I took a long time, my apologies. School made me its bitch. Nursing is hard, people. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

After getting back to their room and locking it, Akira gently set Futaba back down and crashed into bed. He was panting heavily, adrenaline draining and replaced with an energy crash. Futaba plopped down next to him and poked his cheek.

"Akira?" she called out. He quickly closed a hand over hers and looked up at her worryingly, his fatigue replaced by concern.

"Futaba, are you really okay? Did what they say still bother you? I warned them." Worry gone and replaced with temper, he scowled. "I warned them and they didn't listen. I just lost it. I should've thought about how upset you would be if I lashed out. I'm sorry."

He looked back up at her with sorrowful eyes. Smiling, she dipped down and pecked his lips.

"I'm not upset. I like you very much, boyfriend." He didn't seem relieved, pouting a little.

"You didn't say you loved me..." he muttered in a whine. She rolled her eyes.

"Someone's acting attention-starved," she exaggerated sarcastically.

He wasn't even bothered. "Excuse me, this someone was given no affection growing up."

She frowned. "Fair point. And I guess I did promise that I'd hug and kiss you more from now on."

She gave him another kiss on his smug lips, lingering longer for him to savor in it. She pulled back and grinned.

"I wanna take a bath now!" she sang, flying away from him to the private bath in their room. She barely took a step into the bathroom before she slouched against the doorway.

"Or...do I just wanna sleep? That took a lot of work outta me..."

Akira got up and gently pulled her into his arms from behind.

"Declaring that you're pregnant might have had something to do with that." He joked over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes.

"Someone didn't let me finish," she accused. He chuckled and tugged her sleeve down so he could kiss her bare shoulder.

"You can yell that plenty when you end up pregnant."

She cackled evilly. "'When,' huh? Not 'if?'"

He seemed perfectly serious. "Oh, we're definitely having kids. There isn't anyone else who can give me what we have, what you give me. I'd be an idiot not to put a ring on it. I know how much you want the big wedding and the game room with the kids."

Her heart fluttered fondly. "Huuu~, we should come home with promise rings on. Sojiro might have a fit if he thinks they're engagement rings."

Akira wasn't about to tempt fate any time soon. "No way, he'll send me back to my parents the minute he sees them. He'd probably go off about not getting his permission and then yell about how he didn't agree to let things go this far. Surprise, really. I'm pretty sure he knows about...well, you know..." he trailed off, cheeks slowly pulsing red. Futaba wasn't good with subtlety.

"What?" she quacked, confused.

He cleared his throat, his cheeks getting warmer as he spoke. "Popping your cherry."

Ah. But she wasn't too bothered. "Oh, probably. This is Sojiro we're talking about. The self-proclaimed ladykiller and based on my research, they probably cringed to death. Sojiro was doing the same things our age."

Akira shook his head. "Our age isn't the problem, it's that we're us. He wouldn't blink if he heard it was some nobody in your class getting with someone from mine. But you and me? I don't think he sees you passed ten years old."

Futaba shrugged. "That sounds like Sojiro for ya. But thinking about him anymore will kill the mood. I want my kisses and cuddles now."

He was more than happy to oblige. He easily swept her back over to the bed and landed on his back with her on top of his chest. Their favorite position to cuddle. Futaba could wrap herself around him and he could hold her as close of physically possible.

For a few minutes, their steady breathing was the only sound in the room and far calming than the fiasco that happened just a moment ago. Akira blinked when he felt Futaba slowly trace her finger along his chest.

"I uh...wanna ask you something..." she murmured quietly.

"Anything," he replied patiently. She made a little noise that showed off her hesitance to ask, but he rarely ever got upset with her for asking questions. With that in mind, she took a little breath before she spoke.

"We share a lot of things about each other, but you never told me much about...that night."

He knew immediately what she meant. "When I technically met Shido?"

She slowly nodded. He kissed her forehead. Him not sharing about that night wasn't because he didn't trust her, but because it pissed him off. His life was revealed to be shit overnight and he can never forgive those who blindly followed the words of the accusers before ever considering his.

She laid her chin on his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall as he breathed.

"The reason why I was out when I met Shido...was because of what happened at home." The night was still so vivid that he could pinpoint how exhausted he was after a massive blowup with his parents.

"I had to clear my head over feeling frustrated with them about what I got for a test. I always got A's, so my parents blamed it on me being on my phone or playing games too much. In reality, I was so worried about needing an A for my dad that I crammed the night before just to make sure I knew the answers even though I always studied six hours a day after school. It was honestly my fault for cramming." He remembered feeling the sense of impending doom and sheer regret when he had woken up the next morning on the day of the exam.

"I ended up falling asleep during the exam and missed out on twenty minutes of testing. I rushed to answer questions but I couldn't finish it all in time and a chunk of spaces were empty. My parents were furious when the scores came out and banned me from games until I got an A on the next exam. I snuck out to get time off to myself, that's when I heard that woman call for help."

He didn't go into those details because he had told her and their friends plenty of times before. His arms tightened around her slightly to give him comfort.

"I think at some point, I wanted the jail to keep me there and not release me back to my parents. I was confused and scared, but I didn't want to go through it with them. I completely lost faith the night before I left, but now I have what I thought I never deserved."

He looked up at her, his eyes soft and a little misty with emotion. One of his hands carded through her hair.

"I love you. I tell you a lot, but I want you to know how much it means every time I say it. What I have now is something I could only dream of having and didn't know existed. I have our friends, who are way better than the friends I had back home. Sojiro has been more of a dad to me than my dad. Leblanc is warmer to me than my old home. And you, well..." he trailed off, trying to think of the words for her. But he settled on one.

"You're everything."

Futaba had tears in her eyes from anger and love. She practically slammed her head onto his chest in order to give him a passionate hug, not hearing his little exhale. "I'm gonna tell you I love you every day then!" she declared.

He was so ready for it.

After sharing a few more kisses and cuddles, the two finally sat up in bed and Futaba moved off to sit next to him. Her heart was thumping hard against her rib cage as she attempted a next move. She lifted her legs up to rest her head, not noticing how it hiked up her yukata to show off her black thigh highs. Tussling around and messed with the integrity of her yukata and showed off the top part of her bra.

Akira glanced over at her right when she tilted her head and looked at him. His mouth went dry when he took in her appearance.

"Did you...wanna do anything?" she asked cutely.

Do anything? Do everything. Did she not see herself right now? She was naturally doing an upward-look pose. And her yukata was looser. And she was still wearing her black thigh highs. She was so...cute. And she was already so cute and dear lord she didn't even have to try to get the look down. He already was sexually attracted to her and now he was...fuck. He eased back with a hand covering his face.

"Wait. My heart is beating really fast." True, and his dick was in need of immediate attention. She didn't look down towards his hips, too busy staring at his face in confusion.

"What? Why?" she pried, crawling towards him. Great, now he had a full sight of cleavage. Not that he was complaining, but it was getting much more difficult to control himself.

He swallowed thickly. "You know why."

Raising a brow, she looked down finally and grinned a bit. She slithered off the bed and went on her knees in front of him. Her smile at him was teasing.

"Perfect time for revenge!" She seized his yukata with confidence, but was shakily trying to pull it aside to get to his boxers. Did she not...?

He gently seized her by the shoulders. "Futaba, wait," he interrupted calmly.

She inwardly gasped. "D-did I do something wrong?" she asked, trembling at the thought of Akira not wanting her.

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. I just want to make sure that you want to have sex with me because you want to, not because you feel like you owe me."

She shifted slightly on the ground. "I...I want to make you feel better..." she murmured, knowing how much he longed to make love with her like in his fantasies.

Fantasies be damned if they made her feel bad. "That doesn't mean doing something that makes you uncomfortable. I love you. I don't want to use you if this isn't what you want."

She rapidly nodded her head. "It is! I do want this. I'm just scared. I don't want to keep disappointing you..."

He blinked. "'Disappointing' me? You never had. I'm lucky just having you as my girlfriend."

She sighed. "See? You're being so charming and I can't compare to that."

"You need to see what I'm seeing. You don't have to try to act charming. You just have...this!" He gestured towards her whole body. "You never needed to try. You've had me since that day in my room when we became boyfriend and girlfriend."

He gently pulled her into his arms and onto his lap.

"We can take it slow. I'll let you decide. Whatever you want, I'm game. At least mostly," he added, causing her to smile.

"Well, we'll need some protection-" He cut her off by reaching into a drawer and pulling out an unopened box of condoms. She blinked.

"Well that was fast. They had it here already?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. I brought them in case I needed to jack off because you in a yukata makes me feel a certain way."

She smirked at him. "Ooh, does it?" She crawled closer, not thinking about the view he was having.

He took a deep breath. "You are playing with my restraint."

She grinned wolfishly. "A little."

She kissed him gently, squeaking when his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer against his chest.

It felt slow and intimate. Her on top in his lap, the sound of the condom opening. Moans filling up the room and their skin growing warmer with the contact. The yukata came off on both of them. Futaba's bra hit the floor soon after. Ravenous swallows and sucking echoed against higher pitches of Futaba moaning.

Akira's back hit the mattress, followed by tense cries before the bed rocked and hit the wall rhythmically.

It didn't take long for the bed to rock faster and faster. Her movements got sloppier and his hands on her hips pushed her down, his hips snapping up and pushing deeper inside her while she cried out in pleasure. Her initiative and his finish.

His grunting and her mewls echoed against the bed rocking and slamming over and over into the wall.

Futaba's passioned scream sounded when her orgasm hit her, but Akira didn't relent. He hadn't finished. She bounced her hips in his lap, squeezing around him tightly with each thrust until he couldn't hold much longer and came with a loud groan.

Minutes later with the used condom tied and tossed out, the two laid in bed quietly to enjoy the afterglow. She lied on his chest, her gasps and breaths for air octaves higher than his own. Her hair was splayed out against his chest and down his neck. She was a beautiful mess and a quick snap on the camera had it saved forever.

He recovered first, slowly taking in his thoughts.

"You know how we talked about marriage?" he asked out loud. She squeaked, still wobbly from earlier as she propped herself up.

"Y-yeah...uh, why?"

He hummed quietly. "I was just thinking. I think I want to take yours and Sojiro's last name. It feels right to me."

Her stomach fluttered happily, but she wanted him to be sure. "B-but your name..."

His grin was wide and mischievous. "What, Akira Sakura doesn't have a nice ring to it?" he teased, liking how it rolled off his tongue.

She blushed, "It does! I was just thinking that maybe you wanted us both to have your last name."

"I don't have much good memories of my family. You and Sojiro have been there for me when I needed family the most. You know, my parents stopped giving me hugs when I turned ten." He made a face as he remembered. Damn, his childhood was pretty wretched. He didn't have a lot of memories of affection from his parents. The only ones who gave him hugs were his grandparents from either side. But they all passed away except for his grandfather on his dad's side. The older Kurusu was happily retired and living in a small coastal place in Hokkaido.

He shook his head as he thought about the time he reached out for a hug and was rejected by his mother. "They said I was getting older and didn't need hugs anymore. Now that I am older, I realized how much I loved getting affection like this from you. Maybe because when you hold me, I feel safe and wanted."

In silent response, her arms around him squeezed tighter. He chuckled bitterly.

"Damn, I really had a shitty childhood now that I think about it." Fancy vacations but no affection. Images of a happy family but no actual work put in to make it happy. Both parents yelling at him to toughen up whenever he cried about something. Him learning to remain emotionless even if something was eating him inside.

But the more he thought about those memories, the less time he'd have making good ones with the family he chose.

"If there's any consolidation, I do have a nice trust fund set up by my grandpa. Besides getting money from bleeding Mementos dry, I have a good cushion to help set up whatever career I had planned. Your man is worth quite a bit," he finished, looking pleased with himself. Money from his parents always had strings attached. Money from Gramps came with hugs and snuggles that should have been embarrassing, but were needed.

"Oh, did I land myself a sugar daddy now?" Futaba teased.

"Haven't you noticed that I never blink when taking you to Akihabara?" he asked simply. Akihabara, when was the last time they went? Oh right, Akira needed a PC for his room and they decided to get the parts for a great build. Then he asked if she also wanted a new graphics card too when he was getting his-

Futaba suddenly had a realization like a bomb dropped.

"Woah..." she breathed, staring off into a corner. Her mind was blown. Akira never let her look at the price tags when she was going on and on about how great something was that she needed for her computer and now his. He just took it from her, put it in the cart and ushered her away before she could check the cost. And then there was that sushi night where she had devoured a few plates. She offered to pay her share and he said he already paid. And then there was that one time he bought her a diamond heart necklace...dear god...

And she was broke beyond belief to pay him back. There's was only one thing to do. She seized her obi.

"I have to pay you back with my body," she concluded, her voice flat.

He patiently held up a hand and rested it on hers. "No, you don't."

"Equivalent exchange," she replied. Again, he shook his head patiently.

"No, that's not how that works." The idea of being a sugar daddy was a bit funny, but Futaba would be wracked with guilt. He didn't choose a girlfriend who needed endless pampering. He just wanted to endlessly pamper her.

"I love you," he whispered.

She sighed and smiled at him. "I love you too." They shared another deep kiss before falling asleep, being lulled by the soft chirps of the crickets outside from their window.

They got up in the morning after to sit by the gardens on the wooden flooring. The sounds of birds chirping, the wind rustling the trees and the splashing of a waterfall sounded a lot better than the sounds of the city.

"Akira," Futaba called out after a few minutes of calm sounds, "I want our house to have a waterfall."

"Yes ma'am," Akira agreed.

"And a zen garden."

"Yup."

"And in the mountains."

"Uh huh."

"And to baptize the land so there's no curses."

"Gotcha covered. There's a lot of temples up in the mountains." He grinned knowingly at her and cuddled up.

"So, how'd it go?" asked a familiar voice behind them. When they turned, Ryuji plopped onto the porch next to Akira.

"Ryuji?!" they asked incredulously. The blonde was in a yukata and grinning at them.

"And us!" Before they knew it, Yusuke sat next to him with the girls on Futaba's side. Ann had a comforting arm on Futaba's shoulder. The orange haired teen blinked in surprise.

"You guys! When did you guys get here?" she asked. Makoto smoothed down her yukata with a knowing smile.

"Last night. We figured you would need alone time with his parents and we made sure not to bother, but you two never left your room all day and we thought that meant talking was over." That and about half of them were sure the two were naked together.

Ryuji bumped his fist against Akira's shoulder. "We didn't want to impose on a private moment, bro."

Akira smiled. "Would've appreciated it either way. Wait, where's Morgana?" he asked, knowing fully well the cat would refuse to be left behind.

"Up here!" called Morgana. The cat was sitting on the wall of the garden on the outskirts of the inn. He stretched flexibly. "Technically not on grounds, so I'm gonna hang around here."

He scratched behind his ear and meowed. Haru giggled.

"It was Mona-chan's idea to come. He said you two would need support, just not in the room itself."

Yusuke grimaced. "It was difficult to acquire a room where we could sneak him inside, but we managed for the first night. We can only stay for this day. The price of such an inn is incomprehensible to high school students."

At that, everyone groaned in agreement except Haru. Ryuji kept to the subject at hand.

"So how did it go? Did they piss you off? Did they make Futaba cry? You said you'd set the inn on fire if they did," he pointed out to everyone's shock. Because he would do it if he was impulsive enough. Their fearless leader retained that attitude of his from the Metaverse. Only Akira looked mildly surprised.

"Did I say that? All my threats tend to blend together. But yes, they pissed me off and yes, they upset Futaba. Deal's off. No one talks down on Futaba in front of me." His eyes and tone darkened as he spoke. The others around him froze. When he recanted the uncle story to the others a few weeks after he and Futaba successfully changed his heart, the others wondered what would've happened if her uncle hadn't fallen and connected his hit.

Futaba hugged his arm. "I'd be okay if you decide to speak to them again one day. It is between you and them, after all."

She wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of that. But they were his parents and he had every right to see them, just as she had a right to not.

He patted her head affectionately and kissed her forehead, calming down considerably. "I was serious when I said I won't budge until they apologized to you first. If they don't respect you, I want nothing to do with them."

"You better," quipped Ann blankly. "A guy who doesn't do good by his girlfriend when she's the one being wronged doesn't deserve her."

"Amen," Akira agreed fiercely. Futaba bit her bottom lip in embarrassment. She wasn't so used to strong affection until she met Akira. But she loved every second of it deep down. She loved him dearly.

Morgana swung his tail lazily. "Well, now that that's settled, can our group make sure our checkout time is accurate? Otherwise we're paying for another night and we all don't want Haru literally paying for our mistake."

The soft haired girl waved her hands awkwardly in denial. "N-no! I truly don't mind! But I say we check out the zen gardens before we go! We should give Futaba and Akira more alone time," she finished, smiling brightly at the couple.

The others grinned and slowly nodded. They all knew what was expected. Futaba was blushing brightly, but Akira held no ounce of shame in his face.

"But before that! Let's hang out a bit before we give them the night!" shouted Ann, jumping up and smiling brightly.

"And don't forget to call Kasumi," Makoto reminded. "She had a competition and almost ran away from her hotel room when she heard we were coming. It took us hours to convince her to stay."

Kasumi was one of the biggest supporters of their relationship in their group. She was in love with their love, one could say. Her and Ann buried themselves with ideas for future bridesmaid work once Akira shared that he was looking forward to getting married. And when confronted by the two asking if he meant Futaba, he merely winked and walked off with them squealing behind him. Futaba nodded.

"I'll give her a call right now. I need to stretch my legs." She hopped up, bending down to give Akira a kiss before walking off. Akira stared longingly after her, which wasn't ignored by the others.

"Bro," Ryuji said, "you're so whipped."

"Maybe I am," Akira retorted, not reacting when Ann was cackling.

"Oh, Sakura-san! What I would give to see you two defending each other like that!" Kasumi cooed. Futaba had just finished telling the story to her and Kasumi had gotten fired up.

"I think I ruined all sense of maturity by almost declaring I was pregnant," she stated blankly.

"Ah, the dramatic exit. Takamaki-san was very proud of herself when she read that in a magazine."

"Didn't work fully because Akira carried me out before I could finish screaming it."

Kasumi gasped. "He carried you?! How romantic!"

"Ah ah, you're thinking a cutesy princess way. I became a sack of potatoes," Futaba explained, knowing it would dash the romantic implication.

Kasumi wasn't deterred. "But he carried you! Kurusu-senpai is like a knight."

Hearing his last name made her think about what he had said to her last night about changing it.

"You mean Sakura-senpai?" she muttered, not exactly hoping she would hear. Kasumi had razor sharp hearing.

"But Sakura-" she cut herself off and started screaming. "He wants your last name?! Kyaa!"

Futaba held her phone away from her ear and could still hear her scream. Curse her for being so quick thinking! Giving her ear a break, she slowly brought it back to her and the volume was still high. Kasumi was throwing out wedding ideas faster than Futaba could think.

"...so then we can make the wedding invitations say 'Mr. and Mrs. Sakura!'" Kasumi listed away.

Futaba cackled a little. "Hehe, bye Kasumi!" she called out. Kasumi wasn't fazed.

"Yes yes! Bye, Sakura-san! We can continue planning again once you get back! Ooh, and I have the best bakery in mind for wedding cake!" Kasumi cried out before Futaba deemed it appropriate and necessary to hang up. Kasumi wouldn't be put off. She'd just start writing stuff down.

She stood up from the corner she was crouched in and stretched. Welp, time to head back. She turned to start walking, then stopped suddenly when she saw Aika coming out of the massage room. The older woman spotted her and froze for a second, debating on whether or not she wanted to speak to her.

Nuh uh, nope. Not today. Futaba turned her heel and fled. Judge her, whatever. She didn't have to deal with this if she didn't have to.

Luckily, she ran into the girls on the way back and they wanted to get mani-pedis. Fine, cool. Better than dealing with her boyfriend's mom.

That left the guys to their own devices. The three headed upstairs and were hanging out on a balcony. Yusuke was envisioning a painting when Ryuji tugged on Akira's arm.

"Yo, let me and Yusuke get you something to drink! Our treat!" he offered enthusiastically.

Yusuke made a face like when Futaba mentioned his art style was overrated. "Can we afford a drink after the amount we paid today?" he asked, thinking about his flat wallet that probably hatched a moth at this point.

"Your broke ass has enough money to buy your best buddy a drink!" Ryuji argued, pointing at Akira, who only watched them with amusement.

Yusuke threw his arm out like cutting the air. "I would if the cost here per night wasn't 20,000 yen per guest! Guest!"

Ryuji scoffed. "We still have money left over! Get going!" He ran him off and they left to find a vending machine.

Akira sighed as he stared off into the distance. The sun was high up in the sky much like his mood. He had gone through a lot these past few days and that was saying something given the eventful year before. Soaking in the sun was interrupted when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Akira." The fatigue was brought back from last night. Turning, he saw his father behind him. The older Kurusu was nodding to him. Maybe he was playing that game where he would play off Akira's feelings and try talking to him like nothing happened. It was more Aika's game, but he still played from time to time. Akira wasn't playing.

He could be petty and passive aggressive by walking away in a fit, or he could assert his dominance and stay where he was at.

He wasn't threatened by his father. He was staying put. He said nothing and stared at his father blankly. 'Neutral, gray rock,' he told himself.

If he were aggressive and this was a palace in the Metaverse, he would've flung Arsene at him and drove him off the balcony. But it wasn't and he had to be mature. Lashing out like a child would mean more bullshit for him down the line.

Kazuma grunted and narrowed his eyes when he remained quiet.

"You are keeping your word and saying nothing to me. Is there nothing I can do to reverse this?" he asked. Akira didn't let a second of silence slide by.

"Futaba." It was always her.

Kazuma seemed surprised. "She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" he asked.

His son was so young. There was no telling if the two would even stay together for the rest of their lives. Things change. People change. Kazuma didn't stay with his high school sweetheart and neither did Aika. He knew better than to voice that opinion.

Akira didn't twitch. "Everything," he answered, tone full of longing despite telling himself to not show any emotion.

Kazuma was a little taken aback. Akira was never truly passionate as much growing up. But the way he talked about this girl astounded him.

He was protective of her, that he knew well, but this love was different than he expected. He hadn't expected Akira to take romance all that seriously because he didn't back at home. Being in Yongen-Jaya had changed him to the point where he was practically unrecognizable to his past self. It was only a year and yet it changed him this much.

"I can apologize to her right now," he pointed out. That would be easy. He nearly took a step back when his son whipped his gaze up to glare at him. He wouldn't let him near Futaba. Over his dead body and even then, he would come back to life and protect her.

"Do it when you respect her," he snapped, shoving off the balcony. He walked off without listening to his father when he called out to him.

He met back with Ryuji and Yusuke and the drinks they had in hand. Lounging in the massage chairs with the fancy TV showing the nature channel, Akira's phone rang after a few sips of cola. A number he didn't recognize and again, they weren't being directed to a phone sex hotline. He sighed. What now? He pressed to accept.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Kurusu-kun." He cringed. That was a voice he hadn't wanted to hear. Ishida.

"No, fuck this." He hung up and set his phone down. Ryuji blinked.

"Spammer?" he asked. Akira shook his head.

"Worse, my parents' chosen 'girlfriend' for me." Ryuji and Yusuke cringed. Akira nodded. "Yep, exactly."

He heard his phone vibrate for a text. Nope, not checking. He wasn't about to read a message from another woman and Futaba not be there.

The group joined up together when the girls were refreshed and the guys had finished their cold drinks and meditation with the nature channel. After discreetly sliding a plate of sashimi onto the ledge for Morgana, the group had their dinner in a bigger room with a TV and poorly sung karaoke by whoever wasn't eating at the time.

After Futaba's remix of Neo Featherman's theme song with Ryuji and his ad libs, the two bowed before sitting to enjoy their dinner while Ann and Haru raced up to sing something from a magical girl anime.

Futaba plopped her chin on Akira's shoulder. "Your phone keeps blinking. Did Sojiro text you?" He did that fairly often when the two were off in adventures.

Akira smiled. "Nope. Remember Ishida, the chick my parents tried to set me up with? She called me. I noped out and hung up, but she texted me. I haven't looked," he admitted.

She grinned with her teeth bared. "Can I read it?"

He pulled out his phone wordlessly and held it up, turning it on and opening the message.

'Kurusu-kun, I must say I am vehemently disappointed with your treatment to your parents. Filial piety is a virtue that we practice to show respect to the ones who gave us life. And in your case, privilege as the son of a doctor who has given you everything and including luxuries like vacations. I understand your frustration over your innocence, but that doesn't mean you should burn bridges to those who gave you the foundation of your life. Perhaps when you seek reunion, you should reach out to me so I may mend the bridges you have burned down to your parents. We will then mend the bridges between each other. May God bless you.'

Had she always been this bitchy? High maintenance was one thing, but damn. And why did he need her if he ever needed to speak to his parents? At the moment, they were begging him for attention and he wanted none of it. Futaba laughed against his shoulder.

"Gimme gimme gimme!" she demanded, opening and closing her fist at him. Even if she said she was pregnant to her, it would be way funnier than if she had said it to his parents. Because it would piss Ishida off more. Like a loyal boyfriend, he handed his phone to her. She started typing and showed him the message.

'K.' Simple, to the point.

"No!" she shouted, quickly backspacing. "I'll send her a message with capitals that eventually spell out 'I'm taken!' Wait!"

She was struggling for a better idea. Akira had the perfect one. He grabbed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Changing to his camera, he took a selfie of the two grinning like happy fools. He captioned it with: Burn your bridge. I upgraded.

It would piss her off. She hated it when people turned down her 'gracious' offers and hated it even more when someone insinuated that another girl was more desirable than her.

Futaba scooped his phone out of his hand. Clicking away, she had Ishida's phone number routed to be transferred to a sex hotline if she tried calling. She tried calling back apparently, because minutes later, she texted a bunch of rude messages that she was talking to vulgar individuals over the phone.

"Should I block her?" he asked. Futaba grinned.

"No way! This is too much fun!" Heh, his beloved gremlin. He had to admit that he had too much fun with this too.

The next morning was uneventful. The yukata were given back and Futaba was a little sad. It was so darn comfy! Akira noted her longing looks and mentally noted to get her a lounging yukata.

While checking out with their friends, Akira noticed that his parents were also checking out. He ignored them when he went to check his name out and took Futaba by the waist to escort her out. He was once in the business of changing hearts. This time, no. They can change their own damn hearts.

"Akira!" Aika called out loudly, surprising his friends and the employees of the ryokan.

Akira said nothing and pulled Futaba away with their luggage. Outside, Morgana scaled on top of Akira's shoulder and smiled positively at him. Ryuji leaned towards his friends.

"Quick! Make derogatory gestures!" Before any could be made, and he and Ann thought of great ones, Makoto elbowed his side.

"Absolutely not! Ignore them and leave like Akira and Futaba did!"

The blondes whined and followed the others out, leaving his parents behind.

Makoto had the car up and running when everyone's crap squished in the back. Akira and Futaba were given the backseat while everyone went into a fierce discussion about where to eat breakfast. His phone dinged for an email. Looking down, his heart did a flip when he saw 'Jiro Kurusu.' Gramps. He quickly opened the email.

'Akira, this is your Gramps. I finally found out my email and password. I am very pleased. I miss your emails very much.' That sentence cracked his heart. Guilt ate at him for not contacting his grandfather. He mainly did it because he didn't want him disappointed in him with the false allegations.

'Your father told me what happened, so I guessed it was because you were scared of me finding out. Haven't I told you to trust me? I would never be mad. In fact, I was upset because I didn't think you did it and no one defended you. Not my Akira. So I yelled at your father months ago when he finally told me. I was very mad at him. That town is very mean, Akira. I never liked living there. Everyone talks to be heard, not to be right. And it made your parents the same way, but they are adults who should know better. You're better off staying away from there. I'm sure Yongen-Jaya is wonderful. And you must have a girlfriend by now. I'm sure of it. If you're like me, then the girl you met must be so beautiful inside and out.

'Did I ever tell you the story about how I had been sent away by your great-grandparents to live with some family friends because I was acting up? I didn't get along with anyone at school. My parents thought it was my fault and handed me over to their friends for a few months. They thought I would straighten out. Instead, I stayed when I met your grandmother at the school and she was part-timing as a baker. I was only sixteen at the time and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. They were very mad, but I never went back until your father was born. By then, they accepted me and your grandmother. Because I wouldn't let them meet my family otherwise if they don't show respect.

'Maybe you need time away from your parents, Akira. Maybe when you have babies of your own will you want to come back. Maybe you want to protect your own family from the influence your parents now have from living in that awful place. I wouldn't blame you. I think it would be best if your parents move into my little town and do their own rehabilitation. Learn how to be human again, you could say. But that burden isn't on you. You need to heal too. Your heart must have been broken too many times. If you need it to mend a little faster, I'd love to come visit Yongen-Jaya. I want to see the people who picked you back up. Reply soon. I miss my grandson. -Gramps.'

Akira teared up a little. He always felt close to his grandpa and his hands were never rough with discipline. He was firm, gentle and focused on moving on and stopping the bad behavior and maturing the child to think smarter and healthier. He missed having Gramps around and had originally wanted to move in with him when his life went to shit, but his small little town had no school and was mainly for others to retire on or work.

He would love for him to visit Yongen-Jaya. At least for a week or two. Futaba saw a small tear and gently wiped it away. She didn't ask, simply holding him close. He held back tighter.

The familiar smell of coffee in Leblanc was welcoming. Sojiro was over the counter roasting beans with the last of his morning customers filing out. Futaba quickly announced their arrival before running out to throw her bag at home and get ready to join the others for breakfast at the diner in Shibuya. Sojiro laughed and shook his head, nodding to Akira.

"Welcome home. How...how'd it go?" he asked awkwardly.

Akira hummed, trying to sum everything up. "It went."

Sojiro smirked. "'It went,' huh? Probably exactly how you expected."

The teen nodded. "Exactly. Would it be alright if I invite my grandpa to visit one of these days? He's the only adult from home who didn't disappoint me."

Sojiro nodded. "Fine by me. As long as you get him a good place to stay. We don't exactly have room."

Akira nodded, going upstairs to set his suitcase next to the wall to clean out later. He grabbed his bag and headed back down, stopping with his hand on the knob. He smirked, reminiscent to his Joker self.

"By the way, thanks for everything...Dad."

Sojiro waved a hand in the air. "Yeah yeah, have fun-" he suddenly gasped, choking on his own air supply. Akira patiently waited for the fit to be over to hear his next remark.

"Wait a damn minute! Did you two elope-" Dramatic exit time. He turned the knob and pushed out of Leblanc.

The sun was bright, but it was even brighter to see Futaba waiting for him outside with a smile and eyes that shone with love like he always needed. He took her hand and kissed her, then scooped her up and ran away when the door to Leblanc opened behind him. He loved his life now. No more depressing episodes of neglect and hatred for the world. No more looks of hate and disdain thrown his way. He had the friends and family he prayed to one day have from his dreams. And all the love he could ask for was secure in his arms and squealing in laughter.

I am done with this story! I needed to think of a solid, happy ending because this ship needs solid, happy stories! Well mostly, if you count out the DRAMA. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed this story. Be safe, wash your hands, wear a mask out in public, socially distance. Love yourselves and one another because we need this so much. I love you all.