Author's Notes: And so school begins again where I live... I don't have school anymore, but I have no idea what to do now... I should get a job, but I also have to babysit my younger siblings... Sigh...

~13 JULY 2009~

Everyone was spread out throughout the dormitory lounge and the team couldn't help but notice how Mitsuru and Yukari purposefully kept their distance from each other. Uncomfortable with how silent it was, Akihiko frowned as he looked up from his instant ramen. "What's wrong, everyone? Are you guys hungry?"

"N-not really…" Yukari answered.

Silence filled the air again and Fuuka shifted in her seat. "Umm… Y-you know, it's almost summer break. Do you have any plans?"

Junpei smiled as he closed his eyes to fantasize his ideal vacation. "I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze… Babes in bikinis… Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear! But first," he opened his eyes with a frown, "we have exams to worry about… Ugh, what a drag…"

"Now, now," Fuuka reassured him. "You'll be fine." She thought about the upcoming summer break too. "But yeah, I'd love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, like Okinawa."

"Well," Ikutsuki said as he came down the stairs, "it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"

Mitsuru looked towards him in surprise. "Mr. Chairman… I didn't realize you were here."

"I happened to be in the area," he smiled, causing Minato to narrow his eyes on him. "So I thought I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for next week. Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

"He will…?" Mitsuru frowned at this news.

"You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

"Seriously!?" Junpei jumped up at that. "We're gonna go on a trip!? YES! Beach babes, here I come!"

Yukari sighed. "Men."

Fuuka chuckled as she became excited for the trip too.

Mitsuru continued to frown. "But… My father is a busy man; I don't want to ruin his vacation."

Ikutsuki lightly laughed. "Don't worry… No father would be upset with a daughter who came all that way to see him. You've all done a great job. You deserve to relax for a while. We already know when the next operation will be, so it should be fine."

Minato clenched his teeth. Just what the hell are you up to now?

Mitsuru considered the plans. "I don't know…"

Please say no… Minato silently begged.

Beside him Hamuko jumped with joy. "YAKUSHIMA!" she cheered.

Junpei smiled at her enthusiasm before pleading with the senior. "Senpai! I'm beggin' ya!"

Mitsuru relented and Minato groaned. Nobody seemed to notice the blue-haired boy's reaction though as the redhead smiled to the team. "Alright. I guess everyone needs a break now and then. Let's do it."

"Woohoo!" Junpei and Hamuko high-fived each other.

Akihiko smirked. "Hmm, the beach… I should design a special training regimen."

"Dude," Junpei was already shaking with anticipation, "I'm stoked!"

"I have to go buy a swimsuit…" Fuuka mused.

"Hey, don't worry!" Junpei smirked at her. "I got an extra pair you can borrow!"

"Nice try, man," Akihiko shook his head.

Fuuka ignored Junpei's last comment and turned to the only adult in the room. "Are you going to swim too, Ikutsuki-san?"

"I'm afraid I can't," the man sighed in disappointment. "I'll turn to dust if I'm exposed to sunlight."

"You and nii-san both," Hamuko giggled.

Junpei's eyes widened. "Whoa, was that a joke!?"

"Of course it was…" Akihiko groaned.

Am I the only one with misgivings here? Minato sighed to himself but noticed Mitsuru quietly heading for the stairs. Yukari seemed to notice too and called out for her. The blue-haired boy remained silent as he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"Ah… Mitsuru-senpai, wait! Uh…" Yukari looked towards the ground. "Sorry about the other day… I got a little carried away…"

"Don't worry about it," Mitsuru shook her head. "In a way, it's only logical that we go to Yakushima. The Chairman said that no one who was responsible for the accident was still alive, but… In reality, there is one witness who survived."

Yukari's eyes widened. "There is?"

"My father," Mitsuru replied as she continued up the stairs.

The brunette remained near the stairs for a while before her shoulders sadly dropped. "Senpai…"

Minato blinked as he returned to the textbook in front of him. Interesting… He frowned as he reluctantly began to look forward the trip. Damn… Ikutsuki's really good at leading us into his little scheme of his… When can I turn things around? I can't keep following along forever…

~15 JULY 2009~

"Like hell I want to help you with swimsuit shopping," Minato said as he left his sister's room, taking back the books she had stolen from him. "Get Fuuka or Yukari to go with you or something."

"I will, but I just want you to be there for a guy's opinion," Hamuko teased.

"Then get a proper pervert," Minato said before he quickly retracted that statement. "No, wait. Forget I said that. What I mean is…" He shook his head. "I don't want to do it!"

"Fine… I'll just pack my usual one…"

"If you already had one ready, you shouldn't have brought it up," the older twin sighed in frustration. His face grew red when he noticed her undressing so he quickly slammed the door. "At least wait until I'm gone before trying it on! Damn it, Hamuko!" He groaned to himself as his sister's laughter emanated from behind the door. "Well, I'm going back to my room now!" he called to her before starting down the hall. He shook his head when he could still hear some muffled laughter in the background. I don't see what's so funny about… Huh? He paused as he stood outside Fuuka's room. That's not Hamuko, he realized as the laughing was actually coming from his right, not left.

Sure enough, when he turned his head in the direction of Fuuka's bedroom, he could hear the navigator laughing rather torturously. "Someone help!"

"Fuuka!?" He threw his books to the side in concern and knocked. "Are you okay?"

"M-minato-kun! C-come in!" Fuuka managed between giggles. "H-help!"

"Hold on!" Minato quickly opened the door, preparing himself for the worst. He didn't know what he expected to see, but he stared in perplexity at the sight of Fuuka doubling over in front of her mirror, laughing uncontrollably.

When she saw him come in, she fidgeted with the strange vibrating belt around her waist as though she wanted to take it off. "M-minato-kun!" she called him over, surprising the boy with the fact she could even manage to speak. "P-please help me!"

"Sure," Minato shrugged while closing the door behind him. He mentally sighed to himself as this was a rather strange situation to be in, but he couldn't just leave the girl to suffer like this. "Just hold still," he said with a frown. The girl squirmed though as he made multiple attempts to reach for the strange belt. "H-hey, stop moving around like that." He finally managed to grab the belt but he felt his finger brush against a slide lever.

As a result of his actions, he teal-haired junior twitched and began to laughed even more. "I th-think you made it worse, M-Minato-kun!"

The boy couldn't help but smirk as her laughter was beginning to get infectious. "If you'd just stand in one place—Whoa!" He pulled the Velcro strap free but fell backwards. The girl came down with him too with a yelp, but Fuuka quickly put her arms out to catch herself as she landed on the boy's chest. Minato winced as she pressed against his burn wounds and they fell into Fuuka's bed. After taking a second to gather his bearings and recover from the surprise, he painfully looked up towards her. "F-fuuka? Are you alright?" He did his best to hold back the urge to yell in pain as the girl remained on top of him.

Fuuka stared directly into his blue eyes and were mesmerized by their glowing intensity. I didn't realize Minato's eyes were such a beautiful shade of deep blue. As she continued to drown in their depths, it took her just a moment longer to realize the position they were in, resulting in her face growing red. "Minato-kun! I'm sorry! I didn't expect you to fall backwards like that!"

"F-fuuka," he painfully whimpered. "Y-you're pressing on my burns…"

Her eyes went wide and she quickly got off of him. "S-sorry! I forgot you were still recovering." She frowned to herself as she carefully pulled him up into a sitting position on her bed. That's right… His injuries… "I'm sorry, Minato-kun."

"It was an accident," the boy shook his head, as he lightly pressed his burns, checking to make sure his bandages were still in place. He frowned to himself as he noticed they were a bit loose. "I should have been more careful with taking the belt off."

"N-no, not that," Fuuka didn't look up at him. "The Full Moon Operation against the Lovers Shadow… It's my fault you were injured."

"Fuuka," Minato frowned at her. "I got these from when I fell into the Shadow's trap. You had nothing to do with that."

"But the Shadow went after you because of me!"

"The Shadow went after me because of me," Minato steadily looked her in the eyes. "I made myself an open target and fell into its traps, despite your warnings. I'm really ashamed of what happened that night. I should have never allowed events to go that far."

"N-no! That wasn't your fault! You didn't do anything wrong…"

"Then neither did you," Minato reassured her.

"I'm glad you're not angry or disappointed with me," the girl sighed in relief. "I was getting worried because I thought you were specifically avoiding me."

"I k-kinda was actually," Minato looked away, face warming up again. "F-for a different reason though!" He frowned when he noticed the hurt expression on his friend's face. "I have to apologize twice for that actually. Once for avoiding you and the other for what I might have done to you while I was charmed."

Fuuka's face went red as she remembered when he suddenly pushed her to the ground and was above her. "Y-you weren't thinking straight, M-minato-kun!" she stammered. "And you didn't do anything that crossed the line."

"Really?" The boy's relieved expression made the girl's stomach flip a little. "Are you sure? You're not lying out of consideration for me, are you, Fuuka?"

She shook her head. "No. You managed to break free from the spell, remember?"

"I'm sorry," Minato reached for his own head as he couldn't quite recall. "I don't exactly remember the details. I just remember hearing you calling out to me. So thank you for that, Fuuka."

"N-not at all, Minato-kun," she smiled at him. She noticed his bandages were coming loose. "Oh! Your arm!"

Minato lifted his right arm and stared at the loose ribbon that was beginning to unravel. "Yeah, I should get back to my room and reapply them."

"Let me help you!" Fuuka looked around her room for her medical kit.

"No, really! I can do this myself," the boy nervously averted his gaze. "Besides, I don't want to disturb you anymore than I already have."

"You helped me though, Minato-kun," the girl beamed at him as she put the troublesome belt aside so that it wasn't in the way. "Let me repay the favor."

"Fuuka," Minato sighed. "My chest bandages are coming loose too," he told her, causing her to madly blush. "I should really take care of this myself." He prepared to stand, but was surprised when she gently grabbed his arm. "Fuuka?"

"Please let me help you, Minato-kun," she whispered.

The boy's expressions softened when he realized he couldn't refuse her earnest request. "Alright, Fuuka," he nodded, "If you insist."

Fuuka quickly brightened at his approval and began taking out a two rolls of medical wrap, antibiotic burn lotion, and a few metal clasps from her first-aid kit. She quickly washed her hands at her sink as she watched Minato calmly begin unbuttoning his shirt. The blue-haired boy immediately frowned when his previous bandages caught onto his uniform.

The girl quickly helped him free his shirt. "There you go," she smiled. She hung his white button-up over the edge of her bed and began gingerly removing his bandages as she sat at his side. "Did you really do this yourself, Minato-kun?" she asked, impressed with how neatly the bandages wrapped around him.

The boy closed his eyes and slowly breathed. "Not really. Hamuko visits me every morning to make sure I'm not late for class. Lately, she's been getting up earlier to help me reapply my bandages too. I change them again myself whenever I return and if necessary once more before going to bed. I didn't yet today though because I needed to get some books back from her." He flinched in surprise when he felt something cold on his chest. "Kkh!"

Fuuka stopped applying the lotion. "I-I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

The boy shook his head as he slowly got used to the sensation. "I was just surprised, that's all," he reassured her. "The lotion was colder than I thought."

The girl giggled. "It has menthol in it," she explained, marveling the boy's thin but surprisingly muscular frame. She felt a blush coming on as she carefully massaged the ointment against his collarbones. "I'm sure you already know, but it has cooling properties when applied."

"I see," the boy smiled. "I can actually smell the mint," he pointed out as he relaxed once more. He took a deep breath and quickly caught a hint of the floral scent of Fuuka's room. He frowned to himself as a thought came to him. "Fuuka?"

"Hm?" Fuuka began working on his shoulders.

"Before I was charmed," he nervously gulped, "Did I attack you?"

"Er..." the girl paused as she remembered the boy's oddly hostile demeanor. She was glad Minato currently had his eyes closed because she didn't want him to see the uncomfortable frown on her face as she thought back to that night. "Why do you ask?"

"I can't really remember much of what happened after I got locked in with the Shadow," the boy admitted to her. "I do vaguely recall seeing you there at some point with Lucia though. Um... Don't take this question the wrong way but... Was that really you?"

Fuuka considered lying in order to ease his conscience but she didn't want to betray the boy's trust, so she truthfully answered him. "That was really me."

"So I did try to attack you," Minato hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Fuuka... My actions must have terrified you and I have no excuses to defend them. What happened between us in the hall is completely unjustifiable so I understand if you can't forgive me."

Fuuka shook her head as she went back to applying the lotion to his arms. "There's nothing to forgive, Minato-kun. I don't blame you at all for anything you did after we broke the seal to the room. The Shadow tried to manipulate you after all."

The boy scrunched his face up in protest. "But I wasn't even under the Shadow's influence when I attacked you. And even after I became charmed, my actions escalated to the point where I almost nearly..." he clenched his fists as he couldn't bring himself to fully complete that thought. "Well… You know…"

"I guess I do have to admit that I was scared to see you like that," Fuuka frowned. "I probably should have requested for someone to help me calm you down, but I didn't because you were already badly injured from facing the Shadow alone. If only I was able to figure out how to break the Shadow's seal sooner, we might have been able to get you out of there before you got these burns."

"Er... these burns weren't caused by the Shadow, Fuuka," Minato honestly revealed, not wanting her to blame herself for something he himself was responsible for.

Fuuka blinked at him in alarm. "But—"

Minato shook his head as he quickly explained what he could to her. "When I fell into the Shadow's mirror trap, the Shadow showed me something I didn't want to see. I ended up summoning Orpheus and burned myself in the process," the boy admitted. "What I saw also led to my disorientation upon seeing you in the hall. I thought I was still caught in the Shadow's trap so, in my rage and confusion, mistakenly tried to attack you."

Fuuka finished applying the lotion but didn't quite start wrapping the boy's wounds quite yet. Instead, she hugged him from behind and rested her forehead against his back. She took a deep breath as she reaffirmed that the boy was right in front of her. Oddly enough, she found that he had a warm scent, reminiscent of roasting coffee. "Minato-kun… What was it that you saw that made you so angry?"

"Y-you…" he quietly responded, shivering as her breath hit his spine. "Or rather an apparition of you." He clenched his teeth as he felt his anger momentarily flare. "The Shadow really did get to me, Fuuka. When I saw it drag you into the battle, I really lost it. I wanted the Shadow to burn and perish for showing me a version of you that was so inaccurate. Kind, smart, considerate, determined, cute… Everything you are, it wasn't."

The girl felt herself blushing again. "Minato-kun… You called me cute."

"That's an objective observation," the boy said as a matter of fact. "It's the same way one can look at Kirijo-senpai and say she's beautiful or call Sanada-senpai handsome. You, Fuuka, are cute. If you say otherwise, we could always ask Hamuko."

Fuuka lightly laughed as she began carefully applying the medical wrap to his chest. "Thank you, Minato-kun. This might not be objective, but I think you're an amazing person. You're talented with many things, but you're also willing to help me whenever I need it. I'm glad to have met you."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Minato wryly smiled, "despite me always causing you trouble. I really am sorry for that night."

"You're no trouble at all," Fuuka shook her head. "I don't blame you for anything that happened during our last Operation either, so you don't have to keep apologizing for it."

"Even so," the blue-haired boy sighed, "I don't think I can quite forgive myself for what happened just yet."

The girl securely fastened the end of the wrap to his chest before resting against him once more. "You don't have to always be so hard on yourself, Minato-kun," she told him. "As leader, I know you carry a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but I'm your navigator. You should be able to come to me whenever you're hurt, lost, or troubled. I don't want you feeling like you have to keep everything to yourself while going around helping others. I want you to be able to rely on me too." She frowned to herself. "Does that sound a little selfish?"

"No," Minato shook his head. "You're just worried about me, after all." He frowned to himself as he could feel her concern for him even now. While it bothered him that the girl cared this much about him, he found himself relieved and actually quite thankful for her gentle kindness. "Thanks for treating me, Fuuka," he sincerely nodded before finally opening his eyes. "It's getting late though so I should probably be returning to my room. We still have finals to study for, remember?"

I don't really want him to go though… Fuuka sullenly thought as she slowly let go of him. "Do you think we could study together?" she hopefully suggested.

The boy didn't think that was too bad of an idea, but he didn't want the girl to get in trouble for having him there so late in the evening. "Alright, but downstairs, okay? Besides, I'm sure you don't want to be wearing your bathing suit while we…" His smile disappeared as his cheeks flared. "You were wearing that this entire time!?"

Fuuka's face went red too. "Um… I was just trying it on! And then… I wanted to try out the waist slimmer pad! And…"

"It's fine! You don't have to explain anything to me!" Minato nervously laughed as he avoided looking directly at her. "Anyway, I left some books outside in the hall. I'll have to take them back to my room, but we'll meet downstairs, okay?" He reached for his shirt and slowly put it on, careful to not undo the treatment Fuuka had so generously given him.

The girl watched him for a while before answering with a smile. "Alright. I look forward to studying with you, Minato-kun."

"Y-yeah, I do too," Minato sheepishly replied as he made his way to the door. He did his best to not look back at her but flinched when the two made eye contact through the mirror hanging over her sink. Flustered, he quickly closed his eyes and shake his head. "Well, I'll see you then!" he cried out before leaving.

Fuuka giggled at the boy's behavior before smiling to herself. This kind, yet awkward side of him definitely suit him better than how he had been acting before and seeing him back to normal made the girl happy.

~18 JULY 2009~

Minato stretched his arms as he passed the school gates, happy he no longer had to wear his bandages any longer. Finally, he thought as he straightened his shirt. No scars at least, but I guess I should still be careful when we go to Yakushima. He frowned to himself as he examined how uneven the skin tone of his arms before he spotted Junpei smirking and waving at him.

"Yo, what's up?" he greeted the blue-haired boy.

"Nothing much. Just got back from the hospital," Minato nodded, surprised the Magician was speaking to him.

"Oh, so you're all better, huh?" Junpei chuckled as he quickly changed the topic. "Thank god today's the last day of exams…"

"Yeah," the blue-haired boy smiled. "How've you been doing?"

The boy groaned. "Don't ask. I can't wait to let off some steam… Dude, don't you just love summer?"

The leader shook his head at him. "Don't get too complacent. I heard today's test is a bunch of short answer. It's not a full blown essay, but we've still got our work cut out for us."

"Aw, man. Why'd you have to remind me?" Junpei frowned. "Hey, mind if I look at your answers?"

"Just try not to get caught," Minato sighed. "If Hamuko finds out, she'll skin us."

"Yikes," the capped boy's eyes went wide as they entered the classroom.

Once class was dismissed Junpei stood up from his seat. "I'm done, baaaby!" His sudden exclamation surprised Minato and the blue-haired boy caught himself before he fell out of his seat. "The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shinin' bright!"

Behind them Yukari and Hamuko stood from their seats and approached them. The archer smiled at the two boys. "So, how'd you do?"

"Hey, check it out! I aced PE!" Junpei smirked.

"Well," the brunette sighed, "that pretty much answers the question."

"Psh," Junpei crossed his arms. "A real man doesn't dwell on the past… I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!"

"Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it…?" Yukari looked to the twins. "Are ya both ready?"

Minato wasn't exactly looking forward to the trip. "Nope," he answered.

Yukari giggled at his answer. "Why am I not surprised? If it makes you feel any better, I'm not ready either."

"I totally am!" Hamuko jumped up. She and Junpei shared a high five. "Woohoo! Yakushima!"

Yukari smiled at the two. "I guess I should start getting ready, too."

"Whatever," Minato rolled his eyes.

"I guess I should be more enthusiastic, huh?" Yukari shrugged. "Hey, I don't have practice today, so do you wanna do something?"

"Sounds good!" Junpei smiled. "Where we goin'? If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!"

"As if," Yukari pressed a finger against his forehead. "Alright, gimme a sec. I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the locker room." She started for the gym before looking towards Hamuko. "Oh, let's invite Fuuka too."

"Good idea! Nii-san would probably like that!" Hamuko smirked as she followed the girl out.

"H-hey! What are you—?" Minato shook his head as there was no point in him getting flustered over this. He sighed as he looked back towards Junpei. "So what now?" He paused when he notice the capped boy frowning at him. "Junpei, you alright?"

"Hey…" the Magician seriously began. "I know I've been kind of a dick lately…" He pulled his cap down over his eyes. "Um… I'm sorry about the way I've been acting… I was just in a bad mood and I took it all out on you… I know it wasn't too cool of me… but we're still cool, right?"

"Huh?" Minato knit his eyebrows together in confusion.

Junpei looked to the boy with admiration. "Dude, nothin' seems to faze you. You're definitely one-of-a-kind."

"Where's all this coming from?" The blue-eyed boy shook his head. "Well, thanks, I guess. Don't worry about it, Junpei."

"Thanks, dude," Junpei smiled. "Anyway," he nervously chuckled, "that's all history… It's you and me now, bro." He held out a fist to Minato and the blue-haired boy bumped his fist into Junpei's.

"Seriously, Junpei. I trust you, man. You don't have to be so weird about it." Minato shrugged. "Besides, I'm used to it."

"Dude!" Junpei lightly glared at him. "I'm tryin' to be serious, here." The two laughed before Junpei shook his head. "Alright, let's get going."

The two juniors quickly caught up with the girls and Akihiko at the front of the school. Hamuko smiled at the two boys when she noticed them joking around as they approached them. "Junpei, Minato! Let's go already!"

Junpei's smile grew wider as he jumped down the front steps of the school. "Woohoooooo! Freedom at last! What should I do now!?"

Fuuka giggled at his enthusiasm. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something."

"It's Junpei," Minato nodded. "There's no doubt about it."

"Hell yeah, I will!" Junpei shouted to the sky. He paused when he noticed Akihiko smirking at him. "Hey, what're you doing here, Akihiko-san?"

"Ikutsuki-san called me," the senior nodded. "I think he wants to talk about a new candidate."

Minato tilted his head. Koromaru?

Beside him Yukari frowned. "Does that mean another person is going to join?"

"Maybe…" Akihiko shared her concerns.

Behind the group, a girl called out in their direction. "Fuuka!"

Minato turned around and noticed it was Natsuki. Fuuka tilted her head to the side as her friend ran towards them with a troubled expression on her face. "What's wrong, Natsuki-chan?"

"Do you think you can stay after school with me for a mandatory study session? There's, like, no one—" The former bully noticed Fuuka's housemates. "Oh, you're going back to your 'home' home today, huh? Okay, then never mind."

"Hey, wait." Fuuka started up the steps. "It's alright. Let's go." She turned back to the team and gave Minato an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll see you all later back at the dorm." She watched as Minato gave her an understanding shrug before following Natsuki back into the building.

Junpei whistled in impress. "I'm really surprised at how much she's changed."

"Yeah," Minato nodded. "She's not the only one," he pointed out. "We've all gotten stronger."

"It's because we've all become good friends," Hamuko smiled.

"Ah, friendship…" A voice from behind them sent a shiver down Minato's spine. The boy turned around to see Ikutsuki smiling at the small group. "How beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!"

Why do I feel like you're mocking us? Minato thought to himself as he noticed a Reaper cloud faintly growing nearby. Huh? Is that the new recruit?

"Mr. Chairman…!" Yukari exclaimed as she was surprised to see the man on campus.

"Oh, hello," Ikutsuki smiled at them all in greeting. "I just stopped by to pick someone up. I might as well introduce you to him now." He turned towards where the Reaper cloud was. "Come meet the gang, Ken!"

A small brown-haired boy showed himself as he smiled up at the high school students. "Hello."

Yukari recognized him immediately. "Oh, hi, Ken-kun. What's up?"

Akihiko looked to her in surprise. "You know him…?"

Hamuko smiled at the boy. "It's nice to see you again, Ken-kun!"

Ken slightly blushed. "Hello, Hamuko-san."

Minato looked to his sister in confusion. When did you meet…? Wait, no, more importantly… He's rather young… Isn't he? He studied the boy carefully as recalled his own childhood experiences with the Dark Hour.

Ikutsuki gave the team a serious frown. "He doesn't leave during the break because of his… circumstances."

"Oh, I heard about that…" Yukari said with a frown. "Something about his parents…"

"It was only me and my mom," Ken explained with a frown. "But she got in an accident, and she… she died. It happened two years ago."

Hamuko blinked as she saw a woman appear behind the boy. Poor Ken-kun… He's just like Minato and me…

Ikutsuki began speaking again so the girl lifted her red eyes towards him. "Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses. But, staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age. So, I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer."

"To OUR dorm!?" Yukari exclaimed in surprise. "Do you really think that's a good idea!?"

"Why, of course," Ikutsuki nodded. "He has the Potential."

Tch… Another solid point. Minato carefully studied Ken's serious face. He seems responsible, but I have a bad feeling about this.

Akihiko blinked at the Chairman. "Then, he's the new candidate…?"

"Yes…" the man nodded. "But, as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So, it is merely a possibility for now."

Akihiko remained silent but Ken's eyes widened as he looked up at the boxer. "Are you… Sanada-senpai?" the boy asked in awe.

A bit uncomfortable with the boy's admiring gaze, Akihiko shifted a bit. "Um… yeah."

"I've heard a lot about you… You haven't lost a boxing match yet."

"Yeah, well…" Akihiko gave the boy a determined smirk. "It's nice to meet you."

Ken studied the high school students around him before he noticed Minato's scrutinizing gaze. "And you must be Yuki-san! Wow! The rumors of your Hellhound glare are true!"

"W-what?" Minato was taken aback. "W-why are there rumors of me in the elementary school!?"

"I can't believe I get to be staying at the same dorm as Sanada-senpai and the Gekkoukan Hellhound!" Ken beamed at the two boys.

"S-seriously…" Minato looked to the rest of the team chuckling at him. "Is no one else concerned?" He smiled to himself though as he noticed how much Ken reminded him of himself when he was younger. Well… I guess it can't hurt to keep an eye on him for a while.

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

"Shinjiro-san!" Hamuko happily waved at the tall boy as she ran towards him.

"H-hey!" The older boy glared at her as the other teenagers in the back alley snickered behind him. "I told you to quit coming over!"

"It's been a while since I last saw you! The dorm's going to Yakushima so I'm not going to be around to visit for a while." She gave him a concerned pout. "Aren't you gonna miss me?"

"Dammit, Arisato," Shinjiro rolled his eyes as he pulled her out of the alley. "How the hell am I supposed to miss you if you're still here?"

"That's so sweet of you, senpai!" Hamuko giggled.

"I ain't your senpai!" When they were finally out of the dark alleyway, he turned towards her with a scowl. "So what do you want now?"

"Let's go out!"

Shinjiro's face went red. "H-hey. What the hell are you sayin'?"

"I meant to eat, silly!" Hamuko smirked at him. "Come on. This'll be the last time I'll be see you for a while. I'm sure you'll be lonely without Akihiko-senpai and me visiting."

"Tch, like that'd bother me." Shinijiro frowned when the girl sadly looked up at him. "Fine," he relented. "No beef bowls though! I'm pickin' the restaurant this time." He took her Wakatsu and stared at Hamuko's bright smile as she enjoyed a meal with the older boy. Shinjiro didn't want to admit it, but he had fun too. When they finished, Shinjiro pointed at the soy sauce that lightly spilled on her uniform. "You got somethin' on your shirt," he said. "Take care of that before it stains."

"Right," Hamuko frowned at the mess. "I'll be back!"

Shinjiro took care of the bill for the both of them but paused when a blue-haired boy met him at the counter. "Hm?"

Minato heard Shinjiro behind him and blinked as he turned around. "Huh? Oh, it's you," the older twin said, tilting his head to the side. "Aragaki-senpai."

"I ain't your senpai," Shinjiro scowled. Is he like his sister or something?

"My apologies," Minato bowed, "Aragaki-san. What brings you here?"

Shit, I don't think he knows his sister came with me. "To eat," he replied. "What else would I be doing here?"

"Oh, that's right," the younger boy nodded his head.

"Minato-kun?" A teal-haired girl approached his side. "I'm back from the bathroom. I met Hamuko-chan there."

"She's here?" Minato looked towards Fuuka in surprise.

Fuuka nodded to him. "She said she was on a date."

"A date!?" Both boys exclaimed at once. Minato looked at Shinjiro with suspicion and the older boy glared back at the younger boy.

"Huh?" Fuuka looked between the two. "Minato-kun? Is he a friend of yours?"

Minato blinked at her. "Oh, right. Fuuka, this is Shinjiro Aragaki. He's the one who gave us the information we needed to find you."

"Thank you for your help, Aragaki-san," Fuuka bowed to him with a smile.

"Tch, it's not like I did anythin'," Shinjiro told her.

"Minato!" A voice called out for the blue-haired boy. "Fancy seeing you here on a date with Fuuka-chan!"

"We're not—!" Minato shook his head and sighed. "Never mind. Fuuka just told me you were here on a date. With who? How come I didn't know about this?"

"Aw, nii-san's getting overprotective," Hamuko teased him as she pinched his cheek.

"Quit it," Minato waved her hand away. "We're in public."

"Next time we should go on a double date!" Hamuko giggled, excited to see her three companions' reactions. As she expected, Fuuka began blushing, Minato became livid out of both embarrassment and annoyance, and Shinjiro simply glared at her.

"W-where is your date, Hamuko-chan?" Fuuka asked.

"Around somewhere," the girl smirked as Shinjiro continued to stare daggers at her. "I'll introduce you some time, Fuuka-chan. Maybe when nii-san isn't here."

"Hey, I'm standing right next to you," Minato crossed his arms. He glanced at the time and sighed. "I would stay and meet him, but Fuuka and I need to get going."

"Got more planned on your date?" Hamuko teased.

"It's not—!" Her brother's face grew even more irritated. "Never mind," he sighed.

Fuuka shyly smiled at the girl as she explained. "Minato-kun and I were going to get some more film for the Yakushima trip. It shouldn't take us long, but depending on what the store has in stock, we might be back late."

"Don't be out too late," the red-eyed girl winked at them.

"I swear if you weren't my twin, I'd kill you," Minato muttered as he turned to his blushing friend. "Let's just go." He bowed to Shinjiro once more. "It was good to see you again, Aragaki-san."

"Yes, it was nice to meet you," Fuuka did the same before following the blue-haired boy out.

Hamuko laughed once the two were gone. Shinjiro shook his head. "How the hell does he deal with you?"

"He's used to it," Hamuko stuck her tongue out at the older boy.

"We ain't dating," Shinjiro glared at her. "Don't even joke about that. You're gonna give the guys in the back alley and the dorm the wrong idea."

"You're just like nii-san," Hamuko giggled as Shinjiro finally paid for their meal. "Such easy targets to tease."

"Yeah, well, I ain't your brother," Shinjiro shook his head.

"No," the girl reached for his cheek and pulled on it. "You're much less pretty."

"Is that supposed to be an insult or somethin'?" The older boy frowned at her.

"Nope, a compliment. You're much more handsome than nii-san."

"You know, if I didn't just see how overprotective your brother was, I'd kill you too," Shinjiro pointed out.

"Let's go out again sometime!" Hamuko brightly said.

For some reason, the brunet felt his face burn but when he noticed how much fun she was having, he relented. After a heavy sigh, he shrugged. "Sure. I'll see you after your trip."

"Take care of yourself while we're gone," the girl said with genuine worry.

Shinjiro noticed she wasn't smiling, so poked the side of her stomach, causing her to ticklishly writhe from the shock. "I told you before. You look a lot better when you smile." It was his turn to smirk as her face lightly turned pink.

Final Notes: You know... it's hard for me to imagine Shinjiro in the Yakushima trip. He'd probably wear a full body wetsuit though to conserve heat... But that wouldn't look cool compared to everyone else. Oh well. Up next will be the first part of the Yakushima trip... Look forward to it, I suppose.