Akira's alarm went off, waking him from a deep sleep. Thankfully, no nightmares occurred this time. It was still slightly dark out. The sun was slowly coming up. As Akira opened his eyes, he realized he had no feeling in his left arm. He looked to his left and noticed his lovely girlfriend, Sumire, had taken hold of his arm. While the image pleased him, and his heart was filled with warmth at the sight of the beautiful redhead sleeping next to him, he did require the use of both of his arms to make the morning coffee. Despite the alarm going off, Sumire didn't seem to have caught it and remained asleep. Akira tried to gently pull his arm away from the sleeping beauty without disturbing her too much. Sadly, he was unsuccessful.

"Thinking of chewing your arm off?" Sumire sleepily said with a smile, fully aware of what was going on. Perhaps she wasn't wholly asleep after all.

"Never. Although, I may take yours if you don't let go of mine," Akira joked.

"Go ahead," Sumire retorted, "You'd be surprised how much I can get done with one arm," she grinned. She turned around to face him, giving him bedroom eyes. "What time is it?"

Sumire finally released Akira's arm, and he began shaking it to try and get the blood flowing back. "A little past 6:30," Akira replied, reaching for his phone and fake glasses. "You can use the bathroom first. I'll get started on the coffee." He said as he climbed over her and out of bed.

Sumire noticed Akira was clutching his sides. It was clear the bruises he sustained the previous night were still prevalent. He walked over to his desk where the painkillers Takemi had given him were, along with a glass of water. He swallowed a capsule and began making his way towards the stairs before turning back to Sumire, who was out of bed and grabbing a change of clothes out of the bag she brought over early the previous day.

"What blend would you like?" Akira asked her.

"Guatemalan Strictly Hard Bean, please?" Sumire had grown quite a rich knowledge of coffee in her time with Akira. He made so much of it and regularly had Sojiro sned her small samples of Leblanc's coffee inventory, which Akira reimbursed, of course.

"Coming right up!" Akira happily obliged. But before going down, he stopped once again. "Hey," he said, turning back around to her, "can you do me a favor?"

"Of course. What is it?" She was a bit nervous. She had an idea of what he might ask of her.

"Can you not tell anyone about the seizure?"

There it was, precisely what she expected. "Akira, it's a serious thing. What if it happens again?"

"It won't. It was just a shock I got from the assault." He tried to reassure her, but she was having none of it.

"You said your head was hurting all day yesterday."

"Well, it's not hurting today." He lied, his head still hurt, though only mildly. "I think I just needed a good night's rest. I feel good today."

"I seriously doubt you were able to get a good night's rest after what happened to you last night."

"Like I said, I feel fine. I feel well-rested and energized. Maybe I should ask Tae for more of these painkillers," He joked.

"And develop an addiction? Not on my watch."

"Hahaha, I know, I know. I'm only kidding." Akira walked over to her and held her in his arms. "Look, I promise you, if I start to feel unwell again, you'll be the first to know." He smiled at her, trying his best to use his debonair charm to convince her. She knew better than to fall for it but reluctantly took his word.

"You promise me?"

"I promise."

"...Okay." She said, looking up at him. The two smiled at each other and kissed. They both made their way downstairs. Sumire went into the bathroom while Akira made his way to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.

About 20 minutes passed, Akira finished brewing the coffee and making the curry as Sumire came out of the bathroom, fully refreshed. She took a seat at the counter and began to chow down.

"How is it?" He asked.

Sumire took a couple of bites of curry and then sipped a bit of her coffee, causing an explosion of delight for her taste buds. "Delicious as always, my love." She beamed with joy.

Akira was pleased. His cooking skills had grown so much since he first arrived at Leblanc almost two years ago. Seeing people enjoying the food he prepared himself always gave him a sense of pride. "I'm glad you like it," He said as he poured himself some coffee and served himself curry.

The two discussed plans for the trip, swimming, hiking, barbecue, roasting marshmallows, etc. They would be staying in a spot of woods named Rainmaker Park, not far from the riverbank where the Phantom Thieves, sans Sumire, stopped to have lunch on their way to Sendai during their summer trip the previous year. The thieves regretted the fact that they weren't able to go for a swim in the river due to time restraints. Thankfully, despite it being March, the weather would be sunny all weekend, and the temperature would be warm enough that it would be possible to swim. Once the two had finished eating, they heard a knock at Leblanc's door. Looking over, they saw Makoto and Haru standing outside. Akira went to unlock the door and let them in.

"Morning, you two. How are you doing?"

"We should be asking you that," Haru quickly replied in a worried tone, "Are you feeling okay?" The auburn-haired girl asked, hugging her close friend.

"Don't worry; I'm okay—a couple of bruises, no big deal," Akira reassured her. Haru broke off her hug.

"We don't have to go on this trip if you don't feel up to it, you know," Makoto pointed out, in turn hugging Akira.

"I said, don't worry." Akira grew annoyed at repeating himself, but the annoyance quickly faded once he realized they bothered to ask him how he was. Maybe they do care after all. He thought. "Can I get you two some coffee or some curry?"

"Yes, please. We spent a little too long getting ready this morning; we didn't have time to have breakfast," Makoto said. She leaned into Akira and whispered to him, "This one made my shower last longer than intended," She whispered with a grin, sticking her thumb at Haru behind her.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it, mon amour," Haru gently grabbed Makoto's waist from behind before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Haru and Makoto became fast friends once the former joined the Phantom Thieves. Both being third years at Shujin and similarly intelligent, the two bonded throughout the infiltration of Haru's father, Kunikazu Okumura's palace. When Haru's father was killed by Goro Akechi, though his involvement was unknown to the thieves at the time, Haru was distraught. Despite her strained relationship with him, he was still her father. Her mother had passed away from an illness when Haru was just 7 years old, and now her father had been killed, his death ordered by a higher power. While Akira spent a lot of time with her outside of the Phantom Thief business, Makoto was also there for Haru quite a bit. Makoto understood more than anyone what she was going through. Her mother had also passed away from cancer when she was younger, leaving her father in charge of her and her older sister. Years later, her father, a decorated police officer, was killed in what seemed like a planned attempt on his life. The two young women now had more in common, and their bond grew stronger. Over time both developed feelings for one. Though neither believed they were attracted to women, they still felt a spark between them whenever they were together. During Mementos visits, they often stayed together whenever Joker's party was full. Usually hanging back in the Monabus and talking about whatever, though Queen still performed her role as team strategist, giving Joker and the others warnings and information about the shadows they were facing. Afterward, the two would go to the nearby Bikkuri Boy diner and just keep talking for hours, and if they didn't go to the diner after Mementos, they would talk on the phone for hours.

When Akira and Makoto were done pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend in order to help Makoto's friend, Eiko, from a sleazy club host in Shinjuku, Makoto felt a bit lost. Eiko had told her she would flunk a love test, and her words got to her. Makoto asked Akira what she should do, hinting that she was interested in him, which she was. Throughout their undercover operation, she had grown fond of the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Akira reassured her and told her that she would find someone someday. What Makoto heard from him was I like and care for you, but only as a friend. She was a bit heartbroken for a while, but her romantic feelings for Akira eventually disappeared when she realized she was in love with someone else.

Haru had asked Akira to be there for her during a meeting with Okumura Foods' stand-in president, Takakura. She thought about asking Makoto, but she felt better having a male companion with her since she wasn't entirely sure if she could trust Takakura yet. The meeting took place at her home and went off without a hitch. Haru laid out her intentions for Okumura Foods, and Takakura promised to respect her wishes. Haru felt even more relieved when she found out that the contract that bounded her by marriage to slimy rich scumbag, Sugimura, was not real and that she was free to walk her own path. Like Makoto before her, Haru hinted to Akira that she was interested in him and, just as before, he did not reciprocate her feelings. His heart already belonged to another. That night, Haru sobbed in her room but quickly stopped when she saw a message on her phone from Makoto asking her if she would like to go out to dinner with her. Haru thought Makoto was inviting her out as a friend, and being fair, that was Makoto's original intention. Little did they know, that night would turn out to be their first date and first kiss.

The two kept their relationship a secret for a while. They eventually decided to tell their friends once Akira was released from Juvie. For almost two months, the pair had spent a lot of time together in his absence, working tirelessly to get him released.
Though they did spend a lot of "private" time as well. Though she was nervous about it, Makoto knew she had to tell her sister about her feelings for Haru eventually. Even though their relationship had improved, there were still some bridges that needed to be rebuilt. Thankfully, Sae accepted her little sister's choice with open arms, telling her that she just wanted her to be happy, causing the younger Niijima to break down in her older sister's arms. The rest of the Thieves could not be anymore happier for the both of them, Ann even shedding tears of joy. This moment helped solidify the bond between all of them even further. Once the two started university, they moved into a small one-bedroom apartment together. Their relationship reached its highest peak up to that point during their summer trip when the two finally said "I love you" to each other during a ride on the Ferris wheel in Sapporo. The rest, as they say, is history.

Haru and Makoto smiled at each other just in time for the stomachs to growl at the same time.

Akira chucked, "Come on in. I'll get you two some coffee and curry," He said as he walked back towards the kitchen.

The pair sat down next to Sumire at the counter as she waved and greeted them. "Good morning, Mako-chan, Haru-chan."

"Good morning, Sumi-chan. How did you sleep?" Haru asked.

"Just fine." The three began discussing the trip, Makoto asking if Sumire and Akira had everything they needed. Sumire assured her they did. When Akira served Makoto and Haru their breakfast, the bell chimed once again and in-walked Sojiro, Futaba, and Morgana.

"GOOOOOOD MORNING ALL!" Futaba excitedly shouted.

"Futaba, not so loud. There are still some who are asleep, you know." Sojiro scolded but chuckled as well.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I'm just so excited!" She tried to defend her actions to her adoptive father. "OOOooo, I smell curry! Must! Have! Gimme!"

"Have a seat," Akira said, "You want some too, Boss?"

"Just coffee for me, thanks," Sojiro replied, taking a seat at one of the booths.

"Coming right up," Akira said. After about 10 seconds of quiet, Sojiro sighed and broke the silence.

"Futaba told me what happened last night." Akira looked towards Sojiro. "Pretty sure I know who attacked you too." Everyone inside the cafe turned towards him after that. "They're just a pair of bums. They mooch drinks off of people at World's End, a bar about a block from here, and then stumble around hoping to get some action. Didn't realize they targeted young girls, though." Sojiro grew angry, mostly at himself. The anger could be heard in his voice. "They've stumbled in here a few times. I've had to chase them out a couple of times because they kept harassing my customers. Glad they finally got caught."

"What the heck!? You never told me that." Futaba shouted.

"They were just drunken idiots. I realize now, though, that I made a mistake. I'm sorry to you all." Sojiro said, looking towards Akira, Futaba, and Sumire.

"Don't worry about it." Akira tried to reassure his guardian, who felt partly responsible for his attack. "They're in jail now, anyways."

"You're going to press charges against them, right?" Sojiro asked Akira.

"He said no," Futaba answered in his place. Sojiro shot him a look of disbelief.

"That's what I told the officer last night. Now that I've had time to sleep on it, I've decided I will. I'll do so when we get back." Akira quickly said before Sojiro gave him an earful.

"Don't worry about it. I'll do it. They did threaten my daughter and hurt my son after all." Sojiro sounded deadly serious, so much so he didn't notice what he called Akira. Not that he cared. Sojiro treated Akira like he was his own son. He felt he needed to be there as a father figure for Akira after his real father passed away when he was younger. "I'll go later on today."

"Too bad we can't change their hearts," Akira said half-jokingly. The Phantom Thieves currently present nodded in agreement.

Sojiro received plenty of proud looks from everyone around the cafe. Futaba held her father tight, and so did Akira once he brought him his coffee. Morgana, Sumire, Makoto, and Haru all looked on with joy.

Ann was the next to arrive, and Yusuke arrived shortly after that. Once again apologized, he would've arrived sooner, but he chose to get off a few stops early to save money. Akira had to remind him, again, that that's not how it works. Yusuke knew he would be getting another lecture on monetary practicality from Makoto. Everyone who arrived asked Akira how he was doing after last night. He assured them he was fine. Ann apologized on behalf of Ryuji for asking about the camping trip instead of his well-being. Akira laughed it off. He was peeved last night but let bygones be bygones. He knew his friends cared about him. He convinced himself his mind was just clouded yesterday.

"It's almost 8! We were supposed to leave half an hour ago! Where is Ryuji?" Makoto asked with venom in her voice and fire in her eyes.

"I told you he'd be late. The doofus said he set his alarm too. He shoved his phone right in my face." Futaba sneered.

"Has anyone tried contacting him?" Yusuke wondered.

"I've sent him like 20 texts, no response," Ann annoyingly replied.

"I kept thinking he was a monkey." Morgana said, "I realize now he's actually a sloth. Mwe-hee-hee"

Ann yawned and looked at the feline, "Are you two ever going to get along?" She said with an exhausted tone.

"If he stops being so dumb, maybe."

"It wouldn't kill you to say something nice about him every now and then, you know," Akira said to Morgana as he left to go upstairs.

"I must agree with Ann and Akira. While I admit Ryuji has his flaws, he is still a valuable friend with a heart of gold." Yusuke interjected.

"I'll compliment him when he earns it." Morgana retorted.

Finally, the bell chimed, the front door opened up, and in rushed a panting sweaty blonde-haired mess. "Speak of the devil," Futaba said.

Ryuji was met with a bunch of annoyed glares from everyone. "Look, I'm sorry I'm late. I forgot to plug in my phone last night."

"Save it! Let's just get to the parking lot." Makoto snapped. Everyone began shuffling out of Leblanc. Akira came back downstairs holding his and Sumire's bags.

"Aw, c'mon on! I ain't even eatin' anything yet." Ryuji whined.

"Don't worry, man," Akira smiled at him, "I got some leftover curry you can eat in the RV," wrapping his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Aw, you're a lifesaver, dude!" Ryuji beamed, turning into Yusuke for a moment as he got a little too excited at the thought of food. He stopped and hugged Akira, "I love you, man! Just uh... not like, ya know, that way."

Akira chuckled. "I love you too, buddy." He said, "I get it, purely platonic."

"Purely what?" Ryuji asked, confused. He broke off the hug.

Akira chuckled again. "Don't worry about it." He said as he nudged his friend with his elbow.

The Phantom Thieves and Sojiro made their way to the parking lot where the Phantomoblie sat. Everyone got inside the camper, while Makoto and Haru got in the driver and passenger seats, respectively.

"Give me a call once you've settled in. No hurry, though. I trust you guys." Sojiro said to Akira and Futaba, who were still outside the camper.

"We will." Futaba and Akira said in unison like they were twins. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Hehe," That moment melted Sojiro's heart as he smiled at the both of them. "But, more importantly, have fun." He said as he hugged his foster children once more.

The thieves not in the driver seat waved out the window as they drove off and headed towards Rainmaker Park—ready for two days of fun and relaxation.

Author's Notes:

-So, I'm breaking a rule I made. I didn't originally want to put other romantic pairings out of fear of them overshadowing the main plot, but I realized that subplots are important too. So from here on, I'm gonna try and develop some other pairings. Haru and Makoto is one of them, the rest you'll see but you can probably guess. Hope you enjoy it, like I said, this is a lot of firsts for me so I'm gonna try my best. I'll be sure to update tags as I write.

-I originally meant for this chapter to be entire camping trip but I have some ideas for it that would've been too much and I don't want these chapters to be too long. The next chapter will be part 1 of the camping trip. Of how many? who knows, I'm honestly just winging it really lmao.

-If you're wondering, Rainmaker Park is named after NJPW wrestler, Kazuchika Okada (yes i'm a wrestling fan, if you are too, you may pickup on certain names I use in the future *winky face*.) I couldn't find the name of the riverbank where they stopped in Strikers. I don't even know if there were woods nearby. Oh well, creative liberties, hope you don't mind.

-Also also, World's End because Edgar Wright.

I hope you enjoy, and I appreciate any feedback y'all want to leave. Have a good one!