya-"

"Enough," She bit out as she stood up suddenly, anger blazing in her eyes. "This is not something we should be discussing without his knowledge."

"Why?" He asked with a smirk. "Because it's his story to tell? Or… because you already know it?"

She stared wide eyed at her father, who simply smiled brightly. "Mitsuru, I have not been blind to your struggle these past few years. You changed after Jubei rejected and humiliated you. You became obsessed with your duty, and threw yourself into your obligations, all to stop yourself from feeling. You stopped living, using excuses and tradition to hide your pain. Through you, I saw what that pain, that loneliness, looked like."

He shook his head. "I do not see that pain in you now… nor in him." His smirk widened. "Care to tell me why?"

After a few tense moments, Mitsuru sat down, her head falling into her hands to hide her blush. Takeharu laughed at her embarrassment. "Don't look so distraught, Mitsuru. I am happy for you, truly. Out of everything, I did not think this possible."

She shook her head, groaning. "And we were hoping you wouldn't find out…"

"Anyone who is around you two for a few seconds could figure it out, love. Or have you forgotten how your mother and I were…?" He shook his head. "So, how long has this been going on?"

She grimaced and groaned embarrassedly."…A few weeks."

His laugh, a great belly laugh, encompassed the room. "A bit early to be introducing him to your father, don't you think?"

She stood up, anger and embarrassment on her face. "If you are going to continue to act like this…"

"Ok, I'll stop," He said, smiling brightly. "I've kept you long enough as is. Go on. Enjoy your vacation." With a grateful nod, she turned and opened the door to leave.

"Mitsuru?" He called out. She leaned back in, and saw a small look of pride on Takeharu's face. "I am so glad to see you happy again."

As she closed the door and began walking towards the guest wing, Mitsuru smiled. That hadn't gone as she had expected, but she could hardly complain. That was as close to receiving his blessing as she would get without outright asking for it. Now to tend to Minato…

Head spinning with emotion, Minato sat on the edge of the bed in his room, staring off into space as his MP3 player blared away in his ears. He didn't know what to think anymore. The arrogance of his grandfather blinded him with rage, and the connection to Takeharu confused him. If Takeharu cared about Minato, why hadn't he reached out before now? Why wait until now to reveal this?

He shook his head. There wasn't any point to reflecting on it right now. The past happened. He couldn't change it, and he would go crazy if he began thinking about how things might have been different. He still had questions about everything, but the answers had apparently been waiting for a while now. They could stand to wait a little longer.

Sighing as the tension left his body, he got up and looked out the window. With all that had happened already, the beach was looking awfully inviting. Even if the excuse to come here had been a fabrication, he was still here on vacation, to relax. What better way to do that than a dip in the ocean?

Making up his mind, he took his headphones off and grabbed his swimsuit out of his bag. He changed and was about to leave when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Mitsuru standing there, an apologetic look on her face.

"Minato, I wanted to apologize for my father's behavior. He's usually… very… open…" She trailed off and began blushing furiously as she finally noticed his undressed state. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize…!"

He laughed awkwardly. "…Well, it's not quite as revealing as a towel, but I-I guess this makes us sort of even now, huh?"

Somehow, her blush darkened even more. "Y-You just had to bring that up again…"

He simply smiled coyly at her. "So, what's up? You want to come in?"

"…Sure." With that, she stepped past him and sat in one of the chairs at the small coffee table in his room. He sat down across from her, and she leaned in towards him. "Like I was saying, I wanted to apologize. I honestly had no idea my father knew about you before you arrived here. He certainly never mentioned any of this to me. Either way, it was my idea to come here, and I'm sorry that I-"

He leaned in mid-sentence and kissed her. She froze in surprise for a moment before melting into the kiss. When he pulled away a few moments later, he had a smile on his face. "You apologize too much. I don't blame you for this. And besides, who originally mentioned the idea to come here in the first place?"

"…Ikutsuki-san." She shook her head, and smiled grimly at the efficiency of the game that had been played. "That makes sense. We really need to talk with him when we get back..." She blushed as she remembered that he was half naked in front of her. "Um, so… were you heading to the beach?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I figure that I've had enough emotional turmoil for one day, and that I should actually do what I came here to do: Relax. Decompress. Have fun."

"Well," She said with a tilt of her head, "I can't deny that the beach does look inviting…"

His face twisted into a devilish smile. "In that case, maybe you should join me," He said teasingly. "I honestly wouldn't mind some company…"

"Then… you won't mind if I invite the others to join us as well?" She replied with a smirk.

"…Eh, I guess." He said with a sigh of defeat. "We did bring them along… Why'd we do that again?"

She laughed for a moment before freezing as she remembered an important detail. "Um… Minato?"

"Yeah?"

"Your grandfather… didn't come alone."

Minato tilted his head in confusion before a look of horrified realization ran across his face. "Oh god, that's what she… Naoto's here too?"

"Why do you look so scared?" She asked, confused. "I thought you'd be happy she was here."

"I'm scared because I maaaaaay have forgotten to call her since showing up in Iwatodai a few months ago," He replied with a sheepish look on his face. "Other than that, I'm ecstatic."

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "…You are such a fool sometimes."

"I know, you don't have to remind me." He smiled and shrugged. "Eh, she was always going to punish me for forgetting to call her for 3 months. At least this way, I don't give her that much time to plan."

"She's still in grade school, correct?" She tilted her head curiously. "What could she possibly do to you?"

"Don't underestimate my cousin," He said with a fearful shake of his head. "I have no idea what she's ultimately capable of. That's what scares me."

Asking the SEES members to come down to the beach had been an interesting experience. All of them had given him worried looks before asking him a multitude of questions ranging from, "What happened between you and Mitsuru's father?" to, "Was that really your cousin and grandfather earlier?" As much as he'd appreciated their concern, the events were still too raw for him to explain to them one at a time.

Still, he knew they deserved some kind of answers, and so had offered to explain it if they would come to the beach with him. Thankfully, they all agreed, giving him at least a few hours to come to terms with what had transpired before baring it all to them.

With SEES out of the way, now came the hard part. He sighed heavily as he came up to the second to last door. He knew who was in here. He just hoped she wouldn't jump him for surprising her like this. Steeling himself, he knocked on the door.

When the door opened, he was greeted by his cousin's familiar face, her eyes widening at the sight of him. "Hi, Naoto-chan," He said with a cheeky wave. "Do you want to come to the beach with us?" She just stared at him, confusion and amazement evident in her features. He felt his grin grow. "What, you didn't see this coming? Tsk…For shame, Naoto."

That did the trick. She snapped out of her surprise, her face twisting in both annoyance and anger. "What are you doing here?!" Her eyes narrowed. "No… Did Grandfather set this up?"

"Ha! What do you think?" He asked sarcastically. "Believe me, I was just as surprised as you were to find out you were here. Mitsuru-san, Takeharu-san's daughter, is one of my dorm mates. She offered for us all to come here for a vacation after we finished finals." He gestured grandly. "Well… here we are."

She shook her head in confusion. "…But why? Why are we here? Grandfather said he was here on business…" She made a small gasp. "Is it because of your secret project?"

"Not really," He replied, drawing a surprised look from Naoto. "As it turns out, Takeharu-san was a friend of my father's. Gramps knew, and just now got around to telling me."

"He… knew? This whole time?" Naoto's face fell in sympathy. "Minato, I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, Naoto. It's not your fault." He gave her a half-smile. "Besides, Gramps has been hiding things from us since the day we first met him. We both know that there are things he doesn't tell us."

"True," She said with a scowl. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I know how you feel…" He sighed in exasperation. "Anyway, do you want to come to the beach with the rest of us? That way you can meet my dorm-mates, officially."

"I had wondered why they seemed so odd when I told them who I was," She said with a slight smile. "I assume then that you've told them about me?" He nodded. "Then I would be delighted. I hate being on the back foot when meeting new people."

Minato groaned. "Naoto, please… they're just high school students."

"Not if they're with you, they're not." Her smile grew. "Besides, I need to know what you have been doing these past 3 months, since apparently you were too busy to call." With that, she shut the door in his face, apparently to get changed.

"…I came here on vacation, and this is what I get: Embarrassment and grief." He groaned again as he turned to walk down to the entrance hall. "Why are family always such a pain in the ass…?"

"Woohoo! It's summer, alright!" Junpei yelled excitedly as he looked out over the sparkling blue ocean.

"Yeah, I can tell," Akihiko said with a hint of exasperation. "Calm down, will you?"

"Man, I can't believe we're here. This place is amazing! It's so beautiful…"

As Junpei continued to marvel at the ocean, Akihiko frowned as he recalled why they were out here. Minato had looked fine when he had invited them out, but Akihiko couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. His grandfather showing up unexpectedly and Mitsuru's father taking him away like that… All that combined with the new information he had acquired from Mitsuru earlier...

He shook his head. It wasn't worth worrying about right now. He just hoped that Minato was alright. Turning his attention back to the ocean, he began scanning around, looking for a good landmark to use as a distance marker before smirking in amusement. Apparently, while Akihiko had been absorbed in his thoughts, Junpei had already jumped into the ocean and was now bouncing around in the surf like a kid.

"Jeez, he's already in the water? He could have waited for the rest of us…"

Akihiko turned at the sound of the voice to see Yukari walking up behind him. She had on a pink bikini and short shorts with sunglasses perched on the top of her head. He smiled at her. "Yeah, he could have… but I think he's waited long enough, don't you? After all, he wouldn't shut up about it the whole way here."

She sighed as she nodded. "Yeah, I suppose... We had an interesting morning, huh? I mean, Minato-kun's cousin and grandfather showing up…? And then Mitsuru-senpai just running off after hearing Naoto-chan's name…? What's up with that?"

"I dunno," He said, playing dumb. In reality, he knew exactly why Mitsuru had run off, but that was her secret to share. "There's no use worrying about it until they decide to tell us what's happening."

After a moment, she nodded reluctantly. "Great, more secrets… Oh well…." With that, she turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Her eyes widened. "Wow, Fuuka! It looks great on you!"

Turning, Akihiko looked at Fuuka as she walked towards them wearing the suit she'd borrowed from Yukari. It was a light blue bikini top with a matching skirt bottom and a pair of cute sandals. It was complimented by the faint blush on Fuuka's face. "T-Thank you, Yukari-chan… Hello, Akihiko-senpai."

Smiling at her, he gave her a nod and resumed his search for a distance marker. If he was going to train here by swimming, he needed a reference point to time his laps with…

His search was interrupted yet again by the gasps of the girls behind him. Curious, he turned around to see Mitsuru walking towards them all. She wore a white bikini top and a white cloth tied around her waist with a set of open, high heeled sandals.

"…Wow, you're beautiful, Senpai! Your skin is flawless!" Yukari said in awe.

"Amazing…" Fuuka said lightly. "It looks so smooth…"

Mitsuru reddened at the girls' attention. "Uh…thank you… both of you..."

If this is the way the girls were reacting… Minato was going to lose his mind. Still, as much as Akihiko enjoyed seeing Mitsuru looking so out of place, he wanted to talk to her alone. "Hey, girls," he interrupted, "There's a set of umbrellas over there. Can you go and claim them real quick, so we have someplace to sit out of the sun?"

At the sound of his voice, the girls tore their gazes away from Mitsuru and looked where he was pointing. Yukari shook her head clear before nodding. "Yeah, sure… Come on, Fuuka!" With that, the two girls walked away down the beach, leaving Akihiko alone with her.

Once the girls were far enough away, he gave her a mischievous smile. "So, trying to look your best for Minato?"

Her blush deepened and she pursed her lips in barely-repressed annoyance. "…I knew I shouldn't have told you."

He laughed. "Come on, Mitsuru… I'm only joking. I'm happy for you, really. I think Minato's a great guy, past notwithstanding, and I think he'll treat you well."

She looked at him in amused disbelief. "Really? Even knowing what happened to me last time I was in a relationship?"

"Even so. Besides, he's not stupid enough to intentionally hurt you like that idiot Jubei did. He knows that wouldn't end well for him." He smirked. "I mean, he's met your father, he knows from experience how hard I can punch… and that's not to mention what you'd end up doing to him."

With that, the tension in her features bled away, her blush lessening in intensity. "Yes, well… I doubt that will happen this time."

"I know." He said with a smile. "I can already see he's been good for you, and you are clearly good for him. I mean, you hugged him once and he practically changed overnight. I can only imagine what he'll be like in a month."

She opened her mouth to retort when-

"Hey, everyone!"

Both Akihiko and Mitsuru turned. Minato had finally arrived, his cousin Naoto next to him. She had traded her rather masculine clothing for a one piece swimsuit and a set of sunglasses and sandals. As the two of them came to stand next to Akihiko and Mitsuru, Minato yelled, "Hey, Junpei, Yukari, Fuuka, I got someone for you to meet!"

Wasting no time, all three teens stopped what they were doing and hurried over to join the small group. When all of them were together, Minato gestured grandly at his cousin. "Everyone, I know you probably already know by now, but this is Naoto Shirogane, my cousin." He gestured back at the group of teens. "Naoto, these are my dorm mates."

"Hello again," She greeted with a slight bow. "I feel I must apologize. I know we met this morning, but we haven't been formally introduced yet."

"Don't worry about it, Naoto," Akihiko said lightly. "I'm Akihiko Sanada. It's nice to meet you."

Ever the gracious hostess, Mitsuru respectfully returned her bow. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, Shirogane-san. A pleasure to finally meet you."

On the other end of the spectrum, Junpei simply smiled at her and casually stuck out his hand to shake. "I'm Junpei Iori! It's good to finally meet ya, Nao-chan!"

"…Nao-chan? Really, Stupei…?" Yukari elbowed Junpei before giving Naoto an apologetic look. "Forgive Junpei's manners, Naoto-chan. He's a bit of a dolt sometimes."

"Hey! What gives, Yuka-tan?"

"No, no. It's perfectly fine," Naoto said with a slight smile. "It's not the first time I've been called that… and I've certainly been called worse before, believe me."

She sighed. "Somehow I'm not surprised, being Minato's cousin and all."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

She pointedly ignored him as she smiled. "Anyway, I'm Yukari Takeba. It's nice to finally meet you, Naoto-chan!"

"Hello, Naoto-san, I'm Fuuka Yamagishi," She said with a slight smile. "Minato's told us a lot about you."

"Oh really?" She turned to Minato. "So, cousin… What exactly have you told them about me?"

He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Nothing bad…"

"I-It's all been complimentary, trust me," Fuuka added hastily.

"Hmm…" Naoto fixed Minato with a piercing glare, causing him to shift uncomfortably. "I guess I'll take your word for it…"

"For example," Yukari interrupted, "Minato's told us about the 'job' you have, working for your grandfather. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Naoto looked at Minato, eyes wide with surprise, before turning back to Yukari. "…I-I wasn't aware that you knew about that. Not many people know about it outside of our family."

"Yeah, it slipped out of him one evening, and after some prodding, he told us all about it," Yukari said with a slight smile. "So, what is being a detective like? Any interesting stories?"

Naoto smiled a bit, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "W-Well, there are a few good ones, I suppose…"

With that, the group dispersed, with Yukari, Fuuka, and Junpei practically dragging Naoto with them over towards the umbrellas, hoping to get her to share some of her stories. That left Mitsuru, Minato, and Akihiko standing alone. Mitsuru looked concernedly between her best friend and her boyfriend, both of whom were busy glaring at each other.

It remained that way for a few tense seconds before the two suddenly bolted forward, racing across the sand and plunging into the sea. Minato's joyous whoop carried behind him. "Alright, Sanada, race you to that buoy and back!"

"Get ready to lose, Arisato!"

She shook her head at their childish antics before laying out the towel she'd brought and sitting down to relax in the sun. Why had she even worried in the first place?

A few minutes later, after the two boys had returned to shore, they lay on the sand, huffing and puffing. "I… won… Minato…"

"The… hell you did…" Minato replied with a groan. "I… clearly got out… of the water… first."

Akihiko chuckled breathlessly. "Keep dreaming…"

They continued to lay there for a few minutes, sucking in air in big gasps until they finally caught their breath. Once his heart rate had finally settled, Akihiko sat up and looked at Minato, a unreadable look on his face. "…Mitsuru told me. About you and her, I mean."

After a moment, Minato also sat up. "…Ok," He replied, his tone steady. "You're her best friend, and you are one of mine too. If anyone has to know, I'd rather it be you."

"Thanks, I guess…" He shook his head. "Look, I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm not happy for the two of you, but I'm also not 100% ok with this. So…" He sighed. "My question for you is this: How far do you plan to go with her? Is this just a fling while you're here, or…?"

"It's definitely not a fling," Minato replied, his tone low and angry. "I'm not someone who just jumps into something like this lightly or easily." They stared at each other for a tense moment.

"…Alright, I believe you," Akihiko said finally, raising his hands placatingly. "Still, you haven't answered my question."

Sighing, Minato tilted his head in thought. "I…don't really know…" He said uncertainly after a moment. "Relationships aren't exactly something that I've had much experience in, and what experience I have had is… well…" He shook his head sadly. "All I know for sure is that Mitsuru's the first person that I've met that could truly understand what I've been through… That's all I can really say right now."

"…Alright. That's what I wanted to hear." He smiled. "I'd have been worried if you had marriage plans already cooked up."

Blushing, Minato sputtered. "W-What? N-No!"

Akihiko laughed at his friend's reaction. "About time I was able to get you back, even a little bit." With that, Akihiko glanced back towards where Mitsuru was relaxing. "…You know, I think that she needs your help with putting on sunscreen."

For a moment, Minato stared in disbelief at him before smirking dangerously. "You know what, Akihiko? I think you're right," He said lightly. "I'm going to go tell her you suggested that."

"Wait, what?!" Akihiko froze and watched as the blue haired teen got up and quickly walked over to his girlfriend. He smiled down at her before saying something to her and animatedly pointing towards Akihiko. Mitsuru's gaze quickly snapped to look at Akihiko, giving him an icy glare. After a tense moment, she smirked before nodding up at her boyfriend in agreement. Minato began to blush a furious crimson before looking towards Akihiko with an incredulous expression on his face.

Making a noise of panic, Akihiko blushed and ran back into the water, escaping before he saw something he might regret.

Minato snickered as the silver haired teen ran for the hills. "Was that really necessary, Mitsuru? I'm pretty sure that he was just joking."

She laughed strangely. "What makes you think I was joking… Mina-kun?" Minato turned to her, eyes as wide as dinner plates. She had a heavy blush on her cheeks, but she was also smiling, a hint of challenge in her eyes. "I haven't put on sunscreen yet… You don't want me to get burned, do you?"

He shuddered as a chill raced down his spine, which was odd, considering the temperature on the beach. He then shook his head in disagreement. Her smile widened. "Good, then be a good boyfriend and help me out."

Minato chuckled nervously before moving to comply with his girlfriend's wishes.

After all, he needed to serve his Empress.

"…Well, that's the gist of it: my secret connection to the Kirijo Group," Minato said, finishing his story. After a few hours of play, Minato had called the group together, intending to share what he'd learned today with the rest of them. The group of teens all sat in a circle on the beach, listening intently as they watched the sunset. Once he'd finished, silence reigned for a few moments.

"I still can't believe that he would hide something like this from you," Naoto said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Why? What purpose did it serve?"

"I have no idea," Minato replied with a shrug. "Either way, it doesn't really matter at this point. It's in the past, and, as much as I might want to, I can't change it. Besides, Gramps knows what he did, and he has to live with the fact that I will never forgive him for it."

"Man, that guy…" Junpei stood up and began pacing angrily. "I hope I don't see him for the rest of this trip, cause I'm liable to give him a piece of my mind!"

At that, Fuuka stood up. "Junpei-kun, please don't…" She placed her hand on his arm. "He may have done something horrible to our friend, but it's like Minato-senpai said: it's in the past now. We can't change it, no matter how bad it is."

Junpei inhaled then exhaled deeply, tension seeping out of him. "Yeah… you're right, Fuuka-chan. Thanks."

She nodded as she sat back down. Minato smiled at Junpei. "It's alright. I appreciate the thought, Junpei."

Junpei nodded in acknowledgement as Yukari looked at Mitsuru. "So your father is Minato-kun's godfather? And he never told you?"

"No," Mitsuru replied, shaking her head. "I'd never even heard of Saburo Arisato before today. I don't know why he would keep that a secret from me though..."

"Maybe it was just something he didn't like to discuss," Akihiko said, his face unreadable.

Yukari shook her head. "I dunno. It's kinda strange that he didn't talk about his best friend to his family at all. Maybe there is something we don't know yet."

"I agree," Minato said with a nod. "I doubt that it was the last conversation about it that I'll be having on this trip anyway." He looked down at the ground. "I just hope that I can handle it." He sighed. "Anyways, it's probably getting close to dinner time. Who's hungry?" Everyone nodded enthusiastically. "In that case, let's head back."

He watched as they all packed up their things and began to file towards the main building. This day had been a rollercoaster ride of emotion for him and the days ahead promised more. But as he stared at the people he cared about, laughing and talking with one another, he knew he could take it.

.

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Edit AN: Well, this is a bit late, huh? Like a year? I'll be honest, this story is a big source of anxiety for me. I love writing it, but God is it terrifying to try and sit down to try and write something, not knowing if it'll be good or not, that it will be something that all of you enjoy. So, in the hopes of getting back on the horse, I'll be resuming my re-edits until I (hopefully) have brought the rest of the chapters up to the quality(?) of the first 9 chapters. I don't know how often they will be coming out, due to my intense schedule right now, but I will do my best to try and finish these re-edits by the end of the summer.

As always, please send me a PM or leave a review if you liked or disliked this chapter. Hope to see you on the next one! – Dr. Ninja