Makoto walked into LeBlanc, studying the café for Akira. She spotted him sitting next to Futaba, staring off into space. She walked up behind him, gently tapping his shoulder. Akira, fully lost in thought, almost fell out of his chair when he felt a sudden rapping on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Makoto smiling at him, softly giggling to herself. He tried to hide his blushing face, but he knew she was far too perceptive to let something of that caliber go unnoticed.

"I'm glad you're here."

Makoto's cheeks went red, a smile making its way across her face. She felt Akira take her hand as he stood up, leading her up the stairs to his attic bedroom. He led her to the couch, where they sat next to each other. Morgana, having awoken from his nap some time ago spotted them. He and Akira shared a glance before he wandered down the stairs, giving the couple some time alone.

A few minutes passed by in silence as they sat there, hand in hand. Tension hung in the air, and the notion that they soon would no longer be in each others presence began to overwhelm Akira. Makoto spoke up and snapped him out of his descent into despair.

"Uhm... How was your morning?" Akira turned to look at her, noting an unmistakable sadness hiding beneath the love she displayed. Makoto would always ask about the little things going on in his life, making them feel important. He tried to reply, but he suddenly had cotton-mouth. Akira suddenly felt sick. He could feel his stomach knotting up, his emotions slowly beginning to build and threatening to force their way out. The only thing he could to do keep himself from falling apart was to avoid Makoto's gaze. Seeing him turn away saddened Makoto, and she squeezed his hand tightly.

"Akira? What's wrong?"

Akira felt like he was going to collapse. Making Makoto worry was too much for him to bear.

Akira slowly looked up, and locked eyes with Makoto. For the first time, Makoto could see far more than love in his dark-grey eyes. A wide spectrum of emotions were sliding by like a movie, detailing every thought running through his muddled mind. Makoto couldn't single in on a single emotion, the range of emotions on display was constantly shifting. She could see fear turn to love. Love would shift to bewilderment and then swap to sadness as quickly as it came.

"I'm scared, Makoto. More than I've ever felt in my entire life."

Tears began to well up in Akira's eyes. He could feel everything inside of him wanting to burst out, but he wanted to keep everything in check. He couldn't afford to let everything out at once, nor did he want to steamroll Makoto with the fears and doubts that shook him to his very core. Feeling Makoto lay her hand on his arm gently, taking his hand in the other made him finally crack. Tears slowly streamed down his face and he tried to stop himself, but he couldn't hold them from flowing. The next thing he felt were two arms wrapping around his torso, pulling him in so he could rest his head on her shoulders. He threw his arms around Makoto, holding her tight.

His hair suddenly began to feel wet, and he could hear a faint sniffling. Knowing Makoto was crying only served to break his heart. He squeezed his eyes tightly, trying to block the tears. Makoto shifted his head, allowing herself to nuzzle deep into his neck as he gently rested his on hers. They sat like this for what felt like hours, holding each other with all their might and softly crying.

Akira was the first to calm down. He wiped away his tears and began to gently pet Makoto's chestnut-colored hair. Makoto nuzzled deeper as her cries began to fade into whimpers. Before long, she too calmed down, feeling Akira lightly brush away her tears.

"I've never seen a side of you like that, Akira," Makoto whispered. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any side of you that wasn't calm."

Akira bowed his head. He knew she was right. Never had he outwardly displayed the range of emotion Makoto did. Even when he was nervous or upset, he hid it so as not to upset her.

"I didn't want to make you worry, or feel upset but maybe I took it too far," he replied sadly.

"Being forced out my home, into unfamiliar territory and being dragged through an unfair court case. I had to toughen up, build a shell around me so that when I came here, I could get by. Deep down, I've always been scared. Having my friends by my side, having you near me, always supporting me, had helped me cope. Now that I'm leaving soon, returning back to my old life, and I won't get to see my friends for a long time," Akira looked back up to her, a distraught gaze mirroring back at him.

I'm not going to be able to with for even longer," Akira's heart felt like it was going to explode. "I don't want to lose you, Makoto. I need you, I love you."

Makoto felt like her very world was falling apart. She had never expected to see Akira fall apart like this. Their relationship had reached a critical junction, as if it were speeding down a highway, threatening to crash at a moments notice. Makoto wanted to be strong for Akira. After all, she felt the same about him. The thought of losing him, of having to break up and never be by his side wrenched her heart and made it feel like it was going to burst.

Makoto wasn't one for taking the lead in the relationship, not that she hadn't wanted to, but because her nervousness and lack of romantic knowledge made her unsure of how to proceed. Inspiration struck, and she suddenly knew what to do. Taking Akira's head in her hands, she rested one hand on his cheek, and stared deeply into his eyes. They were the color of storms on the evening horizon, dark and mysterious as they drifted by, getting ever darker. No longer would she be unable to see into them. The storm may never break, but the clouds would now part for her.

Leaning in, Makoto tilted her head ever so slightly, brushing her lips against his. They tasted of coffee and curry, but it hadn't bothered her before, and it wouldn't now. Kissing Akira would send shivers up her spine from the pleasure she felt, and it only served to increase her passion for him. Affection flared up within her as she pulled him in closer, the kiss becoming much deeper. She began wrapping an arm around his back with another on the back of his head, pushing him closer to her. Akira's eyes widened in shock from never having seen her take command like this, but he quickly succumbed to the bliss and engaged with fervent passion. Her lips felt like pillows against his, and he could feel himself beginning to melt. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her body closer, reveling in the warmth of her body and intimacy they were sharing.

Makoto had to force herself to pull away, not wanting to break from his lips for even second. Akira leaned in for a quick peck when she did, causing Makoto to blush despite the passionate engagement they had just finished partaking in. She took Akira's hand in hers and squeezed it.

"I love you too, Akira," She said as her cheeks turned red and began to feel as if they were on fire. "You've helped me change. I used to just be the quiet Student Council president, studying away for college. Because of you, I have newfound confidence. I'm glad we found each other. and I'm happy you became my study partner in love. We're going to make this work, no matter what." Makoto could feel a wide smile creep along her face. Never had she thought someone would make her this happy, let alone find a boy that she would fall in love with.

The pain Akira had been feeling began to drain from him, replaced by a new resolve. Makoto had grown so much, and had become a far stronger individual than either had anticipated. Affection welled up inside of him as he thought about how she had taken charge and helped save him from himself. He adored her newfound strength, and now knew that Makoto wasn't someone who would be scared off so easily. Through thick and thin, she was going to stay by his side, supporting him as he would her throughout all their troubles.

Makoto leaned her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes, a loving smile still spread across her face. Akira gently rested his head on hers. For the first time in a while, he no longer felt scared. He just wanted to enjoy Makotos company for a little longer. They sat like this for a while, quietly basking in each others love.

Downstairs, a door being thrown into a bell broke the peaceful silence, followed closely by a loud voice yelling.

"Yo, is anyone here?"

Makoto pulled her head out from under Akira's.

"Looks like they're here."

Akira stood up, still holding her by the hand.

"Maybe it's time we should tell them."

Makoto's eyes widened as her heart felt like it skipped a beat.

"They're going to find out sometime, maybe now is the best time."

Makoto stood up and squeezed his hand. Futaba and Morgana already knew of their romance. Futaba had often been loafing around LeBlanc when Makoto would come over to spend time with Akira, taking an amount of time longer than most would to notice two people together. Morgana lived with Akira, and had seen some of their texts. She could only hope that Akira had managed to hide some of the more intimate ones from him. All the same, she knew that the rest of their friends would need find out eventually, but hadn't really thought about when the right time would be. However, Akira had a point. He would be leaving soon, and it probably would be for the best if they found out now, while the team was still together.

"I think you're right. Let's do this."

Akira nodded and quickly kissed her on the cheek before whispering in her ear.

"Are you ready, my Queen?"

Makoto could feel her cheeks turning hot again as she nodded.

"You can be so cheesy sometimes," she said while stifling a laugh, her eyes lighting up.

Akira tossed her a quick smile before turning his attention to the stairs, the sounds of feet shuffling below growing louder.

"I'm upstairs, guys. Come on up."

The nervousness Makoto felt started to subside as she could feel the original confidant demeanor of her boyfriend returning. She locked her fingers tightly around his as they awaited their friends arrival together.