His breath frayed, Ken sat up, his back against the plush, scarlet-padded headboard. The red light overhead made the sweat on his collarbones, along his shoulders and bent knees, gleam. He tapped the back of his head against the headboard when his pulse took too much time sorting itself out, and laughed. Jun sat astride his lower legs. The small muscles of her lower back did too much work, holding her right there; her thighs and stomach tensed, to keep her in place. Her spread fingers spanned his knees. When he looked to the ceiling, he saw them: mirrored.

"What will you do if they declare peace tomorrow?"

Ken ran his slick fingers in half circles along her upper arms, into the air, and over her shoulders. "...mmmm....Get you out of Utoland."

But, "...I like Utoland."

"Okay. Take you somewhere. In my plane. High. Take you anywhere. Some other city. Newer. Best views. Up in the sky."

"What if I want to take you for a ride?"

Ken's laugh was dirty, though soft. "We don't need a bike for that."

Her hair hid her eyes. His smile showed wide. She said, "What'll you do first, if peace is declared?"

He found her other hand, the one not spanning his knees and tickled her palm. Like key in slot, their fingers and the spaces between found each other. They pushed hands lightly.

"More of this." Their fingers tapped. He said, "That sound good to you?"

Dizzied, she could only hum in assent then ask, "What else?"

He screwed up his mouth. "I'd detonate the minefield out by R City. Clear the area of all civilians first, and then, just set that thing off. Set them all off, if we can't clean them up. We'll fix all the blast zones and what's left, we'll make into good places. Green again..."

...And Joe will be chief gardner, and you will be in charge of fireworks, and I will test rides and Jinpei will design and organize the first penless zoo and Ryu will build fleets of green energy boats and our parents will be there and we won't have to be each other's only family anymore. At least, that's what Jun imagined Ken might be thinking and not saying.