"Everyone seatbelts! This might get bumpy. Futaba guide me," Makoto says turning the ignition, hearing the engine stutter to life. She drives into the town proper. Futaba then starts giving out a series of instructions advising turns and changing headings as necessary.

"Wow! He's running really fast; it's hard to believe he's just on foot," Futaba says with a genuine sense of amazement.

Ryuji chuckles, "I train with the guy... he is almost as fast as me."

Makoto's driving was precise, but scary; however considering the look on her face, no one was brave enough to speak up, or ask her to slow down.

A loud scream shot through the speakers, startling everyone in the van. Makoto had never heard him sound like that before, something inside of him broke tonight, she knew it. A gloomy mood had set in on the van once again. Seconds later, they heard a train, followed by a loud crack, then silence.

"Ahahah-no-no-no, I lost the phone signal... but I don't understand. That would only happen if something serious happened to the physical phone itself," Futaba said panicking.

Makoto bit her lip, and continued driving towards the last heading.

Ryuji spoke with a shaken voice, "...Dude-please, don't tell me... He screamed, then a train, and now we have no phone... guys he wouldn't do that to us right?"

A sharp chill shot up everyone spine as they considered the worst possibility. Makoto was done worrying. All that mattered to her now was finding him. 'Suicide is not your style, you love yourself too much for that right? That's the Akira I fell in love with.' They finally arrive at the location, a small side road that goes along the nearby train tracks. They see no one around just a small station in the distance, as well as a train about to pull into the station.

Haru says with clear disappointment, "He's not here..."

Morgana noticing the sombre mood, "Come on, we mustn't loose heart! He is still out there, and it's up to us to find him."

Makoto nodded, 'Mona's right, I have to use my intuition to find him now… there is no other way. I am reckless just like him, what would I be doing? If I were him right now: The train.'

She floors the accelerator and makes for the station, "We need to check the train station; if all he can think about right now is running, that train will take him further than his legs ever could."

As they pulled into the station parking lot, she tried exiting the vehicle before it had even came to a full stop. She jumped out with keys still inside a running ignition. Makoto ran up the stairs, with Ryuji close behind, while the rest of the gang were still exiting the van. As she reached the station entrance, she could hear a ticket attendant yelling after a young man. By the time she reached the platform proper, the train had already started to pull away.

Ryuji lets out a shout, clearly exasperated at always being one step behind him. Makoto also strained to keep a clear mind. She ran back to the ticket attendant, struggling to regain a polite composure, "Excuse me Sir, that young man you were yelling at. Was he tall, with curly messy hair, glasses and dark grey eyes?"

Seemingly perplexed by her interest, he responds, "Y-Yes, I only saw him for a moment, but I think that's correct. He paid me 10,000 yen for that ticket. It's far too much. Was that young lad traveling with you? He seemed to be in quite the rush to leave here."

Makoto's heart leapt with relief, a small part of her was still worried about the worst. "Please it's urgent-I need to find him! Can you tell me the next stop for that train?"

Seeing the desperation in her eyes, he decides to help, "Give me a moment, I'll give you the route map."

Makoto listens intently while the attendant fills her in on the next station, and how to beat the train to it by the roads. He also hands her a route map just in case they miss the next station. Ryuji picks up the extra change Akira left behind, and returns to the van getting everyone back inside before some had even made it onto the station steps. Makoto does not want to waste a second, and immediately sets off behind Ryuji once she has gotten what she needed from the attendant. She turns to give a hasty thank-you before heading down the stairs.

Her rush leads her to slip on one of the last steps, she hits the ground hard. She is in a lot of pain from the sudden crash. 'I can't afford to waste time here like this, I need to get up.' She forces herself back up. Just in time to yell to her friends in the van, who were about to start filing out to come to her aid, "No, I'm fine, get back inside. We can't waste any more time."

They pause for a moment staring at her with concerned looks on their faces, but when they see her pick herself up, and run to the van with a scary look on her face they do as they are told. Within precious few moments, Makoto has the van on the move again. Her driving lost some of its precision, to be replaced by more desperation. Her friends grew increasingly concerned for Makoto herself. She was being far too reckless. Ann was sitting beside Makoto in the front seat, and she could see a tiny amount of blood leaking from above her right eye.

Ann murmurs, "Makoto..." She tried to draw strength from some of her resolve, 'Dammit Akira, you better not do anything to hurt her; otherwise I will never forgive you!'

After several minutes of tense driving in silence, they finally saw the next station stop with the train already in the station. Makoto pulled an even more sudden stop in the parking lot, and moved to get out of the car, but Ryuji was already out while it was moving, and made his way inside the station.

"I'll check the front of the train, you check the back," Ryuji shot back at Makoto.

Unfortunately however, Ryuji had attracted too much attention from the platform guards, who were moving to question the suspiciously agitated youth. Makoto had no time to help, as the train was already starting to pull away, and the doors moments from closing. She jumped the ticket barricades, and made a mad dash for the first open door she could find. She barely got in with the platform guards whistling behind her. Only now did she allow herself to catch her breath, and fill her starving lungs. 'Akira, I'm almost there, just a little while longer.'

She started moving through the train checking every car for him. Each wrong car made her more desperate to see him in the next. She started to get concerned that Akira was not on this train at all. But Makoto eventually got to the last car, and there he was sitting there curled up in a ball. A feeling of release and joy washed over her; seeing Akira with her own eyes, finally calming her racing heart. However, Akira looked to be hurting a lot. She wanted to call out to him, but now that she was finally here, she could not summon the words.

She walked up to him, slowing as she got closer. The train continued its journey, casting both of them in changing patterns of light, and shadow from the world outside. She cursed her hesitations even at a time like this. When she finally reached the seat next to him, she managed to work up the nerve and called out for him.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, as she regressed to her most polite posture, "Kurusu Akira."

Akira was drifting between consciousness and sleep. His body and mind had yet to choose either. This struggle was extinguished however when he heard a voice that felt like it was from another lifetime. His puffy eyes creaked open to see a figure who was undeniably Niijima Makoto, he was genuinely unsure, "Mako-Makoto...?"

Satisfied that he acknowledged her presence, "Akira, is it alright, if I sit next to you." She asked confidently while still fidgeting her hands in awkwardness.

Akira clearly in an exhausted state gave the slightest of nods, with no hint of disapproval. She sat down next to him, without saying another word. Akira also sat up straight, and tried to regain some of his composure for her sake. Makoto took out her phone for a few spare moments to send a message, "I am with him now. You can relax. I'll bring him back. I promise," sent.

She put it away again, and set it to silent. She wanted to give him all her attention. The two of them just sat there next to each other, not saying another word for a long while, as the train sped along into the night. Makoto would wait for him to speak on his own terms, and be there to listen whenever that may be.

After several stops, Akira finally spoke, "Makoto, do you want to get something to eat? I am very hungry."

She was a little surprised, "Huh!? Didn't you just eat a mountain dinner at your place?"

A puzzled Akira turns to face her, "How do you know about that?"

Makoto struggled to answer directly, "Ah ummm, Y-you see… never mind how I know. …Urgh! Is that really all you have to say to me?"

It was then that Akira fully awoke from his slump, he finally noticed the scrapes and bruises on Makoto's face. His hands reached out to hover over her wounds, "Makoto your hurt, what happened?"

He fumbled trying to pull out a handkerchief from his pocket, and made a show of trying to nurse her wounds.

"Oww-OWW-stop it already."

"Just let me-"

"I'm fine, it's not going to get any better without some proper first aid anyway."

The train was pulling into the next station now. Makoto held out a hand for him, "Akira, take my hand."

He wore a confused look on his face for a moment or two, before doing as she asked. Makoto got up, and lead him off the train. She held him tight, as if afraid he might disappear again if she let go. They both step onto an empty platform, she took him a few more steps before turning around to face him. She pulled him close with surprising strength, wrapping both arms around his waist. She held him a tight embrace; resting her head on his shoulder. After a few moments Akira reciprocates; warping his arms around her, and holding her in his own embrace.

Slightly content with him back in her arms, Makoto's lips form a nervous smile, "So Akira, where did you want to eat?"