The days that followed blurred into a haze of restraint.

Akiko hadn't sought Raya out again. Not after that almost-moment in the hot springs. Instead, she'd thrown herself into silence and self-discipline, retreating to the quiet corners of the Driftknight's crew quarters or slipping back into her inner space.

She meditated. Trained. Pushed her mana flow exercises until the edges of her consciousness pulsed from strain. Takuto, ever watchful, had offered commentary, even encouragement, but she kept their integration shallow. She wasn't ready to go deeper. Not yet.

And still, her mana regeneration crawled.

Subskill Acquisition (Mana Manipulation): Core Discipline and Regulation – 70.1% milestone achieved.

"Slow progress is still progress," Kaede's voice echoed from her memory, but it felt hollow now, like a proverb carved on cracked stone.

Akiko heard the thump before she registered Tanya's presence, a bundled kit of reinforced plating landing squarely in her arms. She blinked, catching its weight against her chest, then glanced up.

"Compliments of the workshop," Tanya said, already halfway out the door. "You owe me zero favors, because Lila says I'm not allowed to collect them today."

"You're going to the springs?"

Tanya didn't slow. "Damn right I am. Enjoy your solo surgery."

Then she was gone, leaving behind the echo of boots and the faint scent of flux from the workshop.

Akiko stood for a moment, adjusting her grip on the bundle.

The plating was matte-black, faintly textured. Each piece had been shaped with precision, curved to match the contours of her spine, with subtle inlays for conduit interfaces.

She carried it back to her bunk. Set the kit down and unwrapped it with care, laying each component out in a line. There was a calmness to the routine, at first. A rhythm.

The segmented plates interlocked like an intricate puzzle.

Simple enough, right?

First panel, upper vertebrae. Slot and anchor. It clicked in with a satisfying hum.

Second. Third.

But by the fourth, her posture had shifted, shoulder twisted awkwardly, fingers brushing blindly at the edge of the next anchor point. The access panel didn't line up properly from this angle.

She tried again. And again.

Her fingers fumbled, and the panel slipped from her grip, clattering to the floor.

"Damn it."

She crouched to pick it up. Her tail bumped the remaining pieces off the bunk where she'd balanced them. The clatter echoed through the deck.

She froze, her ears flattening. "Okay, maybe this is a little harder than I thought."

It was stupid to have thought she could do this alone. But she'd wanted to. Needed to.

Her muttering was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

Akiko turned to see Raya standing in the doorway. Her arms crossed and a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Need a hand?" Raya asked, her voice warm with teasing.

Akiko froze. Her tail flicked once against the edge of the bunk before settling. "What? No. I've got it. Totally under control."

Raya raised an eyebrow. Stepped into the room and eyed the scattered pieces on the floor.

"Sure you do. That's why half of it's down there."

Akiko bent to retrieve the fallen panels. They were as warm as her face.

"Fine. Maybe I slightly underestimated the logistics of putting this thing together."

"Only slightly?" Raya crouched beside her, picking up one of the pieces and turning it over in her hands. "You should've asked Tanya to stick around."

Akiko didn't have a response to that. She could have.

Despite Tanya's urgency to get to her own shore leave, she could have asked for help. But she'd been too caught up in her own thoughts.

Raya sat beside her on the bunk before Akiko could respond. She didn't ask for permission. Didn't wait for an invitation. Just sat next to her, the warmth of her blending with the panel in her hands.

"May I?" Raya asked, her voice low, fingers already lifting one of the plates.

Akiko nodded, once. It was that or start another discussion she didn't want to have.

Raya worked carefully. The plates were delicate, keyed to Akiko's unique mana signature, and precision mattered. Her fingers brushed skin and synth-weave, warm and sure. Each soft click of a panel locking into place echoed louder than it should have in the quiet.

Akiko tried not to flinch. Tried not to focus on the heat of Raya's palm or the subtle press of her breath across the back of her neck.

"These are beautiful," Raya murmured, not looking up. "They feel like you."

Akiko made a noncommittal sound, staring hard at the far wall. Her tail swished absently, brushing against Raya's leg. Traitor.

But she couldn't restrain the offending appendage. It tended to be more honest than she was.

Raya slotted the final plate into place and stepped back. "Done."

Akiko stood slowly, the plates humming softly as they synced with her system. She flexed her shoulders, testing the balance.

Spinal Conduit Integration Complete.

Mana Flow Capacity: +120%

A faint pulse echoed through her inner space, steady and spacious. A feeling like a muscle unclenching. As if her core, long confined, had finally been given room to breathe.

"Thank you," she said, and meant it.

Raya just smiled. "Anytime."

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Then, as quickly as she'd come, Raya turned and slipped back out of the room, leaving Akiko standing alone in the soft light. A little stronger, and a little less alone.

Akiko stood alone in the soft light for a while after Raya left, the quiet stretching around her like a cocoon. The low hum of her suit's plates faded as they stilled, syncing once more with her breathing.

Eventually, she moved to the floor, lowering herself into a cross-legged position. The motion was careful, deliberate, as if she were easing into a space not just physical but mental.

Her spine stayed straight despite the ache building between her shoulders. A dull throb that reminded her she was still healing.

The spinal mod felt heavier now that it was installed. She could feel the faint pulse of mana resonating against the base of her neck, steady and patient.

The lights were dimmed, shadows clinging to the edges of the alcove. Her eyes were closed, hands resting palm-up on her knees. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Again.

"Focus," she whispered to herself.

She tried to summon one of the focusing images Kaede had once taught her: a stream of water running down the inside of her spine, clear and endless. Mana, flowing unbroken. A river of self. Let it move. Let it feed. But the water muddied too quickly.

A hand. Brushing against her shoulder. Fingers slotting metal into place.

Akiko flinched, a sharp exhale breaking her rhythm.

"Damn it," she muttered.

She rolled her shoulders, pressing her palms flat against her thighs. Tried again. This time, she didn't even make it past the first breath before Raya's voice echoed in her mind, teasing and tender.

You're thinking about work again.

She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. The ceiling stared back, as silent and unhelpful as ever.

This wasn't working. The technique wasn't flawed. Kaede's guidance had pulled her through darker places than this. Akiko just couldn't lie to herself anymore.

She was restless. Because she was trying to avoid the thing gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. The thing she hadn't dared to name.

The lines had been blurry from the beginning. That warmth in the dark, that steady presence beside her through so many impossible things. It had been easier to pretend it was nothing, easier to focus on the next step, the next upgrade, the next mission.

But now? Now she felt the way her body remembered that touch. How her chest tightened when Raya smiled. How her thoughts spiraled when she was gone.

The more she tried to avoid it, the more that smile crept back in, weaving through her thoughts like foxfire dancing through the trees.

Akiko's tail twitched in frustration. She opened her eyes.

This wasn't working.

She sat up, brushing her hair back with both hands, the soft hum of the ship filling the silence. Her thoughts weren't going to settle until she stopped running from them.

She swung her legs off the bunk, feet finding the cold floor.

"Ah, who am I kidding?" she muttered, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "I never could keep myself from jumping in the deep end."

One step at a time. One conversation at a time. And then she'd see where it took her.

Akiko stepped into the corridor, pulse steady, for once. The choice had been made. No more waffling. No more pretending there wasn't something between them. If nothing else, she owed her an honest conversation.

She glanced toward the galley first. Empty. Maybe the commons? Or one of the observation alcoves?

She barely rounded the corner when Kara's voice snapped out behind her.

"Perfect timing."

Akiko turned to see Kara striding down the hallway with a tablet in one hand and a don't-you-dare-say-no expression already locked in place.

"I need you dressed, packed, and at the airlock in twenty minutes," Kara said. "We're heading to Serynth."

Akiko blinked. "I—what?"

"We need buyers for the cargo that's gathering dust in the hold." Kara shoved the tablet into her arms. "Driftknight's too hot for Haven's liking right now, so we'll have to do this quietly."

"But I was just—" Akiko started, eyes flicking toward the other corridor.

"Whatever it was, it'll keep," Kara said. "We've got black market deals to close, and you owe me for that stunt back in the belt."

Akiko looked down at the tablet. Flight itinerary. Pseudonyms. Cargo details.

"Civvie transport, huh?" Akiko crossed her arms, her ears twitching. "Doesn't sound like your style."

"It's not," Kara admitted with a shrug. "But it's what we need right now. Keep your head down, blend in with the masses, and we won't have any trouble."

Akiko narrowed her eyes, skeptical. "And if Haven's watching the transport routes?"

"Then we keep our cool and don't give them a reason to look twice," Kara said firmly. "This isn't a negotiation, Akiko. Go pack."

Akiko sighed, running a hand over her face.

So much for her plans to talk to Raya.

"Fine. But you owe me an explanation for why I'm getting roped into this. You've got other people who can make the trip."

"True," Kara said, already turning to head back down the corridor. "But you're the only one who draws trouble like a magnet and somehow walks away unscathed. Just in case we need that luck."

"Great. Love being the 'in case of emergency, break glass' person," Akiko muttered under her breath, heading back to her bunk to pack.

Her thoughts drifted back to Raya. That talk was going to have to wait.

She zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. If she was heading to Serynth, there was no telling what kind of trouble she'd find there, or what kind would find her.

Akiko found Kara waiting near the airlock, her own bag slung casually over one shoulder. She didn't say a word, just turned and tossed a bulky jacket at Akiko.

She caught it with a frown.

"Stow the ears and tail," Kara said flatly. "The jacket'll hide your face, but that tail's a dead giveaway. Haven's got you plastered across half the net, so keep the hood up. And don't look straight at any cameras."

Akiko held up the jacket like it might bite. It was heavy, plain, and ugly, with a hood deep enough to swallow her face.

"Fantastic," she muttered, pulling it on. "I love dressing like I'm about to rob some nobles."

"You'd love that more than getting bagged by Haven." Kara's voice was bone-dry. "Trust me."

Akiko's ears flattened before vanishing entirely as she shifted into her human guise. The effort came easy, but holding it always felt like wearing someone else's skin. Unfamiliar. Tight.

She exhaled slowly, adjusting the hood to shadow her face. "This isn't going to last forever," she said. "You know magic's weird here. Holding the form gets... itchy."

Kara shrugged, unmoved. "Then think of it as stamina training. If you've gotta drop the mask, find somewhere private."

Akiko groaned and pulled the hood tighter.

"You're a celebrity now," Kara added, not unkindly. "Whether you like it or not."

She gave Akiko's shoulder a firm squeeze, then turned toward the airlock.

Akiko hesitated, staring at the jacket's coarse fabric. None of this felt right. But it didn't matter. With a scowl, she followed. This was going to be a long trip.

The resort terminal thrummed with low, constant motion, luggage carts whining past, distant voices rising and falling. Travelers moved like schools of fish, flowing around each other with practiced disinterest.

Akiko kept her head low beside Kara. Hood snug, ears hidden. The jacket felt stifling, but it didn't stand out. Half the people moving toward the Serynth terminal wore the same kind of nondescript gear: heavy coats, wide-brimmed hats, face-shading visors.

Callistra might be a resort world, but Serynth? Serynth was another thing entirely. And the people heading there valued discretion more than comfort.

Her eyes picked out the patterns: crates being haggled over, dockworkers trading coded hand signs, a woman slipping a datapad under her coat as a local security guard passed.

"This your first time blending in?" Kara asked quietly, not looking back.

"Not exactly," Akiko muttered. "Usually when I'm blending in, it's so I can steal something."

That earned her the faintest twitch of a smile from Kara, but no reply.

They reached the ticketing booth. A bored attendant tapped away at their console without glancing up.

"Two for Serynth," Kara said, holding out her wrist. The embedded processor blinked awake, ready for a scan.

The chime of a successful transfer pinged. A moment later, Kara's processor lit up with the confirmation. She didn't wait for pleasantries, just nodded once and stepped back.

Akiko glanced ahead. The ship was a battered civilian freighter, patchwork hull visible through the port windows. She could hear the boarding calls filtering through the speaker system, soft static layered beneath crisp, official tones.

People around them chatted about cargo, shore leave, gambling runs.

"I used to think I'd always stand out," Akiko murmured. "But places like this... I've been through enough to know I can blend when I need to."

The memory stirred without warning. Ashara, the club's pulse thrumming through her bones, the smell of synthetic spice and sweat, that guy whose name she never caught pressing too close during the dance.

She hadn't led him on. Not really. But she'd lingered in the moment, enjoyed the contact more than she'd admit. That heat. That fleeting thrill.

She'd saved him later, slipping them both through a side exit when her presence had drawn the wrong kind of attention.

And yet, now, the memory distorted.

For a breath, it wasn't him on that dance floor. It was Raya, all fluid grace, flushed cheeks, that breathless laugh. The way her gaze might have caught on Akiko's lips if she'd been there.

Akiko blinked hard. The lounge's clean lighting and quiet murmur returned. The heat in her chest stayed.

She exhaled slowly, pulse just a little too fast. Focus.

Kara looked over. "You'll fit in just fine. Just don't give them a reason to remember you."

Akiko smirked, tugging the hood lower. "Not exactly my strong suit."

"No," Kara said. "But that's why you've got me."

The boarding call chimed again.

"Come on," Kara said, nudging her forward. "Time to disappear into the crowd."

Akiko stepped into the flow of travelers, her bag slung across her back, her face hidden. For now, at least, she was just another shadow heading for Serynth.

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