From the moment Makoto committed herself to the phantom thieves she had promised to live her life without regrets. Letting go and ripping off the mask of perfection that held her prisoner allowed her to learn about the world, about others and most importantly about herself. For the first time in her life, she let others into her world…her heart…

Makoto went off to college and thrived when it came to school. She had graduated at the top of her class. Went on to the police academy and continued her streak of top marks. That allowed her to stay in Tokyo and Became an exemplary officer. She was the pride of the department, even earning the admiration of her sister who had often been so hard to please.

Yet the greatness she fought so hard to achieve the past seven years was both a dream and a curse. She gave up the humanity she found in the depths of the metaverse. She traded love for success, she gave up her heart for what she deemed to be normalcy in her quest for the top. Makoto locked everything she had learned from her friends… her love… away in the quest for her justice.

Makoto sat at her desk dutifully filling out paperwork for a perp she had arrested earlier in the day. Unlike most desks in the department which we littered with paper and files, Makoto kept her desk neat and orderly, everything had its place. In the corner, she had one photo of her and her sister, it had been taken the day of the phantom thieves had saved Tokyo. It was the one thing that kept her smiling even on the hardest of days. Next to it she kept a Leblanc coffee cup that Sojiro had gifted her all those years ago. Otherwise her work space could be described as sterile, she had her files stacked neatly and orderly, nothing was out of place.

As Makoto sat lost in her work her phone let out a familiar chime. Oh, it must be sis telling me to bring home dinner again… She dutifully picked the phone to answer Sae's message only to notice that the message was from a number she didn't recognize.

Makoto, I am in town and was hoping you would want to catch up… for old times' sake.

Makoto, felt her heart stop… she went back and read the message what felt like 100 times before she decided to respond.

Who is this?

I know it has been a long time but have you really forgotten about me?

Makoto knew in her heart who is was… she also knew she would never forget about her. The mistakes she had made threaten to consume her thoughts on a daily basis. Makoto closed her eyes and recalled her smile, her deep blue eyes that pierced straight into her soul, the way she smelled, the way her lips felt… She felt her heart begin to pound and her cheeks blush at the thought. Opening her eyes, just the thought of Ann had her completely disarmed.

As she looked at her phone and fumbled with the touch pad she felt her perfect mask crumbling. The one person who could bring her back to earth had suddenly walked back into her life. Her urge to ignore it and continue on the path she had mapped out for herself was strong, She, put the phone down and picked it up several times before she gave into the unknown. For all she knew this was a friendly meeting that wouldn't go anywhere. Yet her heart knew deep down where this was heading… it was heading to a place she had meticulously walled off years ago in an attempt to prevent heart break. It was the reason why she had hardened herself, why she had pushed her life towards work and perfection in much the same way as her sister.

Let's meet at "our" place in an hour? Was all she needed to say. Even though she was anxious she knew Ann would not be able to resist the idea.

I will see you there J

Upon reading Ann's last message Makoto became immediately panicked why on earth did I agree to this. I thought I had left it all behind. ….OH GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR…

Makoto rushed out of the building with urgency and walked the 5 blocks back to her apartment. She rushed to her room and stripped out of her uniform carefully looking through her closet. In the seven years since she had seen Ann her wardrobe hadn't really been updated. She still wore a uniform every day for work so buying extra clothes had always seemed superfluous.

After trying on multiple outfits and deeming them all not good enough, Makoto sighed and finally decided to dress casually. She settled on a black turtle neck, black pants, and boots with a teal coat over the top. She gazed at herself in the mirror it was as if nothing had changed in 7 years. Her youthful appearance was spoiled by her eyes, the deep crimson showed a maturity the rest of her had not caught up to yet. She took a moment and wiped a tear from her cheek. It was a rare vulnerable moment she wasn't quite ready for, it caused her to straighten herself out and put the mask of perfection back on before she left to meet Ann.

The walk to the crepe shop felt like an eternity. Makoto felt like each step was slogging her down in some sort of quicksand. Her stomach was in knots and each breath took more effort than the last. She hadn't felt this nervous since the night she had confessed her true feelings to Ann.

It was shortly after the two had gone out for crepes. Ann had some chocolate in the corner of her mouth that Makoto had almost instinctively wiped off with her right index finger. She had watched Ann stop and blush, Ann said nothing but her blue eyes had stared into the very depths of her soul… she had to know… how could she not know. Just as quickly as she had looked at her Ann had looked down and laughed nervously. She had said something about being a messy eater and why Akira says that this is why they can't go to nice places like the buffet anymore. Makoto had not been really sure if she was supposed to laugh at the last statement or comfort the girl in front of her. She stood there and blinked until Ann's voice had brought her back to earth "Makoto...are you ok?" in that moment she knew she was not ok but instead she lied and laughed the whole incident off. They continued their walk talking about life in general. Ann mused about the other thieves and how she felt like she finally belonged somewhere. The sentiment had caused Makoto to stop in the tracks and she just started to cry. Ann was unsure what she had said to set off such a reaction but she moved to comfort the older girl. Makoto felt Ann wrap her arms around her… it was a feeling she had longed for since they had become friends… it was a feeling she fought from the very same moment. She looked up into the younger girl's eyes as Ann used one hand to wipe her tears away. Makoto had felt her breath hitch and her soul cry out. She pushed her shame down into the darkest depths of her being and let her heart run free. "Ann, I am sorry I have been acting so weird and awkward…" "Makoto, you don't have to apologize for being you… something has obviously been bothering you. Will you please tell me?" Makoto had put her finger over Ann's lips god they felt soft to the touch. "Ann please if I don't say this now I fear I never will. I am really not good at these sorts of things. I like you… I like you as more than a friend" As the words had left her mouth she tried to search the younger girls face for a positive response, yet her fear had caused her to look down and she felt rejection must be eminent. Then she felt her breath leave her body as Ann pulled her closer, she used her right hand to lift Makoto's head up, looked deeply into the older girl's eyes before closing her own and lonely bringing their lips together in a chaste but wanting kiss.

A warmth came over Makoto as she remembered what they once shared. She was so lost in thought she almost walked into a light post. Her almost miss with the post had brought her screaming back to reality. She looked down in embarrassment in the hopes no one had seen that moment.

When she was finally ready to look back up she caught a glimpse of Ann, standing about 20 feet away in front of the crepe shop. The sight immediately took Makoto's breath away.

Ann was just as stunning as Makoto remembered. She wore her hair long and wavy the sun kissed her blonde coloring making it shine and sparkle. She had dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. The sight alone was enough to make Makoto forget all of their history. She felt her heart flutter for the first time since it had all crashed and burned. She wished she could save the moment in a picture.

Ann finally looked in her direction and waved. Their eyes caught each other for a brief moment as they approached each other and embraced. "Makoto, I am so happy you came!" The blonde whispered in her ear as Makoto wondered whether this could all be a dream… or if she was dead… killed in the line of duty. "Ann... I just can't believe you are here." Makoto finally spoke as they parted. Time seemed to stop as they both stood there stunned to silence, each woman was analyzing the others reaction looking for something… a shred of hope.

Makoto smiled as she leaned back on her heels finally she broke the silence as she stumbled through her words "wwwould you like to order something?" "Ann was startled by the simplicity of the older woman's statement she looked up at the crepe stand and twirled her hair around her finger sheepishly. "Oh yeah… I I almost forgot about that."

"I know it's been awhile but would you still like your usual?" Makoto asked knowingly giving Ann the same smile she used to when they would come here regularly. "Mako… I can't believe you would remember after all this time." Ann replied softly and air of surprise lingered around her words. Makoto's heart fluttered uncontrollably She called me Mako.. "Like I could forget…" The older woman replied coolly not want to let on how hopeful that had made her.

Makoto stepped up to the counter and ordered two crepes with chocolate, strawberries and, whip cream. She smiled like she was back in high school as she pulled out her wallet and handed money to the cashier.

"Mako I could have gotten my own crepe… you didn't have to..." Ann looked at the ground almost shamefully trying her best to be comfortable in the moment. "Ann, I know I didn't have to… I wanted to." Makoto looked at Ann and felt her heart sink she knew something was off but couldn't put her finger on it. Her mind went into inspection mode immediately analyzing every inch of Ann looking for clues to her demeanor.

Mankato's concentration was broken by the shop keeper calling for her to pick up her order. She dutifully carried a crape in each hand as they searched for a bench in the square that they could sit on. They finally found a bench shaded by a tree and sat each of them silently enjoying their crepe. Each secretly wondering what the other was thinking.

"So… You must be wondering why I messaged you…" Ann broke the silence first. Makoto took her last bite of crepe savoring the sweetness. "kinda… actually I didn't really know it was you at first. I guess I had deleted your number all those years ago." Ann looked stunned at the revelation, Her face was almost crestfallen…So I was the only one…Ann thought as she figured out how to best navigate the situation.

Ann had gone over this talk thousands of times but never once had she imagine that Makoto just wanted to forget her. "Makoto… I need to talk to you… I have been waiting seven long years to say these words to you." Makoto nodded silently preparing for what Ann needed to tell her. "The years have not been kind to me Mako, after we broke up…I …I threw myself into my work. I have gotten to the panicle of my profession and yet I go home each night alone. There was a time when I thought meaningless sex and drugs would get me through the pain but it never subsided. It's not like I couldn't have a relationship with my choice of partner… I have tried to move on and yet the one person I want to spend my life with doesn't want me…" Tears were rolling down Ann's cheeks she sniffled and tried to wipe them away.

Makoto's heart broke into a million pieces as Ann described her struggles with career, self-image, and love. She never could have imagined her reluctance to be contrary to the persona she projected would have caused so much hurt and pain. In her mind, it was always for the best. She thought Ann would meet someone who wouldn't be afraid and ashamed of her own feelings. Makoto had convinced herself for years that she was the only one who was hurt by her decisions. She threw herself into being perfect again, into school, then work, she mirrored the mistakes of her sister and never considered a life outside of work was an option. She was happy to lock her heart away from the world because it meant she wouldn't hurt anymore, she wouldn't feel shame for loving Ann anymore. Her perfection had masked her true happiness and locked her in a prison or her own devices. She cut herself off of all memories of Ann, Including the rest of the thieves always creating an excuse as to why she couldn't hang out. After a while the calls had just stopped coming. Now here she was faced with the exact thing she tried to run from all those years ago.

"You know I tried to write you that text so many times…I never had the guts to hit send before today" Ann's voice brought Makoto back from her own head, she still had no clue what to say… or how to even begin to make it right again.