Chapter 33: The Letter

Akane laughed, her shoulders shaking as she looked at Raya's deep red face. "You asked the question! What, you weren't ready for the answer?"

Raya groaned. 'Why did I ask that? What was I thinking?' He had been fighting himself the entire time, knowing he shouldn't ask, but somehow, his mouth had gotten away from him. And now, here he was, sitting beside Akane while she teased him—the supposed courtesan—about being flustered over a simple answer.

Akane smirked at him. "I thought you were supposed to be the experienced one here."

"W-Well, excuse me for having some standards," he shot back, turning his nose up. "It's not like I let just anyone waltz into my—" He caught himself and snapped his mouth shut.

Akane raised a brow, then broke into another fit of giggles. "Uh-huh. Right. I bet Prince Ranma was just banging down your door every night."

He nearly choked at that. Oh, if only she knew.

But as their laughter died down, the chill in the air became more noticeable. The fire crackled softly, its warmth barely reaching them. The night air wrapped around them, sharp and cold, creeping through their clothes and sinking into their bones.

Akane pulled her cloak tighter around herself and shivered. "We're gonna freeze if we don't do something."

Raya hesitated, rubbing his arms. He knew the best way to keep warm. He just… really didn't want to say it.

Akane, however, had no such reservations. "We should sleep next to each other," she stated simply, like it was the most logical thing in the world. "Body heat will keep us warm. One of us stays up at a time to keep watch."

Raya swallowed. "Uh. Right. That makes sense."

It absolutely did not make sense. Or, rather, it did, but he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he'd have to lie down with Akane—close enough to feel her warmth, close enough that they'd probably end up tangled together by morning.

Akane, completely unaffected, already laid down, shifting onto her side. "I'll sleep first," she murmured, getting comfortable. "Wake me when it's my turn."

Raya sat there for a moment, awkwardly hovering over her, before reluctantly laying down beside her. He made sure to keep some distance, but the cold air made that impossible. It wasn't long before Akane, in her sleep, unconsciously moved closer.

And then—she hugged him.

Raya stiffened. Her arms wrapped around him loosely, her body warm against his. It was innocent, unintentional, but his heart pounded like she had just punched him.

This was too familiar.

It was just like that night.

The night they had spent together—when he had been Ranma, when she had touched him so gently, trusted him so completely. His face burned as the memories came flooding back, and oh, gods, why did he have to ask her about that? Why had he thought it was a good idea to tease her about Ranma when he was Ranma? Now he was stuck here, trapped in the warmth of her embrace, and he could barely think straight.

Akane sighed softly in her sleep, her grip tightening ever so slightly.

Raya swallowed hard and forced himself to relax. Just focus on keeping watch. Don't think about it. Don't think about her warmth or the way she—

He groaned internally.

It was going to be a very long night.

Raya fought to keep his eyes open, but the exhaustion of the day weighed heavy on him. The crackling fire blurred in his vision, and despite the biting cold, the warmth of Akane's body beside him made it far too easy to slip into a drowsy haze. Just five minutes, he told himself, letting his eyes close for a moment. Just five—

He jerked awake, heart pounding. The fire had burned lower, the night sky darker than before.

Shit.

He turned his head slowly to check on Akane. She was still curled up beside him, her breath slow and steady in sleep. He hadn't meant to nod off—what if something had happened? He grimaced, internally cursing himself. He needed to wake her up for her turn anyway, so she didn't have to know he'd failed his watch duty.

He gently shook her shoulder. "Akane, your turn."

Akane stirred, blinking sleepily. "Mm? Already?"

"Yeah," Raya lied smoothly. "Get up before you freeze to death."

She yawned, rubbing her eyes as she pushed herself up. Raya wasted no time rolling onto his side and pretending to immediately fall asleep, just in case she decided to question him further.

Akane stretched and settled into her watch position, her arms wrapped around her knees as she gazed into the quiet darkness of the trees. After a moment, she reached into her pack and pulled out the letter Toma had given her.

Her fingers hesitated over the edges. Could she even trust this? Toma was working with Gosunkugi. This could be fake. A trap. A lie.

But as she unfolded it and her eyes scanned the writing, a scoff left her lips.

"Oh yeah. That's Nabiki."

The handwriting was unmistakable, but more than that—the tone was pure Nabiki.

Hey, baby sister. Hope you're surviving okay out there. Heard you pulled a real stunt pretending to be a princess. Classic Akane move. Dramatic, risky, and somehow making things ten times harder for yourself. You sure know how to shake things up, huh?

Anyway, let's get to the important stuff. Dad, Kasumi, and I are alive. Would I prefer to be sipping fine wine in some warlord's mansion rather than stuck playing mind games with a tyrant? Maybe. But I'm working with what I've got.

Don't go breaking your neck trying to save us right away. I mean it. I've got a good situation going for now. You know me—I always land on my feet. I've been keeping Gosunkugi entertained, letting him think I'm on his side, throwing out suggestions that benefit us more than they benefit him. The guy is a megalomaniac, but I can handle him. We're safe, and I'll make sure we stay safe while you go out there and work your strong-woman magic.

So don't stress too much, okay? Well, stress enough to come get us eventually, but you get my point. Be smart. Be safe. And, for the love of everything holy, try not to punch your way through every problem. (Or do. It's kind of your thing.)

See you soon, sis.

—Nabiki

Akane let out a shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the letter.

They were alive.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. It was so Nabiki to tell her not to worry, like she wasn't the one locked up with a mad king. But the fact that she was maneuvering herself into a position where she could protect their family—it made Akane's chest ache with both pride and frustration.

She wiped at her eyes before the tears could fall. "Damn you, Nabiki," she muttered under her breath. "How do you make me want to strangle you and hug you at the same time?"

Folding the letter carefully, she tucked it back into her pack.

She glanced over at Raya still sleeping soundly. She found herself thinking that she wanted to talk to Raya about her folks. About how much she missed her family, how much she had been doubting herself, how exhausted she was from all of this.

With a deep sigh, she turned her attention back to the woods, gripping the hilt of her makeshift spear. The night was long, but at least now she carried a little less weight in her heart.