Chapter Seven

The ferry ride to Yakushima was uneventful. Other than Fuuka talking about the local flora and fauna, and Junpei expressing his excitement, it was uneventful. Kae figured everyone was due a break, she was glad they got it, though there was a heavy atmosphere, for some reason, probably since there was an ulterior motive in going there. She did like seeing everyone's reactions to everything. The whole group arriving at the Kirijo mansion, Junpei's enthusiastic reaction to the maids, Erik's terror at meeting Mitsuru's father, it almost made Kae wish she could see it all for the first time again. She'd spent much of her youth here. With her parents having been so important to the Kirijo Group, she frequently spent her summers with Mitsuru at this very vacation home. She remembered seeing it for the first time and thinking it was massive, especially compared to the tiny apartment she had been living in at the time. It was not until actually going to Mitsuru's main home just outside Iwatodai that she realised that the vacation home was small by mansion standards. Kae chuckled to herself, reminiscing about days gone by from her childhood to now. But now, it was time to relax. Kae disassembled the Shadow Breaker, stowing it away safely in her room. She would have swam if she could, but unfortunately, the Shadow Breaker, while it was capable of many things, was not waterproof. She could take a shower or a bath with it on, but anything deeper and it was liable to break. So she just threw on a maroon one piece she could easily relax in. She left the home with the rest of the SEES women, as the others already were waiting at the beach. Of course, Junpei was being an idiot and making comments about how the girls looked in their swimsuits.

"Well how would you like it if I made dumbass comments about you guys?" Kae asked Junpei.

"Well you wouldn't be able to make anything about Erik, I don't even know how to react to that." Junpei joked, obviously talking about Erik's outfit.

"Wait, why is Erik wearing a wetsuit?" Kae asked, realizing Erik was wearing a wetsuit. Erik sighed.

"I don't have any swim trunks and shirts, and these idiots kept me from buying a real one before we left with their stupidity." Erik responded.

"So your idea of a solution was a wetsuit?" Minako asked with a giggle. "How do you even own that?"

"Shut up! Jaysus..." Erik groaned. "And for the record, it used to be my dad's, he gave it to me after he came home from a mission. This suit has seen real combat."

"Somehow the fact that it's a military uniform doesn't surprise me." Mitsuru chuckled.

"What is this, pick on Erik day!?" Erik groaned loudly and angrily.

"Well, I think it looks fine." Kae stated. What? Why did she say that? She probably just wanted Erik to feel better, that was it. She just wanted her friend not to be upset.

"Thank you, Kae." Erik smiled, genuinely happier now that he was no longer being roasted. Mentally, not physically. Kae was certain that Erik was being roasted alive in the dark black, skin tight suit.

"Maaaan, that's enough ribbing Erik, let's jump in the water!" Junpei yelled. The team all ran in the water, except Kae, who stayed near the shore since, well, she can't swim. As she and the rest of SEES had fun at the beach, Kae could have sworn that everyone was being watched.

"I thought you and Junpei were bros, why did you decide to come with us?" Minako asked Erik, who had opted to go to the tree with the girls instead of the beach.

"Because I don't want to wear my diving suit two days in a row and I was certain Junpei would do something stupid." Erik explained to her. Minako chuckled before responding to Erik.

"Yeah, sounds about right." Minako sighed. "I somehow get the feeling they're going to be running from people they make angry or don't want to be with all day."

"I assume so too." Erik laughed.

"Is there any particular reason you're so scared of, uh, Junpei's interests?" Minako asked. Erik sighed.

"I don't know." Erik responded. "Could be that I'm afraid of losing people, could be that time I'm scared to be with others." Erik solemnly stated. "What do you think it is?"

"I think it's the first one." Minako stated in a serious tone, dropping her usual lightheartedness.

"Yeah that's probably it." Erik nodded. "I guess it all comes back to dad. I never really had time to become close to anyone since dad's always gone. I wouldn't even know if I was attracted to anyone, much less in love. The closest I ever came to that was a girl in middle school. She passed away a year ago though."

"I see." Minako stated. "So you're afraid you'll become connected with someone but time, be it theirs or your own, will take them away from you." Erik solemnly nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to let that keep happening." Erik stated. Minako could sense the resolve coming from Erik.

SOCIAL LINK UP

EMPEROR RANK 5

+EXP BONUS WHEN FUSING PERSONAS OF THE EMPEROR ARCANA

+ 5% BONUS TO HEALTH VALUE VALUE OF HEALING ITEMS USED BY ERIK OR MINAKO

"There you two are, we realized too late that you two stopped to talk." Mitsuru stated. Minako and Erik realized that they had lagged far behind the rest.

"By the way, there's apparently a tank roaming about, so be careful." Yukari added.

"Ikutsuki gave us a call and warned us." Fuuka explained. Excitement washed over Minako.

"A tank!?" Minako excitedly asked.

"Knowing what little I do about the Kirijo Group, it's probably not a real one." Erik grimaced. "Still, it would be cool if we got to fight a tank. I have some of my dad's old army gear, we could use it if needed."

"What kind of equipment?" Fuuka asked, rather intrigued.

"Night vision, compases, just smaller scouting gear." Erik explained. "I could try and track down this tank, if y'all want."

"Understood, you'll need someone to go with you though-" Mitsuru began, only to be interrupted by the sounds of talking. Erik and Kae ran ahead to investigate, signaling for Minako and the others to follow. What was revealed was quite the sight. Junpei and Akihiko were staring in awe as a girl about the same age in a blue dress hugged Minato, who, like the other guys, was still in his swimsuit.

"Well, uh, we found the others…" Kae groaned. "Why are they still in their swimsuits?"

"I have found you." the girl hugging Minato stated, refusing to let go. Minako actually managed to catch a glimpse of her brother's face, bearing the rare look of confusion.

"There you are, get ready for battle, we-" Mitsuru stated, being interrupted by Ikutsuiki.

"There's no need." He began. "Aigis, you know you aren't supposed to be outside the lab on your own."

The past few days were a bit of a mess for Kae and the rest of SEES. The first night, they discovered more of the truth, being that Takeba's dad was the one who caused the lab accident that created the Dark Hour, then they all met Aigis, the Anti-Shadow Weapon, and of course, there was today's incident, the main thing keeping Kae up. It was the last day, and everyone, Aigis included was spending time having fun so that they could spend time with each other and get to know Aigis. However, part way through, two jerks started trying to hit on Kae. She could have taken care of them, even if she didn't have the Shadow Breaker. She had a plan, she'd kick each one in the space between the legs, then hit them in the head with her regular arm. However, that didn't happen. Instead, Erik intervened, talking them down from what they were doing. That in itself wasn't what was bothering her, she was fine with Erik wanting to help, it was one of the things he said.

"What are you, her boyfriend?" Kae recalled one of the thugs asking. She remembered Erik's unwavering tone as he bluffed his way through the conversation.

"Yes, I am. And I would greatly appreciate it if you left Kae alone." Erik had told the thugs. Kae didn't care that he lied about that, anything that didn't result in a trip to the hospital for anyone was fine by her. But something was bothering her about it. She wasn't sure what, and it was keeping her up. Kae sighed, throwing on real clothes to step out of her room and take a walk. Takeharu Kirijo, Mitsuru's father, was sitting on the porch with a glass of scotch as Kae was walking.

"Kae, take a seat, it's been a long time since we last got to talk." Takeharu said with a smile.

"Were you having trouble sleeping?" Kae asked as she sat down.

"A bit, I was thinking about the Full Moon Shadows, SEES, everything." Takeharu stated. "What about you?"

"There was a bit of an incident today." Kae explained. "It's been bothering me, and I couldn't sleep."

"I see, would you mind if I asked about it?" Takeharu asked. Kae nodded, explaining what had happened to her adopted father. Takeharu nodded, intently listening to Kae.

"I just don't know why this is bothering me, I'm not usually bothered by this kind of thing, so why is it bothering me now?" Kae asked. She noticed Takeharu pondering for a moment before answering.

"I think the answer is in your explanation." Takeharu answered. Kae thought for a moment, before reaching a realization.

"I think I'm in love with Erik." Kae murmured. Takeharu nodded.

"Does this change anything?" He asked.

"Yes, it does, how can I work with someone I'm in love with? It's going to distract me from my duties with SEES." Kae stated.

"Kae, do you know how your parents met?" Takeharu asked, and Kae responded by shaking her head. "They were lab partners when they first joined the Kirijo group. They were young members of the Metamaterials Division, specializing in the Plumes of Dusk, you know, what makes your Evoker work and the Shadow Breaker function in the Dark Hour. They fell in love through their love of science, and married despite the challenges working together presented. Working together blossomed their relationship, Kae."

"What if Erik doesn't love me back? What do I do then?" Kae asked.

"I don't think that's going to happen." Takeharu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Takeharu-San, good night." Kae responded, giving back her usual, miniscule smile.

"Good night, Kae." Takeharu responded. Kae returned to her room, still unable to sleep, but at least at some degree of peace.

A/N: Whew, glad to finally get this out. Yeah, it's a bit shorter than usual, but I'm fine with that. So yeah, Kea now knows her feelings. The scene of Erik blluffing to the thugs is, incase you couldn't tell, based off the scene where Tadano does the same for Manbagi in Komi Can't Communicate, I just really thought it was a good scene, and wanted to adapt it for this. Well then, hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!