Wednesday, January 13th, 2010, Morning

"Hey, did you hear?"

"You mean the news about Kirijo-san's fiancé? Yeah! Well, I guess we should've seen it coming, she did hand-pick him for Student Council last year, but—"

"Yeah, we never guessed she'd go for somebody below her status! We all thought she'd end up in some corporate marriage. If any of us had known Arisato was really one of that family…"

"That was a big shock, too. Explains a lot, though, doesn't it? He came out of nowhere and showed everybody up right from the start. If he's really Raidou Kuzunoha's grandson, he had an advantage over all of us right from the start. No wonder he always aces the exams."

"Not to mention getting all the girls! Everybody knows he was dating Takeba the first week he was here, and there's all the rumors about him and Nishiwaki—and there's gotta be something with Fushimi, she never lets guys get that close. Oh, and Aki swears she saw Arisato with Yamagishi from 2-E during last year's summer festival!"

"Oh, yeah, I saw that too! And let's not forget Aigis-san and her 'highest priority' stuff…"

"Those aren't the only ones, guys. You'd all gone home by then, but last month Arisato turned up with this weird gaijin girl, and you could tell she was totally into him!"

"So he's not only stealing Mitsuru-senpai from us, he's playing with her heart?! How big a harem does that creep have, anyway?!"

"Wait, wait, there's more! Y'know the Kendo Tournament last year? Some 'friends' of his from his old school showed up, and two of them were girls, too!"

"Wha—hey! This is totally out of hand! How did Arisato get away with being one of the most popular guys in school all this time when he's like that?! He's worse than Ryoji-kun ever was!"

Plodding into Classroom 2-F with head held high and expression as stoic as physically possible, Minato did his very best to ignore the gossip around him. They didn't even have the good grace to whisper about it, to pretend they thought he couldn't hear them. From the moment he joined the throng of students heading for school, they'd been perfectly open about the latest topic.

I'm going to strangle Odagiri, he thought with an odd serenity, moving with slow deliberation to his desk. Though first I guess I should strangle me, for not making sure the door was shut when having a sensitive conversation. And then I'm going to find every social networking site I can, and sic Fuuka on them.

Minato guessed that it had taken about ten minutes after Mitsuru's deranged fangirl had overheard Hidetoshi's ill-considered reveal before it had been all over the school grapevine. Even without the Mitsuru connection, the news that the first of Gekkoukan's "mysterious transfer students" was actually the heir of the Shirogane family was just too juicy to ignore.

With the simultaneous revelation that he was Mitsuru's much-speculated-about fiancé, he became not only the prime gossip topic, but Public Enemy Number One for much of the student body. Mitsuru was just too popular for it to be otherwise.

Though I admit, I didn't count on them coming up with quite so many "reasons", if you can call them that, to label me as some kind of predatory playboy.

Though he tried to show no sign of it, Minato quickly gauged the mood in the classroom. About half of his classmates, he estimated, were looking at him with something resembling awe. The other half, especially a glasses-wearing fellow who spent much of his time studying hard in an effort to impress Mitsuru, pretty clearly wanted him dead. If looks could kill, he estimated he would've been a greasy smear with three-tenths of a second of entering the room.

"Ugh, don't these people have anything better to do? And I thought the gossip when Ryoji-kun joined the class was bad!"

A small, relieved smile made it onto Minato's face then. At least I'm not completely alone here, he thought, as Yukari dropped wearily into the seat behind him. "Rough morning, Yukari?" he asked, studiously ignoring the intensified glares.

"I'd say you have no idea, but I guess you probably have it even worse today, Minato." The brunette sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I thought the rumors back when Fuuka was being bullied were bad. Do you have any idea how many people have asked me today when you and I stopped dating—or if we did? And class hasn't even started yet!"

Like the gossipers, Yukari didn't bother keeping her voice low. Nor did she make any effort to hide her eye roll. It even had the effect of making one or two people look away, at least pretending to think better of following up.

Not, unfortunately, the worst of them. Minato didn't need psychic powers to feel a certain fangirl's glare through the crack in the classroom door, and if her unlikely comrade in arms' glasses had been a higher prescription they probably would've been a veritable death ray.

At least Kaz isn't giving me any grief, he thought; a discreet glance at his Kendo Team comrade revealed Kazushi giving him an equally-discreet thumbs-up. He was probably Minato's only ally in the class besides his friends from SEES, but the blunette figured he'd take what he could get.

"Oh, it gets worse," Junpei said, all too cheerfully, as he dropped into the seat next to Minato's. "Wanna hear what I've been hit with today, guys?"

"Not really," Yukari groaned, resting her head on her desk. "But what the hell. At least I'll know who to track down and kill later. Who's been spreading stories about Minato two-timing Mitsuru-senpai and me? And how many of them are talking about how he's leading on half the other girls in school at the same time?"

"Eh… not sure I should name names, Yuka-tan," he said, some of his glee fading. Some. "See, thing is… People whose names will remain classified to protect the ignorant kinda came right out and asked me if you and Minato were, y'know, sharing a room with Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, at the dorm it's not like anybody'd notice if the three of you were, y'know—"

Minato very strongly suspected that the only reason all the windows weren't instantly blown out of the classroom by a supernatural gale-force wind was the slamming open of the classroom door. Just as Yukari started to catapult to her feet, a rush of power strong enough for even him to feel surrounding her, Toriumi stalked in.

"All right, all of you, settle down!" she barked, marching to the podium. "I understand that the news we've all heard about one of your classmates is the most exciting thing outside Apathy Syndrome right now, but this is a classroom, not a chat room! You are here to learn, not badger someone who may have a very good reason to be going under an assumed name about his supposed love life. Is that clear?"

Students scattered to their desks as fast as if Yukari really had Garudyne'd them.

Right then and there, Minato decided Toriumi was his favorite teacher ever. Before the Promised Day, he was going to get her the most expensive cake in town. She'd earned it.

After School

Mitsuru couldn't think of a time when she'd been more grateful for a Student Council meeting. For a long time, it had just been another of the myriad responsibilities she'd taken on to prepare herself for her future in the business world. More recently, it had been an oasis of normality as other responsibilities had taken ever darker turns.

This day, it was a welcome distraction from more mundane stresses.

Arriving before any of the others at the Student Council Room, she slipped into the chair at the head of the table and allowed herself the luxury of lowering her head to cool metal. Honestly. I knew the student body thought unreasonably highly of me, but this… Have they really nothing better to worry about?

Very few people had had the courage to confront Mitsuru directly, but she'd certainly heard the whispers. Some of the gossip she'd heard throughout the day had been harmless enough; some had made her grit her teeth and forcibly remind herself that "executions" weren't appropriate under the circumstances.

Some had almost made her report the offenders to the faculty, the rumors they were spreading were so inappropriate. The last, she suspected, had prompted Ekoda's abortive approach, before her glare had made the Classic Literature teacher think better of it.

I wonder how Minato's doing? At least the people I've heard have been concerned about me; he seems to be painted as some kind of demon right now. In his place, I don't know if I'd be able to contain myself from doing something unwise.

Well. Her fiancé was probably up to the challenge; between his family and experiences at North High, Minato was a good deal more experienced at dealing with typical high school antics than she was. Even with his unhealthy fondness for arson, it was unlikely anyone or anything had gotten burned.

Although there may be some singed egos, Mitsuru mused with a flicker of humor. He probably isn't holding back on the sarcasm today…

The hallway door sliding open quickly brought her head up from the table. By the time Chihiro Fushimi had closed it behind her and approached the table, Mitsuru was sitting straight and proper in her chair, with only a few hairs out of place to mark her fatigue.

"Good afternoon, Kaichou," Fushimi said, with a nervous but genuine smile. "Are you doing all right? I've heard some nasty rumors today about Minato-san; I almost yelled at a couple of students in the library earlier…"

"I'm… managing, Fushimi, thank you." The idea of the quiet, androphobic treasurer yelling at anyone would once have been very strange. Mitsuru remembered, though, Fushimi's tirade against her homeroom teacher not so long ago. While she was still a bit lacking in self-confidence she had since shown more of a willingness to let her temper out.

Not really a surprise that she was defending Minato, in light of that. Neither he nor Fushimi had ever said much of it, but Mitsuru knew he'd played no small role in bolstering the shy girl's morale when suspicion had been on her for the missing club funds.

By all accounts, if Minato were the sort of playboy my "fans" are painting him as, Fushimi would've been an all-too-willing "conquest". …It's fortunate I know him as well as I do, or all the girls he knows would have me very worried.

She wasn't, though. As many worries as she had then, her fiancé's faithfulness wasn't one of them. Thankfully, given that he'd begun moving into her dorm room…

Quickly banishing that thought from her mind, Mitsuru cleared her throat. "The rest of the Council will be here soon, so I'll save the current business until then. In the meantime, Fushimi, I trust you've had no further issues regarding the financial mistake?"

"Not at all, Kaichou," Fushimi assured her, settling into her usual chair with another, more confident smile. "Between you and Minato-san, it's all been cleared up. Since then, I've been sure to get everything in writing."

"Good." Mitsuru didn't blame Fushimi in the slightest for what had happened—she'd had no reason to expect a teacher might be so irresponsible—but it was a very good sign that she was taking the initiative to prevent a repeat. That was the kind of responsibility Mitsuru liked to see in students, especially in the Student Council.

After all, I'm graduating this year. Someone will need to take over after I leave… Hm. Something else I should probably talk with Minato about. I'm sure he'll have some ideas.

Raised voices out in the hall caught her and Fushimi's attention both. The two of them looked back to the door just as one of the speakers neared it; it beginning to open made the words more clearly distinguishable. "—That'd better be the last time I hear of you saying anything like that! Am I clear?"

"Or what?! Like you've got any credibility left after the stunt with the cigarette—"

"If you think I was on the warpath then, you don't want to see me if this is spread any further. Tell your 'friends', too: if these rumors persist I'll get Mister Ekoda and Ms. Toriumi involved—and Coach Hiragi. Think about that before you indulge in any more slander."

Mitsuru couldn't help raising her eyebrows at Odagiri as he stalked into the room and almost slammed the door behind him. The disciplinary committee head had a look on his face she could only describe as "high dudgeon", and in general looked more harried than she'd seen him in months.

Realizing there were others already in the room, Odagiri suddenly looked very sheepish. "Ah… I suppose that was a little loud. Sorry, Kaichou, Fushimi."

"No need to apologize, Odagiri… but I admit I'm curious as to what that was all about." Mitsuru tilted her head, eyeing him thoughtfully. "I don't often hear people threaten to involve Ekoda in anything. And I'm a little unclear as to how the Kendo Team's coach might be connected with disciplinary matters."

"I'd honestly rather not repeat what that fellow was saying, Kaichou." Coughing into his hand, Odagiri took his usual place at the table. "Suffice to say, it was a completely groundless rumor that had no place being spread on school grounds—or anywhere else. As for Coach Hiragi… Well. I'd rather not take things outside proper channels, but if I did, I expect the Kendo Team could keep certain individuals in line." He paused. "Hypothetically."

She stared at him a moment longer, then slowly shook her head. The mere suggestion was a far cry from the rules-obsessed young man who'd originally joined the Student Council. Back then, Odagiri had been zealous to a fault about doing things by the book.

It appears the incident with the cigarette and his attempted witch hunt did him some good, after all. Excellent.

"Well," Mitsuru said after a moment, "since the whole matter is hypothetical, I'll overlook it. Though hypothetically speaking, I agree involving Kendo Team would be effective… Thank you, Odagiri."

Her gratitude was very sincere. He might not have said what it was that had set him off, but given how the day had been going there wasn't really much question. That Odagiri, like Fushimi, was siding with Minato was a welcome reminder that they did have allies outside of SEES.

Odagiri shrugged uncomfortably. "It's the least I can do, Kaichou. After all, it is basically my fault that this is happening; had I been a little more careful, word wouldn't have gotten out about Arisato-kun's real name in the first place. For that, I'm very sorry."

"Apology accepted, but I think you're being too hard on yourself, Odagiri-kun." Slipping in much more quietly than the others had, Minato was acting remarkably like a very tired ghost as he closed the door again. "With how certain students who will remain unnamed for their own protection had been 'investigating' after word of the engagement got out, I don't think it would've been much longer before the truth came out anyway."

"Maybe so," Odagiri acknowledged with a nod. "But it might still have taken long enough for… whatever it is you're currently dealing with to be settled."

Interesting. Minato had said the disciplinary committee head had some idea of what was going on, which hadn't really surprised Mitsuru. What did surprise her was that Fushimi didn't turn a hair at the implication, either, as if she too had begun to suspect things some time before.

I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised. She's a friend of Minato's, and I don't think he could stand people who weren't smarter than average. …I just hope more people aren't that perceptive, or we'll soon have a panic on our hands.

"Be that as it may," Mitsuru said aloud, "I believe Arisato is correct, Odagiri." She allowed herself a small smile. "For the moment, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to leave the issue behind for awhile. I believe we have legitimate Student Council business to discuss? We seem to be the only ones able to make it today, so I suggest we get started."

"Of course, Kaichou." Fushimi cleared her throat, and opened a folder she'd set on the table. "To begin with, the club budget figures for this month are in…"

For a time, Mitsuru allowed herself to focus only on the ordinary business of supervising a student body. Monsters in the dark and salacious rumors alike could wait, just for a little while—and right then, she was surrounded only by allies.

It felt good.

Evening

"…Okay, then. I'll see you Sunday. No, really, it won't be a problem with the school, Mom. I've got it all worked out. I'll be there, I promise. Bye."

With a deep sigh, Yukari snapped her phone shut and tossed it onto the lounge table. She was still sighing as she sank back into the couch cushions, feeling a deep weariness. The phone call was one she'd been putting off for weeks, and now that she'd made it she still wasn't sure it was the right thing to do.

But I couldn't put it off forever, she told herself, eyes falling closed. It's only two weeks now, until the Promised Day. If I'm going to settle this at all…

The dorm's front door opening brought her eyes open again, turning her gaze that way. To Yukari's relief, the new arrivals were exactly who she'd been hoping to see. "Minato, Mitsuru-senpai," she called. "Do you two have a minute…?" She trailed off, seeing the identical weary looks on her friends' faces. "Um. Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all, Yukari," Mitsuru told her, leading their personal detective over to the opposite couch. Tonight, Yukari was amused to see, the redhead showed no hesitation in leaning against Minato's shoulder. "Honestly, after the day we've had, I think almost anything would be a welcome distraction."

"What she said," Minato agreed, easily adjusting to Mitsuru's posture. "Honestly, you'd think ordinary high school students had nothing better to do than gossip… What's on your mind, Yukari?"

For a long moment, Yukari hesitated. She'd already discussed this with them before, but now that things had come to the point they had, she suddenly wasn't sure it was right to burden them with it. After all, they obviously had their own problems, mundane and otherwise…

And Minato would tell you that this kind of thing is part of being the leader, she reminded herself. He'd want to know anyway, when I tell him I need to go.

She sat up on her couch and cleared her throat. "Well… you both know what's going on with my mom. So, what with the whole end of the world thing coming up… I thought it was time I set up a meeting with her. Of course, we all intend to win the battle," she added firmly, "but… things could happen, even then. I don't want to go into that with any regrets."

"I understand," Mitsuru said softly, a shadow of pain in her eyes. "There are things you don't want to leave unsaid, whatever might happen. Where—and when—will you be meeting her, Yukari?"

"This Sunday, in Kyoto." Yukari grimaced, remembering what it had been like the last time she and her mother had both been in the old capital. "Not where I might've liked to do it, all things considered, but I really didn't want her to come here. Between the Shadows and everything else… Anyway. It probably means I'll be missing school at least on Monday, so I thought I should get the Student Council President's official input on that."

"That's absolutely fine, of course," Mitsuru assured her, nodding against Minato's shoulder. "I'll make the arrangements with the faculty myself tomorrow. Family is more important than a day or two of school, especially now."

That was a relief—not that Yukari had really expected anything else. If anyone would understand, she'd figured it would be SEES' leaders, both of whom had family issues of their own. Of course, that had been the easy part.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Also, Mitsuru-senpai… We talked about this before, but I know it's on short notice, so I'll understand if you can't. …Could the two of you come with me? I'm…" She looked away with a wince. "Honestly, I'm not sure I can face Mom alone just yet. I mean, it's been so long since I even met her in person…"

There was barely any hesitation at all before Minato spoke up. "We'd be glad to, Yukari." When she turned back to look at him, surprised but relieved, he smiled. "Hey, you're part of the team. And you're a friend. Of course I'd go. Besides," he added, a bit of wistfulness creeping into his smile, "I think I should go see Naoto one more time. And… I think it's time to visit my parents' grave. I haven't done that in a long time."

"He's right," Mitsuru agreed, smiling. "Besides, Yukari, didn't I already agree to that weeks ago? I'm hardly going to renege now. Also," she said ruefully, "there are probably a few things I should take care of with the Kyoto branch of the Group, just in case. The last thing any of us need is for something to go wrong with them at a time like this."

"Come to think of it," Minato added thoughtfully, "we might bring Ken along, too. He hasn't really met Naoto yet, and since they're basically siblings now…"

Tension she hadn't realized she was feeling flowed out of Yukari's shoulders, and she slumped back into the cushions. "Thanks, guys. Really. It means a lot to me." She was also more than a little curious about why the Kyoto branch, specifically, would be worrying Mitsuru, but she supposed it didn't really matter.

One way or another, if they make a fuss, Mitsuru will "execute" them, or Minato will dig up so much dirt they'll be running for their lives. …Or Minato will set something on fire, but whatever. I'm glad they've got things under control.

"…Thanks," she said again, more softly. "I'm really not sure, even now, how to take Mom getting married again. For all I know, this might just be another of the random guys like she's hooked up with before. On the other hand, this time she might really be serious. I don't know, and I'm afraid I'll get it all wrong."

"Well, I don't know how much help we'll be with that," Minato mused, a wry smile playing at his lips. "I mean, I don't know what it's like to have a parent remarry, and… well, you know what my love life has been like. But we can at least be moral support. And," he added, as if he'd had a sudden thought, "if it turns out you can't stand the new guy, I could probably find something—"

He cut off with a grunt. Mitsuru extracted her elbow from his ribs, rolled her eyes, and sent another rueful smile Yukari's way. "Our amateur detective's unprofessional suggestion aside, Yukari, he's right. If nothing else, we can be there for you." She reached a hand across the table. "Let's all make sure none of us go into our last battle with any regrets, shall we?"

Yukari took the offered hand, and smiled when Minato's joined both. "Let's do that, Senpai. And… if either of you need anything, I'll be there. Though I don't know how much good I'd be with investigations, I did kind of screw up when we were looking into Fuuka's disappearance."

"One little mistake," Minato told her loftily. "Could've happened to anybody. And you'd probably make for a better public face of a detective agency than me. Let me tell you how worried I was when I was facing the Kirijo Group Board of Directors a couple months ago…"

Saturday, January 16th, 2010, Evening

"Yes. I'll see you next month, then. Mm-hm. I promise I'll be home on time, Mother. See you then."

With a small smile, Fuuka ended her call. Talking to her parents was never easy for her, though it had gotten easier since she'd moved to the SEES dorm. Even so, she'd felt she had to now, with what was coming; thankfully, she'd caught them in a good mood.

It probably helped that her exam scores had been higher over the last few months. Though the dip in her grades for the latest finals had come up in the call, rather than scolding her Fuuka's mother had asked her if she was all right.

Fuuka wished she could've told her parents the truth. That she might not have a chance to visit in February, as she'd promised. Unlike Minato or Mitsuru's families, though, hers was completely in the dark about what was really going on—and, sad as it was, she thought it was probably better that way. The knowledge of what was coming was a heavy enough burden for those who could potentially do something about it.

Someday, I'll tell them, she promised herself, curling up on the lounge couch. Or… well, maybe not everything. But some of it, at least. They deserve to know what's really helped me through school this year.

In the meantime, Fuuka thought as she reached for the cup of tea she'd left on the table, she had one more phone call she needed to make. Two weeks from the Promised Day, there was someone else she needed to talk to. With that person's schedule, she couldn't be sure when she might get another chance.

She was happy when the phone only rang twice, barely time for a long sip of tea, before the call picked up. "Hey, Fuuka! 'Bout time you remembered I existed! What's up?"

Fuuka found herself smiling again as that familiar mock-anger filled her ear. "It hasn't been that long, Natsuki-chan," she said, burrowing deeper into the couch cushions. "How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Too soon for things to have changed much for my dad—though the doctors say it looks promising. I dunno about that, but I guess they're the experts." Natsuki's tone was flippant; still, Fuuka didn't need to be able to reach her with Juno to be able to hear the relief buried in those words. "How about you, Fuuka? Your club mates better have been treating you better than I ever did!"

She giggled. Natsuki-chan just can't get over it, can she? Even though I forgave her for it ages ago. "Everything's going well here, Natsuki-chan. Actually, the whole group is closer than we've ever been—and I'm even on better terms with my family, lately."

"That's good to hear. You never did tell me what made you move into the dorm, but I could kinda guess some of it. And…" Natsuki fell silent for a long moment. "Lately, I've started to get a bit more of a clue, what with the weird dreams I've been having."

Fuuka straightened up so fast she almost spilled her tea. There was no reason she should've reacted to her friend mentioned "weird dreams"—it wasn't like she'd never had strange ones herself, even before the incident that led to her joining SEES—but given the context…

She realized she'd been silent just a moment too long. As casually as she could, she said, "What kind of dreams, Natsuki-chan?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Monsters in the dark, weird voices… oh, and you shooting yourself in the head to protect me from big monsters. Nothin' major." Again, Natsuki's words were flippant, but this time her tone was anything but. "But then, that wasn't really a dream, was it, Fuuka?"

"Natsuki-chan… I…" Words failed her. After everything that had happened, it had never really occurred to Fuuka that she might ever have needed to explain anything to anyone not in the know; certainly not out of the blue. Definitely not to Natsuki, who had seemingly come away from the experience with only a vague notion that something terrible had almost happened because of her bullying.

"Easy there, Fuuka! Breathe, girl." Natsuki chuckled in her ear. "I'm not gonna ask you to gimme a rundown; not sure I really wanna know. But something tells me that you didn't call me tonight just 'cause. Something's come up, hasn't it?"

"How did you…?"

"I don't need to be psychic to know you, Fuuka. Besides, I watch the news. Apathy Syndrome's been getting worse, lately." Natsuki definitely didn't sound flippant now. "I don't remember that night too well, but what I've been hearing about Apathy Syndrome lately sounds kinda familiar. You and your friends have been fighting that, haven't you?"

No point in hiding it now, a detached corner of Fuuka's mind supposed as she sank back into the couch. And I don't want to lie to Natsuki-chan. Besides, hasn't Minato-kun said something about Odagiri-san having figured out some of what we're doing…?

"…Something like that, yeah," she said finally. "Um… I'm not sure how much I can tell you about it, Natsuki-chan…"

"Don't. Don't even try, Fuuka. I can tell you guys were doin' a lot of good—doesn't take a genius to realize you're why the Syndrome kept easing off, even if I've got no idea how." Natsuki paused. "Just like I can tell something bad must've happened recently. That's why you called, isn't it?"

Fuuka couldn't tell her the real truth. Not about what was really at stake. Just like she'd couldn't tell her parents, she couldn't bear to inflict that knowledge on her friend. "I… wanted to make sure you were all right, Natsuki-chan," she said slowly, choosing her words very carefully. "We're doing what we can, but… I'm afraid that…"

"You guys aren't superheroes. Kinda got that, Fuuka. That's how that Aragaki guy died, right? He must've been one of yours." Natsuki's voice was as soft as Fuuka had ever heard it—even more than when the former bully had announced she was leaving Port Island.

There was absolutely nothing Fuuka could think of to say in return. Shinjiro's death had been under circumstances that could charitably have been called complicated, had been more violent than she wanted to ever talk about—and was still a fresh wound, three months later. He'd gone out on his own terms, content with what had happened, but that made his absence no easier to bear.

"Yep," Natsuki said softly, when the silence began to drag on. "That's what I figured. You don't have to tell me, Fuuka. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm all ears, but don't push yourself. I'm just gonna assume you've got that under control now." She chuckled suddenly. "Especially if the rumors are true about a certain detective being part of your club."

So the story had spread beyond Port Island. Somehow, Fuuka wasn't surprised; but she made a mental note to warn Minato later. She was pretty sure he wouldn't be too happy to hear about it. "You could say that, yeah," she said aloud. "I, um… don't think we'll have any problems there again."

Why was something that made her shiver just a bit, when she thought about it. It probably said something about how bad the situation had gotten that it was "just" a bit. Remembering what Minato had done the last time he'd taken on Takaya should've made her want to throw up.

Deliberately pushing that thought aside, Fuuka burrowed a bit deeper into the couch cushions and focused on the conversation at hand. "Anyway, Natsuki-chan… I guess I just… I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Natsuki snorted. "Don't you worry about me, girl. I'm out of Port Island, and I'm staying home after dark. I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself, you hear me? And whatever it is that's got you so worried… give it a good knockout punch for me, will ya?"

Despite herself, Fuuka giggled. "You got it, Natsuki-chan."

Somehow, just hearing Natsuki's voice—her determination—buoyed Fuuka's spirits a lot more than she'd expected. Knowing that someone else, someone who didn't even really know what was going on, believed in her, in them… It was irrational, but it helped.

And at least now… whatever happens, I'll have no regrets.

"Okay, enough of this serious stuff!" Natsuki said abruptly. "Girl talk time, Fuuka. What's the latest gossip? All I'm getting is the social media from Gekkoukan, and I just know I'm missing all the juicy details!"

Sunday, January 17th, 2010, Daytime

Having lived in the Tatsumi Port Island/Iwatodai area pretty much all his life, Ken Amada had thought he knew what city life was like. Sure, he spent a lot of his time in the odd little corners of that metropolitan area, but he'd been around the busier areas often enough, too. The hustle and bustle was familiar enough to him, even at only eleven years old.

His first trip to Kyoto was an eye-opener. The city wasn't built as high as, say, Tokyo, but for all that it was far busier, more crowded, than Port Island had ever been. If he hadn't been with Minato, Mitsuru, and Yukari, he was sure he'd have gotten lost in short order.

Even with them, even after they'd arrived at a graveyard on the outskirts of the city, Ken was afraid he might soon be lost. Yukari had split off shortly after they'd gotten off the train to set up some kind of meeting with her mother—but waiting for them by one headstone deep within the cemetery was someone else, whose presence made him a little nervous.

Dressed mostly in blue, with a coat similar to one Ken had occasionally seen Minato wearing, equally-blue hair partly covered by a very sharp hat. A few years older than him, he thought, she was a girl he'd seen in passing a couple of times before when she'd visited Port Island, but had never actually spoken to.

When Ken's little group arrived, she was looking down at the headstone, labeled Shirogane, with a sad look. She looked up quickly at their approach, though, and smiled at Minato. "Ah, Nii-san," she said. "And Kirijo-san. I admit I was surprised to hear you'd be coming, but I'm glad to see you."

"It was time," Minato said quietly, gaze drifting from the girl to the headstone. "After… Well. I learned a few things last month, and I wanted to see them before I finished my current case." He shrugged, looking a little sad himself. "Besides, Yukari's got a family thing she wanted some moral support for. And speaking of family…"

Mitsuru stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "I never had a chance to meet your parents, Shirogane-san. I never even knew much about them until recently. As with the Detective here, I felt this was the time to pay my respects, as you did for my father. My apologies for intruding."

"Hardly an intrusion at all, Kirijo-san," the girl said, shaking her head. "They'll soon be your family as much as mine. I'm only glad I was able to attend your father's burial." A crooked smile lifted her lips. "Though I'm dying to know what 'case' you're expecting to finish soon, I suppose there are more important concerns right now." She turned to Ken, bowing slightly. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced, though we've crossed paths a time or two before."

Nervously, Ken stepped out of Minato's shadow and gave a deep, formal bow. "H-hello," he said, blushing a little at his own stutter. "I'm Ken Amada—or, I guess, Shirogane now? Um, I'll be in your care."

He hoped he'd gotten that right. It was one thing to get the news of the adoption from Minato, who'd been his senpai for months—and through several grueling battles—long before they were legally brothers. Formally introducing himself to another member of the family, whose feelings on the whole thing he still didn't know…

To Ken's relief, the girl smiled, a friendlier one than she'd just given her own brother. "I'm Naoto Shirogane, Ken. Welcome to the family. Nii-san has said good things about you—when he wasn't complaining about you being involved in things that are over your head, of course."

He blushed at that. It wasn't like he could deny the accusation. Now that he had his head on straight, even he could see that by any sane standard it was crazy for him to be part of the fight against the Shadows, potential or not. Not that he could very well explain, either, that he'd originally gotten into the whole thing because he wanted to kill a member of SEES…

"Um, well," Ken tried, "it's kind of a long story…"

Naoto interrupted him with a wave. "My apologies, Ken, I didn't mean it seriously. Believe me, I'm well aware that most things with Nii-san are 'long stories', usually with embellished details—though I admit I'm beginning to wonder just how embellished they really are."

The look she directed at Minato, Ken couldn't figure out. Whatever it was, it made his new brother flinch, and prompted a raised eyebrow from Mitsuru.

"But that's something I should discuss with Kyousuke another time," Naoto said after a moment. "As to your particular situation, I'm given to understand that it was at least partly the fault of the late Chairman Ikutsuki, and that at this point the matter is effectively a fait accompli." She leaned in close, voice dropping to a loud whisper. "Truthfully, I envy you. Kyousuke never lets me in on his strange cases."

"Personally, I think your envy is a bit misplaced, Shirogane-san," Mitsuru put in dryly. "If only because of the… interesting people with whom our Detective tends to associate in his 'strange' cases."

"I trust you realize how that statement reflects on you, as well, Kirijo-san?" Naoto retorted, equally dry. "Although, yes, I'll admit his previous club was worse at hiding their oddities than yours. Even if they didn't have a robot." She chuckled. "Well, that's another matter. Ken," she said, turning her attention back to him, "I can see that you're nervous, but please, you've no reason to be."

Ken shifted uncomfortably. "That's what Aniki said, too, but… I mean, this is probably the most famous detective family in Japan, and I'm just, well…"

"You're able to hold up your end in one of Nii-san's cases—or should I say 'Aniki's'?" For some reason, his new sister's smile turned sad again, even as she chuckled. He wondered what the joke was—really, he'd been wondering since Junpei first suggested he use the term—but Naoto continued before he could ask. "As well as managing a deception against him for some time, to hear him tell it. Believe me, that's all the proof I need that you'll fit in with the family perfectly well, Ken."

Some of the tension eased out of him at the sincerity in her voice. Just a bit more than what came right back, when the implications of what she'd said hit him.

Aniki told her I'd been keeping secrets when I joined SEES? Then… then she knows what happened with Shinjiro-senpai? What I—what I tried to do?

The shock must've shown on his face, because now Naoto laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Ken," she said quietly. "Everyone in my family has demons. I count myself fortunate I've never faced anything like what you or Kyousuke have, but someday I'm sure I will. To bear the Shirogane name is to know that sooner or later, hard choices must be made—and that sometimes, others make choices that they come to truly regret. Whatever you may have intended to do, I know you've done right by Nii-san and your friends since then."

"He certainly has," Mitsuru agreed. "While the Detective and I had deep reservations once—justified ones, honestly—Amada is a valued member of the team now, Shirogane-san."

Ken felt himself choking up at the voe of confidence. After what he'd tried to do, after realizing he really had no business being involved in a life-and-death conflict… "Thank you, Senpai," he got out. "All of you."

"I believe I've been thanked well enough every time you've helped keep Nii-san alive," Naoto told him, smiling again. "After all, every member of his team is one more keeper to hold his reckless tendencies in check. That's another thing that amply qualifies you to join the family." She squeezed his shoulder. "Now, come. Ken, Kirijo-san…" The girl guided them over to the headstone. "Let me introduce you properly to our parents, Kazuto and Rika Shirogane."

After being "introduced" to the late elder Shirogane couple, Ken and Mitsuru left the graveyard to return to the hotel they'd booked. Minato's adopted brother would be staying there until the dinner they'd scheduled, while his fiancé was to help Yukari prepare for the meeting with the latter's mother.

That left Minato and Naoto alone by their parents' grave. Alone, save for the ghosts they both could feel that still lingered.

"Grandpa called me a couple of weeks ago," Naoto said into the silence, looking down at the headstone. "He told me that… the case was finally closed. You found the truth, Nii-san?"

"…I remembered it. Yeah." Minato tugged his coat tighter against a chill that had nothing to do with the winter wind. "Early last month, I had a run in with something that finally jogged my memory. Can't say I'm very happy with that, but it's better than not knowing."

She nodded, but then shot him a sidelong look. "If it's better to know than not, then why didn't Grandpa give me the details? And why do I think you don't intend to, either, Nii-san?"

"Because you know me too well?" he tried. When Naoto turned to face him fully, one eyebrow pointedly raised, he shrugged uncomfortably and sighed. "No, Naoto. I'm not going to tell you exactly what happened. Not yet." He quickly raised a hand. "Not yet, I said. You're not ready to hear this, Imouto."

Not an argument Minato liked resorting to. It had made him angry enough when their grandfather explained to him why he'd never explained the truth about Saya Kisaragi, and he knew pretty well that Naoto had hangups of her own about being left in the dark.

He used it anyway. The gory details of their parents' deaths still made him want to throw up, between moments of seething rage. Inflicting that imagery on his younger sister wasn't something he was prepared to do until she reached the point of physically demanding the truth from him.

Besides. It's the same as when Saya died: Naoto doesn't have the power to fight this battle. And she doesn't even have the strength for mundane fighting, like I did back then. I know Grandfather's been teaching her to use a revolver, but without some kind of supernatural backing bullets are even more useless than a blade against these things.

"Always 'you're not ready'," Naoto said. The bitterness in her voice drew Minato's gaze back to hers, and he was surprised to see a deep frown on her face. Her hands clenching into fists, she stared him right in the eye. "Is it because I'm still a 'child', Kyousuke? Do you think I can't handle the 'gruesome details' because I'm too young?"

Realizing belatedly he might've stepped on a landmine without noticing, and starting to wonder if he'd spent a little too long away from home, Minato chose his next words carefully. "I don't want you to have to, Naoto. Not when there's nothing you can do about it. And no, it's not because you're a child," he said quickly. "I was a year older than you are now when Saya died, and Grandfather told me not long ago that I wasn't ready back then."

"Then why?" she demanded. "You said the case was closed, so what does that matter now?" Her eyes narrowed. "Only it's not closed, is it? You know what happened—but the culprit is still at large." When he didn't respond, her mouth tightened. "Obviously this isn't an official investigation, Kyousuke. So the normal rules don't apply anyway. Otherwise, you'd never think of bringing Ken into this. He's even younger than I am.

"…So what does he have that I don't?"

Anyone who couldn't figure out from that plaintive demand that the crux of the issue had been reached would've had no right to call themselves "Shirogane". Naoto's tone was that of someone who'd just had a button pushed that had been stomped a few too many times before, and this time by someone she hadn't expected.

But even the greatest detective needs more clues, and I don't have them. …Dammit, I've been away from the family too long. Grandfather's tried to keep me up to date, but he doesn't see everything, either… What's hurt you, Naoto? And who do I have to hurt back?

Minato couldn't say that, though. Just as he couldn't bluntly ask what the problem was. If ever there was a time he recognized a need to be subtle, this was it.

At least he could make a guess as to what part of the problem was. "Naoto." He reached out to her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You are Naoto Shirogane, heir apparent to the title of Raidou Kuzunoha. That hasn't changed, and it's not going to change now. Ken is smart, and sneaky, but he's got nothing on you as a detective.

"Yes," he admitted, "Ken has something you don't. The same thing my entire team has. Something you don't have yet."

"Yet?" Naoto repeated. He thought some of the tension had eased from her stance. "Then…?"

"You're my sister, Naoto." Minato smiled—though behind that smile he was anything but happy. What would reassure her, frightened him. "There are more talents than sleuthing that run in our family, and I'll be stunned if you didn't inherit some of those, too. Yeah, Ken already has it, but I didn't, at his age. Give it time, okay?"

Time that, deep down, he hoped never came. Both sides of the Shirogane heritage, he knew from painful experience, had great hazards associated with them.

The most likely reason for that to never come, though, is something I can't permit. So… I'll just have to look out for her, until she can stand on her own two feet against the things that go bump in the night. When the time comes, whatever she's inherited, I'll show her the ropes.

…You hear that, Nyx? You're not killing me before I see my sister able to take care of herself.

"…I don't like it." Naoto closed her eyes, leaning into his hands. "I don't like it at all, and I can tell that you're about to head into some kind of danger where I can't follow." Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she opened her eyes and met his gaze again. "Nii-san. I know a bit more about what's going on that you may realize."

Minato froze. That could mean any number of things. She'd known of Aigis for months, and had come into contact with Aigis' "sisters" more recently, if briefly; and she had once made comments suggesting she thought a cyberpunk scenario was in progress.

But if she spent enough time around the other Anti-Shadow Weapons to realize it's not just high tech robotics involved…

She smiled at his expression. "Two can play at this game, Nii-san. You don't need to know any more yet, either. So… let's talk, shall we? When your current 'case' is over." Abruptly, Naoto leaned in and hugged him. "Be careful, Nii-san. I don't want to have to rescue you from your own recklessness—and I don't exactly trust Kirijo-san to keep you in check anymore, either."

Afternoon

Weird. Yukari had been through a lot of scary things in the past year, from fighting Shadows to battling rival Persona users and clear to watching people she knew die by violence. Barely a month before, she'd learned that the end of the world was right around the corner. Even so, waiting in Maruyama Park was proving to be one of the more nerve-wracking experiences she'd had lately.

Sitting at a table with Minato and Mitsuru, in the shade of a sakura tree, she clung to the reassurance of her friends' presence. Without them, she was afraid she never would have had the courage to go through with this meeting, as important as it was.

As jittery as she was, Yukari had to resist the urge to check her watch every thirty seconds. No matter what it felt like, her mother wasn't actually late. She and her friends had just arrived early—as much out of nerves on her part as anything else, though Minato had also reminded her it was best to plan to go anywhere in Kyoto early. So long in Port Island, she'd almost forgotten.

"It'll be all right, Yukari," Minato said quietly, lightly touching her shoulder. "She's your mother, and she is trying." His mouth quirked in a half-smile. "She's probably as nervous as you are, y'know."

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, sternly telling her racing heart to slow. "You're right. It's just… after everything that's happened in the last ten years…"

"I know," Mitsuru murmured, sympathy plain in her eyes. "I… had a great deal of trouble connecting with my father for a long time, and we were never separated for so long. Tragedy has a way of doing that."

Huh. Yeah, I guess so… Come to think of it, we all lost something that night, didn't we? More than anyone else in the team, we were hurt by the Incident itself, not just the aftermath. …I was right to ask them to come with me.

Realizing she was with the people who most understood what she was going through, Yukari's heart finally slowed—just in time to see someone else approaching their table.

Moving with a slow, uncertain gait, she was a brunette, a little taller than Yukari and obviously much older. With a start, the archer realized that while she did recognize the woman, it wasn't an instant recognition. It really had been a long time since they saw each other in person.

"Hello, Yukari," her mother said, when she'd come closer. "It's… been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Hi, Mom." To Yukari's relief, her voice was steady. The fact that her mother had come alone, without her new fiancé, probably helped. "It's good to see you."

Her mother seemed to relax a little at that, managing a smile. "Likewise." She hesitated, looking a little lost. "So… these are the friends you said would be coming with you? Please, introduce me."

Realizing that her mother was feeling just as much like she was walking on ice perversely made Yukari feel just a little bit better. It helped, somehow, knowing that neither of them really knew how to handle meeting again after so long. Starting with the formalities helped, too.

"Right. Mom, this is Minato Arisato," she nodded to the blunette on her right, before gesturing to her left, "and Mitsuru Kirijo. They're friends from school, and part of the same club. Minato, Mitsuru-senpai, this is my mother, Yukana Takeba."

Her mother bowed politely. "A pleasure to meet friends of my daughter. Thank you for helping her out at school."

"It's been our pleasure, Takeba-san," Mitsuru said, inclining her head. "Believe me, she's taken care of us just as much."

"Is that so? High praise I'm sure, coming from the new head of the Kirijo Group. Although…" Yukari's mother tilted her head, giving Minato a bemused look. "I admit, I would have thought that if you were coming, your fiancé would be here, Kirijo-san. Unless…?"

Yukari bit her lip, not liking where her mother's thoughts were probably going. On the one hand, she absolutely didn't want her mother to think Mitsuru was at all like her. On the other, she knew neither Minato nor Mitsuru wanted to go too public with anything just yet, and with the way her mother was…

But Minato only smiled ruefully. "Your pardon, Takeba-san," he said. "I'm Kyousuke Shirogane. I've been going under an alias for some time, but the mother of a friend has the right to know."

"Oh! I see. Thank you for telling me, Shirogane-san—or I suppose in public I should say Arisato-san." Yukari's mother smiled, looking oddly relieved. "I appreciate you befriending my daughter. Knowing that someone from your family is helping her, I won't worry so much."

As introductions finished and her mother slid into the bench on the other side of the table, Yukari was left wondering exactly what conclusion her mother drew from that revelation. Most people, she knew, would've assumed Minato was hiding from some criminal mastermind.

If he hadn't told us, I wouldn't have guessed he was hiding from himself. It's funny… everyone here had their own way of coping with what happened. I don't think any of us had a good way.

Once the introductions were out of the way, an uneasy silence fell. Yukari knew why her mother had wanted to meet with her, after all those years, but it looked like her mother had no better idea of how to start than she did. So much time had passed, too many arguments… Their conversations over the phone in that time had often been heated, but neither of them had had any trouble speaking; in person, it wasn't so easy.

She kind of hoped that Minato or Mitsuru might have an idea, but really, she knew that wasn't their place. They were there to support her. The matter at hand was between her and her mother.

Finally, Yukari decided it was on her to make the first move. Their breach wasn't her fault, she still thought that even now, but she knew something that her mother had to know. That her mother deserved to know.

"I found out something this year, Mom," she said finally, lifting her gaze from the table. "About what happened to Dad, in the Incident."

Her mother's eyes had also been on the table, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on the wood as the silence stretched on. Now she looked up, surprised; and maybe, from the look in her eyes, just a little hurt. "What is there to find out?" she said warily. Maybe even a little bitterly. "Your father was part of an experiment that burned down an entire school. Maybe even caused it, to hear some people talk."

Just a month or two before, Yukari would've blanched at how bluntly her mother spoke of it. In the ten years since, they'd always danced around the subject when it came up, always running away from it. Neither of them could stand to think about it long.

Now, though she flinched at the emotion in her mother's voice, Yukari only shook her head. "That's not true, Mom. Dad was part of it, yeah, but he didn't start it." She stared into her mother's eyes, forcing the older woman not to look away. "For awhile, I thought he did. The real culprit tried to convince everyone he did. But, Mom… Dad was the only reason it wasn't worse. He saved lives that day. Without him… I don't know how bad it would've been, but it would've been a lot worse."

That was a lie, kind of. She didn't know exactly what would've happened if the Appriser's creation hadn't been interrupted, but she knew what the end result would've been. That was what they were trying to stop now, after all.

But Mom doesn't need to know that. The important thing is… Dad was the hero we always told ourselves he was, after all.

At first, it didn't seem to register with her mother. Then, slowly, the elder Takeba's eyes widened. She sank back against the bench, eyes starting to shimmer. "Eiichiro… Your father tried…?"

"He tried to stop it, Mom. He was too late for that, but he made sure it wasn't as bad as it would've been. He gave people a chance to fix the damage, a chance no one would've had without him."

Yukari wanted to tell her mother the truth, that she was one of the people fixing the damage, but she couldn't. After telling her mother that her father had died a hero, she couldn't say that she was putting herself in deadly danger to finish the job.

Just then, she envied her friends. Minato and Mitsuru's families, at least some of them, were in on the masquerade. Knowing that her own mother wasn't strong enough to handle it was a bitter pill. I can live with it, though. I have friends to support me.

Mitsuru leaned forward then, resting her elbows on the table. "Yukari's right, Takeba-san," she said earnestly. "I'm afraid I can't release all the details—I'm constrained to protect the interests of the Kirijo Group, whether I like it or not—but I intend to make it publicly known that Eiichiro Takeba's death occurred in the process of saving lives, and that he bears no responsibility for the Incident ten years ago."

Yukari's mother closed her eyes, hands clenching on the table. At first, Yukari was afraid her mother was angry; but then, tears began to run down her mother's face as she began to silently cry. Well, silently at first. Slowly, she began to sob. Quietly, but genuinely—the first sign of grief she'd shown in front of Yukari for a long, long time.

Yukari was honestly at a loss as to what to do then. She'd been angry with her mother for so long, she didn't know how to handle her openly grieving. Quick glances to either side told her neither of her friends did, either, leaving her to sit there and watch helplessly.

Eventually, though, her mother calmed. Wiping her face with her sleeve, she bowed as formally as she could while still seated. "Kirijo-san," she said, voice wavering. "Thank you very much. That… that means more to me than I can say. To me, and… to my daughter."

"The Kirijo Group did your family a great wrong, Takeba-san," Mitsuru replied, shaking her head. "While I may have personally had no part in it, seeing that the truth is known is the least I can do to make up for what my company did."

"You can't bring back my husband, Kirijo-san. This is the most that I could ever hope for. More than I ever imagined." Yukari's mother looked over at Minato, managing a shaky smile. "Arisato-san, I thank you for whatever part you may have had in finding the truth, as well."

"Actually, this one wasn't my work," Minato said, shrugging. "Another member of our club, Fuuka Yamagishi, was the one who dug up the records that proved your husband's innocence."

"Then I'll have to thank Yamagishi-san personally, as well, when I can." Yukari's mother took a deep breath, then another, and one more for good measure. Then she turned to Yukari herself, and began, "Yukari. I know a lot has happened over the years. And I know you have good reason to be angry with me. But it's been ten years, and now that we know…"

She trailed off as Yukari lifted a hand. SEES' archer had spent the weeks since her mother first asked for the meeting, and the whole trip to Kyoto, thinking about how to handle it. At first, she'd been angry that her mother would try and mend fences at such a late date, especially right then. She'd been angrier still when her mother declared she wouldn't go through with her remarriage without Yukari's approval.

Now… now, in the face of Armageddon, old grievances just didn't seem so important anymore.

"Mom," Yukari said finally, leaning forward as Mitsuru had earlier to rest her elbows on the table. "I'll be honest. I have spent a lot of the last ten years angry with you. I never blamed you for what happened to us after Dad died, but I couldn't stand the way you coped with it."

Her mother winced, but nodded. "Well, I… can't say that I blame you for that," she admitted softly. "I'm not proud of how I handled things. I don't blame you for running away to boarding school, either."

"I was never running away from you, though," Yukari said earnestly. "I couldn't handle what you were doing, but I… I never wanted you to be hurting, Mom. So…"

She paused then, turning her gaze up to the sakura tree above them. In a lot of ways, finally saying outright how angry she'd been was the hard part. In others, it had been just as hard to figure out exactly how she felt about the new situation, and how to express it.

In the end, though, facing the end of the world had done wonders for putting things in perspective.

Lowering her eyes again, she met her mother's gaze calmly. "To be honest, Mom, I'm not ready to meet your fiancé. After all the boyfriends you went through, I just don't think I can deal with that yet. Not when… well, I've got some things to work through myself, that I'm not ready to talk about yet.

"But I want you to be happy, Mom." She reached across the table, taking her mother's hand in hers. "If you're really serious about this guy… I want you to be happy."

Yukari wasn't sure she could've said that a few months ago. Well, no. She was pretty sure she couldn't have. When she first stumbled into SEES in pursuit of the truth about her father's death, she had still been furious with her mother's behavior. If she was honest, she hadn't been the most forgiving person at all, back then.

She wasn't the same person anymore. She'd learned truths, good and bad, and seen too much to not have changed. Even now, she hated what her mother had done to cope with what had happened—but she at least understood.

More, Yukari had come face to face, too many times, with the reality that sometimes there wasn't a "tomorrow". Sometimes, if you ever wanted to say something… sometimes you couldn't afford to wait for the "right" moment.

I still don't know if I could've done it alone, though, she thought, feeling grateful once again for the friends who'd come with her. Someday, maybe, I could've done it alone. …I'm just happy I didn't have to.

As Yukari reflected on what had brought her to this moment, her mother stared at her in silence, eyes shining. Finally, the older woman swallowed hard, and squeezed Yukari's hand. "Thank you, Yukari," she whispered. "That's… more than I deserve, really."

"Do any of us, Mom?" Yukari shook her head. "If there's one thing I've learned at my new school, it's that we all make mistakes. That doesn't make us bad people. What matters is what we do to make up for it."

Two members of her own team had killed people. Another had tried, and their own leader had made that situation worse by her own inaction. All of them, somewhere along the line, had done things they regretted.

Yukari still counted them, one and all, as the best friends she'd ever had.

"You're a better girl than I am, Yukari," her mother said now, managing a smile. "Well… if you're sure. I'd say that I still want to put off the wedding until you're ready, but I think I know what you'd say to that now."

"You can't put your happiness on hold for me, Mom," Yukari told her, nodding with a smile of her own. "Don't worry about me, okay? Do what's right for yourself."

"If you insist. I'll still invite you, but I'll understand if you're too busy, or… not ready." Her mother looked at her friends again, and bowed her head. "I don't know what my daughter is up to, and I have a feeling I'd want to scold her for it if I did. I don't think I've got that right yet, though, so… all I can ask is for the two of you to look after her for me." She chuckled then, surprising Yukari—and, from the look of it, herself. "It sounds like you're doing a better job than I ever have, anyway."

"I'd say Yukari takes care of us, more than we take care of her," Mitsuru said wryly. "But we try."

Impulsively, before Minato could add anything, Yukari put an arm around each of them and pulled them closer. "Don't worry, Mom," she said, smiling with more genuine feeling than she had since the day started. "I've got my own knight in shining armor right here—and his fiancé keeps him in check. Mostly. …I'll be okay, Mom. I promise."

Evening

Mitsuru, somehow, was not at all surprised that the restaurant Minato and Yukari had selected for dinner was a small, quiet ramen shop. Tucked into a sleepy corner of Kyoto, it was not at all the kind of place she would've expected a Shirogane to favor—but exactly the sort she expected out of Minato.

It suited her just fine. In the months she'd been dating him—and it had been months, she realized now, even if neither of them had been willing to call it that at the time—she'd come to an appreciation of such cuisine herself.

Better to have a casual dinner with friends, than an elaborate feast with a dozen professional colleagues who only pretend to care about each other on a personal level. …Besides, the food's better.

She was also somewhat amused to note, as she settled into a booth in a quiet corner with the others, that for once she was probably the least-drained member of the group. This time, she was only peripherally connected to the emotional events of the day.

Letting herself lean against Minato in the quiet anonymity of the ramen shop, Mitsuru quirked an eyebrow at the group at large. "Well. I trust everything went well today? That's certainly how it appeared to me, but I admit I was more of an observer this time, and I'm certainly not the best judge of people."

Amada sighed, leaning back into the bench across from her. "I… think so?" he said. "Naoto-nee-san was easier to talk to than I expected. Um… a bit nicer, too. If you don't mind me saying, Aniki," he added hastily. "It's just, what I saw of her the couple of times she's been around Port Island…"

Minato shrugged the shoulder Mitsuru wasn't using as a pillow. "The first time, she was scouting out SEES," he said with a wry smile. "I didn't know it at first, but she was especially confused that Mitsuru and I were getting along so well. When Naoto thinks there's something in a case that doesn't fit, it drives her nuts. And, well, the second time was at a funeral."

Mitsuru's father's, that was. She was still grateful that Minato's sister and grandfather both had chosen to attend; the latter in particular, she remembered, had given her advice that had helped keep her going before Yukari finally pointed her toward a real answer to her dilemma.

"Deep down, Naoto's big on family," Minato continued. "After everything, she's pretty protective of the family she's got left. Of course she'd welcome you with open arms, Ken."

There was something else there, something he wasn't mentioned, Mitsuru thought. Something in the set of his shoulders told her that. Whatever it was, though, he didn't seem too worried, so she decided to let it go. For now, anyway.

"…I'm glad," Amada said softly. "I'm… not really used to having family anymore, Aniki. And I've never had a big sister before." He smiled. "I think I'm looking forward to it, though. She seems reliable."

"More so than your older brother," Mitsuru told him, unable to resist the jab. "Clearly she inherited the responsible genes in the family—though I do admit to being somewhat concerned she may be something of an enabler. I'm given to understand she was the one who created our Detective's piton gun, after all."

She looked up in time to see Minato take on an affronted look. "Responsible? I'll have you know, Kirijo-san, that everyone in my family is responsible—unless the situation calls for reckless action, of course."

"Oh, of course. My apologies, Detective. I must have misheard when you spoke of your grandfather's stories. I thought you said something about him claiming to have defeated a time-traveling robot Rasputin…?"

Conversation lapsed at that point, as their food arrived. Mitsuru supposed it spared her fiancé from having to devise a comeback—though the way he perked up might simply have been because of the ramen. It really was too bad, she thought, that he'd had so little time to know Aragaki. Between their diets, guilt complexes, and drive to protect those they cared about, they really had had a lot in common.

Though the adrenaline addiction is definitely more Akihiko than Aragaki. My, but SEES' early days would've been… interesting… if all three of them had been in the team at once.

Mitsuru buried that melancholy thought under the pursuit of eating cheap ramen. A decent distraction, at that; inexpensive it might have been, but it really was an excellent meal. She should have realized that between two Kyoto natives, they'd know where to find a good deal.

Only when they'd all finished their first bowls did Mitsuru turn her attention to Yukari. The brunette had been silent throughout the meal, apparently lost in her own thoughts; up to then, Mitsuru had felt it best not to disturb her. Now, though…

"And you, Yukari?" she said quietly. "Are you satisfied with how the meeting with your mother went?"

Yukari twitched, quickly looking up from her bowl. After a brief hesitation, as she visibly gathered her thoughts, she nodded slowly. "Honestly? I think I am. Really, I would've been happy just to get through it at all without shouting. As it is…" She shrugged. "Like I told her, I'm still not comfortable with the idea of her getting married again. I may never be. But I do want her to be happy. After all this time, it seems kinda silly to hold onto a grudge. If she's really serious this time, then I'm happy for her."

"It's good to have family, isn't it, Yukari-san?" Amada put in, glancing up from his own ramen. "Even if you're not really sure about them yet."

"Something like that, yeah." Yukari flashed a grin at Minato. "Though when all this is over, I'm not above asking our Detective here to maybe look into my mom's fiancé's background."

Minato tilted his head, eyes narrow. "Spying on a friend's family is the detective equivalent of tabloid journalism, Yukari," he said severely. "There are some in the trade who would consider the very suggestion to be a terrible affront to their dignity."

"Says the 'famous detective' who blackmailed a company so that he could get with his girlfriend," she retorted with another grin. "Isn't consorting with organized crime an 'affront to your dignity'?"

"…Not if it keeps worse groups under control," he said. A lame comeback, Mitsuru was sure Iori would've said.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Come to think of it, didn't you offer to dig up some dirt, just the other day?"

"…I have nothing further to say on the matter."

Either way, she was happy to hear the banter. When Minato had first joined SEES, none of them would've been able to talk to each other so easily. Certainly not in the face of the crisis that lay before them, fast approaching.

"Anyway," Yukari said then, breaking away from staring down Minato with a shake of her head. "Yeah, I think I'm okay with it. Okay enough to move forward, anyway. I don't know if I'll be able to bring myself to attend the wedding, but this is a start."

"Good." Mitsuru looked around at her friends—her family—and was satisfied with what she saw in their eyes. "We're agreed, then. No regrets?"

"No regrets, Mitsuru," Minato agreed, reaching over to take her hand on the table.

"I've got a family again," Amada said, tentatively reaching over as well. "That's something worth fighting for, no matter what happens. This time, I know I have a reason to come back alive."

"That's right." Yukari placed her hand on top, smiling. "The important thing isn't to live. I intend to do that, too, but what really matters is going in without regrets. I can do that, now. …Thanks for coming with me, guys. It means a lot to me."

"Always, Yukari," Mitsuru promised. "Today—and to the very end. Together, with no regrets."

Author's Note:

Okay, so, I was wrong about the remaining pre-Promised Day stuff not being so hard. I admit I didn't think through a couple of the scenes that ended up in here, and they fought me to the bitter end. Which is half the reason I only got halfway through the remaining material; if I tried stuffing everything in, on top of the tricky scenes, I just wasn't going to have the courage to actually do it.

The other half being, well, there's more of it than I thought there'd be. (Yeah, big surprise from me, I know. I always underestimate my workload.) So in addition to taking eight months, I had to end the chapter here or wind up with one way too long, or the next one really tiny. As it is, I expect Chapter XXXVIII to be even shorter than this—though with me, who knows.

As for this chapter, not my finest work, I'll admit. I had a hard time getting back into the flow of the story, and as I say some scenes fought me very hard. But I did what I could, and apart from the one scene in the next chapter most responsible for making me give up and end this one here before I tore my hair out, I think that chapter will go a bit easier.

I make no promises whatsoever on timing for the next update. I'll do my very best to get this going again in less than eight months, but beyond that… Well. Life has a way of messing with me if I try to make specific predictions.

Anyway. To those who still have the patience to keep up with this fic, here's the latest. I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you next time. And, in honor of a great creative mind now passed… Excelsior! -Solid