The broken fragments of memories flashed before my eyes as the realization of who Kaori's uncle was sank in. Hospital gurneys and the straps that never failed to bruise, numerous complex machines and the secret language they spoke, blinding lights and creatures with large eyes and no mouths staring down. I stumbled as I tried to sit down on the bed to catch my jagged breath. Amidst all of it, a glimmer of hope found me: maybe through the butterfly effect, he was different this time.

  My fear and curiosity ended up taking over my mind as I froze time and sneaked up to his second floor. As below, so above. The floors were again waxed and polished marble, the walls were decorated with breathtaking paintings, and in the foyer that sat before me as I exited the stairs laid yet another sitting area. A beautiful loveseat and complex handcrafted coffee table rested on a rug made from fine materials. On either side of the loveseat sat a small stand, the further bore a lamp while the closer held a stack of books.

  Even for places off limits to most people, he definitely spared no expense.

  A few steps forward led me to a spot where the wall opened up to my right. A closed door caught my eye as I traced down the curve, and I followed the wall up the couple of stairs. I opened the door and found that the master bedroom was everything that the rest of the house had built it up to be. The room itself was as spacious as the living rooms of most modern houses. Multiple dressers and chests of drawers lined the walls, and two large trunks took up opposite ends of the room. At the furthest end of the room sat another couple of stairs that lead to a door to the outside. Another deck with a comfortable looking chair and stand sitting all alone lay on the other side of the mostly glass door.

  His bathroom held a large stand-alone garden tub as well as a deep shower with no shower head. Instead, water seemed to be pushed from the ceiling and walls judging by the small holes that spotted the otherwise solid stone interior of the shower. Topping it off was a walk-in closet the size of my own bedroom mostly filled with slacks and button-ups; however, the eye catching element of his closet was the island in the middle of it that held his numerous watches, cufflinks, and rings. Regardless of the event, he would easily be able to match the dress code.

  I'm enjoying my extended tour too much. I need to find what I came here for.

  After searching most every nook and cranny of the master bedroom and bathroom, I came up empty handed. No briefcases holding a list of known metas, no secret labs hidden by a button under the island display, not even a shred of evidence of an ongoing entanglement with a married lab technician. I turned and left the five star hotel of a bedroom to search the foyer only to find the same. Finally, I set my sights on the study which had no door, only a doorframe.

  My jaw almost hit the floor as I crossed the threshold into the library. Three of the four walls in the room were made into bookcases that were completely filled from floor to high ceiling. On one side sat a wheeled ladder that could move around the horseshoe. In the middle of the room sat yet another fine rug, two arm chairs, two small stands, a large desk, and a chair behind it. On the desk was a cluster of papers and a decanter filled with a deep brown liquid and accompanied by three short and stout glasses. It seemed that anywhere this man could be, there was alcohol ready for him.

  I could spend an eternity here...

  Focus. If there's any indication that he's changed since my last life, it's here.

  I searched through mountains of papers. Correspondence between the doctor and his various and numerous colleagues across the world, findings from previous years' of research and study, the foundation for a collection of reflections and a memoir, a single piece of paper sticking out from a ripped envelope. My body shook as I picked it up and saw that the return address was well-seated in the Aureum District that housed almost all of the highly influential in Hoenn City and the country by extension. Previously, it was where Eclipse had set up their grand headquarters. I slowly pulled the letter from its casing and took a full step into delinquency.

  Doctor Masamune Ko,

  We greatly appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to meet with us two weeks ago here in the Aureum District. We hope that our medical research facilities were up to your high standards. After much deliberation between myself and the other Board members, we are pleased to offer you a high level position in the Sundial International Corporation. The position of Chief Bioscientist is hardly a fit for anyone else given your most impressive resume and record. We are prepared to offer you the position at any time following the submission of this letter, and we look forward to working with you to live up to our motto. Advancing Humanity Through the Wonders of Science.

  With Uttermost Respect,

  President Alistar Griss, MD

  Sundial International? Who the hell are they? A new player? A shell corporation for Eclipse? He's still in bioscience, so that much hasn't changed... but this? This isn't what I was looking for. All this does is raise more questions... SHIT!!

  I quickly put the letter back into its casing, reorganized the messy library, and returned to my room before releasing my hold on time. According to my watch, four hours had passed, yet Denki's aggravated pounding on their bathroom door continued as if nothing had happened. I slowly put on my swim trunks and threw on a button up. I carried my sandals to the deck to wait on everyone else, and after a few minutes, we set off down the wooden stairs to the beach.

  *  *  *  *  *

  The white sands and deep blue waters almost washed away what I had just discovered. The sun radiated its warmth as our group made it to our own little segment of the beach. We had come prepared to spend the remainder of the day on the beach. Three umbrellas sprang up as the grill was assembled and towels were rolled out. Chairs were popped into place close by ensuring that everyone had some place to sit or lay down out of the sun. Two coolers were slammed into the sands and opened to share the crisp and refreshing goodness canned inside.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "Gah! Nothing like a cold drink on a hot day!" Natsu shouted before a deep belch.

  "You disgust me," Nina responded. "And stop acting like this soda is beer; it doesn't make you cool."

  "Consider yourself marked for dunking, then!" he pointed his can at her.

  "Don't worry, Nina," Denki joined in grabbing two drinks. "I'll help you dunk him and stay dry."

  "You act like I'm getting in the water to begin with," she reclined in the chair and pulled out a book — one we were assigned for summer reading.

  "Oh, come on, Nini," Kaori whined. "At least get your feet wet before going full bore on us."

  "Please don't call me that, Kaori."

  "Nini," Chika joined. "Please come with us? We'll only go to our waist, I promise!" She put her hands together and gave the same puppy eyes that she had given me multiple times before.

  "Begging won't help; I'm not getting in," Nina remained firmly planted in her chair.

  "Please, Nina," Ino and Kaori joined in and knelt beside Chika all forming a line of folded hands and puppy eyes.

  "D-don't do that," she was wavering, and they continued their assault. "F-fine! I'll go wade for a few minutes, but that's it. I'm keeping my jacket on too."

  "Nini, don't be that way," Kaori slipped in under her arms and wrapped them around her stomach.

  Chika and Ino took the opportunity to help Nina out of the jacket, and out popped a mildly embarrassed Nina. Under the jacket, she had worn an all black two piece with fancy frills much like the second one that Chika had picked out. The paleness of her skin showed how long it had been since she had been without sunlight exposure. The most defined part of her body was definitely her legs, but even they were still only slightly bigger than Chika's or Kaori's.

  "A-are you all happy now?" Nina asked.

  "You look so cute!" Kaori squealed as she pounced on her.

  "It's definitely a nice swimsuit, and you make it look even better," Ino added with a smile.

  The girls huddled around Nina admiring her and playfully enjoying her embarrassment.

  "She's been ecstatic about this trip since Kaori invited her," Natsu said in a hushed voice. "She even dragged me shopping the moment they got off the phone, not that she'd admit it."

  "The life of a big brother is certainly a thankless one," Denki nodded in agreement.

  "I think I like the two of you more when you're fighting," I joked. The three of us laughed and started walking to the water behind the girls.

  Kaori's swimsuit was a more modest two piece version of the gold and white bikini that Chika had chosen at the mall. It left more to the imagination than hers, but there was still quite a display. Ino's was what one would expect for her personality: a nice green and purple two piece with a spiderweb of straps covering most of the front and back of the top with a few short straps stretching across the outside of her hips. Their hair was styled almost identically with a high pony tail and styled bangs.

  Their hair was down before we changed. All in all, maybe fifteen minutes passed between breaking the group up and everyone reconvening on the deck... and I thought I was the one that could do the impossible with time.

  My eyes were drawn like a moth to a flame to Chika as she took off her jacket and joined the other three. The one piece that she had picked out definitely showed the least amount of skin, but somehow it seemed the most alluring and mature. The swirl of colors that converged on her right in the front swapped over to her left in the back making it seem like the colors were pulled through one side and flowing onto the other. As I helplessly stared at her beauty walking away, my mind flashed back to the horrors of the time loop.

  The sky cracked and warped into black; the laughter became screams that were replaced by the buzzing and droning that proceeded every morning. She turned back to look at me but all I saw were her lifeless eyes pouring out blood. Every memory of those beautiful eyes losing their light replayed. Her smile remained but instead of a joyful display, it was a haunting reminder of all the times that I failed to save her. My heart stopped for a second, and the nightmare ended as quickly as it had begun.

  "Kazuma, are you okay?" Denki asked as he caught my arm.

  "Y-yeah, I'm good, buddy."

  "You don't look good," Natsu added.

  "You've been off since the sports competition, honestly," Rito spoke up.

  "Guys," I chuckled, "I'm fine."

  They hardly seemed convinced, but they left the subject alone for the time being. Our groups played in the warm waters closest to the shore for the most of the afternoon. Kaori had brought a watermelon to split, which became a spectacle for everyone. We all took turns spinning one another and giving them a multitude of directions. While I was tempted, I resisted the urge to freeze time and take a peek at the melon in relation to my position. Denki missed completely and splintered the stick. Once we had a new one, Rito fell victim to his ability and landed on top of Ino's chest. Natsu was the one who finally broke the melon despite Denki screaming bad directions.

  As the sun began to fall from the sky, we started preparing the kebabs and the grill. They were simple and delicious since Ino had added a special blend of spices she brought. As the sun kissed the horizon, we all sat on the beach taking in the sight. We had come a long way for certain, and an even longer road laid ahead of us.

  After dusk had fully taken hold, we packed up our little camp and returned to the house. Before we parted, we decided to reconvene at the deck for more water and night time snacks. The first ones in the hot tub were Denki and Natsu who had established a heat challenge; everyone else, myself included, rotated every couple of minutes since it was so hot.

  "Why are you two the way you are?" Nina asked.

  "Probably the same reason you're the way you are," Natsu fired back.

  "Yeah? And what way is that?"

  "Difficult, unruly, I think the word is... tsundere?"

  "I'm only the way I am because one of us has to be the responsible one. After all, we're all we — " She stopped mid sentence.

  "You're all you what, Nina?" Ino asked with a tilted head.

  "Nothing, forget I said anything..."

  After a long silence and a deep sigh, Natsu spoke up. "She was probably going to say something like ‘We’re all we have.’ Now, you may be willing to keep our friends in the dark, but I'm done," he stood up and got out of the hot tub. "You all want to know?" He sat down on one of the deck chairs. "Gather around and hear the tale of the Hiasaka siblings."