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"Please remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stop."
Yukari shifted in her seat in hopes of finding a more comfortable position as the plane slowly made its descent before turning to poke the side of her neighbor.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," she murmured, making him grumble in response.
"I don't suppose you'll give me five minutes," Minato grumbled even as his eyes fluttered open.
Yukari laughed. "We've been sitting here for half a day."
"Still tired."
"Only you, Minato."
Minato smiled faintly, before lacing their hands together.
"You're the one who married me."
To emphasize his point, he rubbed his thumb over her wedding ring.
Elizabeth-san had discovered a way to revive Minato nearly two years ago—March 5th, 2015, to be exact. She still remembered the way Minato had started to mumble out that she wasn't obligated to stay in a relationship with him before she grabbed him and proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of him.
They had gotten married last July but with Yukari's crazy work schedule, hadn't managed to take a vacation for their honeymoon until now. They vacationed in Hawaii and it was pure bliss. Nobody in America knew who Yukari Takeba was so they had a peaceful honeymoon.
But they were back to Japan—Tokyo, to be exact. They planned to spend a couple days recuperating from the long flight in Tokyo before taking a train so they could visit with their friends back on Port Island.
They grabbed their luggage before hailing a taxi to ride to their hotel. Once they arrived and were led to their room, they all but fell onto the bed.
"Do you miss Hawaii already?" Minato asked, draping an arm over her waist.
Yukari snuggled up to him before she answered. "Hawaii was great but… I wouldn't want to live there. For one, my English is terrible. Plus… Japan is home."
Minato let out a low hum of agreement. "And everyone there was loud. Louder than Junpei, somehow."
Yukari giggled. "That'll probably make Junpei want to go to Hawaii to prove you wrong."
"If Chidori wanted it, he'd bend himself backwards to get the money for the trip," he quipped.
"Can't argue with that."
Yukari then pulled away from Minato's grasp.
"I'm going to go shower though," she said. "It's been a long flight."
She could feel Minato's eyes on her as she bent to retrieve a fresh set of clothes from their suitcase.
"Am I welcome to join you?"
Yukari turned to look at her husband. She then winked.
"What do you think?"
She giggled to herself as she heard Minato all but jump from the bed. Her laughter was then smothered by Minato's lips.
They got up late the next morning but Yukari didn't mind. They were walking around Shibuya. Yukari rarely got to actually look around Tokyo so it was nice. Though the snow was a big change after sunny Hawaii.
Though to help with blending in the crowds, Yukari had hidden her hair with a hat. So far it was working, thank goodness.
"Mm… where do you want to go for lunch?" Minato murmured.
"Thinking about lunch already?"
"It's 11:30," Minato protested.
"You and your bottomless pit of a stomach," Yukari teased.
Minato opened his mouth to retort, but he was suddenly cut off.
"Please! If you'll just hear me out…!"
…Huh?
It was a teenage boy, tightly clutching a clipboard. He was calling out to people, pleading for them to sign a petition.
"A good friend was wrongfully imprisoned!" he said desperately. "A-And he always fights for the sake of others!"
Yukari blinked. Something in her gut told her that she should hear this boy out.
"Minato?" she asked in a low voice.
Minato raised an eyebrow but let her tow him towards the boy.
He looked even younger than Ken. Maybe a first-year or second-year.
"Hi there," Yukari greeted him. "Can I hear what your petition is about?"
His eyes went wide. "O-Oh, of course!"
He then bit his lip, scratching his cheek.
"Let's see, where to begin… Uh, well, his name is Ren Amamiya. He transferred to Shujin Academy in the spring because of a false assault charge. He's really a great guy! Really supportive of his friends though… sometimes he likes to mess with people too much…"
Wait. Wasn't that the guy who turned himself in as the leader of the Phantom Thieves? It was all over the news. Mitsuru-senpai was beside herself, given how Shido had slapped her with red tape and forbidden any Shadow Operative to look into Tokyo's activities.
But still, the way Mishima talked about him… made Yukari want to reconsider. And… he kinda sounded like Minato in a way.
"Reminds me of a certain someone I know," Yukari teased.
Minato raised an eyebrow, before giving a slight smile. "Minako, right?"
This earned him a quick smack on the shoulder.
But Shujin Academy… wasn't that the school with the Kamoshida case? Mitsuru-senpai had wanted to look into it, actually. They had discussed sending a secret agent to Tokyo but Mitsuru-senpai wasn't willing to take the risk. Especially since they were discussing Ken to Tokyo.
But the more Yukari heard of this Ren Amamiya, the more intrigued she became. Maybe it was because he reminded Yukari a little of both her husband and sister-in-law but…
"I'll sign it," she told him.
"Really?!" His eyes lit up. "Oh thank you! Thank you!"
"It's no problem," Yukari chuckled.
She then took the clipboard before signing her name—her married name. Seeing Yukari Arisato still made her feel a little giddy. And besides that, people still knew her as Yukari Takeba. It was the safest option.
Minato then took it, signing it as well.
"Seriously… thank you. Amamiya got wrongfully imprisoned about a month ago and it's so frustrating that they're just willing to throw him in jail…" He then hung his head. "I just wish that I could do more to help."
"Anything to help," Yukari said with a soft smile.
"And your friend will need to know about all the work you've been doing," Minato added. "You're a good friend."
He then paused awkwardly, as they still didn't know the boy's name.
"O-Oh! I'm Yuuki Mishima—it's nice to meet you!"
He then bowed his head.
"Almost as polite as Ken," Minato muttered to her.
Yukari elbowed him in the side before handing the clipboard back to Mishima.
She smiled at the boy. "Here you are, Mishima-kun. Oh, and I'm Yukari Arisato and this is my husband, Minato."
"Yukari… Arisato?" Mishima repeated slowly.
Then he stared at her, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"Wait you're Yukari T—!"
"Shhh!" Yukari hissed at him. "Not here!"
Mishima clamped a hand over his mouth, making some passersby give them an odd look. He then blushed bright pink before dropping his hand.
"I-I'm sorry…" he stammered out. "It just came as a shock!"
Then he bit his lip, nervously shifting his weight.
"You want an autograph from Yukari, don't you?" Minato asked bluntly.
"Could I?" Mishima asked eagerly. "Um, if it's okay with you, Ta—Arisato-san! Your husband doesn't speak for you obviously…!"
Yukari just chuckled. His eyes were sparkling. It was rather cute. She didn't mind meeting starstruck fans for the most part.
…As long as they weren't creepy pervs.
She then pulled out a felt pen from her purse as Mishima fumbled with his phone. It was encased in a 2-in-1 phone case, so he popped off the top layer.
Well… it wasn't the strangest thing she's autographed. She quickly signed it and Mishima took it with wide eyes.
"Oh man, Futaba won't believe this when I show her this!" Mishima enthused.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Minato asked bluntly, earning another smack from Yukari.
"Wha?!" Mishima looked like a deer in highlights before he coughed, a small blush on his cheeks. "N-No, it's not like that! Futaba—she's practically Ren's little sister. We've started to talk a lot more with what happened to Ren and it turns out that we have a lot of common interests."
"Don't mind him," Yukari said dryly. "He may look quiet but he gets his kicks out of teasing people."
"I do not—"
"You told Ken-kun that you drank hot sauce with your coffee just to mess with him."
"How was I supposed to know that he was going to take me seriously?"
"We had to hide the hot sauce from Ken-kun so he wouldn't try it as it was so obviously 'grown-up'!"
"That was over seven years ago," Minato grumbled.
"Wow… you've known each other since high school then?" Mishima asked.
Yukari then smiled. "Yes. We met each other right at the beginning of the school year when we were second-years."
"But never mind that…" Minato said slowly. "You need to be more confident in yourself."
"H-Huh?"
"Minato!" Yukari scolded, but Minato just held up a hand.
"Keep your chin up. You sound like you're unsure of yourself when you try to get people to listen to you. You believe in this cause—your friend? People will pay more attention if you hold yourself with more confidence."
"I…" Mishima looked shocked for a moment but then his expression steeled. "Yeah. You're right. Thank you, Arisato-san. I think I needed that."
Minato shrugged. "No problem. Your faith in your friend is admirable."
Then he smiled.
"You have my and Yukari's support, that's for sure."
Mishima blushed. "Thank you. He just—he helped me realize what I need to do with myself. I had been really lost before I had met him."
Yukari just smiled, linking her arm with Minato's. "I can definitely relate."
Mishima blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Never mind that," Yukari laughed. "Though you wouldn't have any restaurant recommendations, would you? Minato here is a glutton and is already wanting lunch."
"Hey, that's more Junpei!" Minato huffed out.
"Uh-huh. Sure, Minato."
"Well… I don't know anything super fancy," Mishima said slowly. "The diner on Central Street is pretty good though if you want comfort food. And if you like curry, Café Leblanc is great!"
Minato let out a thoughtful hum. "Curry, huh? It's kinda cold so something hot would be great. What do you think, Yukari?"
"I could use some Japanese food," Yukari chuckled. "I never thought I'd miss it."
"Thank you, Mishima-san," Minato said.
"No problem! I hope you enjoy your stay in Tokyo!"
Their search for Café Leblanc took them to a residential district, Yongen-jaya. It was quaint but cozy, in Yukari's opinion. But Yukari had to wonder how Mishima knew of this café. She wasn't quite expecting it to be a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. But then again he was a local.
But the moment they stepped inside, Yukari felt herself relax. She couldn't explain it but… the atmosphere was just homey. In a way, it almost reminded her of the dorm.
The owner looked to the two of them as they shut the door behind them. Aside from them, the only other customers were two girls, sitting at the bar. One of them had short dark brown hair and piercing red eyes. Her companion was a blonde girl with bright blue eyes. She was almost listlessly sipping at her coffee, while she absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair with her other hand.
The proprietor greeted them, "Welcome. What can I get you?"
"One—no, two curries?" Yukari said tentatively before looking to her husband. "You said that you were hungry, Minato."
Minato nodded. "We could always have it as takeout if we don't finish."
"Any coffee?" he inquired. "It's the best in Tokyo if I do say myself."
"I have to agree," the blonde said, turning to face them.
Yukari couldn't help but notice their school uniforms. It tugged at Yukari's memory for some reason.
"Well, I haven't tried much coffee in Tokyo, but I'll have to take your word for it," Yukari said lightly.
"Oh?" The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Are you not around from here?"
Minato shook his head. "We're from Tatsumi Port Island."
"That's far away," the owner remarked. "You've made a long journey."
Yukari laughed before reaching up to carefully pull off her hat off her head. With the café's warmth, it was starting to get hot for her. She then ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of the dreaded hat hair.
"Even longer than what you think. We just came back from Hawaii."
"I miss the warmth," Minato grumbled out.
The blonde girl then smiled. "Welcome back to Japan, then."
Yukari frowned. Her eyes were dull with sadness for some reason.
Minato coughed. "But uh, I guess the house blend would be good? One sugar and cream for me, three sugars and creams for Yukari."
He nodded. "Coming right up."
The blonde girl suddenly stood.
"Makoto, we should really go," she insisted. "We've relaxed enough, haven't we?"
"Anne, no," the girl named Makoto said sternly, grabbing onto her wrist. "You've been running yourself ragged! Why do you think I insisted on this break? Ren wouldn't—"
"This is exactly why we can't sit on our hands!" Anne cried out.
She then yanked out of Makoto's grasp, all but bolting out of the shop.
"Anne!"
"What's going on?"
The owner came back, looking baffled.
Makoto winced. "I-I'm so sorry, Boss, it's just Anne—she got upset and ran out of the store. I need to go find her—"
"Let us help," Minato cut in. "She's obviously upset. We can't leave her like this."
"Oh no, it's my fault, I shouldn't have brought up Ren then… He's Anne's boyfriend and he means a lot to her and I just… I misspoke."
Wait. Ren. Wasn't that Mishima's friend? But Yukari pushed that out of her mind. She needed to focus on more important things.
"You did nothing wrong," Yukari chided before she gave the younger girl a soft smile.
"Let us help," Minato said. "We can't just stand aside."
"Thank you," Makoto said, bowing her head. "Truly."
Yukari giggled. "There's no need for that!"
"We'll be back soon, sir," Minato said.
He waved them off. "It's fine. Now go find Anne-chan!"
They agreed to split up in order to cover more ground. Yukari shivered as she hurried through the small district. She hoped that she would find Anne soon.
A small sniffle caught Yukari's attention. Anne was sitting at a bench by the train station, quietly sniffling to herself as tears trickled down her face. She would rub at her eyes with one hand while the other hand clutched at… something close to her chest.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Yukari asked.
"O-Oh…" She stammered out. "You were at LeBlanc."
"I was," Yukari confirmed, before reaching to give her a handkerchief.
Her cheeks went slightly pink before accepting it to wipe at her eyes.
"I'm sorry… It must have been so embarrassing to watch," she said, blushing out of embarrassment.
Her hand suddenly unclenched, revealing that she was gripping a necklace. A sakura pendant, from the looks of it. It didn't look cheap either. At least twenty thousand yen, but probably more. If Yukari had to make an educated guess... it had been a gift from Anne's boyfriend.
"You don't have to apologize for being upset," Yukari said.
Anne sighed. "I just… I shouldn't have had that outburst."
"Would you like to talk about it?" Yukari asked.
"I don't mean to be more trouble…"
Yukari chuckled. "It's okay, really. I learned a long time ago that you shouldn't bottle up your feelings."
Like… back at Yakushima. Though Yukari supposed it wasn't all bad. That had been the turning point of her relationship with Minato. It was what got her to open up.
Though there were more negative examples… like at what happened right after Minato's death. But that just made Yukari more determined to help her.
"Come on," she said, holding out a hand to the younger girl. "We can talk back at Café LeBlanc."
After Yukari texted him that she had found Anne, Minato went to go find Makoto. She had been relieved to find out that Anne had been found.
"I really shouldn't have brought up Ren…" she lamented as they walked back to the coffeeshop.
"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping but… who's Ren?" Minato couldn't help but be curious.
"Oh… well, Ren is a friend of mine. And he's Anne's boyfriend. They've been dating for… six months now? They did try to keep it a secret for a while, but Ren's best friend got fed up at them trying to sneak around and blurted out that we all knew about them."
Minato had to stifle a laugh. Sounded like something Junpei would do.
"…They really love each other, though." Makoto gently smiled. "I know that it may be odd to you since they're still in high school but…"
Minato shrugged. "I can't judge even if I wanted to. I met Yukari when we were high school too. We started dating just a few months after we met too."
Makoto's eyes widened at that. "Wow. I just… didn't expect that."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "How old do you think I am?"
"Twenty…five?" she said tentatively.
Minato chuckled. "You're close. Turning twenty-five this year though."
"So you have been with your wife for… seven years then?"
Minato winced. "Well… not exactly. There was a time where… we spent a few years apart."
He still remembered the look on Yukari's face when Elizabeth brought him to see everyone. Yukari had been frozen—as if she had seen a ghost. Then… she had started crying.
He still wished that he hadn't hurt her like that. He had tried his best to make her last memories of him happy ones. Even though he had to lie to her about how he was looking forward to meeting her mom. Promising her a happy future even though he had to leave her soon.
He had never expected to get a second chance. But he was determined to make Yukari as happy as he could since they were given this opportunity. He wasn't going to waste it.
Makoto just smiled. "Well… absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"
"Yeah, something like that."
They reached Café LeBlanc so Minato reached out to pull open the door, allowing Makoto to go inside before walking in himself.
Anne and Yukari were already inside, sitting at one of the tables now. Anne seemed to have calmed down a little, talking to Yukari as they sipped at coffee.
"Anne!" Makoto called out to her friend, making Anne jump a little.
"Makoto I—"
"I'm sorry," they blurted out at the exact same time.
They suddenly laughed, shaking their heads.
"Just like back in June, huh?" Makoto asked with a smile.
Anne blushed, before ducking her head. "Kinda, yeah."
"It was my fault though… I shouldn't have brought up Ren," Makoto said hesitantly after they seated themselves.
Anne just sighed. "It's okay, Makoto. Really! I just… miss him. So much…"
The longing in her eyes… Minato couldn't help but wonder. Had Yukari ever looked like that, when she was thinking about him?
Yukari suddenly grasped his hand, giving a soft smile before gently squeezing his hand. Minato squeezed back.
It was okay. He was here now.
Though the name Ren… That rang a bell to Minato for some reason.
"It hasn't even been a month and I…" Anne sighed. "I can't help but wonder if we can get him out of jail."
Wait a minute.
Ren… jail…
Mishima's pleading face flashed in Minato's mind.
"Is your boyfriend Ren Amamiya?"
Anne's eyes widened.
"How did you figure that out?" she yelped.
"We ran into a friend I think… Mishima-kun? Back in Shibuya…"
Makoto's eyes widened. "Hang on… Mishima-kun's petition?"
Minato nodded. "Yeah, that's right. He seems like a good kid. Just needs more confidence in himself."
Yukari elbowed him in the side. "Blunt as always I see."
"You of all people can't complain about that, Yukari."
Yukari huffed, but she didn't offer a retort. Instead she rested her chin into her hands.
"He did tell us a little about Amamiya-kun, though," Yukari said. "But… I'd like to hear more about him."
Anne's face softened. "Well… when he transferred to Shujin, he had been put in my class. Our homeroom teacher put him right behind me, actually. We actually met shortly before the first day of class. It had been raining and we took cover under the same building. I actually caught him staring at me, like he had never seen a girl before."
Minato leaned in close to whisper to Yukari. "A much nicer first meeting, huh?"
Yukari shot him a warning glare but Minato simply picked up his coffee cup and took a careful sip.
"There was some… trouble I was dealing with around that time. He found me crying about it… I thought I had to deal with it alone so I told him to just forget about it and I ran away. But he chased after me. He insisted that I should tell him. He can be so stubborn about things… But he just… listened to me. There was just something about him that made me think… I can trust him, even though we had met just a few days ago."
Minato glanced towards his wife. His mind flashed back to that night on Yakushima. The way she had poured her heart out to him, while crying. Minato had still struggled with expressing himself but he had done his best to be comforting… He still didn't know what told him that night to hug her.
But holding her in his arms, when she had hit rock bottom—when she had lost all hope. It had felt right.
Even though Junpei had ruined the moment…
"I just… I want to save him. He's helped me countless times. And he must feel so alone… I just want to see him again. I can't help but feel mad at myself. I knew that he had been hiding something from me, but I just… I left him. Even though he asked me to stay, I told him no. I left him and t-then the next morning he turned himself in. He was gone and I… I couldn't even apologize to him for leaving him."
Anne reached up to brush a tear from her eye.
That seemed to strike a nerve in Yukari, however, as she stared at the younger girl in shock.
"Anne…" Makoto sighed, reaching to place a comforting hand over her shoulder. "We're doing the best we can. We will save Ren. We found the woman that Ren tried to save from Shido a year ago."
"Giving up won't help you," Yukari said softly. "You need to keep your chin up, Anne."
Anne looked to her in surprise. "Um, Arisato-san?"
"Calling me Yukari is fine," Yukari said with a warm smile. "But… may I tell you a story?"
Anne raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure."
"So Anne… I assume that you're a second-year right?"
Anne looked bewildered, but she nodded. "That's right."
Yukari closed her eyes for a moment, before a fond smile curled at her lips.
"I met Minato at the beginning of our second year of high school actually. We actually ended up in the same dorm because of special… circumstances. I didn't know what to think of him at first. He was kinda quiet… standoffish. But we started to spend more and more time together… we started opening up to each other. We had more in common than I realized. And before I knew it, I had fallen for him. But then…"
Yukari's gentle smile faded away.
"We were separated, due to circumstances out of our control. And I knew that logically but… I was so angry. And hurt at what happened…"
"Yukari…" Minato mumbled out, feeling his heart clench painfully.
He hadn't wanted to leave her. But he still couldn't help but feel guilty, for all the pain he put her through.
As she sensed his guilt, Yukari then reached out, lacing their fingers before giving his hand a firm squeeze. He squeezed back.
"I don't like to think about that time," Yukari said somberly. "Because of several reasons… I eventually realized that I shouldn't be letting my emotions consume me. I'm sure that Amamiya-kun feels the same way. I don't want you to make the same mistake I did…"
Anne's eyes went wide with shock. But then her eyes began to burn with a fire.
"You… You're right, Yukari-san."
Anne slowly nodded.
"I just… lost faith in myself. I-I just let all my doubts eat away at me. We've been barely working for a month but it feels like an impossible task. Even though we are used to beating those kind of odds, I just…"
"Anne, it's okay to feel doubts," Makoto reassured her, placing a comforting hand on Anne's shoulder. "Even Ren did… and you helped him work through that."
"Y-Yeah… But it just means that I have to work doubly as hard to make up for my moping!"
Anne's hands clenched into a fist.
Minato couldn't help but chuckle. She was a real firecracker, wasn't she?
Though something was nagging at Minato. Beating impossible odds? Though if Ren was a Phantom Thief, could it be possible that…?
"Is that even important though?" a small voice asked.
That Christmas Eve had been insane, to put it lightly. But… something had happened and the world stopped being plunged in a creepy Shadow nest.
Mitsuru-senpai had not been happy… to put it lightly. They were left blind and with no answers.
"So let's go Makoto!"
"H-Hey, wait, Anne…!" Makoto protested, scrambling after her friend.
Yukari just chuckled, resting a hand against her cheek. "They seem close friends."
"Yeah." Minato nodded.
Though he couldn't put his finger on it but… Anne reminded him a little of Yukari.
They had a pleasant meal after that; the curry had really knocked their socks off. But Minato still couldn't help but think about Yukari's words to Anne, even after they left the cozy coffeeshop and they walked through Tokyo hand in hand.
"Isn't something bugging you, Minato?" Yukari abruptly asked.
Minato sighed, before tugging his wife to the side.
"It's just… with Anne's story about her and her boyfriend. It just… reminded me how much I hurt you."
Yukari's eyes softened before she reached up to touch his cheek.
"Oh Minato… I know that you didn't mean to. You sacrificed yourself to protect all of us. We wouldn't be still here if you hadn't made that choice."
"But…!"
"But nothing," Yukari insisted, pressing her index finger against his lips to shush him.
Then she lowered her hand, pushing herself up to kiss him briefly. When she pulled away, she smiled at him. That particular smile, she only gave him. He still remembered the first time she had given him that smile, back at Yakushima. It just had stolen his breath away.
"And we have our second chance now," she said gently. "I can't even begin to thank Elizabeth-san for giving it to us."
Minato swallowed hard. "I'm glad too."
He then pulled her close, kissing her tenderly. For several moments, Minato just focused on the woman in his arms. When they came up for air, they just smiled at each other.
"I want to help them out though," Yukari said suddenly.
"With Amamiya?" Minato asked.
Yukari nodded. "Maybe it's just their similar situation but…"
"No, I do agree about that," Minato stated. "Have you… considered that Anne and Makoto were Phantom Thieves as well?"
Yukari's eyes widened. "I didn't."
Minato shrugged. "It's a small suspicion, but… I can't help but wonder. But either way, I think if we tell Mitsuru-senpai about the movement to free Amamiya, she'll want to help."
Yukari just giggled. "They'll never see that coming."
Yukari then laced their hands together.
"I just hope that they'll be as happy to be together again like we were."
Minato just smiled at her. "They can try… but it won't be anywhere close."