EARLIER THAT EVENING

Ryuji, Morgana, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru were still gathered around the van that Akira ran from moments ago.

"What the heck!?" Ryuji yells out in frustration, and after kicking a nearby poll he continues speaking, "We drive him all the way to his hometown, and instead of showing us around, or even giving us a proper goodbye! ...he goes and pulls this kind of crap."

Yusuke chimed in(still partially in thought), "Indeed, this is very peculiar behaviour... especially for him; something must be going on."

"Hell with this! I'm going after him," Ryuji sets off at an incredible pace, heading in the direction Akira disappeared mere moments ago.

"Ryuji, you idiot! Don't go after him like that. Akira must have a reason," but Ann's words were too late to reach Ryuji: he was already well out of earshot.

"Lady Ann, do you really think he has a good reason? ...He even left me behind, and I was supposed to remain here with him," mused Morgana.

Ann spoke to him with a comforting smile on her face, "That's right! Off-course he had a good reason, there's no way he would have forgotten about you like that."

Haru, and Futaba were whispering with each other till now. Haru finally spoke up, "Maybe... we are overthinking this."

Futaba continued, "He never speaks about his parents at all, we think he misses them a lot more than he lets on. This might just be very emotional for him."

Haru spoke again, "Akira must be too embarrassed to have a reunion with all of us watching. We shouldn't worry, I'm sure he will contact us again; after all the emotions have settled down a bit."

Ann, Morgana, and Yusuke all considered what they said for a moment.

Ann spoke first, "I buy that, and I can totally see someone like him being total momma's boy like Ryuji... probably why they get along so well."

Futaba suddenly had an idea, she quickly snuck off back into the van to open her laptop. Whatever she was plotting was now taking up all her attention.

Meanwhile the rest of the group continued, "It makes sense, he left this place on very poor terms. Now that he has been exonerated, and his criminal record purged. He may simply have wanted some space to heal those wounds," Yusuke was satisfied with his line of reasoning.

Everyone nodded in approval. Haru spoke, "Well, I think my company has a business partnership with a small hotel near here. I could call and get us all some rooms to freshen up. We could then go sightseeing after."

Ann responded with renewed energy in her voice, "Haru, Thanks you! But you don't have to, especially if it's too much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all; I'll make the call now," she said before walking away to make a phone call.

Ann, Yusuke, and Morgana were touched by her kind caring nature, and thanked her for making such a gracious offer.

"Well, we can go as soon as that moron Ryuji comes back. I doubt he caught Joker after his head start, especially since Ryuji does not know the town at all. He might already be lost, and can't find his way back," Morgana snickers at his comrades imagined humiliation.

Yusuke satisfied to wait, started once more framing the nearby landscape against the lighting of a fast setting sun. Ann noticed that Makoto had not participated in their group conversation. She had not said a word since Akira left. Ann found her standing where Akira had stood making his hasty goodbyes before running off. She was just standing there motionless, looking in the direction that Akira and Ryuji had run off. Her piercing scarlet eyes staring off into the distance, with a visible pout on her lips. She moved closer to place a hand on Makoto.

Makoto was silently fuming at Akira, 'the nerve of that man to leave me with such pathetic excuses. Would it have killed him to say a word to me beforehand? Did he even consider how she might feel if he ran of like that? How could he be so selfish?'

Makoto had actually been looking forward to having Akira show her around his hometown. Now she had the full intention of chewing him out the next time they were alone. 'What the hell was he even thinking?' Still she knew he was just the kind of person who sometimes acts first, and thinks latter; it's part of what she liked so much about him.

She suddenly felt an arm on her shoulder jolt her from those thoughts. Makoto turned to face Ann, "Hey, are you okay? You were just standing there... all statue-like."

"O-oh I see, my apologies about that, my mind was racing," Makoto responded.

"Makoto, you don't need to apologise for that... I guess it's just in our queen's nature to worry," Ann said snickering, "Let's go re-join the others."

The two young women made their way back to the van, while Ann filled Makoto in on what they had been discussing. Makoto considered the idea of Akira getting embarrassed introducing her to his parents: she found it very tempting. Makoto wished she could be there to watch him be embarrassed around his parents, payback for all those times he just stayed calm while she got flustered. She started scheming ways to make it as awkward for him as possible.

Haru returned shortly thereafter saying her staff would be making all the arrangements for them, "... and all we have to do was go check-in."

They chatted the time away, while waiting for Ryuji to return. The Sun was very close to setting by this point, and they grew a little annoyed waiting for him. Ann mumbled, "Maybe... he actually caught up to him?"

Morgana was quick to respond with a cutting remark, "Not a chance, he probably ran so hard he got lost and can't find his way back."

Ann Continued, "Still–"

She was almost instantly interrupted by an excited screech from Futaba, "Hey guys, who wants to spy on Joker-he totally deserves it for cutting us dry like that!"

Everyone present lets out a collective, "huh."

"Oh right, sound through the speakers-not headphones," Futaba says before unplugging a cable.

They could hear a panting man, he seemed to be running really fast, and with sounds of air going by the microphone. "I hacked Joker's phone ages ago, when I needed to enlist your help to change my heart; lucky for us, that hack is still working," She says with a satisfied grin on her face.

She continued, with a growing mischievous smirk, "What do you say?-You all want to listen in on his embarrassing reunion?"

Everyone was considering the sudden opportunity, but Ann spoke first, "I don't know about this... It's a major breach of privacy, but he totally deserves it for acting like a big jerk back there. The least he could have done was give us a proper explanation, he worried Makoto sick." Makoto's cheeks reddened slightly to that comment.

Yusuke stated imperiously, "I can't have any part in this, as a true friend, I must insist you stop your spying Futaba."

Annoyed, Futaba struck back, "Stupid Inari! Who asked you anyway!?"

The two then proceeded to throw their typical insults at each other.

Haru seemed to be making up her mind, and Morgana was doubtlessly snickering at the rare opportunity. Since he intended to remain here with him he had a vested interest in seeing how this plays out. Makoto was apprehensive about spying on her lover like this, but she really wanted to know how Akira behaved in front of his parents. She considered the possibility that he might tell them about their relationship; that prospect made her rather apprehensive to have an audience.

The speakers, started playing audio of a voice that sounded like Akira, "I..I'm back ...f-father."

Everyone present started listening in, despite their apprehensions.

Ann comments, "His father seems like the stern type; no wonder, he has such a quiet demeanour. He must really be used to limited conversation."

…

Futaba giggles, "Definitely a mommy's boy. She must spoil him a lot compared to his father."

…

Ryuji finally found his way back to the van, he was dejected that Akira actually managed to out run him. A combination of a head start, and unfamiliar surroundings were too much for him to overcome. He had caught sight of him once or twice, but lost him just as quickly. Then he found himself lost, and spent a great deal of time trying to find his way back. He was fairly frustrated with his so called best friend at this point. From a distance he could see the whole gang gathered around the open van door, and getting closer he could hear Akira's voice, 'did he double back on me, what the hell!?'

He quickly closed the distance to discern that sound coming from the laptop.

"What the hell guys?" he asks demanding answers.

Futaba cuts in, "I hacked his phone! Now we can spy on Jokers reunion with his parents."

"What! No way-I need in on this, "excitedly he squeeze's his way into the closest spot to the laptop, before demanding, "Quick-what did I miss?"

Ann filled him in.

…

"Man, what the hell is joker doing? Sounds like he's devouring a mountain." Ryuji said with a mix of disbelief and disgust

Morgana adds, "You have no idea Ryuji. Our guy has won the big bang burger challenge multiple times, but the scary part is that somehow this sounds even worse. He may have finally met his match."

At the same time, the gang munched on whatever snacks they had packed the Van with.

…

Haru laughs, "Sounds like Akira, has parents that care about him a lot; If they can be satisfied, just watching their son eat."

…

"Akira, I have no idea how you must be feeling right now, but you must be strong," Yusuke said somewhat wistfully. The mood had changed drastically to just a few moments ago.

…

Ryuji snapped, "Cut the crap! How can they expect him to choose-after dropping it on him so quick?"

…

Yusuke spoke up, "This noise... he must be running again; no doubt he is running away from that situation."

Ryuji punches the van with a degree of might, before shouting, "Goddamit! Why does our guy keep being dealt one crap hand after another; we got him his clean slate why is this happening?"

Everyone had sunk into a collective depression after what they just heard. They all thought the same thing. If they were phantom thieves, all they would have to do was change his parent's hearts, but that may as well have been another life now.

Makoto felt overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions, 'Akira, I am so sorry'. She did not have to be his lover to know it, everyone present knew that Akira was running because he blames himself for his parents' divorce.

Her mind drifted to an old memory of theirs.

A FEW MONTHS AGO – Shujin rooftop

Makoto and Akira sat side by side in folding chairs, staring out over the city, and setting sun. Makoto was sharing some intimate details with him; the subject had made her somewhat gloomy.

"…then she said I was useless to her," Makoto was visibly fidgeting, and struggling to say the next part, "...And all I do is eat away at her life..."

After a small pause she carried on, "It really hurt to hear her say something like that... but it wasn't just her; back then everyone was on my case, even Akechi managed to get a comment in there. Everyone just saw me as a machine that didn't have feelings or cared about anything else, I only had value as long as I did as I was told."

She looked at Akira for a moment, seeing if he would react, but he just sat there; listening quietly to everything she had to say. She kept speaking, "That's why I blackmailed the Phantom Thieves into going after Kaneshiro. I was desperate to prove them all wrong, that I wasn't useless, and I didn't just care about myself, but more than that, I wanted to prove to myself: I wasn't the robot everyone thought that I was."

She finally regained a little bit of composure before finishing, "I snapped! When Ryuji called me useless that day on Central Street. I was so desperate to prove to myself that he wasn't right... it made me very reckless. I risked not only my life, but I dragged all of you down with me. I-If all of you hadn't stuck with me after that, to change Kaneshiro's heart... I don't even want to imagine what would have happened... I'm so sorry for putting us in that situation." By this point tears started welling up in her eyes as Makoto's thoughts drifted to her many shortcomings over the years.

Akira got up out of his chair, and knelt before Makoto so that he was looking up at her downcast face. He took her left hand it his right, intertwining their fingers, and held tight. She stared back into his steely dark grey eyes; the whole situation made her cheeks blush full deep red. She tried to look away, but Akira placed his left hand on her right cheek turning her to face him again. Her cheek burned with warmth and she noticed Akira's cheeks turn red as well.

He spoke to her in a sincere tone, which she never knew he had, "...I know part of you may already know this, but I want you to hear it again from me in any case." He paused briefly to look into her eyes, and squeezed their hands tight, "Makoto Niijima, you are not useless, you are your own person, and ...you are the most important person in my life."

Makoto's face went as red as it could go when she heard him say that with such sincerity in his voice. He kept speaking, "It's alright not knowing who you are, or where you want to end up in life. Finding that out is part of living, but you don't have to do it alone; you will always have a place with the phantom thieves, and also… with me."

She knew that, but hearing him say it filled her with a sense of relief that washed away all her negative thoughts and embarrassments. Akira continued, "I-I really like that you're so reckless; I am just like that too... but back then when you put yourself in harm's way was the first time, I realised how much you meant to me. So-so how about we be reckless together from now on?"

Makoto threw her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair with a gentle smile as Akira returned the gesture, "How can you say that with such a straight face?"

As the sky turned to twilight, she pulled him closer for a deep hungry kiss, which made both of them breathless and aching. They remained there on that rooftop till the twilight had finally turned to dusk.

PRESENT DAY

'He was always there, when I needed him,' She centred herself to regain some sense of composure, 'No, I can't just stand here in self-pity; he needs me right now.'

Makoto spoke with a determined look, "Futaba, can you track his phone to give us a location of where he is right now."

She grins with a toothy smile, "That's our queen, already on it; I suggest we activate chase mode immediately."

She spoke with urgency, "Alright people! You heard her, get in the van, or get left behind."

Broken of their collective wallowing, and filled with new purpose, everyone clambers to take their seat in the van.

Makoto took the steering wheel ready to give chace. 'Akira, I'm coming'.

I found it pretty hard to juggle so many characters at once. I tried my best to keep them true to their personality. I spent some extra time on Makoto to try and give her sufficient motivation. Not really sure if it all worked well but i enjoyed the process a lot.

EDIT 1: As with chapter 1, trying to fix punctuation and other errors. Chapter 2 was at least nowhere near as bad as chapter 1 had been. I probably still have a lot to learn about grammar, but it should be better than before.

EDIT 2: tuned the dialogue slightly and further grammatical corrections.