Hinawa glanced over at Maki, who was asleep in the passenger seat. His small, sleepy hometown was a two-hour drive from the cathedral, on the outskirts of the Tokyo Empire. He always tried to return there for the anniversary of his mother's death. And Maki going with him was not what he necessarily wanted.

As Maki shifted her position, Hinawa pressed the gas pedal. His mind was concentrating on his mother. It had been twenty years since she passed away. And he remembered every year since.

It was why he learned to cook. It was why it was so hard for him to open up to others.

"Mmm," Maki mumbled under her breath.

He felt Maki's hand slide into his lap. He grabbed it and hastily put it back in her own lap as he twisted the steering wheel, a blush creeping its way across his cheeks.

The warm spot where Maki's hand was just moments earlier made Hinawa struggle to keep his focus on the road. His breathing was becoming ragged as they got closer to their destination.

Maki opened her eyes to a glowing sunset over the sea, and a small, quaint town sitting beside it.

"How long was I asleep?" Maki asked.

"Almost the whole drive here," Hinawa answered.

"Sorry," Maki said. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's fine. But please try to keep your hands to yourself."

Maki blushed. "I-I didn't mean to… I'm sorry."

Hinawa sighed. He eased the car through the crowded town, heading to the only inn. He pulled into the side parking lot and looked over at Maki. "Stay here while I see if there's a room available."

"Okay."

Maki watched as Hinawa disappeared around the corner. She sighed as she leaned her head against the headrest. Did I really try to grab him?

"No!" Maki squealed, covering her face. She felt the light burn of a blush trickle across her cheeks. "I couldn't have done that… but if he says I did, then I did."

Maki clutched her pants legs. She felt embarrassed. She had a crush on the Lieutenant, sure, but she had no intention of acting on that crush.

"Maki!"

She jumped at hearing her name. Hinawa came over to the driver's side of the car, where he leaned in and got the keys out of the ignition. Maki could smell him from where he had taken a shower that morning and… was that cologne?

"There's only one room," Hinawa said.

"Just one?" Maki asked.

"Sorry. And I had to take it because we're going to be here all weekend."

Maki sighed. "Okay."

"Let's get our bags."

Maki climbed out of the car as Hinawa came around to her side of the vehicle; she realized her bag was behind the driver's seat.

"I can get your bag for you," Hinawa offered. He handed her his bag to hold. He reached across and got her bag and Maki caught a glimpse of the band of his underwear.

I'm going to die this weekend, she thought.

"Here," Hinawa said, handing her bag to her. He hesitated on getting his handgun out. "Listen, is it okay if I hide my gun in your bag?"

"'Hide'?" Maki asked.

"The people here are familiar enough with me, and my pyrokinetic ability, but they don't approve of it. Neither did my dad. So I won't have my weapon on me all the time."

"But you can't choose your ability!" Maki said. She handed him his bag and put her own over her shoulder. Hinawa's now-hidden handgun made it a bit heavier than it originally was.

Hinawa rounded the corner and held open the door to the inn, allowing Maki to enter before him. She waited by the door as he sauntered up to the front desk and retrieved their keys.

"God, it reeks of alcohol in here," she whispered to him when he came back to her.

"There's a bar right over there," he told her, pointing. "I can show you around town if you want."

"Maybe tomorrow, I think I'd like to just read a bit before I finish my nap," she told him.

Hinawa walked up the stairs toward their room, Maki in tow, and turned toward the door of their room. He inserted their room key into the lock and turned it.

"This is a nice room," she said, stepping inside. She set her bag down on the bench at the end of the bed, and went and peeked out of the window.

"I have to go buy a few things before tomorrow, will you be okay here by yourself?" Hinawa asked her.

"Of course," she told him.

Hinawa set his bag down beside hers and took a deep breath. "Pretty much everything you need is in the room. Towels, blankets, whatever."

"Okay."

God, you can cut the tension between us with a knife, he thought.

"I'll take the key with me in case you want to lock the door behind you."

"Okay. That'll be a good idea."

As he walked out of the room, he heard a click behind him as Maki locked the door. He headed downstairs, passing up the bar and the innkeeper's repeated offer to buy him a drink.

"I drove here, I can't drink," he said.

"What about your girlfriend?"

"She's under the drinking age." And not your girlfriend , he reminded himself.

The old innkeeper smiled. "Understood."

Hinawa bid him goodbye before leaving. He walked over to the nearest convenience store and walked inside, looking around for flowers and small trinkets that he could leave at his mother's grave.

As he searched for the fake flowers he left every year as a teenager, he couldn't help but wonder what Maki was doing. He'd left her alone, and the door was locked, so she'd be okay, right?

After finally finding a few of the flowers he was looking for, and a small tea light, he made his way to the single cash register and waited in the short line. He looked around at the items for sale by the cash register and yawned. The drive up was tiring on him, and he could definitely use a nap right now.

As he paid for his purchase and left, he pulled out the key to his and Maki's room and walked back to the inn. The old innkeeper had been replaced by his son, who was wiping down the counter. Hinawa gave him a nod as he walked past him, hurrying up the stairs. He paused briefly outside his and Maki's room — he felt weird just barging in, unannounced, but he did have a key — before turning the key inside the lock and opening the door.

He immediately wished he had announced his arrival first, as Maki had just come out of the bathroom wearing only a pair of panties. Oblivious to Hinawa's presence, Maki pulled her hair out of its usual ponytail, which helped conceal her nipples somewhat, but left Hinawa wanting more.

He quickly turned around so that she couldn't see his raging erection. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Maki?"

"Oh my god!" she screamed, desperately trying to cover her chest.

"Tell me when I can turn around," he told her.

Hinawa listened as Maki ran around the room behind him, scrambling for clothes. He could only sit and twiddle his thumbs as he waited for his erection to die down, but the extra time was all he needed. He peeked over his shoulder to check on Maki and watched as she slid a plain white T-shirt on. Her pajama pants were a deep, silky purple, and snugly hugged her hips.

"Okay, you can turn around now," Maki told him. "And if I catch you peeking again I'll hit you!"

"No you won't," Hinawa told her. "Because I won't look, and you'll be in the bathroom."

Hinawa walked over to his overnight night bag and searched around inside it for his pajamas. His own weren't as attractive as Maki's were, but he loved them just the same. He walked over to the bathroom and looked back at Maki, who was setting up a pillow barrier on the bed.

"Can you wait until I get back to finish with that?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I guess," she said.

Hinawa walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He quickly changed out of his clothes and slipped on his pajamas. His own pajama pants were raggedy green plaid and rose to his waist. He could even see parts of the elastic waistband poking through the fabric. He groaned; he hadn't bought a new pair of pajama pants in years, and he didn't want to buy a new pair this weekend, of all weekends.

I'll sleep in my jumpsuit if I have to, he thought.

He slipped his own white T-shirt on and sighed as it barely brushed the top of his pants. He walked out of the bathroom and ran his hand through his hair.

"Okay, how much room did you leave me?" he asked her.

"I left you that half," Maki told him, pointing. She looked up at him and blushed, noticing his pajamas. "Can't you, I dunno, pull your pants up any higher?"

Hinawa cocked a grin on his face as he crossed his arms. "I'd ask you the same thing."

"Mine are supposed to come this high."

"I'll get another pair after we leave here. Happy?"

Maki crossed her arms over her chest. She could barely concentrate because every time he moved his arms, his shirt rose up, revealing a sliver of skin. She felt a flutter in her heart each time she saw the small bit of skin between his pants and his shirt.

Stop thinking, Maki! she thought. She pushed her hair behind her ears and sat down on her side of the bed.

She felt the other side of the bed shift as Hinawa sat down. She was extremely nervous about how she was going to sleep; she'd never shared a bed with a man before.

"Maki, just go to sleep," Hinawa said. "I can sleep later."

"I-I'll be okay," she told him. She slid under the covers and curled up with her head on her pillow.

Hinawa looked back at her. He knew he shouldn't sleep in the same bed as her. But he was tired, and they only had one bed between them.

He laid back on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep; he knew he was exhausted, but as long as he and Maki were in the same bed it was going to be impossible for him to get any sleep.

"Lieutenant?" Maki's voice whispered.

"What?"

She leaned up. "Can I ask you some questions?"

"Will they help you get to sleep?"

"Yeah. And maybe get to know you better."

Hinawa sighed. He knew this was coming. "Ask away."