Ten metres.

That was the limit that she had placed upon herself, to make sure that her quarry wouldn't notice her. It was a good number after all. There was enough space between them so that he wouldn't notice her while also making sure she wouldn't lose sight of him. She sighed as she watched him turn the corner. She really shouldn't have chased him off the roof. No, she shouldn't have chased them. She had to remind herself that there were two others in the group and not just the one that she kept fixating herself on. While it was admittedly a little dangerous, the prospect of sleuthing out a possible Phantom Thief was quite exciting. It reminder her a little of the stories her father would tell her. It felt just like the time he had to shadow a suspect in Ginza. Though her Father probably didn't think his marks were quite good looking. Better shake that thought. But that got her thinking, was what she was doing really right?

"What would you do in my position, Father?" she mumbled to herself.

Her mark had moved from the jewellery store. Why he was looking at things like that anyways? That wasn't something guys commonly looked at; at least that was what she thought. Unless… he was getting it as a gift for someone? Maybe Takamaki-san? They seemed awfully close. Wait! What if they were dating? Takamaki-san was definitely a beautiful girl and there were plenty of guys that would fall for her looks instantly. Compared to herself, Ann Takamaki was a gorgeous blonde bombshell. For some reason, the thought gave her a drooping sensation in her stomach. She attempted to shake it off before tailing him once again.

Her mission had gone the same as it had the previous few times. She'd follow him around Shibuya, keeping track of his activities and taking note of certain things she found him interacting with quite frequently. The worst part was the end of her "spying sessions" when she'd start second guessing herself. There it was again. Why was she really doing this? Was watching him from a distance really the right thing to do? She watched him ascend the stairs of Shibuya's Diner but chose not to follow. Instead she merely walked away.

The next morning she found her luck had somewhat changed. He stood there alone, waiting for the train to school. She checked her phone. There was still a few minutes left til it arrived. Maybe it was time to try something different. She took a deep breath and walked over towards him.

"Good morning." she calmly spoke.

Screw the ten metres for now.

She pouted in annoyance. He was late. He was never late. Today he was late. What if something happened to him? No, he always managed to get out of all the situations he got himself into. What if he didn't want to see her anymore? No, that wasn't right. He was the one that asked her on this date after all. She sighed. There she went again, overthinking things. They had only been dating for a few weeks and had only known each other since April but she couldn't deny that they had gotten extremely close. Perhaps it was all the near death moments where they'd save each other in the Metaverse that contributed to it. She had always had a crush on the boy and it only seemed to intensify once she got to know him.

She smiled. Now they were dating and it was lovely. Though the way they had gotten together wasn't ideal, she wouldn't change it for the world. She wasn't sure if she truly loved him. They had only gotten together recently after all. But she knew what she felt for him was strong. Maybe it was love. After her Father's death and Sae's insistence on her following the elder sister's instructions to the letter, she had always kept others at bay, never getting close to anyone. She focused more on school and grades. That was, until she met him.

She pulled out her phone. Should she text him? Call him? He was only 16 minutes and 32 seconds late after all. Still, the last time they went out he was on time. And the times before that, he was on time. Before she knew it she had dialled his number. A few rings later he picked up.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Err, are you close, Ren-kun?" she asked.

"Yeah sorry! I couldn't find this thing and ended up missing two trains."

"I-I see." she replied.

She wondered what this 'thing' was before he suddenly spoke up.

"Welp, I see you so-"

He hung up. She was about to text him angry messages for hanging up on her when she saw him from the distance. He walked closer and she noticed he didn't have his Morgana bag with him. Instead in his hand was a bouquet of roses. She blushed at the sight of them. It was a little cheesy and probably overdone and cliché but she had never received flowers from anyone. She smiled as he walked closer and closer.

Her boyfriend was only ten metres away.

The crowds in Shibuya were getting rowdier. After all, the reason they had all gathered was nearing. Just a few minutes til the New Year rang in. The guards posted around the station square were having trouble, at least that's what she could see from where she was standing. It was their old meeting place. The second one specifically. The one that they had chosen after she of all people had removed them from their original one. Still, the place had a lot of memories. She couldn't help but reminisce even though the one man that brought them together wasn't here. It had been over a week since she last saw him. She knew he was hiding something from her but she didn't expect this. They had just saved the world and then that was thrown onto them, not to mention they lost a friend in the process. The tears began to prick at her eyes. If they didn't do anything they might lose another.

She noticed the short girl kneeling beside her start to waver a little. Without their leader with them, she'd often attached herself to the other sibling figure in her life. She had to be tough for Futaba and the rest of their friends. For him because she wasn't ready to lead this group without him. He was their leader after all. Her partner in all things. She noticed movement in the corner of her eye. The two blondes of the group were walking towards them, hands waving albeit not as cheerful as they normally would. She couldn't blame them for that mood.

The rational side of her knew that something like this was necessary to put Shido away for good but still, why did it have to happen like this? Why did it always seem like she was going to lose him? Her heart felt like it was going to implode when they had to fake his death. Anything could have happened then. When she saw their friends disintegrate into dust she saw his face looking at her with dread. She asked them where they went wrong before she too disappeared. When she came to she was all alone in a cell. It must be how he felt right now. She was alone with her thoughts, lamenting the fact that they had failed but he pulled her out of the abyss and saved her. She knew that he would do anything for their friends. For her. He would go to hell and back just for her because that's the way he loved her.

She noticed the two more dignified Phantom Thieves approaching but her mind was only on thoughts of him. Why? Why did her sister have to take him away from her? Why now? Every time she got him back something would rip him away from her grasp. No, she and the others had to save him. After all he saved them. But still it hurt. It hurt not to be with him.

Heck.

She would even be content with being ten metres away from him. At least that way she could still see his face.

She almost grew wings and flew out of bed when she woke up and remembered what today was. She got dressed as quickly as she could and basically teleported to Yongen-jaya. That's how badly she wanted to see him. Granted, he had only gone back home for a month to get some things organized but today was the day he was returning to Tokyo. For good. His parents always thought his future was in the big city and were very supportive of his decision to stay there. He was first place in his grade at a prestigious school after all. Not to mention they were rather happy with his… romantic venture with the youngest Niijima sister. The top student in the whole school who not only was the Student Council President and an extremely beautiful young lady to boot? She was surprised his mother hadn't already started the wedding plans. Still, there were things he needed to do back in his home town and thus had to be there for a few weeks.

Though they video called regularly and texted almost all hours of the day, she missed him too much. It was only a month but she had grown so used to his presence that it felt really weird to not be around him. She missed warmth when he held her. She missed the way his eyes would gaze at her then turn away whenever she'd catch him staring. She missed the little quirks she'd notice him doing, like his habit of twisting his hair whenever he was confused or flustered. She missed that devilish smirk of his, yes even though it was often a precursor for some contrived plan of mischief. She just missed him.

Boss was rather accommodating of her taking up a booth by herself while she waited. She had offered to wait upstairs in the attic but the man refused and even gave her a few free cups of coffee. None of the others knew he was coming today except for Futaba who had been surprisingly considerate of Makoto. Though she missed her big brother, she knew that Makoto of all people deserved to see him first and have some alone time. Makoto groaned at the memory when Futaba told her. She really didn't have to put up with 10 minutes of Futaba making sexual remarks about her two "older siblings".

Makoto checked the old clock that was ticking on LeBlanc's back wall. It was 9:22am. His train was due to arrive at 9:24am. She knew that much. She had checked it at least 52 times after all to make sure she was here on time. Thus she began to pack the books she had brought to pass the time into her handbag before walking out the door, murmuring a mention of thanks towards Boss who merely chuckled at her.

"Go get him." he smirked.

She blushed lightly as she exited the café. The soft warmth of the spring sun enveloped her as soon as she stepped out from under LeBlanc's awning. She began to make her way towards the station. She couldn't wait to see his face. Hopefully it was a look of surprise with bonus points if his mouth hung agape. Yes that was a good reaction. As she turned the corner she noticed a familiar silhouette walking through the backstreets. There he was. The same glasses, same hair and everything. Well yes, it was only a month but it was good to see he was still the same young man she had fallen in love with. His eyes met hers causing him to smile. Slowly he began to walk towards her. Before she knew it his walk became a trot. She matched his pace before breaking into a near sprint.

She flung herself into his arms as he caught her in his warm embrace. She thinks for a moment as he holds her.

She doesn't think she's ever flown ten metres that quickly.

Today was the day.

'Breathe. Stay calm. Stay composed.'

She repeated it.

'Breathe. Stay calm. Stay composed.'

She couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Who wouldn't be on a day like today? It was probably the most important day of her life so far. It was more important than getting into University. It was more important than getting into the Police Academy or being placed into a precinct. It was certainly up there with saving the world. She honestly couldn't believe this day had come though. Growing up, she never really gave things like this much thought and yet after meeting him the thoughts instantly invaded her mind. What would it be like? She was never one to daydream yet she couldn't help it. It seemed to intensify once they began dating. Still, she was glad this day came.

"Mako-chan?" a light voice called out.

She jumped in her seat a little, startled out of her thoughts. Honestly, she would have moved a little more if it weren't for the restrictive dress she was wearing. Not that she'd ever take it off if she could. It was simply beautiful and fit her form quite well. Ann certainly had quite the eye for fashion.

"Oh, Haru?" she answered.

Haru smiled at her friend. A few tears began to form in her brown eyes. She clasped her hands together as she beamed.

"Mako-chan, you look so beautiful!" Haru gushed.

Her face turned red as she turned her face away in light embarrassment. Still, she did have to somewhat agree. She looked at herself in the mirror. White really did suit her. Another voice spoke up that seemed to agree.

"Ahhh Makoto! You look amazing!"

She turned around to find Ann Takamaki with the biggest smile on her face. Haru nodded in agreement, echoing her compliments from earlier. The woman in the white dress smiled at two of her closest friends.

"You two are too nice." she said in embarrassment.

A third participant made it worse.

"WAHHHHH! I can't believe this is actually happening!" the excitable voice squealed.

Eiko Takao certainly knew how to make her presence known. All three women crowded around her with giant smiles on their faces. They all wore matching dresses of light blue, a colour that reminded her of Johanna's face. Of course they'd be matching though. They were her bridesmaids after all.

"You guys…" she began to say as her eyes began to water a little.

"Hey hey, don't go crying and ruining your make up!" Ann scolded.

"I must agree with Ann-chan, Mako-chan! We don't want to have to redo your make up!" Haru added.

Eiko merely frowned.

"We're girls, not guys."

Why did she focus on something like that? Still, it was nice to have her three closest friends here on this day with her.

'Wait a second' she paused 'Where's the last bridesmaid?'

"Where's Futaba-chan?" she asked.

And just as the writer gods drew up the door flung open as two more figures walked in. She turned to face them and saw the final bridesmaid and the other person she was waiting for. The shorter of the two had her face wrapped up again much to the annoyance of the taller, older woman.

"Makoto, tell Futaba-chan to get rid of that Mummy cosplay, please." Sae ordered.

The bride sighed yet relented as she walked towards her two sisters. The older biological one and the younger adopted one. Even today they were acting like this. Still, it was nice to see them on this day. She never thought she'd really have meaningful relationships like this. A group of friends that'd always be there for her. A younger girl that would cling to her as if she were her older sister. And the repaired relationship between herself and her older sister. If this were her old self she'd most likely distance herself from others. Keeping them at the ten metre distance. Ten was a good number after all.

But not anymore.

"Are you ready, Makoto?" Sae asked breaking her out of her thoughts "It's almost time."

She nodded back at her older sister. No not just her older sister today. The Maid of Honour at her wedding. Her eyes unwillingly began to water again. Sae noticed and frowned at her before chuckling.

"Makoto, you're going to ruin your make up." she joked.

"That's what I said!" Ann said in agreement.

Sae pulled out a handkerchief from her purse and began to lightly pat it around her sister's eyes, taking extra care not to ruin her make up. She smiled at her.

"Not long to go, huh?" Sae spoke.

"Y-yeah." she managed to say.

"Let's go!" Ann said excitedly to which Eiko hummed in agreement.

The two excitable bridesmaids marched out, arm in arm. Haru and Futaba followed them out the door leaving Sae and her alone in the room. The elder of the two began to walk towards the door slowly before stopping.

"I'm so proud of you, little sister." Sae said with a soft smile.

Oh no the tears were starting again. She willed herself to keep them hidden within her eyes causing Sae to chuckle.

"We shouldn't keep him waiting."

"Mhm." she nodded before following Sae out the door.

The next half hour seemed like a blur to her. Before she knew it she was standing at the front doors of the cathedral. She could feel a lump building in her throat. She managed to swallow it as the doors opened. The familiar music they had chosen for her procession was playing. She began to go through the motions just as they had practiced beforehand, stepping forward slowly. There were familiar faces that she noticed in the sea of people. She recognized some of her former classmates and some of his. Mishima-kun was there with his camcorder, capturing the whole thing. Who could blame him? It was a union between two Phantom Thieves. Near him with another camera was Ichiko Ohya and Lala-chan who had tears streaming down her face. After all, the Crossroads bartender was the one present when this romance first became official. Chihaya Mifune was there too, most likely after trying to tell the fortune of the upcoming matrimony despite both of them telling her it was fine.

She took a few more steps.

On another side she saw Tae Takemi who had also become her personal doctor for the past few years. At least the woman refrained from using her as another guinea pig. Hifumi Togo who became her friend as well was there beside Shiho Suzui who had her usual cheerful smile on display, as were Iwai-san and his son Kaoru. Yoshida-san was there too. She allowed herself a satisfied smile. It wasn't every day that the Governor of Tokyo attended your wedding. Shinya Oda sat next to the older man, probably wondering why he had to be sat next to an old fart like "Ol' Man Tora". At least Sadayo Kawakami looked relaxed beside them.

She took a few more steps.

There to greet her was Sojiro Sakura. He stood there in his suit with his arm out. She took it with a smile. The man didn't expect to be asked to walk her down the aisle in place of her father but he couldn't say no. While he wasn't their biological father, he certainly had that kind of relationship with some of them. Other than Sae she didn't have any other family left save for distant cousins that she didn't really keep in contact with. Her husband to be was different though. He still had the majority of his relatives here. She noticed them in attendance. His cousin and Grandmother were near the front, tears welling up in their eyes. His parents stood by them, proud looks on their faces. They had already accepted their new daughter into their family.

She took a few more steps.

Sojiro kept up pace with her, his arm still linked with hers. She saw her bridesmaids all waiting at the front with watery looks on their faces. Even the normally composed Maid of Honour couldn't help but feel the emotion. Her little sister was getting married after all. On the other side the groomsmen were in similar ways. How they managed to convince Yusuke Kitagawa not to pull out a sketchpad during this moment was beyond her but she was glad. He had the most satisfied expression she had ever seen on his face since their victory over Yaldabaoth. Beside him was Morgana, complete with a kitty tuxedo. She was quite amused when they had found a tailor to make it considering that the honest to god human's coat seemed to suffice as one already. Still, that was beside the fact that a cat was a groomsman. Not that she minded. Morgana had been the one to see them grow as a couple the most. She was pleasantly surprised that the man standing beside Morgana wasn't in one of their usual arguments with each other. Knowing their group, they probably were too scared to act up lest they stoke the ire of the female Phantom Thieves. No one was going to ruin this day. Ryuji Sakamato stood there as the Best Man with the proudest grin as he turned to give his best friend a cheeky thumbs up.

She took a few more steps.

She saw the man standing in the middle at the altar. The groom. Her soon to be husband. His normally untamed hair had been slicked back into a more manageable state. His suit perfectly complimented his tall frame. Their eyes met and he smiled at her, seemingly unable to contain his happiness. She blushed lightly as she crossed into the final third of the aisle. The micromanager in her couldn't help but notice the distance between them. People probably would expect her to know the exact distances from the entrance to the altar. She smiled at that.

There was exactly ten metres to go.

Ten metres til Makoto Niijima was to marry Ren Amamiya.

The love of her life.

This one is probably my favourite one out of all my submissions. Once I had the bulk of it written I was considering having there be ten instances of the 10 metres but felt that I would be forcing it too much so I've kept it to how it is now.

The final part is probably my favourite for sure.

As always, do leave comments about what you enjoyed! I always like reading them and it gives me a boost of confidence whenever I see people enjoying my work.

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