The river was aptly named. Its waters flowed with liquid silver, and in its depths, entire galaxies seemed to swim. Stars, planets, nebulae—all reflected in the moving water as if the river itself was a window to the cosmos.
They made camp on its banks as the twin suns set, painting the sky in colors that had no names. Akira gathered firewood using his sword to cut branches—the blade sliced through wood like it was air—while Raven scouted the area and caught fish from the river. They cooked in silence, the awkwardness between them palpable.
Finally, as they ate, Raven spoke.
"Why did you become an agent?"
Akira looked up, surprised. "Why do you want to know?"
"We're apparently stuck together for the foreseeable future. Might as well learn something about my... partner."
The word seemed strange coming from her mouth. Partner, not enemy.
Akira set down his food and stared into the fire. "I was twelve when it happened. My parents were research scientists working on clean energy solutions. Brilliant people, kind people. They thought they could change the world."
"What happened?"
"A terrorist group called the Red Dawn wanted their research to weaponize. My parents refused. So Red Dawn made an example of them. Burned down our house with them inside. I was at a friend's house for a sleepover. I came home to ashes and police tape."
Raven's expression softened. "I'm sorry."
"I joined the bureau because I wanted to stop people like that. To protect others from feeling what I felt. But somewhere along the way..." He trailed off.
"You became what you fought?" Raven suggested quietly.
"Maybe. I stopped seeing people and started seeing only objectives. Targets. Missions." He looked at her. "Including you."
Raven was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice soft.
"My sister, Yuki, was eight when she was diagnosed. Congenital heart defect, extremely rare. The treatment existed, but it cost..." She laughed bitterly. "More money than I could make in ten lifetimes working legal jobs. I tried everything. Multiple jobs, loans, crowdfunding. Nothing was enough."
"So you started stealing," Akira said, not judgmentally.
"From people who wouldn't miss it. Corporate executives who had embezzled millions. Crime bosses with offshore accounts. Politicians who took bribes. I only took from those who had already stolen from others. And I gave half of everything to families like mine—people with sick kids and no way to pay for treatment."
"Robin Hood," Akira murmured.
"Something like that. But Yuki's condition was getting worse. I needed one big score, something that would pay for the full treatment. That's why I was at the Mizuki Corporation. They'd been price-gouging medications, letting people die because they couldn't afford treatment. I was stealing their financial records to expose them."
Akira felt his world tilt. "You weren't just stealing for profit."
"I never was. But nobody ever asked. They just saw a thief."
"I just saw a thief," Akira said quietly. "I'm sorry. I should have looked deeper."
Raven shrugged, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. "You were doing your job. I was breaking the law. Doesn't matter what my reasons were."
"It does matter. Reasons always matter."
They fell silent again, but it was a different kind of silence now. Less hostile, more... thoughtful.
"Can I ask you something?" Raven said after a while.
"Go ahead."
"What's your real name? Your first name, I mean. I know you as Agent Hayashi, but that's not a name. That's a title."
Akira smiled slightly. "Akira. Akira Hayashi."
"Akira," she repeated, testing the name. "It suits you. Means 'bright' or 'clear,' right?"
"You know Japanese?"
"I know a lot of things. You'd be surprised."
"And you? I know you as Raven, but that's not your real name either."
She hesitated, and for a moment he thought she wouldn't answer. Then: "Kaori. Kaori Shirogane. Only Yuki knows that name. Everyone else... I've been Raven for so long, sometimes I forget Kaori even exists."
"Kaori," Akira said softly. "It's beautiful."
She blushed—actually blushed—and looked away. "Shut up and eat your fish."
But she was smiling.
That night, they took turns keeping watch. During Akira's shift, he found himself studying Kaori as she slept. She looked younger with her guard down, vulnerable. He wondered what other assumptions he'd made about her that were wrong.
When something rustled in the bushes, he was on his feet instantly, sword drawn. Kaori woke immediately, daggers in hand.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Not sure. Stay close."
They moved together toward the sound, and from the shadows emerged... a child.
A little girl, maybe six years old, with bark-like skin and flowers growing from her hair. She was crying, making sounds like wind through leaves.
"Please," she whimpered in a voice like rustling branches. "Please help. The Shadow-Touched took my mother."
Kaori immediately knelt down, her expression soft. "Hey, it's okay. We're here to help. What's your name?"
"Leaf-Song," the child said. "I'm a dryad. My mother is the Ancient Oak in the Grove of Dawn. But the Shadow-Touched came and wrapped her in darkness. She's dying."
"Shadow-Touched?" Akira asked.
"The Void Emperor's servants," Leaf-Song explained. "They're killing the forest."
Akira and Kaori exchanged glances. This wasn't part of their mission. They needed to reach the Crystal Sanctum. But looking at the child's tear-streaked face...
"We'll help," they said simultaneously, then looked at each other in surprise.
Leaf-Song's face lit up. "Thank you! Thank you! Please, follow me!"