The cratered surface of Serynth rushed up to meet Akiko, gray and barren, split by jagged fissures and the faint glint of half-buried wreckage. Just a scarred metal dome built into the ice-blasted rock, dark and squat like a predator waiting with its mouth sealed shut.

Blackreach was pressed tight beneath layers of reinforced alloy and patchwork shields, buried in the bones of the moon. No docking arms, no public approach lanes. Just a handful of heavy landing bays built into the exterior wall.

Akiko narrowed her eyes, adjusting her trajectory.

A pang of guilt coiled in her chest. Kara would be there, waiting. Probably with arms crossed and eyes that could gut a mistake at twenty paces.

"She's going to kill me," Akiko muttered.

"Who?" Sifra asked, her tone light but curious.

"Kara," she said, resigned. "She told me not to make trouble. So naturally I got myself caged, busted out, burned half my mana, and dragged you into the mess. So yeah. Dead girl walking."

Sifra giggled. A small, bright thing in the vast emptiness. "Well, at least you'll die with a good story."

Gravity was light on the moon and they coasted the last stretch, inertia carrying them close to one of the large maintenance hatches. Akiko watched the path unfold. Sifra stayed pressed against the crook of her neck, unusually quiet.

A flash of foxfire killed their downward momentum, letting Akiko touch down lightly. Dust from the landing swirled outward around her as Takuto scanned the maintenance hatch.

"Lock override in progress," he murmured in her ear. "Estimated completion: fifteen seconds."

"Quickly," Akiko muttered. The last thing she needed was a curious security scan while perched on the outside of the city in full view.

With a soft hiss, the hatch clicked open. She slipped inside with practiced efficiency. Sifra flitted in behind her, wings fluttering irritably.

"Nice place," the fairy muttered. "Cozy. Smells like burnt dust and old regrets."

Akiko didn't respond. Her HUD pulsed to life, mapping out the tunnel maze in front of her. Maintenance corridors, not made for tourists or comfort. Just enough room to vanish, if you knew the layout.

She took three steps before a pair of pressure suited workers rounded the bend ahead. Grease-streaked, wide-eyed, and very much unprepared to meet a fully armored kitsune flanked by a glowing winged creature.

For a moment, no one moved. Then one pointed. The other inhaled like he meant to shout.

They bolted.

Akiko exhaled through her nose. "Right. That's fine. I didn't want to go unnoticed anyway."

Sifra perched on her shoulder, grinning like a devil. "You should've seen their faces. You're going to be a local legend by lunch."

"Not helping."

Her HUD flickered, highlighting a new route, one that ended at the transport bay Kara had marked. A timer appeared in the corner of her vision: departure imminent.

"ETA to transport bay: seventeen minutes," Takuto reported.

"Plenty of time," Akiko lied, picking up her pace. Her boots met the grated floor with quiet, deliberate impacts. "Let's just hope that was the only welcoming party."

"I wouldn't mind more," Sifra said airily. "This is fun."

Akiko rolled her eyes but didn't answer. Just a few more turns. Then she'd be home. Relatively speaking.

She reached the transport bay. It was dim, half-lit by the pale overheads that never quite banished the gloom. Her HUD pinged gently.

Kara stood at the edge of the bay, arms crossed, leaning against a pillar with practiced stillness. When she saw Akiko, the look on her face shifted. First relief, then fury, all wrapped in the hard containment of someone used to command.

She pushed off the pillar and strode toward them, boots striking the deck with sharp, deliberate steps.

"You're alive," she said dryly. "That's more than I expected when I saw your bed empty this morning."

Akiko winced, just a little. "Told you I could handle myself."

She didn't mention the auction. Or the tranquilizer. Or the part where she'd almost died in open space.

Kara's jaw locked. "Handle yourself. In Blackreach. At night. After I specifically told you not to make trouble."

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"I didn't start any trouble."

Kara gestured sharply at her. At the scratches on her suit, the lingering frost marks near the collar. Then she pointed to Sifra, who hovered smugly nearby.

"You look like you went three rounds with a garbage compactor," Kara snapped. "And you brought back a passenger."

Sifra huffed, wings flaring. "Passenger? Excuse you. I'm a certified asset. Traveling companion, magical support, morale booster—"

"I wasn't talking to you," Kara said flatly.

Akiko stepped in quickly, raising a placating hand. "Let's just say I ran into some… resistance. Nothing I couldn't handle."

Kara's eyes narrowed. "Right. Resistance. Like always. Because you're so good at not drawing attention."

Akiko held up a hand. "I got out. No one's chasing me. And hey—"

She gestured toward Sifra, who did a midair spin and threw up jazz hands.

"I made a friend."

Kara stared at her. Then pinched the bridge of her nose.

"A friend," she repeated. "We'll talk about that later. For now—" she jabbed a thumb toward the waiting transport. "Get on the ship before I regret waiting for you."

Akiko nodded, wisely saying nothing more. She stepped onto the ramp.

Sifra drifted close, voice low and sing-song. "She likes me. I can tell."

Akiko smirked. "Don't test her. Or me."

They boarded in silence, Kara a step behind them, her presence heavy, her patience thinner than recycled air.

Akiko exhaled as the hatch sealed behind them.

She was safe. For now.

The cabin was cramped, rows of aging acceleration seats lining the bulkheads. She took one near the middle, her tail curling tight around her leg as she buckled in.

Kara sat beside her without a word. Sifra lounged across from them, upside-down in her restraints, humming tunelessly.

The engines rumbled to life, steady and slow, building pressure like a held breath.

The ship slipped into the void toward Callistra.

As the hours passed, the tension from Blackreach faded. Kara's gaze still flicked toward Akiko now and then, sharp beneath half-lowered lashes. Her disapproval lingered like static in the air.

Akiko broke the silence first, her voice low, careful not to carry beyond their row. "You're probably wondering why the mercenaries were so eager to grab me."

Kara didn't open her eyes. "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."

Her tone was flat, but the edge was there, brittle and waiting.

Akiko glanced around. No one nearby seemed interested. She lowered her voice further. "They weren't after Haven's bounty. Someone hired them to take me to Zephara."

That got a reaction. Kara turned her head slowly, eyes narrowing.

"Zephara?" she repeated. "Why?"

Akiko shrugged, playing casual. "No idea. But it's weird, right? First I hear people whispering about water disruptions. Then someone pays a crew to deliver me there. That feels like more than a coincidence."

Kara let out a short, incredulous laugh. "You're serious?"

Akiko met her gaze. "Completely."

"You think there's some grand conspiracy tying you to Zephara's water shortage?"

"Why not?" Akiko said. "We've seen stranger things."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Akiko, those rigs are ancient. Haven barely maintains them. They run on spit and recycled duct tape. Breakdowns are normal. And Haven doesn't exactly inspire local loyalty."

"You don't know that's the reason," Akiko said. "What if it's something deeper?"

"What if it's not?" Kara countered. "Not everything is a mystical prophecy. Sometimes things fall apart because no one pays to keep them standing."

Akiko sighed and slumped deeper into her seat. "Fine. Maybe. But it still doesn't explain why someone wanted me there."

Kara didn't answer at first. Then her posture softened, just a touch.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But here's some advice: you're already a walking target. Don't go chasing more trouble than you have to. Especially when it's not your problem."

Akiko nodded, but her thoughts were already turning. The phrase echoed in her mind: not your problem.

She didn't say anything else. Kara wouldn't appreciate the argument. But in her gut, she knew better. If someone on Zephara wanted her. Not her bounty, her. Then it was already her problem.

She turned her head to the window. Outside, the vast curve of Erythraea filled the view, burnt ochre clouds folding over themselves in slow, endless churn.

Kara's breathing evened out beside her. The hum of the ship continued.

They descended, and time stretched with the gravity well's pull. The transport slipped through the moon's orbital layer, Erythraea's hues fading behind them, replaced by the glittering arc of landing beacons below.

Akiko didn't track the moments. She just listened. To her breath, to Kara's, to the silence where thoughts churned and answers refused to surface.

When they arrived, the resort's docking bay gleamed with polished metal and pristine lighting, a stark contrast to the grim, oil-slicked corridors of Blackreach. As the transport settled onto the platform, the hiss of decompression filled the cabin.

Akiko rose from her seat, shouldering her pack. Her ears twitched under her hood.

Sifra perched lightly on her shoulder, wings fluttering in an excited blur. "This place is amazing," she whispered. "Look at all the shiny lights and clean floors. It's practically glowing. Do they polish everything here, or is it just magic?"

Akiko gave a vague grunt, letting the chatter fade. Her gaze had already locked on the figure waiting near the edge of the platform. Poised, calm, framed in the bay's harsh light.

Raya.

Akiko's breath caught. Her eyes lingered on Raya's face. The familiar lines, the steady warmth. A smile that hadn't changed.

Sifra tapped her neck. "Hellooo? Earth to fox-lady. Or, uh, Callistra to fox-lady? Are we buffering?"

"Shiny lights," Akiko murmured. "Very nice."

"You're a terrible audience," Sifra huffed, crossing her arms.

Akiko didn't answer. She was already moving, steps carrying her toward the ramp. The promise she'd made before leaving, to tell Raya how she felt, rose in her thoughts like a half-finished sentence. But so did the mercenaries. And the bounty. And Zephara.

Asking Raya to step into all of that? To shoulder the danger that followed her like a shadow? It didn't feel fair. Not now. Maybe not ever. And besides… things were good. Comfortable. Safe. No need to fracture what already worked. Not yet.

"Are you going to keep staring," Sifra whispered, "or are you going to say something before she thinks you've forgotten how to speak?"

Akiko's ears flattened under her hood. A blush crept up her neck.

"Shut up," she muttered, quickening her pace.

Kara was already ahead, striding toward Raya with her usual purpose. Akiko followed, jaw tight.

Raya spotted her. And the moment she did, her smile softened, like sunlight easing through glass.

Akiko forgot everything for a breath. The bounty. The escape. The exhaustion still coiled in her limbs. It all vanished under that gaze.

But then the moment passed, like all moments did. She squared her shoulders. Painted on a grin. Let her voice find something easy to say.

"Hey, Raya. Long time no see."

Raya's smile didn't falter. "Welcome back, Akiko. It's good to see you safe."

And there it was again, that flutter behind her ribs. Small. Persistent.

A feeling she still didn't dare name.

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