"Yeah, right." Maki pointed at the smoking ruins outside. "Because we're definitely going to find a nice, quiet hotel with room service in the middle of a warzone."
Ren laughed. Before she could react, he swept an arm under her knees and picked her up.
"Hey!" She grabbed his neck on reflex.
"We don't need a hotel." He carried her toward the door like she weighed nothing. "Five million people just ran for their lives. Every house in Tokyo's empty right now. We've got our pick of the whole city."
He carried her out through the ruined school and down streets thick with ash. They didn't have to go far — a few blocks over, a large traditional house sat behind a stone wall, front door hanging open where the owners had left it in a panic.
Ren walked in, carried her up the dark stairs, and set her down on the edge of a bed in the master suite.
He stepped back toward the door, hands in his pockets.
"Give me two minutes," he said, glancing into the hallway. "I'll go find a pharmacy and grab some essentials."
Maki's face burned in the dark room. As he turned to leave, she grabbed the back of his jacket, stopping him mid-step.
"Don't," she muttered, staring at the floor.
Ren looked back. "I don't have anything on me, Maki."
"I know." She tugged him backward until his knees bumped the mattress. When she finally looked up, her eyes were fierce, cutting right through the embarrassment. "Stay. Let's just try it raw."
Ren didn't argue. He stepped between her knees, but instead of reaching for her clothes, he dug into his jacket. He pulled out a small glass vial glowing with a pale white liquid and pressed the cold glass into her palm.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Loot from a Special Grade," Ren lied easily. "Pure positive energy. It'll heal those burns completely."
Maki froze. She looked from the glowing vial straight to the collar of his shirt. She knew exactly what was hiding under there—the jagged, ugly scars he got from taking a direct blast for her.
She shoved the glass right back against his chest.
"You take it," she said, her grip stubborn. "Your scars are worse. I can live with a few burns."
Ren just smiled. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a second, identical vial.
"Good thing it dropped two, then," he said quietly.
Maki stared at it, letting out a long, annoyed breath. She snatched her vial back and popped the cork.
"You're so annoying," she grumbled. "You could have just started with that, idiot."
She tipped her head back and drank it down.
The angry, jagged burns on her collarbone and cheek faded rapidly. Scarred tissue simply melted away under his gaze, leaving behind smooth, perfect skin.
Popping his own cork, Ren drank the liquid down. The deep, tight ache in his ribs vanished instantly.
Without wasting another second, he closed the space between them. A soft, lingering kiss pressed against her jaw—exactly where the worst of the burns used to be.
A shaky breath escaped her lips as her fingers curled tightly into his shirt.
Pulling back just enough to look at her, his hands settled on her waist. The difference was immediately obvious, even through the torn uniform. The Complete Heavenly Restriction hadn't just provided raw strength; it had completely optimized her body for combat. Every ounce of unnecessary weight was burned away, pulling her midsection in tight and making the natural curve of her hips stand out much more.
A familiar, teasing smirk touched his lips, hands sliding down to rest heavily on her hips.
"You know," he murmured, glancing downward. "Your waist got a lot smaller. It makes everything else stand out a lot more."
A furious red blush exploded across her nwly healed cheeks.
Leaning in closer, his breath brushed her neck. "Is that a hidden perk of the restriction? Because you look incredible right now."
"Shut up," came her panicked, choked-out reply.
But this time, there was no backing away.
Moving with a sudden blur of new speed, she shoved his shoulders hard. Yielding completely, he let himself fall backward onto the mattress with a soft thud. Before he could even blink, she was already straddling his waist, pinning his hips firmly to the bed.
Fierce, defiant eyes locked onto his. Without looking away, she grabbed the hem of her ruined uniform. In one fluid motion, the torn jacket and shirt were pulled overhead and tossed to the floorboards.
Only a tight black sports bra remained.
Ren didn't say a word at first. He just looked up at her, the pale moonlight catching the sharp, athletic lines of her stomach and shoulders.
His hands moved, sliding slowly past the dip of her waist. He traced the flare of her hips before his hands settled lower, his fingers gripping the firm curve of her butt. He gave it a gentle, grounding squeeze, the possessive pressure pulling her hips flush against him.
Maki let out a slow exhale. She leaned forward, planting both hands flat against his chest. The sharp, challenging edge in her eyes finally dropped, leaving her looking uncharacteristically quiet.
"Did you..." she murmured, her voice losing all of its usual bite. "Did you miss me?"
Ren's teasing smirk disappeared completely. The heavy reality of the last month apart—and the absolute hell of the last twenty-four hours—settled into the quiet space between them.
"Every single second," Ren answered, his voice rough.
He slid one hand up the smooth line of her spine, tangling his fingers deep into her dark green hair. With a gentle, steady pressure, he pulled her down.
Their lips met hard. Her hands slid up his chest, her short nails digging sharply into the bare skin of his shoulders.
Ren shifted beneath her. His hand moved from her hair to cup the back of her neck, tilting her head to deepen the angle. His thumb brushed the edge of her jaw. She let out a short, quiet gasp, and he took the opening instantly.
The kiss turned wet and fast. Their tongues tangled, swallowing the quiet noises she made in the back of her throat. She shifted her weight, dropping her hips flush against his, pressing her bare stomach to his chest. Ren's fingers gripped her waist, pulling her impossibly closer into the frantic, messy rhythm of her mouth.
Creak.
The heavy wooden door swung inward. A dull shaft of hallway light spilled directly across the bed.
"Hey, did either of you find the blankets—"