Warm sunlight spilled through the cracked window of the abandoned shack, painting golden stripes across the dusty floor.

Ren blinked awake, groaning softly as the light stabbed his eyes. The first thing he saw, once the blur cleared, was Kyouka standing by the window completely naked, her round, firm ass perfectly framed by the morning glow.

The curve of her hips, the soft dip of her lower back, the way her silver short hair cascaded down to brush the back of her neck; everything about her looked unreal, like a statue carved by someone obsessed with perfection.

She heard him stir and turned her head just enough for him to catch the worry in her eyes. A faint blush colored her cheeks, but it vanished almost instantly.

"Ren… do you think Misa and Hiyori are safe?" Her voice was small, almost fragile.

Ren sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy black hair. He stared at the floorboards for a second before answering. "Misa is the strongest woman I know, Kyouka. You've seen it yourself. No one's laying a finger on Hiyori while Mom's breathing. I'd bet my life on it."

The worry in Kyouka's eyes softened into a tiny, grateful smile. "You really love her, don't you?"

"She's our mother," Ren muttered, as if that explained everything. Then he exhaled. "We should head to the police station. But not the normal ones. They'll just laugh us out the door after last night."

Kyouka tilted her head. "Then who?"

"Amanda," Ren said quietly. "She's the only one who'll take us seriously."

Kyouka nodded slowly. "Smart. We definitely can't go back to the house. Misa said it herself; those attackers were probably after her. We just got caught in the crossfire."

"Bingo," Ren echoed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kyouka finally turned fully toward him, and Ren forgot how to breathe for a second.

Her breasts were full and heavy, pale nipples already stiff in the cool morning air. A thin trail of silver pubic hair, almost metallic in the sunlight, pointed down to soft, swollen labia that still looked freshly used from the night before.

A faint sheen of dried cum glistened on her inner thighs. Her face was heartbreakingly beautiful; high cheekbones, sharp jaw, those beautiful eyes that could flip from gentle to murderous in a heartbeat.

She padded across the floorboards, completely unbothered by her nudity, and wrapped her arms around Ren's neck. Her bare skin was warm against his chest.

"I'll protect you, baby," she whispered into his ear, lips brushing the shell. "No one's touching you. Not while I'm still standing."

Ren's hands settled on her waist automatically. "I know."

BAM!

The flimsy door exploded inward with a splintering crash. Two women stumbled into the shack, clearly high out of their minds. Track marks on their arms, greasy hair, pupils blown wide. They froze when they saw the naked couple, then their cracked lips split into hungry grins when their eyes landed on Ren.

"Well, well, well," the taller one rasped, licking her lips. "Look what wandered into our little playhouse. Fresh meat."

The shorter one giggled, a wet, broken sound. "Aww, he's cute. Bet that cock tastes like candy. Hey sweetie, you want two pussies for breakfast?"

"Or four holes if you're feeling generous," the first one cackled, already pulling at the zipper of her stained jeans.

Kyouka's entire body went rigid. Ren felt the temperature around her drop ten degrees.

"Ren," she said calmly, grabbing his clothes off the floor and pressing them into his hands. "We're leaving. Now."

Ren nodded fast, yanking on his boxers. "Yeah, let's—"

Two steps toward the door and the junkies blocked the way.

"Where the fuck you think you're taking him, bitch?" the tall one snarled at Kyouka. "Leave the boy. We'll send him home when we're done draining him dry."

The shorter one waved a rusty switchblade. "Yeah. Go buy yourself some crack and forget his name, whore."

Kyouka closed her eyes.

Ren knew that look. He took one step back.

The junkies didn't.

"You deaf, cunt?" the tall one spat. "I said—"

Kyouka's eyes snapped open, glowing.

And the air around her changed.

[Huntress's Domain]

The air itself seemed to ripple. Every speck of dust froze mid-air. The junkies' heartbeats thundered in Ren's ears like war drums; he could hear the blood rushing in their veins, smell the fetid stink of the drugs eating them from the inside.

To Kyouka, they were already corpses.

She moved.

One step; just one; and her forehead smashed into the tall junkie's nose with a wet crunch. The woman dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, screaming, hands clutched to her ruined face as blood poured between her fingers.

The shorter one shrieked, "You fucking bitch!" and lunged with the knife.

Kyouka tilted her head an inch. The blade sliced empty air. Her hand snapped out, fingers closing around the woman's wrist. A twist. A sickening crack. The knife clattered to the floor along with three broken fingers.

The junkie wailed.

Kyouka drove her knee up into the woman's gut so hard she lifted off the ground, then slammed her face-first into the floorboards. Once. Twice. The screaming stopped.

Silence, except for the wet dripping of blood.

Kyouka stood over the two twitching bodies, chest barely moving, silver hair fluttering like she was standing in a storm only she could feel. Then the glow faded from her eyes, and the domain collapsed.

Ren let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Holy shit, Kyouka…"

She turned to him, expression softening instantly. "I told you. No one touches you."

Ren couldn't help it; he grinned. "You protected me."

"Of course I'll protect you, Ren." She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. "Huh… all the aches from yesterday are gone. My ribs, my ankle… nothing hurts."

Ren's grin turned sly. "Wonder if that's got anything to do with last night."

Kyouka actually laughed, a low, throaty sound that made his spent cock twitch despite everything. "You think your cum is magic now?"

"Probably," he said, shrugging. "I always woke up feeling like I could run a marathon. Maybe I've got some kind of healing factor in my balls."

Kyouka snorted, then stepped over the unconscious junkies like they were trash bags. She cupped Ren's face gently. "Ok my magic cock brother...let's go now!"

She bent to pick up her torn shirt, giving Ren one last glorious view of that perfect silver-trimmed pussy, still glistening from the night before.

Ren groaned. "You're gonna kill me one of these days with that view."

Kyouka smirked over her shoulder. "Only if you ask nicely, baby."

Then she tossed him his jeans, and together they stepped over the blood and out into the morning light; two naked, battered, impossibly beautiful killers ready to burn the world down for the people they loved.

***

The black SUV rocked to a stop inside an underground garage that smelled of bleach and ozone. Hiyori's small hands were zip-tied behind her back, tears cutting clean lines through the soot on her cheeks. Misa sat beside her, face carved from stone, eyes fixed straight ahead like she could burn holes through the reinforced windshield.

The rear door ripped open. Six women in matte-black tactical gear leveled rifles. At their front stood a taller figure in a smooth white mask that reflected the cold LED lights like a blank moon.

The masked woman stared at Misa for three long heartbeats.

No one spoke.

Finally the leader tilted her head toward one of her soldiers. "Take Doctor Misa to the lab."

"Yes, Commander V," the soldier answered instantly.

Another soldier jerked her chin at Hiyori. "What about the kid?"

V's masked face turned slowly. Hiyori glared back through her tears, small fists clenched so tight the zip-ties creaked. The child looked ready to bite someone's throat out.

V's voice came out flat, metallic through the mask's filter. "As long as Doctor Misa cooperates, the girl keeps all her fingers. Separate them."

Two soldiers grabbed Misa's arms. She didn't resist, but her voice cut the air like a scalpel.

"They will pay," Misa said quietly, every word dripping venom. "Everyone who touched Ren and Kyouka will beg me for death."

Commander V didn't even blink. "Regrets are for people with choices, Doctor. You don't have any left."

Hiyori lunged against the hands dragging her backward. "MOTHER!"

Misa twisted just enough to lock eyes with her daughter. "Stay calm, Hiyori. Mommy's going to come get you. I promise."

"Shut her up," V ordered.

A gloved hand clamped over Hiyori's mouth. The little girl's muffled scream echoed down the concrete corridor as they pulled her away.

Misa was marched in the opposite direction. Boots echoed. Doors hissed open on pneumatic hinges. The air grew colder, cleaner, laced with the sharp tang of coolant and something faintly sweet (like rotting flowers).

They passed glass walls revealing rows of humming servers, vats of pale blue fluid, and things floating inside that definitely were human babies.

At the end of the final hallway stood a seamless titanium door. It slid apart with a sigh, revealing a cavernous chamber. In the center, suspended by black cables thicker than a woman's thigh, hung a massive ring of cobalt metal tubes pulsing with inner light. The glow painted everything the color of deep ocean trenches.

Commander V stepped forward, boots ringing on the polished floor.

"Welcome to Project Treacherous, Doctor Misa," she said, voice almost reverent. "This is the culmination of fifteen years and nine billion untraceable dollars."

Misa's golden eyes never left the glowing ring. "You kidnapped my children to force me to finish your weapon."

"Correct."

"You're insane if you think I'll help you aim it...I got nothing to do with traitors."

V reached up and finally removed the mask.

The face underneath was not what Misa expected. It wasn't a human face...it looked more like a ghoul rather than a human with all the burnt skin and missing facial features.

"I don't need you to aim it, Doctor," she said softly. "You will do it...that's the end of story."