Tatsumi Port Island, Kirijo Group HQ, Meeting Room.

"We thank you for scheduling this meeting on such short notice, Kirijo-san." The speaker was a man who appeared to be in his late forties, with silver bowl-cut hair and icy blue eyes. He appeared relaxed as he sat in the meeting room chair, his black peacoat accentuated by a symbol on the left breast of three intertwined lightning bolts – the logo of Narukami Communications. Beside him sat a woman of nearly the same age, black hair falling around her shoulders and eyes the same color as her husband's hair, a high-class red dress shrouding her figure. The couple owned Narukami Communications, Isamu and Chiaki Narukami.

Across from the couple sat two others, a brunette man with chiseled features and an eyepatch, his suit showing the pinnacles of high society, and a young woman with cherry-wine hair and eyes, her clothes similar in simple class to the man beside her while still suited to her feminine figure –Takeharu and Mitsuru Kirijo, the leader and heiress of the Kirijo Group. Takeharu took a drag on his cigar and responded, "It's no trouble; strengthening the bonds between our companies in in all of our best interests. Now, to business – what was this proposal you had for me?"

A smile spread across Isamu's face as he pulled his kiseru from his lips, his voice cool and smooth when next he spoke. "As we discussed previously, a public union of the Kirijo Group and Narukami Communications could have some… backlash. Having two separate companies as large as ours is worrying to the general populace and small businesses; if word got out that we were merging, it could cause a panic. The common people would naturally assume that we intend to establish our own private domain and interfere with their lives. However, there is a façade we can employ." He drew a photograph from his wallet and placed it on the table; it displayed a young man in his teens, with silver hair and eyes matching the man and woman respectively. "However, we will require Mitsuru-san's cooperation for it to succeed."

Mitsuru drew back slightly, but no one seemed to notice. Takeharu Kirijo, on the other hand, nodded. "I think I see where this is going. Your son, I assume?" His single eye studied the photo while the Narukamis shared a small smile between them.

"Indeed he is, Kirijo-san." Isamu's expression was one of pride as he began discussing his son. "Yu has been at the top of his class since middle school and is a member of both the basketball team and drama club at his high school. And on top of that, he is an eligible bachelor – there are no prior relationships to corrupt his emotions. It is our firm belief that Yu would make a perfect husband for Mitsuru-san." The man puffed on his kiseru again, exhaling the smoke into the air as a wide smile crossed his features.

Takeharu nodded once more, not noticing the look of discomfort on Mitsuru's face. "I've heard of your son before. It's a shame he couldn't attend Gekkoukan High; his records are on par with Mitsuru's. Some competition between the two of them would have provided inspiration for the other students." The Kirijo head allowed himself a rare smile. "The two of them would be a perfect match."

Chiaki laughed slightly, declaring, "Then we'll schedule the wedding for Graduation Day. Yu is staying with my younger brother in Inaba, so there will be time for he and Mitsuru-san to get to know each other by then." Her eyes glimmered with delight at the idea and she patted Isamu's arm happily.

It was at this point that the male Narukami noticed Mitsuru's expression. "Mitsuru-san, are you not feeling well? You look pale." Out of concern for the girl's health, he placed his kiseru on the table and refrained from smoking it further.

The Kirijo Group's heiress shook her head and responded, "Thank you for your concern, Narukami-san. I was lost in thought; several of the courses I plan on taking next semester require entrance exams. If you'll excuse me…"

"Ah, yes. We'll work out the details, Mitsuru; don't let us distract you from your studies." Takeharu nodded to Mitsuru, who stood and left the room. Once she was gone he turned back to the Narukamis and said, "It's decided then. Mitsuru will marry Yu-san on Graduation Day. I'm glad we could develop a solution to our difficulties."

The communications barons assumed expressions of satisfaction as Isamu responded, "As are we, Kirijo-san. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~

"Minato-kun…" Mitsuru sat in her room, gazing at a photograph on her bedside table. The image showed Mitsuru standing with a navy-haired young man in a Print Club booth, the two of them looking happy just to be together. "If only you hadn't had to sacrifice yourself… You would still be here with me, and I wouldn't be thrust into another arranged marriage. I know there's no use in feeling sorry for myself, but… I miss you…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~

The phone in the Dojima residence rang as evening turned to night, with Nanako answering the phone as usual. After a moment of talking to the caller, the small girl handed the phone to Yu with a, "It's Aunt Chiaki and Uncle Isamu. They wanna talk to you, big bro."

Accepting the phone, Yu wondered why his parents were calling. "Mom? Dad? What's up?"

"Yu, it's been a while." Isamu Narukami's voice could be heard over the phone. "How's life in Inaba treating you?"

A bad feeling began forming in the back of Yu's mind. When his father stopped speaking formally, it meant things were afoot. "It's going well. I've made some friends at school – oh wait, Uncle Dojima probably told you already – but everything's going pretty well."

Isamu laughed, the sound chilling Yu's bones. "Good, good. I'm glad the small-town life isn't too boring. Anyway, your mother and I have good news for you – we've managed to secure a contract with one of our longtime partners. You've been an instrumental part of this; we can't thank you enough." It was easy to picture the elder Narukami's satisfied grin, the sight of which had always made Yu shiver.

"What are you talking about, Dad? What did you sign me up for…?" The silverette was seriously worried now; his father had talked about involving Yu in company affairs many times, but he'd never said anything like that before.

Yu's father's next laugh had the tone of superiority within it as he declared, "As of today, you are engaged to a lovely young lady by the name of Mitsuru Kirijo! Take pride, son, in knowing that you and Mitsuru-chan will be the glue that binds the Narukami and Kirijo families together forever!"

The bad feeling Yu had been harboring settled firmly in the pit of his stomach. "You did what?! I never agreed to that?!"

Isamu's tone suddenly turned hard as he responded, "Your mother and I weren't about to disrupt your studies just so you could come to the meeting. The arrangements have already been made; your wedding is scheduled for Graduation Day, and you'll be taking the train to Tatsumi Port Island each Sunday to meet with your bride-to-be." The elder Narukami seemed angry with Yu's protests, for all the good that did. His son was still adamant.

"I don't even know this Kirijo girl; how do you expect me to marry her?! I won't marry someone I don't love!" The young man was almost yelling into the phone, his emotions barely under control. The only thing stopping him from hurling the phone against the wall was the fact that it was Dojima's phone and not his own.

"Then I suppose you'd better learn to love her, Yu. As I said, the arrangements have already been made. Backing out on this agreement now would destroy our relations with the Kirijo family, and that in turn would spell disaster for the company. It is your duty as the heir to the Narukami name to further the family business." Isamu seemed supremely unconcerned about Yu's feelings; to him, the advancement of the family's status was paramount to him.

Yu ground his teeth angrily and snapped, "You don't get it! I can't marry her – I have a girlfriend!" The image of a familiar face flashed in his mind, a fair-skinned girl with navy blue hair. 'Naoto…' He thought.

A scoffing noise issued from over the phone. "Use the correct terminology, Yu. Mitsuru-chan is not your girlfriend – she is your fiancée. And as far as she is concerned, you have no prior relationships to influence your feelings for her, so I suggest you cut your ties before it's too late."

"Forget it." Yu snarled, losing his temper. "I don't care about the family business. If marrying a girl I don't even know is what it takes to keep Narukami Communications afloat, it can sink and burn."

Isamu's angry voice was cut off by Yu hanging up the phone, placing it back on the charger. 'Dammit…' He thought as he gritted his teeth. 'Think they have the right to decide my life… When they were so busy they shipped me off to Inaba so they wouldn't have to deal with me!' Wheeling around angrily, the silverette stormed upstairs to sleep, hoping this would all blow over.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~

Dojima sat on the couch reading a newspaper when the phone rang late at night. Picking it up quickly so it wouldn't wake Nanako or Yu, he answered, "Dojima residence."

"Ryotaro? Good, you picked up." The voice on the other line made Dojima sigh inwardly. He and his older sister used to be close, until she married into the prestigious Narukami corporate family; since then they'd drifted apart.

Keeping his personal sentiments out of his tone, he replied, "Chiaki? What's up? Something wrong?"

Chiaki Narukami's voice held an icy tone as she responded. "I need you to tell me about this girlfriend of Yu's. It's imperative that Isamu and I know as much as we can."

"Yu's girlfriend? She's a student at his high school, why?" Dojima had a sneaking suspicion that this wouldn't end well. Chiaki's temper had been quick since childhood, and had only seemed to get worse once she got married; Shirogane must have somehow annoyed her for Dojima's sister to use that tone.

"Her influence is corrupting Yu." The woman stated matter-of-factly. "He's willing to give up the family business to avoid marrying into the family of one of our business partners, all in the name of this silly crush. Isamu and I must rectify this. Now who is she?" Despite the fact that they were talking about her son's future, Chiaki seemed as callous as could be about it, which made Dojima sick to his stomach.

The detective's voice was serious as he answered. "Isamu wants an arranged marriage? I'll tell you who she is, but let me remind you that I am a detective; I'm not worried about you, but if Isamu decides to take things into his own hands, I'll be here to stop him."

"I understand your concern, Ryotaro." Chiaki's harshness had subsided somewhat. "We just want to know about her so we can convince Yu that his bride-to-be is a better match. That's all."

Not entirely convinced, Dojima sighed. 'I'm going to hell for this…' He thought before replying. "She's a sophomore at Yasogami High, name of Naoto Shirogane. I'm sure Isamu's familiar with the name. She and Yu have been together since October and don't show any signs of breaking it off, so you've got your work cut out for you. That's all I can tell you; I haven't dealt much with the girl herself." He decided to stop there, hoping that he hadn't given too much away.

After a few moments, Chiaki said, "Thank you, Ryotaro. I appreciate your help. We'll keep in contact; good night." With that the line went dead, leaving Dojima to ponder what he'd just done.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~

"Shirogane?" Isamu asked, Dojima's side of the conversation having fed into a headset he was wearing. "Yu's in love with a Shirogane?"

Chiaki nodded. "It seems that way, darling. Ryotaro said you'd know the name; what did he mean?"

Taking a long drag on his kiseru, Isamu scowled and shook his head. "The Shirogane family is a clan of detectives. If this Naoto girl is Yu's age, she'd be the fifth generation… That family is well-known, famous even, for ferretting out information. I've even heard that Yu's miniature detective has over thirty cases under her belt already, which means this could be a problem. Damn, I thought I'd rid us of Shirogane troubles…" He held his pipe hard enough it threatened to snap, hands trembling with rage.

"Detectives… So those detectives that were snooping around about possible connections to the Yakuza…?" The woman sounded worried, putting the pieces together.

Isamu nodded and took another puff to calm his raging nerves. "The fourth generation of the Shirogane family. If I'd known they had a child, I would have been more thorough… As if that damned old man wasn't trouble enough. He should be in an old folks' home, yet his mind's still sharp as a tack. I doubt he was completely fooled by our ruse either; he must have some inkling that his daughter and son-in-law were killed. I suppose he's not called 'Japan's greatest detective' for nothing."

Chiaki's face darkened as she asked, "How should we deal with this? It costs an arm and a leg to get help from our contacts, and even then we'd have to catch them both at once. Do we dare rely on them?" She didn't seem worried; her mind was as cold and calculating as her husband's.

"We have no choice. If our private security makes a move, it'll be obvious who was behind their deaths. But any detectives worth their salt have enemies among the Yakuza; we might even be able to strike a deal. Allow me to handle this, my love; I'll deal with Yukimura and his gang."

Nodding at her husband's suggestion, Chiaki left the room and Isamu behind. The Narukami family head began to place a secure call through the web of security he employed, trying to make contact with his underworld partner. A smile touched the ruthless businessman's face as the call was patched through, a blurred-out image appearing on his screen. "What's with the sudden call, Narukami? Got some dirty work you need done?"

Isamu's smile grew wider as he responded, knowing his own image was blurred as well. "Indeed I do, Yukimura-san. We have a pair of leftover rats from twelve years ago, and they go by the name of Shirogane…"