Raya braced herself as she guided Akiko's limp form through the narrow corridors of the Driftknight. In microgravity, weight wasn't the problem. Awkwardness was. Akiko's unconscious body floated with eerie stillness, limbs slack, expression flickering with uneasy dreams.

The soft hallway lights glinted off her suit. Sleek magitech suit, faintly glowing runes. Beautiful but strange. A quiet reminder of just how different Akiko was. And how dangerous.

Dangerous to herself most of all, Raya thought, sighing softly.

At Akiko's bunk, Raya slowed her movement, easing her down with care.

She secured the padded restraints with practiced hands, adjusting their fit so Akiko wouldn't float or twist as she slept. Even in unconsciousness, her ears twitched, her brow furrowing as if still locked in a fight somewhere behind her closed eyes.

Raya lingered.

Up close, without the bravado and fire, Akiko didn't look like the daring rogue who'd just sabotaged a Haven patrol ship. She looked… fragile. Younger. Human, even if only in posture.

Reckless, Raya thought, tucking a strand of damp hair behind one pointed ear. Brave, sure. But recklessness isn't courage.

She'd seen that look before, on the faces of young resistance fighters trying to prove they mattered. Charging in headfirst because they didn't know how to slow down. Half of them didn't come back. The other half came back changed.

Her gaze drifted to the sweat on Akiko's brow, the too-quick rise and fall of her chest. Whatever she'd done out there in the void had taken more than anyone understood.

This world didn't have rules for someone like her.

And whatever powered her, this foxfire, this spark, burned hot.

But what good is that power, she thought, if you burn yourself out every time you use it?

She pulled back, checking the suit's vitals. Stable, but strained. Mana rhythms erratic but recovering. She'd be fine. This time.

But next time?

The thought clawed at Raya's chest. She'd lost people before. Friends. Allies. Parts of herself.

And after the station took everything that mattered most, she wasn't sure how much more she could stand to lose.

Her voice came quiet, almost a whisper.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"You don't get to burn yourself out," she murmured, adjusting the final strap. "Not on my watch."

She rested a hand on the bunk's edge, watching Akiko's expression soften in sleep. So much power, so much pressure, and no idea what to do with it.

You've got something special, she thought. Something we need.

And if Akiko couldn't, or wouldn't, look after herself, then Raya would. That was the deal, whether Akiko asked for it or not.

She clenched her jaw, resolve steadying her breath.

She wouldn't lose this one.

She floated near the bunk area, carefully retrieving the small items that had drifted free during the last burn. A stylus. A scrap of diagnostic tape. Someone's half-empty ration pouch.

Her movements were automatic, but her eyes kept drifting back to Akiko.

The kitsune still lay strapped into her bunk, body slack, breath shallow but steady. Her ears twitched now and then, flicking at sounds only she could hear. But the tension that so often clung to her, coiled and wary, had finally eased.

She looked... peaceful.

It was a strange word for Akiko.

The soft hum of motion in the corridor pulled Raya from her thoughts.

Kara floated into view, her posture composed but tight. Raya recognized that tension now. It wasn't command-mode. It was worry. Carefully hidden, tightly wrapped.

Kara's eyes swept the room before settling on Akiko. Then, on Raya.

"How is she?" Kara asked, her voice low.

Raya brushed hair from her face, sighing. "Stable. Exhausted. Lucky."

She nodded toward the bunk. "She pulled it off. The Resolute backed off."

Kara drifted closer, arms folding as she stared down at Akiko. "She's got more guts than sense. If she'd been a second slower, or if anyone on that crew had been paying closer attention..."

She didn't finish the thought. Didn't have to.

Raya hesitated, then spoke. "It's not just guts. She's... different. I've never seen anyone think that fast, move that fast. It's like every decision she makes comes from some reflex she doesn't have time to question."

Kara's jaw tightened. "That's what worries me."

She gestured at Akiko. "People like her burn bright, but they burn out fast. And I don't think she cares if she does."

Raya shook her head slowly. "I don't think it's that she doesn't care. I think she doesn't know how to stop. Like it's the only way she knows how to survive. By staying in motion."

Kara's gaze softened, just slightly. "Well, she's one of us now. And that means it's our job to keep her alive, whether she likes it or not."

Raya chuckled under her breath, the sound tired but genuine. "You ever tried telling her something she doesn't want to hear?"

Kara's lips quirked. "Yeah. Doesn't go well."

She lingered another moment, eyes locked on Akiko's face. "Still. Sabotaging a TSDF cruiser without getting caught? That's not just guts. That's rare."

"Not many would even try," Raya said quietly. "And she'll keep trying. Because she thinks it's the only way to keep the rest of us safe."

Kara's expression hardened again. "Then it's on us to make sure she doesn't have to do it alone. I'm not losing her. Or anyone else."

Raya nodded, feeling the weight of that promise settle between them. Kara's edges were sharp, but there was steel under them. Steady, protective, and unwavering.

They fell into silence, the Driftknight's gentle systems hum filling the quiet.

After a moment, Kara pushed off from the wall, straightening. "Let me know when she's up."

"Will do," Raya said, watching as Kara drifted back down the corridor.

Alone again, Raya turned back to Akiko. The rise and fall of her breathing was slower now. Her features calm.

"You've got people looking out for you," Raya murmured. "Even if you don't see it yet."

She reached out, lightly brushing a fingertip along the edge of the bunk rail, then let the silence take hold again.

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