Heaven's Crime (gxg) ✓

nine. that tokyo drift song

                      "Tokyo," I repeat, hours later. "What the hell do we do now?"

                      We are parked on the side of a long desert stretch, the road ahead lined with red dunes. Where are we? Probably somewhere in the outskirts of California.

                       It strikes me, then, that I said we. 

                      Veah gives me a coolly raised eyebrow. 

                      "I have classes, and lectures, and━" I bury my face in my hands. Sitting on the hood of the convertible, Veah leaning up against the side, the realization hits me.

                      Just yesterday, it was Halloween. And now━and now━

                      Now I've been handcuffed to someone from the Yakuza. We've been shot at, chased, and you know what's even better? They have orders to bring us back to Tokyo. 

                      The iron links rattle between us.

                      I still can't even remember how, or when, or why I handcuffed myself to a stranger.

                     "My sister," I say. "I have to━"

                     "Cassie?"

                     My eyes snap to her. My words come out as more of a squeak. "How do you know that?" 

                     Her face betrays nothing, but I swear I see the faintest touch of pink. "I heard you in your sleep."

                    This dangerous, terrifying Yakuza assassin, hesitant to admit she heard me talking in my sleep? 

                   I want to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

                   "What do we do now?" I ask instead. "We can't keep these handcuffs on forever."

                   Veah's face betrays nothing as she says, "There is . . . one thing."

                   "What?" I say. "Mass murder? Cow slaughter? Offering to the gods? Listen, we can flip a coin to choose who gives up their firstborn."

                   A small, cocky smile tugs at her mouth, and she bites her bottom lip. "I'm not planning on having any biological children."

                  "You're not planning on having any . . ." It takes me a moment to get it, and stupidly, I blush. "Well, neither am I."

                  Did we just come out to each other?

                  "It looks like offering up our firstborn children is out of the question," she says, and I almost want to smile with her. At the surprising fact that she's actually . . . funny.

                 Her lips curve again, her teeth catching on her lower lip. Don't look, Kaya. Do. Not. Look. 

                 I can resist the charms of a rogue Mafia assassin. I can resist the . . .

                 My eyes fall on her mouth again. The tender pink of her soft lips. I imagine closing the distance between us and kissing her until I see stars.

                 Damn it. You looked. 

                I swallow. Nervous━I'm nervous. I am not a middle-school teenager in the girls' locker room. "So━what was your idea?"