"Got my sandals now, giving my feet a chance to breathe," Junpei sighed contentedly. "Yup, summer's here, brothers!"

Minato nodded dumbly. Just a few seconds from now, Mitsuru would come waltzing in a bikini! The Fool swallowed thickly at the thought.

... However, he did notice, Akihiko was wearing speedos. Any moment he would take his shirt off, would result in the girls running from fear.

"Damn, nothing I can use as a marker," Akihiko said disappointingly. "Too bad, I was hoping for a good swim."

The two juniors exchanged glances.

"You're out here to train!?" Junpei shot Akihiko an incredulous look, not believing the boxer. "We're on the beach, for crying out loud!" Minato nodded along.

"So, you got a better idea?" Akihiko replied to Junpei.

"Damn straight, senpai!" Junpei grinned in response. "I've got the perfect activity." Minato was made aware someone was walking towards the three of them. He turned around to see Yukari slowly walking towards them. She had a pink bikini along with blue denim shorts.

Junpei let out a low whistle as Yukari stood in front of the males with a slight, barely noticeable blush. He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and held it against his mouth, almost like it was a microphone.

"Say hello to contestant number one, Yukari Takeba. As you can see, she's chosen quite a bold deign," Yukari glared at Junpei who shrugged it off and continued. "It takes a lot of confidence to wear a swimsuit like that."

"WHY YOU!" Yukari scowled.

Minato had noticed that Akihiko was looking the other way. The blue haired leader snickered, he turned around to face Yukari with a small smile.

"You look nice," Minato complimented.

"O-Oh, thank you, Minato-kun," Yukari said with a smile, blushing faintly.

Fuuka followed next, ever so slowly, a blush prominent on her face. She had a teal blue bikini on. Junpei registered her every move until she came to a stop next to Yukari.

"I-Is that umbrella taken?" She asked slowly.

"Next up is Fuuka Yamagishi..." Junpei announced. "Fuuka, wow... I had no idea..." He gulped. "I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

Fuuka flushed a deep red, and with a small yelp, she hid behind Yukari.

Junpei gave a perverse laugh, making Minato sigh. He gave a smile to Fuuka along with a thumbs up to which he smiled back.

"And now, our final..." Junpei stopped as the red haired vixen came into view. Minato had his eyes closed and he slowly opened them to see Mitsuru in front of him.

"Wow, your skin is flawless..." Yukari complimented. The girls gathered around Mitsuru.

"..." The words somehow dissolved in Minato's throat. Mitsuru was sporting a white bikini, which completely matched her pale skin. She also had a red flower on her chest. Minato had to agree with Junpei, Mitsuru looked stunning.

He tried to compliment her but the words didn't come out, so, he resorted to just stare at the flower on her chest.

It looked spectacular.

And, Minato ended up staring for a little too long, and finally, Mitsuru noticed it.

"Arisato... Is there something wrong?" Minato yelped, breaking out from the trance to realize that Mitsuru was very, very close to him.

"Uh... I," Minato flushed, his blush spreading across his cheek. He tried to compose gibberish but even that was way too challenging for him right now.

"G-Goddess..." Minato finally spoke.

"W-What?" Mitsuru blushed.

"I-Imma take a dip y'all!" Minato yelled, running away from Mitsuru before diving headfirst into the sea.

Yukari and Fuuka snickered and Junpei let out a hearty laugh. Welp, at least Minato had one weakness.

Minato ended up underwater, with the blush still present on his face. He furiously rubbed his face, hoping to get rid of it.

"Why in the blue hell did she have to get a freaking rose on her bikini!" Minato smacked his forehead. "On the goddamn assets no less!"

"But, they're ever bit as gorgeous and..." Minato could feel the water boiling around due to the extreme amount of heat that was building on his face. "... I should nail some innuendos, WHY CAN'T I!?"

... That reminded him.

"HOLY SHIT! I can't swim either!" He yelped, as water came rushing into his lungs, and he began splashing helplessly. "SAVE ME!"

Everyone was playing volleyball, until they heard a cry for help. Junpe turned around to see Minato splashing in the sea, crying out for help.

"... He can't swim?" Akihiko blinked.

"HELP ME!" Minato yelled as more water went down his throat.

"... Why did he jump in then?" Junpei questioned.

"For goodness's sake! Help him!" Mitsuru ordered. Akihiko ran and dived into the water, before coming back to the surface along with Minato who was shaking like a leaf.

"D-Damn..." Minato coughed out water and rolled over. "Sea weed and water... EWW!"

"Dude, you can't swim?" Junpei sniggered. The rest were silent for a while before they laughed along with Junpei, frustrating Minato.

"SHUT UP! Shut up or I'll blast you all!" Minato yelled at them. Everyone shrugged his warning off and kept laughing.

Minato wanted to flip them off, but in the end, he sighed and stuck his tongue out. "I hope a shark eats you alive!" He stomped away, and ended up under the umbrella.

"Who wants to go a real DIP!?" Junpei yelled, as he ran into the sea, along withe everyone, sans Mitsuru.

Minato smiled, everyone was having fun. It felt good, since the atmosphere in the dorm wasn't all that cheerful.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Mitsuru said, standing beside him.

Minato nearly tripped but he managed to control himself. "Y-Yeah!"

"Arisato, is there something you want to say?" Mitsuru sighed, looking at him with a hint of concern.

Minato flushed again and lowered his gaze to the ground. "Um, you look... beautiful." He gulped.

This time, Mitsuru flushed. She fumbled over her words and stammered a response. "O-Oh, thank you."

Mitsuru was surprised. The first few months since he arrived to the dorm were nothing but infuriating for Mitsuru. Minato would tease and annoy the hell out of her. Heck, he even made some see through innuendos. There was also a rumor going around school that he had screwed her, but thankfully, it had died down.

But, ever since the day at the graveyard, the teasing had died down, and ever since the blasted full moon, Minato wasn't even able to hold eye contact with her for days.

Mitsuru almost laughed.

Minato sat down and sighed. "It's like a day off for me."

"Arisato," Minato turned to face her. "My father wants to have a word all of us. Be sure to gather in the lounge, understood?"

Minato saluted before lying down.

"Enjoy yourself," Mitsuru laughed, before she joined her team mates as well.

...

Like Mitsuru ordered, everyone gathered in the lounge. They only had to wait for a couple of minutes, until Mitsuru's father came in. Takeharu Kirijo looked even more serious than before, and there was perhaps some pain that he was trying to mask away?

"From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version." Takeharu Kirijo asked with a sigh and he received nods in return. "Its true we adults are to blame if, I had to atone for it with my life, I would have done so but now I have to choice to rely on you... What my father wanted... was to create was a time manipulation device."

"Wicked." Minato said.

"That's insane." Junpei added.

Takeharu continued."However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal... In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that... It's only natural that you want to know the truth... and it's my duty to tell you." Takeharu, almost shakily pressed the remote which was in his hand. The room darkened as the lights went off, and the gigantic monitor in the middle powered on.

"What's this?" Minato asked

"This is the only existing footage of the incident," Takeharu replied

Minato and the rest nearly clasped their ears shut as they heard a couple of loud bangs, followed by static.

"What the hell? Will this work?" Minato wondered, but he soon recieved an answer. A voice, which seemed to reek off grief blared from the speakers.

"I pray this recording reaches safe hands," Yukari stood up, instantly recognizing the voice. It was her father.

The voice grew prominent enough for the group to hear it."My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome experiment which should have never even been conceived...I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster...But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price..."

"DAD?" Yukari called out, her voice cracking slightly.

"Please, listen carefully...The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the experiment. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success... And so, I didn't raise any objections...It is all my fault..."

There was a man visible on the screen for a barely a second, before another huge bang resounded in the background and the video came to an end. The lights lit up again and Minato and his friends slowly turned around to face Yukari.

Yukari was breathing heavily, her cheeks wet from the constant tears. Minato winced, she just got shattered to bits after watching that.

"So my dad caused it all?" She glared at Mitsuru who had nothing to say."Tartarus and the dark hour?"

She raised her voice. "So that's why you were hiding this? Because you felt sorry for me, is that it?" She yelled. "I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY" She ran out of the room, sobbing.

"TAKEBA!" Mitsuru called but her plea fell on deaf ears. Yukari had alraedy exited the vacation house.

Mitsuru turned to Minato who nodded, and wordlessly got up and followed Yukari.

Minato followed the brunette out of the building. He followed the tracks left in the sand and eventually, he found himself right behind her. Yukari was standing at the end of the beach, still sniffing and shaking.

Yukari was alerted that someone was behind her. She could guess it was Minato. She didn't even turn around, and as Minato came close, Yukari started.

"I believed in him for so long," She said slowly, tears still running down her cheeks. "Remember what I told you at the hospital...? How my dad died when I was little...? You understand now, right...? He died in that incident. Nobody knew the truth, so there were all sorts of rumors... Because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom... We even had to move a few times."

"Those good for nothing, shameless chucklefucks," Minato replied.

"But all this time, I kept believing in him. I loved him a lot, and I knew he could never do something wrong," Yukari wiped her tears away and turned around to face Minato.

"I thought I could find something out if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group," Yukari closed her eyes and let out a low, helpless whimper. "But, all of that was for nothing..."

"It'll be fine, don't worry," Minato went closer.

"It won't," Yukari sobbed. "Reality is so harsh. I fought so hard to fight my fears and in the end, I am more hurt than ever before..."

"C-Cheer up, please," Minato gulped.

"Shut up!" Yukari snapped. "It's easy for you to say, Mr Perfect. Nothing fazes you, do you know how hard it is to keep composure? You're so calm and collected all the time, and now you're telling me how to feel!? Stop acting like you have all the answers!" She yelled at Minato who was taken a back.

Minato's eye twitched a tad bit. "Oh yeah, I know everything. Tell me, is your bra pink? That's one mystery I haven't solved."

Yukari gave a hateful glare towards Minato. She was about to lash out but Minato cut her off.

"NO NO NO! Now, you will listen!" Minato snapped his fingers. "Nothing fazes me?! Hello, I lost both my parents... Scratch that, I lost my whole family in less than a year, and you still think I don't know the pain that you are going through!?"

Yukari kept quiet as Minato continued yelling. "I may act calm and composed, but that's because I control it better than most. I'm every bit as broken and damaged as everyone else is, but tell me, have they given up hope!?"

"Seriously, Takeba. You rambled all the the time about how much you loved him, and yet, you're willing to turn your back on him this soon?"

"HUH?" Yukari widened her eyes.

"Keep believing, woman!" Minato spat, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Are you willing to no sell his memory just because of a fucking tape!?"

"I..." Yukari tried to speak but Minato didn't let her.

"I swear to God, if it was Hamuko on the tape, I'd still keep believing. If it were my parents, I'd still keep believing, even though I don't even remember their voices!" He spoke through clenched teeth.

"..."

"Spit it, woman!" Minato spat.

"You're right," Yukari said after a pause. "I can't give up hope. I can't give up on his memory."

Minato smiled. "Phew!" He sighed.

"You're really something special, Minato-kun," Yukari said with teary eyes, but she at least was smiling. "Thank you."

Yukari walked closer to Minato and gave a huge grin. Minato smiled back and leaned in closer. He slowly pulled her closer and hugged her.

"M-Minato?" Yukari stammered

"Go on, have a cry to let it out," Minato said, petting her on the back.

Yukari let out a few tears and hugged him back. "T-Thank you,"

"No problem," Minato smiled. He was sure that someone was watching him, but he ignored it. That could wait until later.


Hey guys! I'm back with a chapter again, not much action packed, but eh, good CD and stuff so yay!

Anyway, like always, review and give me your thoughts. Thanks for the support so far, since its weekend, expect a few chapter out very soon, just review, that's all I ask.

See you soon.