Makoto is a sinner.

"Representing the Devil, Augustine of Hippo was a Doctor of the Church, a theologian and a bishop of Berber origins. Formerly a manichean, then later a hellenistic philosopher, Augustine had led a purely hedonistic life in his youth, which later had a major impact on the publication of Confessions, one of his most influential texts. He is the Son of Saint Monica, and also the patron saint of Theologians, Philosophers and Brewers."

[6 Years and 10 Months Ago]

Hiroshi dropped out of the group after Makoto broke his arm.

In hindsight, she should've known it would be awkward with the gang. Sora was his best friend, so he and Emi-chan stopped hanging out with them as well.

Eiko had fumed for a whole month, calling them traitors, trying to pin the blame on Hiroshi instead of just accepting that Makoto had a disastrous knee jerk reaction.

"What I did was really indefensible." Makoto had told her.

Eiko didn't want to hear of it, and continued to badmouth their former friends.

"Hon, nobody reacts like that if they are having a good time in bed. Let's be honest, I bet he was being an insistent dick, and that spooked you the fuck out."

And that was the end of that conversation.

Tohru and Eiko broke up last month because she caught him cheating, but the wildest part was that her dumbass friend and Iida started dating almost immediately after. It was kind of ridiculous how fast Eiko moved on, but Makoto knew she shouldn't judge others.

Not after all the damage she did.

Now their group was reduced to just herself, Eiko and Iida.

On that saturday night, Makoto was third wheeling for them, at Eiko's insistence, who didn't want to leave her behind. The trio decided to just drink their first round at Lala-chan's, then later hit a karaoke bar. Makoto wasn't good at singing and she detested it while sober, but Eiko loved it either way, so she and Iida had to do whatever her friend wanted, or suffer the consequences of her cold shoulder.

Sobriety was the worst, but the feelings of sadness and pain would go away once she had a drink of two.

Cheers!

Their small group swiftly entered the crossroads, greeting Lala. Surprisingly, Ohya was nowhere to be seen - truly a rarity, if Makoto was to be honest. But they spotted someone else, all by himself.

Makoto scoffed, and was going to make her way to the exit when Eiko's sly grin and Iida's knowing looks forced her to march after them, towards his table.

Bunch of pricks.

Ren, whose looks were defeated and tired, looked up. His gaze became a little frostier as he spotted Makoto among the crowd in the Crossroads.

They were not on speaking terms. The last time they properly spoke was when she and Tomo-kun went to Futaba's birthday.

When he warned her that Tomoe was no good for her.

Ha… If only she listened to him, she wouldn't have needed to dowhat she did…

…Best to not go there.

After what happened, she refuses to acknowledge that he had somewhat been right. She doesn't want to hear a smug "I told you so" coming from his stupid mouth.

"What a coincidence, glasses-kun!" Eiko called out cheerily as they finally reached his table. "What are you doing here all by yourself!?"

"Drinking." He grunted. "And you guys?"

He asked Eiko directly, while he continued to ignore her, as if she didn't exist.

Coward.

"We're just gonna enjoy a couple of Lala's finest, then hit a karaoke bar for the rest of the night!" Eiko told him cheerily. "Wanna join us? Makoto here is without a plus one!"

Makoto threw Eiko the dirtiest look possible, but her friend ignored her.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" He drawled, the first words he leveraged at her after so long without speaking to one another.

She felt her blood run a little cold. She doesn't want him to find out she is a murderer, so-

"Not anymore. I'm single now." She muttered.

He stared her up and down, his gaze almost penetrating her soul as he studied her.

"Me too." He responded, his tone sarcastic, bitter, caustic.

Wow, what a novelty!

Makoto openly scoffed. "Again? Really?"

He looked a little furious at her mocking, subtle humiliation.

She wondered how long ago Sumire had ditched him. Not too long, if she is judging by him succumbing to drinking alone in such an otherwise happy, joyous bar.

"Great! Then you can be Makoto's date for the evening." Eiko said slyly, oblivious to the stormy tension brewing between her and Ren as she continued to push them together. Her friend was poor at disguising her matchmaking intentions.

Or maybe she was doing it on purpose.

"Sure." He responded. "I could use some company."

Her heart skipped a beat at his acceptance, but Makoto decided to not treat that as a green light of any sort, but rather just him politely accepting Eiko's offer of hanging out with them.

They sat down at his booth. Eiko and Iida on one side, and Makoto and Ren on the other. Eiko snickered.

"You know, this shit really is amusing." She said, taking a sip of her cocktail. "I think almost ten years ago, we were sort of in this position too. But it was a fake as shit date to get rid of that bastard Tsukasa."

Makoto was unimpressed with Eiko's joking, but Ren smiled slyly.

"Well, what to say? Makoto here did all of that for you." Ren said with some sarcasm.

Makoto hated his backhanded praise.

"Well, it was cute as fuck. And I was dumb as shit back then."

"You still are." Makoto quipped.

"Thank you, baby girl." Eiko replied, rolling her eyes.

"Prez here sure goes out of her way for others. Heh, I need to take a page outta her book or something." Iida added on top, used to the girls aggressive banter by now.

"Thanks, Iida-kun."

Drinking finally brought her the overwhelming relief that she needed so much. Her posture soon went from stern and tense, to relaxed and a little mischievous.

So much so that she started to brazenly play footsie with Ren. It was a little awkward with him being beside her, but she made it work.

She was sure he nudged himself closer to her, as she could faintly smell his cologne now.

Eiko and Iida were clueless as they drank and joked. Makoto acted as if nothing was amiss, while Ren had a pensive look on his face.

Then, she felt a hand rest upon her knee. She tensed, anticipating the anxiety and fear that came by being touched by a man, but nothing came.

It actually felt amazing, instead.

His hand crawled up her leg. Fuck, he shouldn't squeeze her thigh like that.

Makoto maintained her calm, but Ren started to draw small circles upon her skin, and slightly inch his hand upwards.

It felt so good, sending tingly shocks all over her body, until it converged at a certain place.

Shit, she needed to do something or else she might just let-

"Eicchan." She said, proud of herself for not squeaking out like the useless virgin she still was. "I guess we best get a move on to the Karaoke bar."

Ren stopped his movements, but didn't remove his hand from her thigh. It felt warm and solid, and it continued to send very interesting signs to her body's center.

"In the mood for singing?" He asked, almost huskily.

She wet her bottom lip.

"Yes. I would very much like to sing now." She responded.

He looked like a starving dog waiting for his meal.

When Makoto turned her head, Eiko was smiling devilishly.

They hit the Karaoke next, renting a private room for themselves, with Makoto not in the mood to embarrass herself.

Despite already being tipsy from the drinks at the crossroads, Makoto had a high tolerance, so she needed more booze to really get crazy.

She ordered a few more drinks. Ren also seemed to lose his reservations and drank with them.

For the most part, it was just Eiko singing. She didn't have an unpleasant voice, but her musical tastes were something else. She was mostly a Kyary Pamyu Pamyu fan (to the point of actively annoying Makoto by singing all the songs by Kyary in the shower), but she also had a surprisingly funny taste in old school English language songs.

"Oh my god, Makoto! They have a huge MTV classics playlist from the 90's here, this is sooo nostalgic!" She said, after getting tired of singing alone all night.

"...Eiko neither of us were born until 98."

"Shuddup, we were born in the wrong generation!"

Makoto sighed. "Fine. Pick one, and we'll sing together."

"Ohhh I have the perfect one!" Eiko said, cackling.

The song started. As soon as the first bars hit, Makoto groaned. It was one of the old songs that Eiko loved to sing whenever they came to the Karaoke, because according to her friend, it "fit their current life vibes too well".

"Seriously!? This song again?" She asked incredulously.

Eiko grinned. "Come on, you start!"

Makoto didn't have time to protest, so she just picked up the mic and started singing. "I hate the world today…"

Eiko whooped immediately. Makoto rolled her eyes and continued to sing "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks. She did so until her friend took over and started to sing as well. Makoto tried not to smile at her friend's antics.

For the most part, she sang all her parts while staring right at Ren's eyes, who never left her face.

As soon as the chorus entered again, she and Eiko started jumping together and screaming at the top of their lungs. They sang together, in front of their "dates", as if they were silly teenage girls, and not two clueless bitches in their mid twenties who had no idea what they were doing with their lives.

But it was alright. They continued to sing to their heart's content, and for a split second, Makoto could swear she saw sour and bitter Ren crack a small, genuine smile at her antics.

She both loved and hated this man.

The song didn't last long, but she felt some manic energy in her veins as she sat down near Ren.

Afterwards, Makoto decided to do what she does best nowadays: Drink.

And drink, she did, to the point that she got so loopy that she started laughing like an idiot at everything and everyone.

Makoto didn't know when it happened, but she ended up sitting on Ren's lap. She swore she felt him kiss her neck once or twice.

That made her feel a little tingly all over the place, so much that she almost wanted to ask if he wanted to get to know her in the biblical sense.

She giggled. That sounded way too hilarious.

"What is so funny?" He asked when she started to laugh at her own deranged thoughts.

She grinned at him, and pecked the corner of his mouth. "Nothing…"

"Wanna get out of here?" He asked huskily.

While Makoto was losing the control of her faculties, she knew he had to mean something by it. "Where?"

He was kissing her a little. When did they start kissing?

"Love hotel." He muttered against her lips, his voice rough and laced with an urgent, animalistic need..

Well, time for Adam and Eve to go back to the garden of Eden, then.

Makoto licked her lips.

"Eicchan!" She called out. "I'm going out with Ren now."

"Alright, babe! Wear protection!" Her friend said cheekily.

She didn't pay her any heed. It was now or never.

They didn't take too long to get to a love hotel, courtesy of being in a red light district. Unlike last time, where it ended in tragedy, Makoto had a surprisingly amount of self control at that moment despite being full of alcohol.

But the atmosphere changed as soon as they entered the room. Instead of the fun, messy, fooling around chemistry they had back at the Karaoke, now the air was getting charged with something darker, uglier and nastier.

They were silent, staring at one another like two rival predators gauging each other's movements. Ren stalked closer, but Makoto stood her ground.

Cold and cruel, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I knew she would ditch you again, eventually. It's really predictable at this point."

He smiled at her. Pure hatred. She basked in its hellfire warmth.

Ren suddenly slammed Makoto against the nearest wall, pressing his body against hers and making her feel how on edge and ready he was for her.

"You always come crawling to me again whenever she kicks you to the curb." She taunted again as he ground his body out on hers viciously, peppering her neck with kisses.

"Shut up." He growled in response. "Shut the fuck up."

"Make me."

He kissed her hard and viciously. Makoto smiled victoriously against his lips but gasped as he roughly pressed her further against the wall to make her feel him.

They weren't even unclothed yet.

Ren soon threw her on the bed and pounced on her, aggressively, domineering.

She hated how much she loved it.

Now, Makoto knows Aikido. And with such knowledge, she grabbed him and twisted, making sure she came on top in their struggle.

"You're a heartless, dirty bastard for always leading me on, Ren. I hope you know that." She said as she rocked her hips against his, while swiftly removing her shirt.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, then squeezed his windpipe. He seemed to like it.

What a freak. She could feel on her own body how he reacted to her actions thanks to how aroused he was.

But soon he grew tired of the rough play, and found his strength again. He flipped her around, and aggressively assaulted her mouth. The rest of their clothes came off in a flurry of movements, messy and ugly as they roughed each other up, trying to fight for dominance.

It was strange, to Makoto. She half expected for her instincts to flare up and for her to try to fight for her life, but it never happened. Instead, she was in control. Every time she hurt him, he hurt her back. She slapped him several times. He pulled on her hair viciously once or twice. It felt great.

She felt him everywhere. The sensations that his hands, lips, his body, even his own damned soul provoked on her were ethereal.

They soon joined as one.

They kept biting, kissing, moaning, crying out each other's names, giving as good as they got from one another. Twisting, turning, suspending, going places. No regard, no love, no care and no tenderness. Just pent up aggression and resentment, for one another, for themselves, for all the time wasted, for what could have been.

It was a good kind of pain, one where you feel it deep in your soul.

It was salvation in sin, and as she found her lips crying out his name in ecstatic completion, Makoto felt like she was briefly whole again. It was like awakening to a persona, that overwhelming feeling of relief when you pull away the mask.

Ren was there with her, closer to the edge, but still not close enough.

Eiko did tell her to be careful, but Makoto was drunk out of her fucking mind, and so she whispered in his ears, amidst bites, her ultimate consent.

Of course, he couldn't resist the temptation. He found his own completion, and she felt it pour deep into her soul.

He collapsed on top of her, and Makoto caressed his hair tenderly. He peppered kisses on her shoulders. The calm after the storm passed was serene, and wordless.

Just before the sandman took her away to the land of dreams, Makoto knew it would end at dawn, but for now, she let herself hold him in her arms.

She held him until they both fell asleep. Soon came the dawn, and her predictions were proven right.

"Makoto..." He trailed off as he tried to talk to her in the morning, his gaze averted.

In the light of the day, and with the honesty that came with liquid courage long gone, he went back to his cowardly, pitiful self.

Regret was now the name of his game.

"Nothing happened." She told him, frostily, in her will of self preservation.

Ren sighed. Wordlessly, unable to look at her face, he dressed up, and left.

Makoto didn't cry. What use is there for her tears? Her life was already in shambles. She was a thief, a murderer and now, a cheap whore.

Tonight, tomorrow, the day after, the week after, the months after, maybe even the years after, she would just hit the bottle again, to hide from her sins.

Her fate was wholly subjugated in the devil's hands now.

[The Present Day]

How does one live with the consequences of their actions?

Makoto questioned herself on this subject several times in her life. First, when she and sis first had family therapy with Takkun.

Then later, as she kept being led on by Ren.

Her killing Tomoe, and the days that followed that, were the darkest times of her life.

She almost contemplated not living at all. But then, Eiko and her were surprised with Akio, and that completely changed things.

When she held her baby in her arms, she understood that her life might have been feeling meaningless, but at that point, she was reborn with her son.

And so, she reached a difficult situation. Akio didn't just cry because he was tired. As she tucked him into bed that night, she gently prodded her baby, until he told her what made him so sad earlier in the day.

"I just wish I had a daddy…" He told her. "But I don't want you to feel sad, mommy. I'm sorry for asking."

Makoto always felt as if the ground beneath her was non-existing whenever her son's soulful gaze met her, and that same awful question remained.

"Who is my father? Where is he?" Is what those little eyes always told her, wordlessly.

"Never tell me you are sorry for feeling that way, Akio. It's me who should be sorry." She said as she hugged him tightly, putting on a brave face for her son. "I love you."

"I love you too, mommy." He said sleepily.

She closed her eyes. A sudden urge to drink reached her, but it passed as quickly as it came.

It would not be worth it. Never again, she vowed.

"I don't know what to do anymore. I wish there was something I could say to soothe him out, and not feel like a failure of a mother…" She said in a whisper, later that same night, after Akio was long asleep.

Akechi, who was beside her on her couch, let out a tired sigh.

"I don't think there is anything you can do in this situation. You told him what he must know and understand from an early age. I speak from experience… I know my mother suffered."

"You suffered too." She said, her voice cracking. "And so does my son. I don't wish for him to lack anything. I wish I could give him a father… Maybe if Eiko were here, then-"

"Makoto." Akechi interrupted her. "You did all you could for this boy. Trust me. You… Sae-san, Maruki and even those annoying friends of yours… You already did all the difference. Akio will never become like me."

A couple of tears left her eyes. "Stop being so hard on yourself. You're not that monster anymore."

He hung his head down. "You don't really get it, Niijima. It took me a long time to really grasp and accept who I was, who I am now. The things I did… There is never coming back from that. The only thing I can do now is to keep going, and to cherish all the time I have with your son. One day, Akio will learn the truth about what I did to Sakura and Okumura… And then, he will never look me in the eye again."

Makoto shook her head furiously. "He loves you too much. Maybe he will be hurt, but one day, he will forgive you."

"You don't know that." He said, voice vulnerable.

"I know my son. A mother knows." She said. "You might not be the most wonderful person in the world, Goro, but If there is one certainty I have, it is how much you genuinely love my child. And you have no idea how much you mean to him. And even to me."

He chuckled, misty-eyed. "...I detest you."

She put her head on his shoulder, smiling slightly. "I know."

Futaba was feeling completely out of sorts ever since her brother divorced Sumire.

One would think she would rejoice at the change, but she just felt awful, like she would be doing something wrong for feeling suddenly hopeful now that Sumi was free.

It was even worse considering that Ren accidentally confessed to her that Sumire was bisexual after he drank a little.

Futaba felt immediately numb upon hearing that. So many years of pining, resigned that Sumire only had eyes for men - her brother in particular - and just trying to accept that they could never be.

Suddenly, it all made sense, though. She reanalyzed Sumire's odd actions in that lunch the other day. It was almost as if the other girl used her to gauge her own understanding of her sexuality.

Was it alright for her to feel almost like she was used?

Of course, Futaba understood the pivot of their separation had absolutely nothing to do with her. Ren and Sumire's entire marriage was a house of cards from the start, and Haru's little scheme was just the wind blowing in the direction of the fragile construct, helping to bring it down.

"An introspective Futaba always spells disaster." Makoto quipped as they ate some Leblanc grade curry for them at Makoto's place.

Aki-kun was taking a nap, so the house was silent with only Makoto to keep her company and vice versa.

"You're either about to uncover a Nobel Prize worth of scientific discovery, or you're just overthinking with that big brain of yours again." Makoto continued when Futaba ignored her.

The bespectacled woman rolled her eyes. Of all the people to scold her for overthinking!

"It's Sumire. I just feel so confused now that they are divorced. And Ren told me something about her the other day that had my mind spinning." She opted to say.

Makoto cocked her head to the side. "How so?"

Futaba removed her glasses and sighed. "Promise to never tell anyone?"

Her friend's lips curled into a smile. "We always promised to guard each other's secrets to the grave. Didn't we?"

The bespectacled young woman smiled mischievously. "That is true, wifey."

Makoto just snorted. "Come on now, be serious."

Futaba sighed again. "Okay… It looks like part of the reason Sumire and Ren never worked out is because Sumire might play for both teams… If you catch my drift."

Makoto's eyes widened. "Oh…? Oh!"

"Yes. 'Oh' indeed." Futaba grumbled.

They stood in awkward silence until Makoto cleared her throat and imitated a fake microphone in her hand. "...And I say, hey, yeah, yeah-eah! Hey, yeah, yeah... I said, hey! What's goin' on!?"

"NO!" Futaba protested immediately with an embarrassed groan. "Stop it, you mean bitch!"

But the brunette smirked and continued to sing while she also dodged an angry (and half amused) Futaba around the table.

They were lucky Aki-kun didn't wake up from the commotion.

Afterwards, Makoto just begged forgiveness and they stopped with their childishness.

"Now, come on, tell me how you're feeling." She coaxed out, her Miss Hanna personality shining out.

"I don't know how to process that information." Futaba said as she ran a frustrated hand through her long hair. "I feel like shit, for some reason. I know it has nothing to do with me, but I hate how this is giving me a little hope. It shouldn't. It would be too weird to cling to it."

"Hey, come on now. Don't be like that. You cannot control how you feel. I have experienced that first hand since I pined for your brother almost half of my life now." Makoto said as she rounded the table to approach the young woman.

"Don't I know that, having been a front row spectator of the drama and all?" She said with a snort. "Still… I don't know, it has put me into this ambivalent place emotionally. I hate it."

"Hey, come here." Makoto said as she hugged her sister in all but name.

Futaba snuggled on Makoto's arms.

"I think you are allowed to process your emotions. It's okay to feel affected by this. Maybe, when things calm down, you could invite her out and talk to her. As friends, of course." The brunette suggested.

Futaba, however, already had a teasing grin on her lips. "Right, like you and Renren?"

She saw Makoto groan in mild annoyance, blushing. Futaba cackled and waggled her eyebrows.

"You know, this might be your chance now!" The younger woman elbowed her friend.

"No." Makoto said firmly. "Your brother is still in the mourning period of his divorce. Not to mention, we still have to mend our friendship first… Maybe me and Ren were never meant to be, after all."

The hacker immediately rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Don't start with that crap now, come on. He was clearly pining after you during the school talent show."

Makoto had a look of uncertainty in her face. "Maybe, but… Futaba, this isn't just about me. I have Akio to think about."

"Right." Futaba said, more soberly. "Fine, you might not want to get together with him right away. But you should at least seriously consider telling him all that happened. It might give him some perspective, especially the thing about Akio's parentage. Ren isn't really that unreasonable. He'll understand."

"I don't even know how to bridge that gap…" Makoto said, cringing.

"Well, just go for it, and find out anyway. What is the worst that could happen?"

"...You're right. But, I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet."

Futaba grabbed her hand, her face serious for once.

"I know. But even if Ren is disappointed with you for keeping it to yourself in the end… even if he doesn't understand your reasons, we were there. We get it. You won't be alone, okay?"

Makoto eventually nodded, even though her face was full of vulnerability and uncertainty. "Okay."

A couple of weeks after Yunchan's school event, Ryuji and Ann returned to Tokyo.

Hearing about his divorce, Ryuji had immediately dropped by Leblanc and dragged an aimless and purposeless Ren to an izakaya.

"Come on man, we can catch up and just spend some time together, one on one, like the good old days." His boisterous friend said, clapping Ren on his shoulder.

So there he was, on a Tuesday evening, spending some time with his best friend.

They ordered some food and beverages, then Ryuji engaged with him.

"I'm knackered, dude. Ann basically had us shopping, shopping, and freakin' shopping the whole trip. Ever since we found out about the baby, she has been driving me up the walls. I'm happy as shit, though."

Ren grinned. "I guess things will only get crazier from here onwards. But it'll be worth it in the end, right?"

Ryuji was all happiness. "You betcha, man. I'm scared as hell, freaking out almost everyday. But, I also can't wait for my little one to come out."

"I'll be cheering on you Ryuji. Try to stay alive in the process."

Both men laughed, and continued to talk, shifting their conversation to several topics. It was nice and it helped Ren unwind for once.

"Oh my god, this kid is barely formed, and it's already driving me crazy, like his or her dad!" Ann shrieked out.

Haru and Makoto both snickered at her.

"You'll get used to it, hon." Haru said soothingly as she browsed some items in a home catalogue. They were both helping Ann shop some things for the baby. "Pregnancy is both a joy and a nightmare. I think I almost murdered Yusu-kun in the process."

Makoto laughed while Ann sent their friend looks of commiseration. "I know, right!? Some days I want to kill Ryuji and burn his body until he is reduced to ashes… But some other days, I feel like crying all day, and he is the only one able to cheer me up!"

Haru giggled. "That sounds about right."

The blonde nodded, then sighed dramatically, elbowing Makoto. "I don't know how you managed all this stuff alone! You must be a super mom or something. How was the pregnancy with Aki-kun?"

Makoto immediately grimaced. How the hell could she respond to her friend?

'I have nothing to report on that front. Half the time I was drunk, the other time being Eiko and Akechi babysitting me under sis' orders, while I tried to overcome alcoholism?'

Besides, Eiko suffered the most.

"I'm sorry." Ann said gently, noticing her lack of happy experiences to share with them. "Was that insensitive of me?"

Makoto swiftly shook her head no. "Of course not, it's not that… It's just complicated…"

"Oh…" Ann said in response.

The brunette sighed. It was time to stop bottling things up.

Haru squeezed her shoulder supportively, encouraging her with a kind smile.

And so, she took a deep breath, and regaled to Ann a painful tale that only a few select people knew all about.

"Heard about the divorce, dude. I'm sorry. Ann was kinda shocked, but I sort of had a feeling you and Sumi weren't alright." Ryuji said several minutes after their conversation came to a lull.

Ren sighed. "I think everyone around us knew we weren't as perfect as we looked."

Ryuji shook his head. "It's not just that, dude… There is that stuff with you and Makoto, too."

The fluffy haired man looked away. "There is nothing between me and Makoto."

In response, his friend snorted. "Nah, don't come at me with that bullshit, bro. You had the hots for her. That shit was mutual as eff."

He had no response. It was true.

"Be honest with me, man. I had a feeling there was some weird shit that went down there between you two, and then things soured for good."

"I… We had sex during my last break with Sumire, before I got married."

Ryuji stayed quiet, seeming to process his words. Then he looked Ren in the eye, his gaze serious and grave. "Are you Aki-kun's dad?"

Ren felt his throat constrict painfully. "...I don't know."

Ryuji scratched his beard and sighed. "What a mess, dude. Did you try to find out?"

"No. Not really." Ren said honestly, starting to feel ashamed of himself.

"Then what are you waiting for, man? If there was even the slightest chance that I had a kid out there, I'd go to hell and back to find out. I'd never be like my dad." His friend said with some frustration in his voice.

Ren felt attacked. "Ryuji, I'd never-"

"I know, dude." Ryuji halted him with his hand, to placate him. "I'm not saying you'd abandon the kid. Ya were married and shit, so maybe Makoto kept quiet for Sumire's sake or somethin'. But, you ain't married now, dude. You need to find out, and if the little tyke is yours, take goddamn responsibility while he is still young and can bond with ya early on."

Ren stared at his friend for a long time, a myriad of emotions coursing through him.

"You're right, Ryuji. You're absolutely right and… And If I'm being honest, I hope it's true. I hope he really is my son."

His friend finally grinned at him. "Hell yeah, that's the spirit, dude. Besides, even if he ain't, you can still score with the chick. Just throw all your suave skills and shit, Makoto won't know what hit her."

Ren barked out a laugh. "I really missed you, Ryuji."

His friend just grinned in response.

"Oh… wow… I don't know what to say…" Ann said, her face crushed with devastation after hearing Makoto's full tale.

Haru handed Makoto a handkerchief. The three of them kept quiet for a time, until Ann just engulfed Makoto into a caring, kind hug.

Makoto broke down in her arms. "I miss her so damn much…"

Ann cooed at her. "I know. Shh. I know. I'm so sorry we weren't there, and that you had to do all of that alone… Honestly, I'm half annoyed with Futaba for not saying anything!"

"It's n-not your fault, I shut myself off from everyone, a-and pressured Futaba and sis to not tell anyone. It's all on me, d-don't blame them."

Ann sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry that you felt like you would be a burden, though. You weren't, you aren't. We love you."

"I know that now." Makoto said as she wiped off her tears. Ann beamed at her, giving her a sense of kindness and comfort not so dissimilar to Eiko's.

She missed Ann more than she realized.

"Hey, for what is worth, we missed you tons too!" Her friend said as she vocalized her feelings. "The group was never the same without you mothering the heck out of us."

Makoto chuckled against her will. "Haru does that plenty nowadays."

"That's true. Sometimes, too much." Ann said with a fake glare to Haru, who just winked at them.

"Look at you two, such cute big girls, talking about feelings. Mama is so very proud of you." Haru said teasingly.

Ann just rolled her eyes and hit Haru with a pillow, who shrieked out indignantly.

"Ann-chan! You cannot do this to me! I am a CEO! This is so inelegant of you!"

"CEO of meddling and mischief, that's what you are!" The blonde said amidst snickers.

Makoto let out a watery chuckle as her friends bickered for her benefit.

She loved them very much.

One certain evening, Ren reached a decision.

He managed to snatch Makoto's number from Sae of all people. Futaba was too loyal, but Sae was convinced once he told her he just wanted to fix things between them.

It was cute. She really was fiercely protective of Makoto.

"You better be doing what you're saying you're going to do, or I'm going to make your life hell afterwards." She had threatened him with a hiss, while he heard shrill screams and shouts in the background. "Yukino! Stop screaming! The neighbors are going to think I am murdering someone!"

"Sorry mommy! This game is just too annoying!" Yukino shrieked out in response in the background, making Ren chuckle at her antics.

"I just want to talk to her, face to face. Clear out the air for once and for all." He had told her.

"This better be it, Amamiya. She doesn't need anymore suffering in her life." Sae had said. "I'll text you the number in a bit."

Then she unceremoniously, rudely hung up the phone, and instead of being annoyed, he grinned. Good old Sae.

As soon as she texted him the number, though, he swiftly messaged Makoto, asking to meet her face to face.

It was time to fix everything, and find out if he was a father, after all.

To be continued…