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

Chapter title comes from "Chase You Down" – RUNAGROUND.

~•~•~•~

Two guns pointed to the back of her head was not how she pictured her day would end up going.

But should she have expected anything less hostile? A naïve person would think that the gang would find her snooping around and listen to her explanation with patience before agreeing to her plan with nothing but acceptance.

Such thoughts were infantile.

Complying further with the strangers' requests, Makoto carefully turned around to face them, her hands still up in the air. She wasn't surprised to see the blond man she had been tailing but she couldn't say the same for the tall woman standing next to him. Her looks screamed 'foreigner' but her Japanese was spoken like a native; not a lot of natives with ash blonde hair and blue eyes, though.

Said eyes of hers narrowed further, the grip on her SMG tightening. "Now, who are you and why are you in here?"

Makoto's lips tightened in response, meeting the woman's eyes with almost as much venom.

A few seconds went by in silence and the man growled lowly before stepping closer with his shotgun, holding the barrel closer to her face now. "Don't play mute with us, lady. Why are you here? No, scratch that, how the hell did you find us?"

Makoto chose to reply, her words clipped and haughty. "I followed you, that's how. You should be careful what words you use in public."

Her response seemed to catch the duo off-guard, especially the man whose eyes widened and pallor lost color. "No fuckin' way…from where?"

"Scarlet."

His mouth hung open almost comedically. "Are you for real?!"

"Ugh, Skull, you idiot! How could you not notice her following you all this time?!"

The man named Skull shrunk a bit as his partner began yelling at him. "I-I didn't see nobody! She's like a freakin' ninja!"

The blonde woman's eyes glowed with fury as they turned onto him. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, we've told you this a hundred times! And what is she talking about, 'be careful what words you use in public'?" He didn't have a chance to answer as her saying it out loud made something click, bringing even more darkness to her face. "You mentioned the hideout."

"…did I?"

Her eye twitched for a second before she took in a deep breath. "You know…I wonder why I love you sometimes."

"Aw man, don't do that, Panther! Besides, you're the one who's been harassin' me about goin' to that damn store!"

Skull's momentary burst of confidence disappeared when the one known as Panther began shouting once more. "So now it's my fault?! I should make your ass sleep on the couch tonight! No, you know what? You can actually stay here with Joker and have one of your boys' nights out, for all I care!"

Makoto could feel a vein throbbing in her temple as she watched the two continue their argument, forgetting about their intruder. While she could have taken advantage of their distraction and ran out the window, running was the last thing she wanted to do. She wasn't going to let them stop her from her mission.

"Excuse me!"

Her sudden shouting made the thieves jump and look in her direction once more, eyes narrowing again as they remembered their current situation. "You ready to squeal now, lady?"

The brunette lifted her chin, looking down her nose at Skull. "No. I actually need to speak to your leader."

Panther's brows furrowed in confusion, her gun still held at the inspector. "What? Why would we let you speak to them?"

"Because that's the whole reason I came here, actually. I'm on a…bit of a mission, you see."

The blond man's expression became dumbfounded before a chuckle of disbelief escaped him. "You must have some serious stones to go followin' a complete stranger over a few words and then break into this place." Skull's free arm stretched out and motioned to the banner hanging on the right. "I'm guessin' you know who we are?"

"Of course. You're the Phantom Thieves, a vigilante group who have been stealing for the last four years."

Panther didn't miss the undercurrent of distaste in her words. "I'm guessing you're not too fond of us?"

Makoto's eyes narrowed as her lips pursed further. "Was it that obvious?"

Before Panther could snap back at her, Skull stepped in. "Look, you're in no position to be mouthin' off to us so watch yourself. Tell us what this 'mission' shit is about, lady."

The inspector's hardened gaze went onto the man now. "I told you, I need to speak to your leader. I'm not saying anything about that until they get here nor am I leaving without seeing them. Either you bring them here or you kill me. Make your choice."

Not expecting the stranger's demanding words and the ultimatum she gave, the duo's faces became conflicted, still holding onto their weapons tight. Makoto was glad she had a great poker face; her heart was pounding at essentially telling them that she was willing to die unless she got what she wanted. All they had to do was pull the triggers and it would be over.

But they didn't as Skull leaned in closer to Panther, mumbling even though Makoto could hear them. "Hey…what should we do? This chick ain't budgin' but I don't really wanna give her what she's askin' for…"

The blonde hummed in displeasure, a frown marring her lovely features. "I know…but I don't think she's joking when she says she won't leave without talking to him. And I'm not killing anyone, either."

"Hnh, point taken."

The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, having a silent conversation with their gazes before they nodded all of a sudden. Their eyes returned to the intruder, showing hostility marred with defeat. "Fine…you can talk to our leader but don't expect him to roll over and do whatever you want, got it?"

Unfazed by the woman's sharp tone, Makoto nodded (though she wasn't making any promises to her rules). "Fine."

The women's eyes continued to bore into each other's while Skull sighed in irritation at the situation. He decided to lower his shotgun, resting it on the metal table. Letting out a 'fuck's sake', he pulled out an orange phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before holding it up to his ear.

"Yo man. Look, we, uh, got an issue." A pause. "You gotta come up to the meetin' room, we have…a visitor. And they ain't leavin' unless they speak to ya." An even longer pause before he ran a hand over his face. "Look man, it's a long story, just come up, we gotta think of somethin'. Could really use your wisdom right now." One more pause and he nodded. "Thanks. See ya."

Panther broke the staring match to look at her partner. "Is he coming up?"

"Yeah, he's gotta finish up with Oracle and then he'll be up. He, uh, didn't sound too happy."

Panther sighed heavily and lowered her gun, not seeing the intruder as a runner anymore. "Of course not, we've got a goddamn stranger in our hideout."

Skull grunted before walking over to a wooden dresser on the side where the door was, leaning against it and tapping his foot on the ground as they waited. The tall woman joined him soon (not before shooting Makoto a look that translated to 'I'm watching you'), sitting on the surface and crossing her legs while folding her arms. The man began saying something to her but due to the distance and low volume, the brunette couldn't hear a word they were saying. Going by their expressions, she could ascertain that Skull was apologizing to Panther for his mistake, not receiving much of a forgiving response.

Makoto's arms were lowered now but she didn't want to make any other movement until the leader arrived. Unsure how long it would take, she decided to pass the time by studying the two thieves further.

Skull's hair must have been bleached as having him close up earlier made her notice his small but dark eyebrows furrowing over his dark brown eyes. His ears had a silver stud in each lobe, suiting his rebellious image. The violet hoodie on his torso had a single yellow stripe going down the sleeves and sat over a black T-shirt with a graphic of a very abstract skull on it. His jeans were a light denim but she was amazed they didn't fall apart with how destroyed they looked with the multiple rips and holes in them (she wouldn't be surprised if he had done the modifications to a perfectly normal pair of jeans). The red hi-tops on his feet looked worn to death, the soles marked with dirt and scuffs and the canvas stained with all sorts of blotches; she can only imagine how vibrant they looked once upon a time.

As for Panther, Makoto couldn't help but notice just how much the woman stood out. Aside from her long, wavy hair, currently held up in a high ponytail, and her bright blue eyes, she was rather tall and slender (the brunette had to look up a bit to meet her eyes), having a figure suitable for modeling. Her outfit didn't scream ne'er do well with her rose-colored turtleneck and burgundy vest, paired with close-fitted medium wash jeans. Brown knee-high boots sat on her feet and looked like they were made of a durable material; they looked pristine compared to her partner's footwear. Red, circular earrings hung from her earlobes, swinging a bit when she shook her head at Skull a few times. Makoto couldn't understand how someone like her ended up in a place like this, no one on the street would look at her twice and think she was a Phantom Thief. Although, her face did look a bit familiar…

The creaking of the wooden door halted her observation and the duo's conversation as it slowly opened to reveal a tall, lanky man. His face was impassive but his movements betrayed his displeasure, shoulders tense and fists curled at his side. His eyes immediately locked onto Makoto's, a storm brewing in the steel gray orbs at the sight of her.

Skull and Panther immediately ran over to their leader, frantically talking over each other.

"Look man, I fucked up pretty bad but-"

"But nothing! Skull had a complete stranger follow him home and he-"

"I didn't know she was followin' me! Dude, you gotta beli-"

"We were trying to get her to talk but she won't say anything else unless you-"

The man held his hand up, halting the other's rapid-fire words. "Relax guys, I'll handle this. Just back me up, alright?"

The two nodded, obeying his orders and staying in their spots as he approached Makoto. His appearance, like Panther's, didn't scream 'I'm a Phantom Thief!' either. He had a mop of wavy, black hair on his head, long enough to hang between his eyes and on the nape of his neck. Large, round glasses sat on his face, making him look unassuming with a quick glance but she wasn't fooled. His torso was covered with a black crewneck sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up to under his elbows, the bands around the neck, sleeve ends and hem red and white stripes. The jeans he wore were a dark wash and his shoes were casual gray oxfords, neat aside from some dirt on the beige soles. A thin, black leather bracelet sat on his left wrist, hugging the taut muscle in his forearm.

Her observation was cut short as he approached her, stopping a foot in front of her; the brunette tensed her body in case she had to defend herself. Instead, words came out of his mouth.

"Who are you?"

Makoto licked her dry lips before responding. "I'm Makoto Nijima…I'm an inspector with the Special Investigations Unit."

The leader frowned further at this admission while Skull and Panther made noises of alarm.

"SIU?!"

"Shit, we got a copper here?!"

Makoto quickly placated the two. "Relax, I'm not here to arrest anyone. I know it's hard to believe but…I need your help with something."

The black-haired man raised an eyebrow at her. "So you broke into our hideout just to ask us for help?"

"Well, it's not like I could go through the front door."

His lips twitched a bit at her quip before he held a hand out. "Let me see your badge."

The inspector's eyebrow raised now in confusion. "Why do you need to see it?"

"To make sure you're not lying to me. For all I know, you could be SIU but you're using a fake name to protect yourself or you're working for one of the many people we've targeted. You could be getting our guard down to spread out our whereabouts or even take us out in this very room."

Finding herself unable to argue with his points, Makoto pursed her lips. "Okay. I have to reach inside my blazer, I'll do it slowly."

Getting a nod of approval, she took her time going inside the left side of her blazer, gripping the end of the leather case with her fingertips before slowly bringing it out to hand to the man. He flipped it open and studied the ID card with her name and picture on it, looking back and forth between it and her face. Seeing that the badge number matched with the one on the card, he nodded in satisfaction. Instead of handing it back to her, he pocketed it in the back of his jeans, bringing a sound of protest from the woman.

"Hey!"

"Relax, you'll get it back. First, we need to talk." The leader grabbed one of the nearby chairs and dragged it over in front of her, motioning towards it with his free hand. "Sit."

Grumbling internally, Makoto complied, folding her hands in her lap. The other dragged his own chair over and sat down, leaning forward at the waist to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together.

Eyeing her over his glasses, he began. "So, Inspector, why do you need the help of criminals? Is the SIU getting desperate?"

Not amused by the condescending tone he gave, the brunette scowled. "We're not getting desperate."

"Really? But you're sitting here in my meeting room-" A cat-like grin showed on his face. "Screams of desperation to me."

'Bastard.'

Holding back her temper, Makoto explained herself. "Look, I'm sure you've heard of Black Mask. We're…we're trying a different approach on apprehending them…"

At the mention of the murderer, the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Glancing behind the man, she could see Skull and Panther looking more wound-up than before; the man's scowl was darker and his fists balled while the woman glared down at the floorboards, her fingers digging into her folded arms. Their leader wasn't as rigid but his gray eyes narrowed a bit.

"And what makes you think we have any info on them?"

"You're both thieves, we figured your group would have some useful information on how they work, how they choose their targets, why they-"

"Go to hell, lady."

A low but infuriated curse came from Skull, bringing her garnet eyes to land on him with mild surprise. The blond bared his teeth and stood straight now, pointing a finger at her.

"We have nothing to do with that murderin' fucker and if you think you can bust in here and start demandin' help because your damn unit can't do jack shit, you've got another thing comin'!"

"Skull. Take it easy." The black-haired man's voice rang out with a calm but firm tone. "I'm sure the inspector didn't mean to offend-" All of a sudden, his charcoal eyes became cold as ice, bringing a small shiver down Makoto's spine. "Although I don't like what's being implied here."

Wetting her dry lips once more, the brunette spoke up carefully. "Look, I'm not trying to incriminate or associate you with them…we just wanted to learn how the Phantom Thieves work from the inside in order to follow Black Mask or figure out who their next victim might be."

Panther spoke with petulance this time, her arm around Skull's waist as she tried to calm him down. "Because we're both thieves? Is that your lead?"

Makoto's lips pursed, eyes narrowing a bit. "No, we wouldn't go off of such a weak idea. We found there were some similarities between the patterns of Black Mask's thefts and your thefts." Seeing that they were not convinced yet, the inspector took in a deep breath before talking in an empathetic tone. "Look…while I don't condone what you have been doing, I can say for sure that you're not killers. If that were the case, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you right now. I'm sure you all have reasons for taking justice into your own hands but the SIU needs to give answers to the public and capture this monster immediately. We've lost too many citizens to them and it needs to end now."

Her ruby eyes bore into the leader's gray ones, not wavering in order to prove her point. His reflected back with just as much intensity but it was muted by his lenses, the light in the room bouncing off and giving a glare.

"I understand if you don't want to work with the SIU but…forget about them for now and just work with me. I love my job but I can't rest at night any longer knowing that Black Mask is laughing at us bumbling around like headless chickens. My boss told me that this was a solo mission; you don't have to worry about anyone else knowing about your faces, your location, anything. I'm asking you this not as Inspector Nijima…but as Makoto."

For what felt like minutes, the room was silent.

Deep inside, Makoto was stressing out, wondering if she had failed in her mission already. She was awful in expressing her emotions but her desperation had caused her to crack and start spewing out what had been brewing for years now. Her frustrations, her worries, her fears, her anxiety; this situation was breaking the tight lid on her jar of stoicism. If they had rejected her, she would beg them to just kill her here and now. It was morbid but the idea of death was less terrifying than having to go back to headquarters with her tail tucked in between her legs, having to tell the Director that she couldn't get the Phantom Thieves to cooperate. She couldn't stand failure.

Her rampaging thoughts were stopped when the leader spoke lowly.

"Makoto…are you willing to do anything to stop Black Mask?"

She knew anything could mean, well…anything but screw it.

"Yes."

The man hummed in regard, still keeping his gaze on hers. After a few seconds, he talked. "Fine. I have a proposition. If you accept it, we'll help you and only you out."

Her brow raised. "What's your proposition?"

Now his posture straightened up, leaning back into the chair while folding his arms across his chest. "You seem like an intelligent woman. I'm sure you've noticed by looking around how many members we have?"

"Yes, about four to five."

He nodded. "Correct, we have five. But only four of us work outside of here, our fifth member specializes in intel and prefers to stay here to do their work. Most of our heists go off without a hitch but there have been some that have given us trouble. That being said…" His feline smirk from earlier returned. "We could use some help ourselves."

Makoto's reaction was mild compared to the giant ones that came from the other thieves.

"Wh-What?"

"Are you for fuckin' real right now?!"

"You can't be serious!"

The leader was unfazed by their opposition, simply shrugging. "Hey, I think it's a fair exchange. You help us, we help you, simple."

The brunette sputtered a bit. "H-Hold on there, you want me to go on heists with you?"

"Yup."

"That…" A hand reached up to grip her head as she looked down at her lap. "That's insanity…what if one of the officers notice me and say something to my boss? Or what if the media finds out?"

She felt like he was mocking her when his head tilted and his brows raised. "So? I thought you were willing to do anything to help the citizens out."

Her head whipped up before she hissed out. "Yes, anything that couldn't involve me losing my job or having to steal!"

All traces of humor left his face now. "Look Makoto, either you take this deal or you walk out of here and tell your boss that you couldn't put your pride aside to get a lead on Black Mask. I'm sure you would love to do the latter, no?"

Her blood was beginning to boil now. This man had full control of the situation from the moment he stepped into the room. Had she rejected the deal, Makoto would've been the only one taking the loss; it would've been no skin off of the Phantom Thieves' noses. But she really did not like the thought of having to participate in the vigilante acts she had been fighting against for the past four years, it screamed hypocrisy.

'What else are you going to do? You have no proper leads and they're offering to assist you. Say no and you can kiss that Police Commissioner position goodbye.'

At the thought of her end goal, Makoto's breath halted.

She had almost forgotten about it in the frenzy of events in the last couple of hours. If she went back empty-handed, the inspector could kiss her chances of getting promoted goodbye.

Dying here right now was sounding better and better.

Taking a minute to calm herself, Makoto gave her answer. "We…we have a deal."

The man's smirk returned now, pleased with her response. "Good."

Not mirroring his expression, she queried in a deadpan tone. "Since I'll be working with you, may I know my coworker's name?"

Looking amused now, he held a hand out to her. "Joker."

'So this is Joker…'

Makoto brought her hand out to shake his, noticing the firm grip. Nothing like a good old handshake to seal a horrific deal.

~•~•~•~

It was around 10 PM now and the only two on the second floor of the hideout were Joker and Skull, watching some comedy movie in the makeshift living room. They had two sofas there, once a bright blue but now resembling navy from the years of use, a coffee table in front of them and a flat screen TV along the opposite wall, sitting on a wooden stand (Skull had found it a couple of weeks ago, fixing Panther and Oracle's complaints about having the TV sitting on the ground).

The movie was one the men had seen before but it was a favorite. Although, they couldn't stay completely focused on the scenes, thinking about the shake-up from earlier today.

About halfway through, Skull spoke up from his reclining position. "Hey man…about earlier…"

Joker turned his head to the other sofa, giving the blond his attention. "What's up?"

For once, the mouthy man seemed hesitant, quiet for a few seconds until he spoke in uncertainty. "Are you sure you did the right thing?" At the other's quizzical look, he sighed and sat up, stretching. "I mean, gettin' that cop chick to work with us…not that I wanna kill your buzz but it's hella risky havin' her involved in our business."

Joker's mouth turned down a bit. "Ryuji…I can't say that I'm a hundred percent sure I did the right thing but I think this could work in our favor."

Ryuji matched his frown. "And what if it doesn't, Akira? What if she squeals and the AFS come bustin' in here with warrants or somethin'?"

The dark-haired man sighed, bringing a hand up to push his glasses up and rub the bridge of his nose. "Then we'll figure it out when the time comes. It shouldn't though, that's why I had Futaba give me that tracking device to put on her. It'd be hard to rat us out when she's listening in on her every move."

"True…" Sighing, he slouched over and rested his elbows on his knees. "Gotta be honest, I'm not happy about havin' to work with a cop but if it's to get rid of that Black Mask asshole, I'll put on the damn uniform myself."

Akira chuckled at the thought of the rebellious man stuffed into an officer's uniform, looking like a fish out of water. "Hey, I'm sure Ann or Shiho might like that."

The blond's cheeks reddened at his friend's teasing, flashing him a middle finger. "Fuck you, man. Ugh, I'm really gonna have to make it up to Ann for my fuck-up earlier. At least I've got a couple of days to figure somethin' out."

Akira grabbed his soda off the coffee table and took a sip. "Shiho's back in town?"

"A-yup. Last time she was back, the three of us were attached at the hip, figured they could take some time for themselves."

"…Ann threatened to make you sleep on the couch, didn't she?"

Ryuji looked like a child caught stealing a cookie. "Uh huh."

A full-blown laugh came out of Akira now. "If you want to spend the night here or at my place, you're welcome to. I'm sure Shiho will calm her down by tomorrow and you won't get your head ripped off when you walk through the front door."

"God, I hope not." A sigh left him but a soft smile came after. "I don't know what we'd do without her, she keeps us grounded with all this bullshit goin' on. Could've broke it off when she got that job offer but she's been doin' great on keepin' her promises to spend her free time with us." But a pout came soon afterwards, followed by a whine. "Aw man, I need Ann to chill out so I can go see Shiho! Hey, maybe you can shoot her a message tellin' her that I'm real sorry and that I wanna come home?"

His friend gave the blond an unamused look. "Tell her yourself, it's your relationship, not mine."

Ryuji gave a dramatic groan and grumbled something about unreliable people before reclining once more and watching the TV. Akira joined him as well but he barely registered what was going on still, thinking about the inspector.

'Makoto Nijima…'

He was fairly sure he had heard or seen that name somewhere before, probably for solving some notable cases. The leader was a bit surprised to see that she was an inspector and not a police officer; he could count on one hand the amount of women in her position over the years. With the way she tailed Ryuji and broke into their hideout before making demands to be assisted, Akira could see why she had gotten that rank. He had been ready to reject Makoto until her mini speech. Her way of speaking beforehand had been curt and straightforward, true to someone who had been taking this chance for the sake of their job, but her tone became passionate when she expressed her personal feelings on how important their cooperation was. And so, he came up with the deal he presented her with.

Akira was pleased to see her give in and agree but the little voice in his head had been nagging him since then, mirroring Ryuji's concerns. He could be putting everyone in danger if Makoto turned out to be untrustworthy and had the Phantom Thieves arrested and brought to trial; the charges against them would be exorbitant and lead to a life sentence or execution. The thought brought a frown to his face.

He couldn't let that happen to his friends. If he had to take the fall for them, he would do so gladly. It was his fault they were involved in this group anyways.

Sighing to himself, he knew it would do no good stressing over this for the rest of the night.

And so he continued watching the movie, trying not to think about possibilities and about definite answers. Their deadline was approaching quickly and they still had some loose ends to tie up.

~•~•~•~

Makoto couldn't remember the last time she had come home this exhausted.

She started feeling the prickling of tiredness on the train ride home but it slammed into her like a bus when she shut the front door behind her. Her shoulders were slumped, her legs and feet ached and her eyes were lidded. All she wanted to do was go straight to bed and forget about this madness for a few hours. But she was a bit sweaty from her earlier excursion and she had just changed her sheets last night…

Sighing heavily, she shrugged off her outer jacket and hung it on the coat rack before toeing off her shoes. She placed her purse down in its usual place and made a beeline for the bathroom, turning the light on before closing the door. Makoto went over to the shower and turned the handle almost all the way, waiting for the water to heat up. While that went, she undressed, hanging her rumpled clothes on the towel rack before peeking into the shower again. Now that the steam was forming, she stepped into the tub and closed the curtain, standing under the spray and letting the hot water wash over her body.

Instead of grabbing her body wash and scrubbing down, the brunette stood still and recollected on what happened at the hideout.

To think that she would be working willingly (that was debatable) with the Phantom Thieves.

She could see Japan's citizens cheering her on for this while her coworkers would turn up their noses and scorn her for working with the enemy. But dammit, she didn't have a choice.

Despite the hostile introduction with Skull and Panther, Joker had treated her with cool cordiality while keeping her at a distance. But the man wasn't as non-threatening as he looked; the way he had taken control from her and held it tight was unnerving. It turned from her asking for the gang's help into him giving her no choice but to accept his terms lest she label herself a failure. The powerlessness was a bit terrifying. And the way his eyes had become icy when he assumed she was saying the Phantom Thieves were on the same level as Black Mask…

Makoto shivered, despite herself, and turned the handle up a bit higher.

Luckily, they came to an agreement but not without some conditions. Makoto would have to have Joker as a contact number so they could discuss further actions regarding the heists (when she questioned whether she would need Skull and Panther's numbers as well, the duo glared at her before Joker cut in saying it wasn't necessary yet). She would also have to attend their meetings so everyone was on the same page. He mentioned that he would introduce her to Fox, one of the absent members, at one of the meetings but he couldn't say the same for Oracle; they didn't really leave the basement unless it was absolutely necessary.

Speaking of Oracle…

The brunette grumbled to herself lowly, not wanting the receiver to pick up on it.

Before she was allowed to leave, Joker had halted her and said he had to give her one last thing. Thinking he was going to give her the badge back, she was disappointed to see him pulling out a silver phone instead, tapping on the screen before holding it up to his ear. He began talking to the person on the other end, saying that he needed them to set up something for him and would be on his way down in a minute. They must have agreed as he hung up and asked his comrades to keep an eye on her while he left the room for a bit. The two agreed and kept close watch on the inspector, still not comfortable with her presence.

Twenty minutes went by and Joker returned, holding something in his right hand. The object was soon revealed to be a small tracking device, only two inches long and wide with an adhesive on the back; he also added on that there was a microphone on the chip as well. Immediately, Makoto protested this, saying it was an invasion of her privacy. However, the dark-haired man was not fazed, telling her that they had no choice but to do this until they could trust the inspector. Fuming but not in a position to refuse, she begrudgingly gave him the okay. Pulling the leather case out of his back pocket, Joker opened it and placed the chip underneath her badge before lowering it back in place. He then closed the case and held it out to her, telling her she was free to go now. Makoto wasted no time in snatching it out of his hand before standing up and asking one of them to walk her out. Panther, to her surprise, volunteered and motioned the woman to follow her out and down to the front door. Unfortunately, the brunette couldn't make out anything else about the hideout; the stairwell had doors and walls separating each floor from it. As soon as they reached the door, the blonde opened it up for her and let her walk out before quickly shutting it without so much as a goodbye or even a glare.

Now the gang (or at least the one called Oracle) would know when she was sleeping, eating, at work or hanging out with Eiko.

Groaning to herself, Makoto shook her head, her wet strands sticking to her cheeks. Deciding that she should move or risk falling asleep in the shower, she reached for her pomegranate and lemon body wash and started cleaning herself of the day's grime. Within ten minutes, she was dried off and in her bedroom, picking out a pair of clean pajamas. Settling on a plain white cami and mint green cotton pants, she dressed and was about to flop into bed until she remembered something. Her head turned to look at her shut bedroom door, connecting to the living room. It then turned to look at the badge case sitting on her dresser. She bit her lip in thought.

There were some things she had to keep to herself.

Quietly opening the door and closing it, she walked over to the picture frame of her father, picking it up and holding it below her face.

"Hey Dad…" She sucked in a breath. "I, um, I got involved in some crazy stuff today…I found the Phantom Thieves and where their hideout was and I managed to leave alive, can you believe it?" Pausing like she was expecting him to answer, she continued.

"Looks like I'll have to start working with them if I want to catch Black Mask. This…this really goes against everything I've learned in the force but we've exhausted all our options and they might have some ideas that could help us. But I'm not comfortable with this…they're criminals. No matter what good they think they're doing, they're vigilantes who keep getting in our way and make us look bad!"

Her momentary anger flare was strong but ebbed by the silence afterwards. Sighing, she spoke dejectedly. "But I'm sure you wouldn't have had much of a problem with them if you were still with us, right? You always were understanding to people who took matters into their own hands in desperate circumstances. Sae never liked that-" Freezing, Makoto realized who she was starting to talk about and shook her head to clear it.

"Never mind…I should get some rest, who knows how busy I'll be from now on. Love you. Good night."

Giving the glass a gentle press of her lips, she rested it back on its shelf and headed off to bed. Something told her she was going to need as much sleep as possible tonight.

~•~•~•~

Yo, yo, yo :D

Chapter 3 has arrived! Makoto has finally met the Phantom Thieves! …well, 3/5 of them. I couldn't find a way to introduce Yusuke in this chapter without throwing off the pace so I'll just save him for the next one or two. As for Futaba, she's not really going to be coming out of the basement much so any interactions she'll have with Makoto won't be in person for quite a while. Of course, it's not a warm welcome from them, what with Ryuji and Ann being hostile and Akira being a sneaky bastard but this was tagged 'slow burn' for a reason.

I'm pretty excited to start the next chapter already, we're starting to get the ball rolling in terms of plot and action, especially with navigating the heists and the group having to get used to having an SIU member in their midst .3. I'm sure I'll start it soon since we have a massive snowstorm over here…

Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!