Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 or any of its characters, only any original ones depicted here.

Chapter title comes from "Life Will Change" – Persona 5 OST.

~•~•~•~

October 2nd had approached, leaving an uneventful September behind. Most people were starting to put up their Halloween decorations or taking advantage of the drop in temperature to wear warmer clothing.

For Makoto, however, today was a day that she was not looking forward to at all.

The meeting and constant info dumps from Joker only prepared her on a surface level for the heist but they did nothing to assuage the anxiety swirling inside. Her brain kept firing off scenarios of what could go wrong and what to do in case they went down that path. It led to nights of fitful sleeps that left her relying heavily on her cups of coffee to get her through the days (remembering how her eyes fluttered while reading over a new case file caused her face to burn with shame). But she didn't want to look weak and fire off multiple questions to the Phantom Thieves' leader; her pride refused to relinquish full control to him. Instead, she decided to do her own research while on lunch break or at home. From Higuchi Hitoshi's background to raving reviews of his work to seedy threads on gossip websites, Makoto soaked in all of the info like a sponge.

Hitoshi came from a single-parent home in Okinawa and starting after high school, had worked multiple dead-end jobs to save up enough to go to Tokyo University of the Arts to study film production. He took multiple internships during and after school to learn from the best in the industry, using his skills to climb to his current position as executive producer. He had held this occupation for eight years now but the officer had found the rumors on the gossip site dating back to only six years ago. She couldn't help but wonder if the power had gotten to his head around that time, leading to his heinous deeds. It was amazing what fame and money could do to someone's morals.

She still didn't approve of the gang's methods but she couldn't say she felt sorry for Hitoshi; he deserved punishment but she preferred to have it delivered through the courts.

The sound of rumbling on her desk brought her out of her reverie, causing her to look down to see the screen on her phone lit up.

'Come to the hideout thirty minutes early, Fox needs you to try on your outfit and make any adjustments'

Raising an eyebrow, she picked up the phone and unlocked it before replying back.

'Okay.'

Setting it back down, the woman sighed for the umpteenth time today, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. Not only was she stressing about this heist, but she was also anxious about what sort of garment laid in store for her. Fox seemed reliable enough to follow her requests (nothing revealing and something comfortable enough to move around in) but who knew what the artist had gotten up to since their last meeting?

"Niijima-san, do you have a minute?"

Eyes darting up, Makoto spotted Mishima standing in the doorway, his work bag hanging from his shoulder.

"What is it, Mishima-kun?"

Taking her question as approval, he walked into the room, a hesitant expression on his face. "I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I wanted to ask you something before I left."

"Go ahead."

Mishima took in a deep breath before letting it out, opting to look at the space next to his superior's head. "Well, um…"

Makoto frowned at his delaying. "Mishima, if there's something you need to say, just come out and say it."

The blue-haired man swallowed audibly at her firm tone, nodding before attempting speech again. "Ma'am, the thing is, um…I finished the reports for the Kumagai robbery case and the Inoshida assault case early…I was wondering if I could…"

Her eyebrow raised. "If you could…?"

"If I could…" The next part was said quietly but not enough to escape Makoto's hearing. "If I could do some investigating on Black Mask…"

"Out of the question."

His superior's icy refusal made him shrink momentarily before he puffed up again. "Ma'am, I know you're very…attached to this case but I think I could really help out if you just let me-"

"Mishima."

Mishima's rebuttal was cut off by his superior's steely tone calling his name. Looking up into her face now, he swallowed again at the furrowed brow and pursed lips aimed at him.

"This case is way out of your league and we don't need to add more people to it so that everything can get more complicated than it already is. I appreciate your enthusiasm but I'll have to ask you to not interfere and stick to what you know."

"So that means more rookie work?"

Makoto was surprised at how frustrated her subordinate sounded. "Rookie work is still work, Mishima-kun. It may feel irrelevant to you but it's helping somebody out in the long run."

"But…" The blue-haired man sighed in defeat, shoulders slumping. "Alright, if you say so…"

Anyone else would have ended the conversation right there but knowing how Mishima was and the way he trailed off with false finality rung alarm bells for the brunette. "Mishima…is there something else you have to say?"

Eyes widening at her question, the other looked off to the side for a few seconds before returning to his superior. "Well…since you're asking…yes, I do. Just this one thing and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day, I promise."

Trying hard not to roll her eyes at how she accidentally encouraged him, Makoto sighed instead and leaned her elbows on her desk, resting her chin on her clasped hands. "Alright, let's hear it."

"Okay, so-" He clapped his hands together, looking a little more perky than before. "In between my cases, I've been doing a little snooping on Black Mask and their history." Before Makoto could open her mouth and start reprimanding him for his nosiness, Mishima held his hands up to placate her. "B-But this was all done on my own free time, not at work! Anyways, I've been compiling a document with some details that weren't investigated on further by our department that just might shed some new light on this case. I, uh, don't think the Director would give me the time of day to read it so…"

"…you want me to read it?"

"Mhm!"

Makoto inhaled deeply, bringing her hands up to rub her temples as she took in this information. On one hand, she appreciated how intrigued the rookie was about the Black Mask case and how he took it upon himself to do research outside of the office. On the other hand, this case really was way out of his league and she couldn't rely on all of his info to be beneficial in the long run. And when was she going to have the time to read it? But she wouldn't feel right just leaving the guy hanging after he went out of his way to do this…

"Alright, just…email it to me when you get a chance." She held a hand up before he could get too excited. "But I can't promise I'll be able to read it right away, I do have other things to look into as well."

Mishima's head nodded quickly, his dark brown eyes lit up with elation. "Of course, ma'am! I'll send it to you right away, just take a peek whenever you have the time. Thank you so much!"

The officer bowed so low that his head nearly touched Makoto's desk, prompting a tilt of her lips. "You're welcome, Mishima-kun. That being said, why don't you stop by Nakahara's desk? He did say he had some traffic violations that needed to be filled and sent out today."

The bright smile on Mishima's face dimmed down at her not-so-subtle suggestion. Knowing that there was no room for push-back, the rookie sighed begrudgingly. "Yes ma'am. I'll go do that right away."

"Good. You're dismissed."

Mishima bowed once more before turning and leaving her office (his feet dragged a bit though). Alone again, the brunette couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her subordinate. She couldn't let him get what he wanted all the time; a little punishment was necessary to keep him in line.

'And maybe it will keep him out of my hair for the rest of the day.'

~•~•~•~

With the flurry of sending out emails, reading case files and taking future assignments, time passed and it was now 6:30.

The inspector was deep in her work when her alarm went off, a generic ringtone alerting her to what time it was. Ignoring the slight jump her heart gave at what was coming up, Makoto sighed and shut down her computer before standing up from her chair. She stretched her arms above her head for a good minute, fighting back the yawn bubbling in her throat. When her arms lowered, she organized her papers on the desk, putting the complete ones in one basket while the incomplete ones went in another.

Picking up her phone, she unlocked it and went into the conversation labeled under 'Joker', scrolling up to a couple of specific messages.

'We're leaving the hideout around 8'

'Get all your important things out of the way, it's going to be a long night'

Being the early bird that she was, Makoto had made sure to finish all of her errands before today, leaving her with nothing to do but head straight to the hideout. Although, her stomach was starting to become unsettled with the anxiety of the heist. Surely a stop at Yon-Germain would cure that.

After locking up her office, she made a beeline for the elevator and managed to get to the first floor and out the doors within three minutes (times like these were when she was glad she wasn't buddy-buddy with any of her coworkers). Makoto headed down to the Shibuya Underground Mall and to the bakery, ordering a melon pan and munching it on the side, keeping a close eye on the time. By 6:40, she was throwing her wrapper out and heading to the Yongen-Jaya line. Hopping on the least crowded car, the brunette managed to find a seat, taking the time to check her phone once more for any missed messages.

The only one she found was a text from Eiko asking if she wanted to grab brunch tomorrow since it was their days off.

Makoto replied with acceptance while wryly thinking that she might not make it home in time to get some sleep before meeting up.

Soon enough, the announcement for Yongen-Jaya rang out in the car, prompting the inspector to stand up and exit with a small crowd of people. Walking up the stairs, she reached ground level and began walking in the direction of the warehouse. To her dismay, her heart began beating faster and her stomach threatened to expel the melon pan from earlier. Makoto hated feeling like this; she equated nerves to weakness, something she couldn't afford to show in her profession. Anyone would have told her it was natural to be nervous in a situation like this but they didn't understand the position she was in. So many things were riding on this damn heist and if it went off well, then this was only the beginning of her vitriolic relationship with the Phantom Thieves. Who knew what could come next from this chaotic mess?

As her inner turmoil went on, Makoto looked up and blinked in surprise to find herself facing the door of the hideout.

Shaking her head to clear it, the brunette whipped her phone out and sent a message to Joker. Pocketing it, her foot tapped as she waited for a response or for the door to open. The latter occurred less than two minutes later, opening far enough for her to slide in before it shut.

"Thank you. I hope I'm not too-"

Makoto's worries of being too early halted as she got an eyeful of who had opened the door…or more, what they were wearing.

Panther had let her in but was in an outfit considerably different from the turtleneck ensemble she usually adorned. A burgundy cropped leather jacket sat over a red latex top of the same length, adorned with multiple zippers and cut low to show the blonde's cleavage. Black leather pants sat below her belly button and hugged her legs before disappearing underneath thigh-high leather boots, matching in color with her jacket. She had swapped her usual earrings for golden studs and added a thick black choker with a hanging gold circular pendant to accessorize. The cropped pink gloves on her hands stood out in the sea of red, now resting on her hips as the blonde scowled at the other's staring.

"What?"

Brought out of her examination by the snappy remark, Makoto quickly shook her head, not looking to get further on her bad side. "N-Nothing, I just…wasn't expecting your…outfit."

"Hmph, well, get used to it. Besides, you'll be getting yours on as soon as we get upstairs. Come on, we still have some things to finish before we leave."

Without waiting for a response, Panther turned and began heading up the stairs, leaving Makoto to follow.

'If that's what hers looks like, I don't want to know what mine is like.'

Sighing internally, the brunette kept walking until the two of them entered into the meeting room, looking considerably more cluttered than before. The metal table had a large chest sitting on it, open and full of items from rope to crowbars, which Skull was rummaging through. The folding chairs were pushed off to the walls to give space for the gang to run around, which Joker himself seemed to be doing now.

"Joker, she's here."

At Panther's announcement, the leader stopped in his tracks and looked up at them, lips curling into a feline grin.

"Well, look who actually showed up."

'Kiss my ass.'

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Enough of that, please."

"Mm, I don't think so." Chuckling at the spiteful look she gave him, Joker pointed his thumb to the doorway. "Fox is doing some final touches on your outfit, he'll be up in a second."

"A-Alright…"

A swear rang out from Skull, still going through the chest. "Hey, are you sure I didn't leave my polish in here?"

Panther frowned and walked over to join her partner. "Babe, didn't you take it home last week to clean your gun?"

"I did but I swear I brought it back the next day! Must be losin' my freakin' mind…"

While the three thieves were occupied with their own issues, Makoto stood in place and folded her arms across her waist as she waited for Fox to arrive. She never did too well with standing still and doing nothing (she was tempted to offer help but was 99 percent sure they would yell at her) so she opted to look over Joker and Skull's outfits.

Now looking at the two men, Makoto blinked in disbelief; this costume deal was no joke.

The leader's outfit consisted of a rich black turtleneck underneath a gray waistcoat adorned with four rows of black binding behind the gold buttons in the center. His pure black tailcoat was made of the usual material for blazers but with a far more intricate design. The collar was long and flipped up to hover up and away from his head and the sleeves were missing with the hem reaching all the way down to the back of his knees. Leather binding sat on all edges of the coat and a white pocket square sat in the breast pocket on the left side of it, breaking up the sea of black. The only other color on his person were the bright red leather gloves on his hands. His pants, continuing the color scheme, were cinched around his long legs and his shoes consisted of pointed toe dark brown boots. Overall, the look gave off his position as leader of a highly wanted gang.

As for Skull, his ensemble was a bit more simple compared to his teammate's. A white V-neck shirt sat underneath an unzipped black leather jacket, the sleeves rolled up and what looked like metal pieces draped over his shoulders. Similar to Joker's, his collar was long yet hovered around his head, hiding his lower jaw area from the sides. Around his neck laid a red ascot, the tails reaching to the bottom of his chest. His pants were black as well, a straight fit that flared out slightly at the hems; a thick brown belt with an almost obnoxious circular silver buckle held them up. The boots on his feet were brown combat ones and his hands housed yellow leather gloves, almost the same shade as his hair, with silver protectors over his knuckles. The blond looked like the embodiment of a punk you would not want to cross in a dark alley.

Her observation was cut short when Fox's tall form entered into the room, holding a black garment bag in his hands. However, it looked like he was also donning his Phantom Thief outfit; she could tell right off the bat the artistic liberties he had taken with his design.

His undershirt was a royal blue button-up, made of chiffon, with a high neck collar and large bishop sleeves, white cuffs at the end adorned with gold buttons. On top sat a sleeveless black vest with a collar that was in between the shape of Joker's and Skull's with a low neckline and white fabric with gold buttons over the shoulders and collar. The vest zipped up with a piece of circular silver hardware, hanging in the middle of his chest. Around his hips was a blue and white striped sash with what looked like a… was that a fox tail hanging from the back? Speeding past the eccentricity, it looked like the rest of his outfit was somewhat simple with black pants that puffed out a bit and white, knee-high motorcycle boots. Truly the look of an artist.

The man scanned the room for a couple of seconds before his eyes landed on Makoto, a delighted smile forming on his lips.

"Nijima-san!"

His long legs carried him over to her in a few steps before he bowed at his waist, holding the garment bag out to her with his cyan gloved hands.

"Your outfit is in here. I hope it's to your satisfaction, please don't hesitate to let me know if any mistakes must be rectified."

Unable to hold back the twitch of her lips at his showy gestures, the brunette took the bag from him, making sure to handle it carefully (God knows what was in there, there could have been something fragile).

"Thank you Fox. I apologize for the inconvenience, please understand how grateful I am that you went out of your way to do this."

Fox's posture straightened before he gave her an incredulous look. "Nonsense! Like I had mentioned before, it was lovely to create another disguise. That being said-" His face became serious as he waved his hands at her in a shooing motion. "You must go put it on immediately! There is a bathroom right outside of this room on the left side of the hallway."

Trying not to laugh at how the blue-haired man was rushing her (probably out of excitement to see his creation modeled rather than urgency to start the heist), Makoto nodded. "Of course, please excuse me."

Ignoring the four pairs of eyes on her back as she turned and headed towards the door, the inspector opened it before spotting the bathroom Fox had mentioned. She walked to the ajar door and reached inside, feeling around for a light switch on the wall. Flicking it once she found it, Makoto stepped into the lit room and shut the door behind her. Standing still and listening to hear if any footsteps approached, she sighed in relief after a minute passed with no sound before starting to undress. Once her clothes were off, leaving her in her underwear and socks, she turned to the garment bag hanging from the door hook.

'Well Makoto, this is either going to make you look cool or like an idiot.'

Wanting to kill the suspense, Makoto reached up and began unzipping the bag, eyes widening at the outfit waiting for her.

There was so much going on that she didn't know where to start.

A navy blue leather jacket, adorned with spiked silver studs on the lapels, sat on the hanger over what looked like two tops. The undershirt was a long-sleeved, mock-neck shirt made of black mesh, a black binding finishing off the neckline (was that velvet he used?). As for what sat over it, a gray, leather corset-styled bustier with spaghetti straps gave some modesty to the see-through undershirt. Although the styling and cut of the bustier was anything but modest; Makoto was pretty sure the neckline was going to show a hint of cleavage (she prayed it wasn't anything like Panther's top) and the fake corset lacing and silver rivets just screamed punk. The pants hanger held some black leather leggings, made of some sort of stretchy fabric, sure to hug her shapely legs. From the hangers hung a black drawstring bag, tied tight. Tilting her head in curiosity, she pulled it off and opened it up, pulling out the items it was holding; a mask and a pair of gloves. The mask was an…interesting shape, resembling a piece of iron that was bent at a sharp angle, wide in the middle where her nose would be sitting before narrowing out towards the sides of her head. As for the gloves, they were simple in shape and color, made of white leather and reaching to her wrists.

Makoto couldn't help but be impressed at how Fox managed to come up with such an outfit in a short amount of time. The garments truly looked professional and the design wasn't something that was too out of her comfort zone; a sneaky part of her wanted to wear the jacket on her days off but the gang would have her head if she did that.

Not wanting to waste any more time, the brunette quickly but carefully slipped on the ensemble (especially making sure not to rip the undershirt), making any minor adjustments with tugging and tightening before looking at herself in the small mirror. A smile couldn't help but form on her face; the outfit was a near-perfect fit. Also, she couldn't help but admit that she looked really good in leather.

'Alright Makoto, things are looking up for you. At least you can look cool while doing something you despise.'

Smile dimming when she remembered why she was even wearing this in the first place, the inspector straightened herself up before turning and grabbing the garment bag. Opening the door and flicking off the light, she headed back to the meeting room, shutting the door behind her. The sound brought the occupants' attention to her, causing her to freeze as they all studied her attire.

A few seconds of silence passed before anyone spoke.

"Well damn, she actually looks like one of us now!" Skull's exclamation was paired with raised eyebrows and a tilted head.

"Huh, not bad. You outdid yourself again, Fox." Panther mimicked her partner's action, albeit with crossed arms as she looked the brunette up and down.

"Why thank you, Panther. Although I will admit this outfit is one of my best works, it would not look as lovely on any other individual." Fox's eyes practically twinkled with pride and admiration as he gave Makoto a look of platonic appreciation.

The compliment brought a flush to said recipient's cheeks, causing her to fake a cough and focus on a crack on the wall. "Th-Thank you Fox…"

The artist nodded in acknowledgement before turning to his leader. "Well Joker, what do you think?"

At the mention of him, Makoto turned her head to look, her garnet eyes widening a bit at how he was eyeing her. Even behind his lenses, his steel eyes were intensely boring a hole into her person, trailing from her head and all the way down to her feet. He didn't say a word though, lips pressed firmly together. She tried not to shuffle side to side, feeling like he was invading her privacy with the way he was staring. He was definitely sizing her up…but in what way?

'Makoto, please, like he would ever look at you in that way. You're the enemy, remember?'

The condescending thought sobered her up, causing the brunette to straighten up and give the leader a steely look, lips tightening in a line. "Is there something wrong with my outfit, Joker?"

Giving a slight start at being called out (a sliver of satisfaction formed at catching the composed man off-guard), Joker shook his head before one of those infuriating smirks formed. "Not at all, just admiring my friend's handiwork."

The two continued their staring match for a few more seconds before the brunette broke the connection, trying to ignore the awkward feeling his gaze had left her with. What the hell was that about? It was the type of look she had associated with sleazy hostess recruiters in Shinjuku but instead of being annoyed, she felt flustered. Did he really have the nerve to check her out in front of his team?

'Get over yourself, Makoto, he's probably making fun of how you look in his head right now.'

Accepting that explanation without hesitation, Makoto rolled her ruby eyes. "If you say so."

Chuckling at her response, Joker walked over to the chest on the table and rummaged through it for a bit before pulling out something (what it was, she couldn't see, his body was blocking the view). Turning around, he revealed said something as a gun in one hand and a pair of brass knuckles in the other. "We got your weapons in this morning, come get them."

Walking over to him, the brunette took the weapons from his hands and studied them. The gun was a near replica of a Smith and Wesson M&P revolver (if it wasn't for her weapons class at the academy, she would've been fooled into thinking it was the real deal) while the brass knuckles were silver and a simple shape. Sliding the knuckles onto one hand, she flexed her fingers around the metal, testing the fit and comfort. Satisfied, Makoto slid them into her jacket pocket before looking the revolver over, tilting her head at how well-made it was.

"It's already been loaded with bullets, there's a box of extra ones on the table also."

"Hm…" Opening the barrel, she counted six chambers. The usual amount but… "What are the odds that I'll have to actually use all of these up?"

The leader scoffed. "Trust me, you don't know how insane these heists can get. Don't be surprised if you have to take the whole box as backup."

Skull's mutter was loud enough for her to hear. "Especially if you're shit at shooting."

Letting the remark slide, Makoto nodded slowly. Making sure the safety was on, she tucked the revolver into the inside pocket of her jacket. The inspector was pretty confident in her aim even though most of her practice came from stationary rather than moving objects. But she wasn't very eager on using the gun in the first place. Joker had brought it up in one of the meetings when he asked her what type of weapons she wanted. She was okay with just the brass knuckles but his insistence on having a ranged weapon nearly evolved into yet another argument and the migraine she was nursing that day agreed just to get him to shut up. Unless the situation was dire, she was going to pretend that the revolver didn't even exist.

"Alright everyone, round up! Time for a recap!"

Joker's clapping alerted everyone in the room, prompting a huddle at the center table. Once everyone was nearby, he focused on the table speaker.

"Oracle, are you set?"

"You bet! Take it away, boss!"

"So-" His gray eyes hardened. "We're about to begin our charge on Hitoshi's mansion. We've been spending weeks on preparing for this so I'm confident we can pull this off without a hitch. That being said, I'm going to make sure everyone knows the plan down to a T. Oracle, start us off?"

"Yessir!" The sound of a clearing throat was made. "Alright, so I doubled down on the security system research to make sure no sudden changes were made; looks like we're set on that front. So while you guys are heading over to the Hitoshi mansion, I'm going to begin hacking to get it deactivated. Like I mentioned before, we only have a five minute window of time until the company starts asking questions so as soon as I let you know you're set, you'll have to get inside ASAP. Once you're in, I'll have to turn the system back on. You should be fine escaping without setting off the alarms but if desperate measures call, let me know ahead of time so I can shut it back down. That's all I've got for now."

Joker nods. "Thanks Oracle, we'll make sure to let you know the second we step foot on the property." He motioned at the other members with his head. "Skull, Panther and Fox, what are your directions?"

Skull began, his usually laid-back expression traded for a determined one. "So the three of us are gonna sneak in through the basement door on the left side of the building. Once we're in, we gotta watch for the cameras and hug the walls, crawl on the ground, all the usual shit until we get up to the kitchen on the first floor. Hitoshi's chef should be gone by then so we should be in the clear to sneak through there. In the hallway right outside the kitchen is a set of stairs that go to the end of the second floor, close to his office and trophy room. I'll go into the trophy room, look for that dumb People's Honour award and nab it."

Now the leader looked at Panther, her eyes blazing with ferocity. "Fox and I will split up from Skull once we reach the second floor and head into the office. If we're lucky, his manuscript will be lying there on his desk. But knowing the kind of guy this scumbag is, it's probably tucked away somewhere." The blonde looked at her blue-haired teammate, encouraging him to pick up where she left off for now.

"Panther is most likely correct but either way, I will have to scour through his desk and filing cabinets in order to find his contract. Thanks to research, I know that it will have Sunshine Studios' logo on the top so it should not be difficult to find. I just have to make sure it's the 'exact' one that we discussed would be needed in order for Hitoshi's mind to be swayed."

Panther continued once he gave her the okay. "As soon as we all get what we need, we'll notify each other and get back down to where we entered from. The housekeeper is on vacation still, right?"

"Yeah, they won't be back for another two days."

Nodding at her leader's confirmation, she tilted her pink lips. "So we should have no worries about running into anyone. Hitoshi is still in Sapporo on his 'business trip'-" A scoff and a mumble of 'business trip for perverted horndogs, more like it' came from Skull. "-so he won't even know what hit him for a little while."

Pleased with his team having the usual bases covered, Joker nodded in approval. But there was one thing he always had to make clear.

"And what's the most important thing?"

In unison, the trio replied. "Make it look like we weren't even there in the first place."

"Damn straight. Now that the professionals are out of the way-" Slate eyes turned to focus on the elephant in the room. "What's your role in this heist, inspector?"

Did he have to say her title like that? Oh crap, now everyone is looking at her (she was sure even Oracle was eyeing her with the camera). Ignoring the mild panic that came from the attention, Makoto straightened her posture even further and met Joker's mocking gaze.

'Just channel the same energy you use when making a report.'

"Joker and I will be splitting off from the group once we're on the premises to head towards the garage where Hitoshi's Maserati is stored. In order to make as minimal noise as possible, there's a side door we can lockpick open. As soon as we get in, I'll break into the car and begin hot wiring it. If I get the timing correct, it should take about three minutes minimum, five max to get it started. The two of us will have to be idle until we get word from the others that they've obtained the items then we can open the main garage door from inside and head out."

The black-haired man's gaze wasn't as harsh as before but she wasn't letting her guard down just yet. "And what's the route we're going to take?"

"Go down Senryu Ave. for a mile and a half, turn left onto Fukumoto St. before going right on Eomon St. until we see the limestone statue of a kappa sitting on a log. There will be a one-way road that we can turn onto that will take us back to Yongen-Jaya. Instead of coming back to the warehouse though, we'll drop the Maserati off at an underground parking garage, spot 221. Then we walk away like we didn't just steal a twelve million yen car."

Her flawless recalling of the plan brought a humored grin to the man's face, especially at her last sentence. "Good, maybe your chances of screwing this up are slim."

Makoto blew air through her nostrils. "I don't screw up and I don't plan to let it happen any time soon, especially on something as serious as this."

"Wow, cocky, aren't we?"

The brunette looked at Panther, meeting the woman's gaze with indifference. "I'm just stating facts."

Panther's blue eyes narrowed before she stepped around her partner to stand directly in front of the inspector. "Facts or not-" One of her pink-gloved hands lifted and pointed a finger in her face. "You need to remember your place. You're just a liability right now and if you fuck this up, you will regret it."

It wasn't having the relentless woman right up in her personal bubble or the threat tagged on at the end but the mention of being a liability that was starting to rile up Makoto. It was bringing up some unpleasant memories she had buried deep down many years ago and it wasn't a place she wanted to return to.

So she pursed her lips, putting on a mask of nonchalance.

"Trust me, I don't plan to break my perfect record tonight."

Before the exchange could take a turn for the worse, an electronic ringing sound filled the meeting room.

Looking around for the source, Makoto saw Joker fiddling with his phone before the sound stopped. A gloved hand reached up to remove the lenses off of his face, setting them down on the table. He looked up then, charcoal eyes blazing with conviction. It was scary what a difference some glass and wires could make to someone's demeanor.

"Alright guys, it's time."

At his words, the Phantom Thieves nodded in acknowledgment before splitting up to make sure they had everything they needed. This left Makoto to stand in her same spot, staring at the red and black banner hanging on the opposite wall. Background noise faded as she became absorbed by her own thoughts.

This was the point of no return.

Makoto Nijima was officially going from Inspector of the Criminal Affairs Division of the Tokyo Special Investigations Unit to honorary member of the renowned Phantom Thieves.

Playing along with this game was going against every fiber of her personal beliefs. Breaking into someone's house, stealing their valuables and then holding them for ransom? Oh yes, she could picture her instructor from the academy having a stroke at the thought of one of his best pupils engaging in such delinquency. It didn't help that her 'partners in crime' weren't fully supportive of having to work with the enemy. One wrong move and they would throw her ass out on the street. And then the worst part would come; having to tell the Director that she failed and lost their one and only possible lead on Black Mask which would lead to getting demoted or even fired and she could kiss that police commissioner dream goodbye-

'Makoto Nijima, pull yourself together, you sound pathetic! You will pull off this heist as well as the future ones, you will do your job right and prove these thugs wrong and you will find Black Mask, take that bastard down and make them pay for their crimes. And once it's all said and done, you'll be showing all of these people just what you're capable of as police commissioner! Straighten up!'

After getting verbally slapped around by her conscious, the brunette shook her head to clear the doubts, a resolved expression covering her face now.

It was time to play her role.

Squaring her shoulders, the inspector walked over to the box of bullets and pulled out at least ten of them, shoving them into the other inside pocket of her jacket. Confident that those would hold her over, she pulled the brass knuckles out and slid them onto both of her hands. Maintaining a safe grip on them, Makoto gave a few practice swings.

Jab. Right hook. Left hook. Uppercut.

Good. The weapons felt comfortable with just enough weight to pack a punch yet prevent her from getting injured or tired.

"Oy, copper-" Makoto looked up to see the others looking at her with mild annoyance (minus Joker's amused smirk and Yusuke's head tilted in curiosity). "If you're done shadow boxin', let's roll."

Ignoring the embarrassment from being caught in the act, the officer removed the knuckles and housed them back in their usual place before nodding.

"Lead the way."

~•~•~•~

The Phantom Thieves and their add-on began walking to where their transportation lay in wait. Makoto took in every detail of the short trip, noting how they went behind the warehouse to a small set of stairs that led to a very narrow alleyway (everyone had to go in a single file) where they walked for seven minutes before Joker made a sharp left through an opening that looked like it was created from the elements rather than man-made with how uneven it was. Once they all stepped through, a desolate parking lot laid in front of them, the concrete littered with faded paint lines and cracks that sprouted weeds. The only thing interrupting the expanse was what resembled an auto repair shop; resembled was the word because it didn't even seem like anyone used it anymore. The gray vinyl siding was weathered, scratched and discolored to all hell, there was only two out of the many glass windows that weren't cracked or broken and one of the garage doors looked like a giant had punched a dent into it.

But to the brunette's surprise, Joker fished a small remote out of his coat pocket and after pressing a button, the damaged door began sliding open with ease.

Behind it, a four-door van sat inside. The van resembled a Citroën H, the type that she remembered seeing at a young age whenever her family went on trips to the countryside. Black paint covered the paneling, the monochrome broken up by a red stripe starting from the middle of the hood before stretching to the back of the vehicle. It was obvious that the vehicle was well-taken care of, not a speck of dirt showing and the chrome shining in the low light of the garage.

"Huh…"

The leader raised an eyebrow at Makoto's sound of intrigue. "You seem surprised."

"Well, I wasn't expecting a place like this to be hiding the Phantom Thieves' getaway car."

Joker let out a short laugh before flashing his teeth. "Guess you guys weren't looking hard enough, huh?"

She couldn't help but grumble and frown, arms folding across her chest. "I guess not…"

"Shotgun!"

A blur of yellow, black and red flew past Makoto, leaving her to blink in shock as Skull now sat in the passenger seat, grinning like he won the lottery.

"Skull, really? You're so immature sometimes!"

Panther's scolding only caused the other to stick his head out of the door, tongue sticking out. "Sorry babe but front seat is always more fun durin' a heist!"

The blonde growled underneath her breath before letting out a 'hmph', strutting over to the van to enter the backseat. Her journey was disrupted by her partner's hand on her arm, a sly grin on his face despite the glare she was giving.

"Unless you wanna come sit on my lap? Always room for ya."

Glare melting into a look of exasperation, Panther pulled her arm away and used it to push Skull (letting out an amusing yelp) by his forehead into the van before slamming the door shut. "Such a perv."

Still blinking at whatever dynamic the couple had going on, Makoto jumped in surprise when a hand laid on her shoulder. She relaxed once she turned her head and saw that it belonged to Fox.

"Nijima-san, you'll be sitting with us in the backseat. I think it would be best if you sit between Panther and I for…reasons."

A blank look was given to the artist. "You mean so I don't escape?"

"...I was trying to be polite and not say it but yes."

It was hard to be offended when Fox had a sheepish look on his face. "That's understandable, Fox. Let's go, then."

Glad that she wasn't making a big deal out of it, the taller man motioned her to walk ahead. Makoto headed to the back of the van and opened the door before scooting in next to Panther, making sure not to get too close in case the woman snapped at her. Once she was situated, Fox filled in the empty spot next to her before shutting the door. The inspector glanced around the interior; nothing too extravagant, just beige walls and black carpeting. The seats felt pretty comfortable and were made of padded burgundy vinyl. Peeking over the front seat, she saw a pretty standard console with dials for the air and an AM/FM radio.

For some reason, the thought of the gang listening to Top 40 while heading to a heist made her lips quirk.

Joker finally entered into the driver's seat, shutting his door before sticking his keys into the ignition and starting up the engine. His gloved hand reached up to adjust the rear-view mirror, looking to make sure it was in its correct position. Rather than look ahead after he was done, his gray eyes caught Makoto's ruby ones. The brunette's eyes widened a bit at how hard he was staring her down; why were his orbs so intense? She wished he had kept his glasses on, it was like he was a completely different person without them.

"Ready?"

The question was likely directed to everyone in the car but the brunette couldn't help but feel that he was focusing it on her. It was her last chance to back out of this madness.

Makoto Nijima was not a quitter, though.

"Yes."

Her hunch was confirmed at the sly smile the leader flashed through the reflection.

"Let's do it."

~•~•~•~

*alarm sounds* WE HAVE A NEW CHAPTER, I REPEAT, WE HAVE A NEW CHAPTER!

I am SO sorry this took so long to update, I never dreamed it would be nearly SEVEN MONTHS since I posted the last chapter. Life is a bitch though and once I got the time and motivation back, guess what? My laptop crapped out ^_^*

I got it back recently but the OS was wiped so I have to wait until I can get my uncle to send my data over to me. Thank God past me had emailed the outline and chapter files to myself when I went on vacation so I didn't have to start from scratch. Now that I'm done whining-

It's about to be heist time! Makoto is really in enemy territory now, hopefully she can actually handle it and carry this out smoothly…

But where would the fun be in that? ;)

Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated! 3