Chapter 1: The End of a Life. the Beginning of Another

"God, why does Uchimaru have to be such a hardass?" Ren complained. "He knows we have other classes, right?"

Makoto rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "At least he actually gave us a reasonable amount of time to write the essay."

Ren snorted. His first year of college had been a rude awakening as to what was expected, and his second year was proving no less strenuous. "Why did I decide to become a defense lawyer, again? I should do what Ryuji is and go into sports medicine."

Makoto shook her head indulgently; she knew Ren was joking. After all, he had decided to become a lawyer after he narrowly escaped being framed for assault at the tail end of his first year in high school. "At least it's a beautiful night."

That it was, it was a balmy summer night, accelerated summer courses notwithstanding. As they walked to the train station, Ren frowned. Usually there were at least a few people around at this time of night, but now the street was deserted. Something wasn't...

"Hehehehe..."

Ren whirled around to see no one. Makoto knew that he wasn't given to random movements like that. "Something wrong?"

"I think we're being followed."

Makoto cast her eyes about, but saw nothing. "Are you sure?" She drew closer to Ren, darkness usually put her on edge and the night was beginning to seem darker and sinister, even with the full moon.

A man walked out of the shadows, almost seeming like he melted out of the darkness and began slowly walking towards them.

"Run." Ren said. They turned and started to run, only for them to turn the corner and find the man waiting for them under a streetlight.

"You can't escape me, but by all means... Try."

"You heard that, right?" Makoto asked as they ran in the opposite direction. "Ren, who... what is he?"

He could hear the panic seeping into her voice. He could feel it too. His heart feeling like it was about to thump through his chest, his blood pounding in his ears... "I.. I don't know..."

Before either of them could do anything else, they were knocked off their feet by a blast of wind. When Ren had regained his footing he saw that the man that was stalking them had Makoto by the throat and pinned to the side of a nearby building. "What the fu- LET HER GO!"

He ran at the man, only to be swept aside with a flick of his hand. He was bodily thrown into a wall and sank down to the ground.

"What do you want with me?" Makoto spat, "I don't have money, and if..." She trailed off as she saw the man's smile.

And the vampire fangs protruding from his gums.

"Your blood will do nicely for starters, dear." He whispered in her ear, causing her to flinch away. "Then I'll ensure your undying loyalty to me, if you catch my drift, mortal."

The pin dropped for Ren. A vampire. Vampires were real, and one was about to munch on Makoto. What could he even do to stop that? "Stop it!"

The man laughed. "Oh be quiet, you aggravating fly. You should be grateful, I'll let you be your girlfriend's first meal! Ahahahahaha!"

Makoto's eyes shot wide. It was too late for her, even if this freak wasn't being serious. But it wasn't too late for Ren to get to safety. "Ren, get out of here! RUN!"

A whimper escaped his throat. After everything they'd been through... for it to end like this? He clenched his fist. No. He would not let it. He ran at Makoto's assailant again, only for the same result. This time he was thrown at a nearby dumpster.

"Ren- AGH-" Makoto's cry was cut off as the man bit down on her neck and began to literally suck the life out of her. It hurt like hell, like two white-hot spikes had just been shoved into her neck.

The man chuckled as he began to suck her dry. "Don't struggle if you don't want me to make a mess of you, my dear. Just accept your fate. It'll start to feel good soon anyways."

To Makoto's horror, he was right. She was starting to feel like she did when her and Ren... "Ren..." She croaked out, "Please... run away..."

"GET OFF OF HER, YOU RAT BASTARD!" A female voice called out.

Ren turned and saw a familiar blonde girl. What the hell was Ann doing here? Then, in an instant, she vanished and reappeared next to Makoto. Her attacker was violently thrown into the brick wall that Ren had become familiar with earlier.

Ann knelt down and checked Makoto. "Oh damn it, Akechi wasn't holding back at all. Why go for you though?"

"Ann, what the hell is happening?" Ren shouted at his classmate and friend.

She turned to look at him, and Ren saw that she also was a vampire, if her fangs were any indication. "No time! If we're gonna save Makoto's life, we gotta go now!" She picked up Makoto and grabbed Ren's arm, "Sorry, no time to be graceful about this! Close your eyes!"

He did so, because leaving with a vampire that was friends with him and Makoto was vastly preferable to staying with an angry one that wanted them dead. There was a rush of wind for a few seconds and when he opened his eyes, the trio were in front of a medical clinic. Ann immediately headed in, dragging Ren along. "Takemi-san, we need help now!"

The woman sitting at the reception desk looked up before she hurried over. "What happened?"

"Akechi. That's what happened." Ann spat. She turned to Ren, "Did he say anything that sounded like he was planning to turn her?"

He nodded. Words weren't something he had command of at the moment.

"Shit." Takemi said. "Exam room, now. If we're going to save her, we need to act fast."

Ren finally found his voice. You a vampire too?"

Takemi looked at Ann who shrugged as she hurried towards an exam room. "That's right. You got a problem with that?"

Ren shook his head. "Considering you're not trying to rip my throat out, no."

Takemi smirked at him. "Come on, we're gonna need your help." She led him to the room where Ann was hastily applying bandages to Makoto's neck and taking her pulse.

"We don't have time for a transfusion!" Ann said, "Her pulse is going crazy, her heart's not going to last much longer!" She looked at Takemi. "There's only one way we can save her."

Takemi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Goddamn it. Ann, we can't just run around turning every one of Akechi's victims, I-"

"Please."

She turned to look at Ren. "What?"

He sobbed. "Please save her."

"Why should I?" Takemi asked.

"I love her."

Takemi gritted her teeth. It would be much better to have two fledgings with mortal boyfriends to shepherd around than a mortal with a death wish and axe to grind. She turned back to Makoto. "What's her name?"

"Makoto Niijima."

Takemi froze for a split second. This was going to unleash a shitstorm of unparalleled proportions. "Makoto, can you hear me?"

"Yes." She said in a quiet voice.

"Makoto, we are going to save your life. However, your injuries are bad enough that the only way to do that is to turn you into a vampire." Takemi explained. "I will not do this without your consent."

"I don't want to die..." Makoto said. "Is Ren..."

"I'm here, Makoto."

"I guess this is what we get for that couples costume last Halloween, huh?"

Ren snorted. She'd gone as a vampire and he'd gone as her hapless victim. At one point they'd even snuck off and applied makeup and fake blood to make it look like she'd actually bit him.

"Alright, you can have your sentimental moment later." Takemi said. "Ren, waiting room." After he was gone, she began to give instructions to Ann. "Okay, Ann. You're going to need to bite her before you feed her your blood."

Ann did a double take. "Wait, what? That could be too much for her!"

"We need to make sure that Akechi doesn't have any hold on her." Takemi coolly explained. "The only way to do that is for him to for one of us to do it."

"And I'm doing it because..." Takemi shot Ann her do not argue with me right now glare. "Okay, okay." She began to move towards Makoto's neck. "I promise I'll be as gentle as I can."

Makoto braced herself for another ten rounds with pain, only to be pleasantly surprised. She felt... safe, strangely enough. Like nothing bad was going to happen to her. As soon as it started, the feeling vanished. She saw Ann take a knife out of somewhere and slice it along her wrist. She moved it towards Makoto's mouth. She reached up and pulled it to her with what feeble strength she had left and drank.

Makoto lost track of herself. Since when did blood taste so good? Her initial trepidation vanished as she eagerly lapped up what Ann offered her.

"Makoto, that's enough!" Ann said sharply.

She let go and fell back onto the exam bed. For a moment fear clenched around her heart. The edges of her vision were going black. What happened? Did it fail? Was she going to die?

After putting a bandage on her arm, Ann stroked Makoto's hair. "It's okay, you're okay. Just let the darkness take you, you will wake up again. I promise."

Takemi sighed. "Well, good to know we just signed our death warrants."

"What are you talking about?" Ann asked. "Akechi won't be that angry that we stopped him from getting one more attack vamp for his little rebellion."

"Oracle finally got back to me. We know now the identity of the field leader of the group of vampire hunters that have been chipping away at us." Takemi said. While it was true that most of the victims of the hunter squad fell under Akechi's banner, it was still a concern. "Sae Niijima."

"Makoto did mention that she had an older sister, but that she disappeared in mysterious circumstances a few years ago." Ann said.

"Wonderful." Takemi groaned. "Okay, you stay here. That way, when Makoto wakes up she sees a friendly face. I'll go answer all of Ren's burning questions." Without waiting for a response from Ann, she got up and walked out to find Ren pacing enough to wear a groove in the floor. "Hey."

Ren went over to her immediately. "How is she?"

"The procedure was a success, she should wake up in a couple hours or so." She explained. "And you shouldn't be here for that."

"Why not?" Ren asked.

"Do you want to get your throat ripped out by being around a newborn vampire before they have any blood in them?" Takemi drawled.

"No." Ren said.

Takemi gestured to some of the chairs in her waiting room and sat in one. Ren sat in the other. "I'm sure you have questions."

"Sunlight?"

Takemi fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Most of the weaknesses that popular media say vampires have is bullshit. Only one that really tracks is fire. A good shotgun shell or two will mess us up, anything short of that is more of an annoyance."

"Uh... how much blood will she need?"

Takemi laughed, "There it is, the question boyfriends always ask. Yes, you will be able to provide her all the blood she needs without any risk to your health. That being said, you will not be able to provide her with all the blood she might want. So get used to the idea of her feeding people that aren't you. Also you should get used to the idea that other vampires are going to come looking to take a midnight snack or two from you."

Ren sat up straight for a moment. "I am perfectly alright with this. Makoto might take some convincing."

"Elaborate."

"She has a possessive streak."

Takemi barked out a laugh. "Most civilized vampires will just see that as a challenge."

"Oh, wonderful." Ren said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, that's all my questions for now. When can I..."

"See Makoto? Come back tomorrow. Although..." Takemi paused for a moment before nodding. "There is something we can do now."

Ren cocked his head, unknowingly exposing his neck. "What is it?"

Takemi leaned in close, and dropped her voice down to a husky whisper. "I need to teach you how to be a good boy when you're being fed on." She finally let her fangs extend and licked her lips.

Ren immediately bluescreened. He quickly became acutely aware of how drop dead gorgeous -pun absolutely intended- Takemi was. Low cut dress, leather boots, legs that went forever... He shook his head to bring him back to himself. "Um... okay?" He stood much too quickly, and turned to face Takemi.

Takemi laughed. "Someone's eager. Good." She stood and pulled Ren close to her. "When I bite you, it will only hurt for a moment. It is important that you keep still. If you struggle you might hurt yourself."

Ren nodded dumbly. "Yeah, okay." He snaked his hands around her waist and held her tightly.

Takemi breathed Ren in for the first time and nearly lost her composure. His blood smelled divine. "Oh, Makoto, you lucky girl..." She began to lick at the point she planned to bite.

"Uh, is that necessary?" Ren asked.

"But of course." Takemi whispered in his ear. "When applied topically, vampire saliva acts as a coagulant agent and mild antiseptic. When ingested it acts as an aphrodisiac, but I imagine you want to explore that effect with Makoto."

"Yeah..."

"Of course, Ren. Any final questions before I take what I want?" She grinded against him shamelessly. It had been much too long since she'd had a chance to play with her food like this.

Ren had to stifle a moan at that. "Don't you think you're getting a bit too into this? Isn't this supposed to be a lesson for me?"

"How else am I supposed to prepare you for what Makoto will do to you once she gets her hands on you for the first time?" Takemi's patience had reached its end. Without further preamble or warning, she tangled up a hand in Ren's hair and pulled gently, exposing his neck further for her. Then she bit down.

The most sinful moan that Ren had ever heard escaped his mouth. How was he supposed to not move? Oh, this was agony. The sweetest, most blissful agony that he ever had the privilege to endure. Yes, it hurt. But the pulses of pleasure radiating from Takemi's fangs every time she sucked on him drowned it out.

"Oh, such a good boy..." Takemi purred. "You're not jerking around, barely even squirming... you know exactly how to behave... which regretfully means our lesson must come to a close." She licked at his wounds and then drew away.

Ren immediately felt woozy upon her withdrawal. He pitched forward and landed in the arm chair that she'd been sitting in before. "Uh... I don't think I can make it home..."

Takemi shook her head indulgently. "I know, it's my fault. I forgot how hard the first time that's focused on pleasure hits mortals. I'll make sure you make it home safely. Feel free to drift away..."

Ren needed no further convincing as he let his eyes close and surrendered to slumber.

Makoto opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that the exam room was dark. The lights were off. Why was that? She tried to sit up, but immediately stopped when her head throbbed with pain. Okay, that tracked.

She counted to ten, then tried again. This time there wasn't any pain. Her hands immediately flew to her mouth. Yep, those were vampire fangs.

"Well, look who's up." Ann said. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Makoto groaned. "I feel like crap."

Ann handed her a cup with a silly straw. "Drink this."

Makoto didn't have to ask what was in the cup. She knew. She could smell it. She took a sip. It tasted... fine. A little stale.

Ann grimaced apologetically. "For the record, the only reason you can stomach that is because you haven't had the real thing yet."

Knowing that Takemi ran a clinic, it was fairly obvious that she was probably drinking about to be expired blood. "I suppose I'll need to call the college and beg to be transferred to all night classes."

Ann snickered. "I mean, if you want to be an edgelord about it?" She shrugged. "Sunlight'll irritate you a little, but you won't burst into flames either. Get used to wearing sunglasses."

Makoto took another sip. That wouldn't be too onerous, she did own a pair of aviator sunglasses that she rarely had occasion to wear. "Based on that, I'm assuming that most of the popular weaknesses of vampires are nonsense?"

"Yep. About the only one humans got right was fire. Like Takemi told Ren last night, a couple shotgun shells will give you a real bad day, but anything short of that is a picnic."

"Okay..." Makoto finally realized that she wasn't wearing the clothes she had put on yesterday. Instead she was wearing a t-shirt and athletic shorts, likely provided by her friend. "Ann, where are my clothes?"

"You kinda... ripped through them? You're probably gonna need a whole makeover to be honest." Ann said apologetically.

"What are you-" Halfway through her question, Ann pointed at Makoto's chest. Her breasts had grown enough that every shirt and bra she owned would not fit her. She wasn't overly huge, Ann still had her beat there. "Why..."

"Because biologically speaking, vampires are a predator, and our prey is humanity. As you know, humans are persistence hunters. So, we need to be able to subdue them. One of the ways is through... well..."

"I get the picture." Makoto said,

Ann continued. "Another way is hypnosis. Normally it takes a while, but just by getting a human to look into your eyes and listen to your voice for a bit, you can have them wrapped around your finger without much trouble." She grinned. "For me, it's near instant. But that's because hypnosis is my talent."

"Talent?"

"Yep." Ann said, "So, with vampires you have a base set of superpowers. Strength, speed, durability, fast healing, heightened senses, and more. Every vampire has a talent that's unique to them, usually just a straight upgrade to a base ability. It's on the rare side, but some vampires' Talent can be an all new ability. One most vampires don't have. Takemi's the only one I know about. Now, some Talents can be learned. Shadow Blending, for example. But others can't."

Makoto nodded slowly. "Okay... so I have an extra superpower on top of all the others. Is there anything else I need to know?" She finished off her cup of blood.

Ann pointed at the cup. "That was all the blood you'll need to be comfortable for about a week."

Makoto looked back to the cup and then back at Ann. "Really? So theoretically I could feed from Ren and no one else?"

"Academically, yes. However, the amount of blood you need and the amount you'll want are two very different amounts." Ann explained. "Also... uh, how do I put this..."

"Ann..." Makoto said warningly.

"Vampires have a very loose definition of monogamy. The others will recognize that you and Ren are together, but that won't stop them from trying to get a taste of him or trying to share their humans with you."

Makoto stared at her. "Please say you're joking."

"Nope." Ann said, popping her lips. "And being possessive of him will only be seen as a challenge. Then there's the other thing..." She winced as Makoto stared at her. It was fairly obvious that she was overly done with this conversation. "So, because Takemi turned me, and I turned you, and Takemi is basically the leader of most of the vampires in Tokyo... we're basically vampire royals."

Makoto stood up and happily found out that she could do so unimpaired. "I need a... wait..."

"Normal food and drink is fine, actually. You just won't get any nutrition from it. Your stomach will nuke it all, too. So no awkward bathroom visits."

"Oh thank God." Makoto said. She left the exam room and walked towards the front door. She opened it.

Normally, Makoto Niijima did not swear unless she was particularly angry.

Unfortunately, Makoto Niijima was now a vampire, and vampire eyes did not handle unfiltered sunlight gracefully.

"SHIT!"

Ann sighed and walked over to her. She held out a pair of wrap-around sunglasses. Makoto put them on and tried again. Her eyes didn't violently protest. "So, you were saying something about a makeover?"

Ann grinned. "Girl, I thought you would never ask!"

Ren groaned as he stumbled into the kitchen and slumped on the counter. Fortunately, it was a day off for both him and Ryuji, so he didn't have to drag himself to the college. He was fairly certain he wouldn't learn anything today anyways.

"Rough night?" Ryuji asked.

Ren looked up at him to see a shit-eating grin on his face. "Ann told you what happened?"

"Yep. Sucks that you had to deal with that Akechi bastard." Ryuji turned around and began to mix up a protein shake.

Ren forced himself to sit upright. "Have you had the pleasure?"

He laughed, further annoying Ren. "Hell no! Most vamps think I taste terrible."

Ren thumped his head on the table. "I'm pretty sure I'm vamp bait."

"For real?"

"For real." Ren said. "Takemi gave me a pretty good idea of that while she was working me over."

Ryuji set the protein shake in front of him. "Drink this."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "A protein shake?"

"Secret Ryuji recipe for post-bite lethargy." He said proudly. "Look, me and Ann have been going for five years, two of those with her as a vampire. I think I've got this figured out by now."

Ren took a swig. Well, it didn't taste terrible. "How did Ann get turned, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ryuji tensed up and shifted his weight off of his left leg. "That's her story to tell."

"Fine then. Keep your secrets." Ren winced, "Sorry, that was terrible. I doubt Makoto wants me telling people what led to her being turned."

Ryuji shrugged. "It's all good, bro. I gotta have thick skin when I'm dealing with this crap, since every single vampire that isn't Ann is dead set on reminding me that I taste like literal shit."

"Then why does Ann..." Ren didn't want to seem rude, but this had him curious. "Does she just have wildly out of whack vampire taste buds or something?"

Ryuji laughed. "Ha! I'm gonna tell her you said tnat."

"Please don't." Ren said. "I choose life."

"Whatever man. So, the long and short of it is that normally a vampire falling for a mortal is a big no-no. Takemi explained it to us. It makes it so that the mortal will taste like the greatest thing since extra-large beef bowls to the vampire... but everyone else will taste bland. Now, here's the trick to this. Because Ann and Makoto were in love before they were turned, they get the positives and none of the negatives."

"That's convenient." Ren noted.

Ryuji nodded. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep your head on a swivel. Cause if you're actually vamp bait, then all the vampires in Takemi's group will see an opportunity to manipulate Makoto through you."

Ren took another swig of his shake. "How do you know so much about vampire politics?"

"They leave me alone, more or less. Means I get a lot of time to watch, and they never expect the mortal that isn't worth a second thought listening in on them."

Ren noticed his hand was shaking. "Ryuji, how much pre-workout is in this thing?"

Ryuji met his eyes. "Yes."

The day passed without catastrophe, and Ren found himself back at Takemi's clinic. The first thing he noticed on seeing Makoto for the first time since she had been turned into a vampire was that everything physical about her was just better. It was like someone had turned her up to eleven. He certainly wasn't about to complain. He already thought she was the sexiest woman alive, now she was just... sexier?

An absolute win, by all accounts.

She was wearing an outfit that Ren had never seen before. A black halter top that showed off her newly enhanced breasts, leather riding pants and jacket, and boots. Knowing that this was the aesthetic she was going for as a vampire made him a happy man.

Ann went on to play a recording of Makoto's reaction to being exposed to direct sunlight. Somehow, he was able to hold back his laughter. He also resolved to keep an umbrella in his bag whenever he went out.

"So, do you want the good news?" Takemi asked. Without waiting for an answer, she proceeded. "Makoto has already proven that she has uncommon self control."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Uh... After I was turned, as soon as Ryuji walked in the room I tackled him to the ground. If it wasn't for Takemi-san's Talent, I probably would have killed him." Ann said sheepishly.

"Uh..." Ren took another look at Makoto. Her jaw was clenched shut and she had a wild look in her eyes that was equal parts terrifying and enticing.

"That's why we're going to supervise." Takemi said. "The first time a vampire in love feeds on their lover is the most intense feeding possible. If Makoto can maintain her composure here, then she will never have control problems."

"Okay. Let's do it." Ren said.

Makoto stood, then crossed the space between them in a heartbeat. She took in a deep breath through her nose. "Oh my God..." She darted towards his neck, causing him to flinch. "Ren... you smell so good..." She stopped just short of biting him. What was she waiting for? He tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck for her. She gently tugged on his hair, effectively reversing his action. "Not yet, Ren. Why rush? We have all the time in the world..."

Ren whimpered. "Is this revenge for all the times I teased you until you were a blushing mess?" He pulled her closer, despite the danger. Or perhaps because of it? The heat, the passion, their affection for each other made what should've been fear bleed into curiosity, into desire.

Makoto laughed as she ran her hands along his chest, making sure to touch every inch of him. "That's right, Ren. I'm going to savor this." Her fangs extended and her eyes began to glow red. "You're mine."

He lunged forward and kissed her, unable to restrain himself any longer. Unlike their usual lovemaking, where they would slowly build up to a full blown make out, he immediately shoved his tongue in her mouth, brazenly grazing her fangs. He knew he was flirting with danger here. He didn't care. Makoto returned the kiss with equal fervor. When she pulled away, she nipped at his lower lip, causing a jolt of pleasure to course through him. "Ah~"

That moan broke Makoto's patience over its metaphorical knee. She immediately started to kiss and lick his neck where she intended to bite him. While she did that, the aphrodisiac in her saliva began to have an effect on Ren. He grinded against her, desperate to be closer to her. She laughed. "Oh, so needy... don't worry, Ren. I'll give you what your body is begging for."

She bit into his neck, causing a runaway train of pleasure to crash into them at breakneck speed. Makoto moaned as she greedily lapped up his blood. She never imagined that anything in the world could ever taste as good as Ren did.

For his part, Ren tried very hard to stay still, but alas, nothing could stop him from writhing from pleasure as she fed from him. Time lost all meaning for him as the woman he loved oh so dearly subjected him to bliss.

At some point between now and eternity, she pulled away from him. Breathing heavily, he took her in. Her half-lidded red eyes -they'd always been red, but her being a vampire just made them even more enthralling-her pale skin... Makoto had never been more beautiful to him.

Ren realized that it might be a good idea to tell Makoto that he had a vampire kink a mile wide. He fell onto the exam room bed with a big, dumb smile on his face.

Makoto remembered the other occupants of the room. Takemi had a smug smile on her face and gave her an approving nod. That did leave the question of why her self-control was so good, but that could left for another day. Then she looked over at Ann.

If she didn't know better, she would say that Ann was just as needy as Ren was. Her fangs were out, she was panting heavily, and most damning of all she was rubbing her thighs together. "Makoto... can I..."

Makoto's eyes sparkled as she realized the power she held at this moment. "Can you what? Use your words."

For a moment, she wondered if Ann's pride would overwhelm her neediness. "Can I have a bite?"

Well.

"What do you think, Ren?" Makoto asked, stroking his hair as she did so, "Should I let Ann have a bite?"

Ren pondered that for a moment. He knew that vampires used a much more generous definition of monogamy, so he wasn't worried about offending Ryuji. However... "No. I want tonight to just be us."

"Oh come on..." Ann said, "I'm literally begging here!"

Makoto tapped her chin. "You heard Ren. I'm the only one who gets to bite him tonight. But when did we ever say you couldn't have a taste?" She bent over Ren and bit the other side of his neck, only collecting one mouthful of blood before closing the wounds. Then she slowly walked over to Ann and kissed her. Ann moaned into it as her tongue flicked every which way, trying to collect as much of Ren's blood as possible.

After their kiss ended, Makoto went back over to her boyfriend. "How was that, Ren?"

He grinned. "This is the best night of my life."

"You know, since you didn't close the first set of wounds, he's going to have bite marks for a while." Takemi said, "Just something to keep in mind."

Makoto grinned, her fangs glistening in the dim light of the exam room as she licked up what blood remained smeared on her face, "Good. Then all the other vampires will know he belongs to me."

"Oh, that's hot." Ren mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Makoto ruffled his hair, "You're such a dork."

Yes, their lives had been upended, and they had been forcefully inducted into a whole new world of darkness and danger. But they still had each other. That would be enough to see them through.