It was already evening and the walk back to the base was quiet.
Exhaustion had stolen their voices. Boots dragged through ash-covered earth. Beast slaves carried their wounded mistresses where they couldn't walk. The sun hung low, painting the Wasteland in shades of amber and rust.
Hiro walked at the rear of the formation, his fox form dismissed, his human legs trembling with every step. Marian walked beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed, far enough to pretend it was accidental.
"You're limping," she said.
"I'm fine."
"You're lying."
"I'm fine."
She didn't push further. But she didn't move away either.
Yurei walked ahead, Longinus slung across her back, her pink hair catching the fading light. She hadn't spoken since the Gate closed. Her silence wasn't cold—it was contemplative.
Beatrice led the group, her steps steady despite her swollen knuckles. Scott walked beside her, silent, watchful. Every few seconds, he glanced back, checking on the others.
Sally leaned on Winston's leopard form, her wounded arm wrapped in makeshift bandages. Felicia and Ramona supported each other, their laughter gone, replaced by the hollow relief of survival.
The base gates appeared on the horizon.
"Almost there," Beatrice said.
No one cheered. They were too tired. But their steps quickened.
---
The bathhouse waited for them—massive, steam-filled, merciful.
The women's bath was a traditional Japanese indoor bath with polished obsidian stone walls and bamboo fountains trickling water into the pool. Steam rose in lazy curls, carrying the scent of jasmine and cedar. Lanterns hung from wooden beams, casting warm orange light across the water's surface.
Yurei was already there when Beatrice's unit arrived, they had to wash and rinse their bodies before entering the relaxing pool. Yurei sat at the edge, her feet in the water, her body wrapped in a black towel. Her scars were pale against her skin.
"You're early," Beatrice said, sliding into the water.
"I wanted to think." Yurei's eyes were distant. "You did well today."
"Borderline Class Four. Almost Class Five." Beatrice sank up to her shoulders. "We couldn't have done it without your training."
"You could have. It would have just taken longer."
Sally floated on her back nearby. "I can't believe we actually did it. Closed a Gate that should have been above our pay grade."
"Borderline Class Four," Felicia corrected, wincing as the hot water touched a bruise on her ribs. "Still counts."
Ramona scrubbed her arms with a cloth, her dark hair piled into a messy bun. "My beast slave is going to sleep for a week. Stanley barely made it back."
"Mine too," Felicia agreed. "I felt Winston already snoring in his room."
Yurei closed her eyes. The heat seeped into her bones. "Rest is earned. You've earned it."
Beatrice studied her. "You're proud of us."
"I'm proud of you." Yurei opened her eyes. "You made mistakes. You cheated. You schemed. But you also learned. You grew. That's more than most people ever do."
Beatrice looked away. "I had good teachers."
"You had a good captain." Yurei's voice was soft. "She just needed someone to remind her."
---
The door slid open. Marian stepped in, wrapped in a towel, her hair already wet. She'd clearly come from the other bath but she'd wandered over anyway.
"Mind if I join?"
Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you ask?"
Marian slid into the water beside Yurei, sighing. "Since I'm too tired to be rude."
"You're never too tired to be rude."
"Fair point."
The women settled. Sally floated. Felicia soaked. Ramona scrubbed.
Yurei glanced at Marian. "You're quiet."
"Just thinking," Marian said.
"About the fight?"
Marian paused. Her eyes drifted to the door—the direction of the men's bath.
"About that fox," she admitted.
Beatrice snorted. "Join the club. Half my unit is obsessed with him, busy calling him a fluffy plush toy."
"Not like that." Marian's voice was too quick. "He just... reminds me of someone."
Yurei's eyes narrowed, just slightly. "Who?"
Marian was silent for a long moment.
Myself, she thought. Before I gave up.
"An old friend," she said finally. "Long time ago."
Yurei didn't push. But she watched. She always watched.
Felicia tilted her head. "Do you miss them?"
"Every day." Marian's voice was soft. "But I found new ones."
She looked at Yurei. At Beatrice. At Sally, Felicia, Ramona.
"Not bad," she said. "For a bunch of criminals."
Beatrice grinned. "Takes one to know one."
The laughter echoed through the bathhouse.
Yurei smiled—a rare, genuine expression. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow, we leave."
"Already?" Sally's face fell.
"We have other bases to inspect. Other units to train." Yurei leaned back against the stone edge. "But this base... this unit... will stay with me."
Beatrice looked at her. "Will you come back?"
"If you need me."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
Marian sank deeper into the water, her eyes still drifting toward the door.
Yurei noticed. She always noticed.
"You're thinking about him again."
"I'm thinking about everyone."
"Liar."
Marian's cheeks flushed. "Yurei—"
"I'm not blind." Yurei's voice was calm, unreadable. "And I'm not jealous."
"Then what are you?"
Yurei considered the question. "Curious."
Marian opened her mouth—then closed it.
"He's loyal," Yurei continued. "He's brave. He's stubborn. He's kind, even when he shouldn't be." She paused. "Those are good qualities. In a slave. In a person."
Marian swallowed. "Yurei—"
"I'm not giving you permission." Yurei's eyes met hers. "I'm just saying I understand."
The water lapped against the stone.
Marian looked away first.
"Nothing's going to happen," she said quietly.
"I know." Yurei closed her eyes. "That's why I'm not worried."
---
The smaller bath on the other side of the base was less ornate, but the water was just as hot.
Hiro sat on the edge, his feet dangling in the water, his body covered in bruises that were already fading. Beside him, Scott sat with his arms crossed, his massive gorilla form replaced by his human shape—tall, lean, still wearing his glasses even in the bath.
"You're staring," Scott said.
"Sorry." Hiro looked away. "Just thinking."
"About the fight?"
"About leaving."
Scott was quiet for a moment. "You'll be back. Bases like this... they stay with you."
Winston splashed water at them. "Stop being so serious. We won. Enjoy it."
Stanley nodded, his bull-like features relaxed in the steam. "First time we've closed a Gate without casualties."
"That's because the Captain didn't do anything stupid," Marcus said, his serpent eyes glinting. "For once."
"Don't let her hear you say that."
Marcus grinned. "What's she going to do? Punch me? She already did that last week."
The slaves laughed.
Hiro looked around at them—at Scott, Winston, Stanley, Marcus. They weren't just fellow slaves. They were comrades. He'd bled with them. Fought with them. Gotten his tail bitten and bitten back.
"Hey," he said. "Thanks. For training me. For not going easy on me."
Scott shrugged. "You're one of us now. That's what we do."
Hiro smiled. "Yeah. I guess I am."
Winston floated on his back, his black leopard fur slicked flat. "What's next for you, fox? After you leave?"
Hiro considered the question. "More bases. More inspections. More fights."
"Always fighting," Stanley muttered. "Never resting."
"That's the army."
"Doesn't have to be."
Marcus coiled around the edge of the bath. "Your mistress. Yurei. She's different, isn't she?"
Hiro thought about her. About the way she'd spared Beatrice. About the way she'd looked at the brass knuckles—not with anger, but with disappointment. About the way she'd sat beside him in the medical bay, her hand in his.
"Yeah," he said. "She's different."
"She care about you?"
Hiro blinked. "What?"
"Does she care?" Marcus's eyes were unreadable. "Not about your power. About you."
Hiro was quiet for a moment.
"I think so," he said. "Yeah. She does."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Hold onto that."
Scott cleared his throat. "And the other one?"
"What other one?"
"Marian." Scott's voice was dry. "She's been watching you all night."
Hiro's cheeks flushed. "She's just... protective."
"Sure." Scott's glasses glinted. "That's what we'll call it."
The slaves laughed again.
Hiro sank lower into the water, his face burning.
What are they talking about? Marian doesn't—
He thought about the way she'd held him after the fight. The way her hand had found his. The way she'd said "Don't die."
Maybe...
He shook his head. Focus. Tomorrow we leave.
But the thought lingered.
---
Later , much later Hiro sat on the steps of the base's main building, staring up at the stars.
The chaos had faded. The soldiers were gone. The music had stopped. The only sounds were the distant hum of the barrier and the soft whisper of wind through the cracks in the walls.
Footsteps approached. Two sets.
Marian sat down on his left. Close. Not quite touching.
Yurei sat on his right. Closer.
"Can't sleep?" Marian asked.
"Too much thinking," Hiro admitted.
"About the fight?"
"About leaving."
Yurei was quiet for a moment. "You'll be back. Bases like this... they stay with you."
"Will you stay?" Hiro asked Marian.
Marian looked at him. Her pink eyes caught the starlight.
"The 13th unit is my home now," she said. "Wherever Yurei goes, I go."
"And me?"
The question hung in the air.
Yurei answered first. "You're part of the unit too. That means you're family."
"Family?"
"Don't let it go to your head," Marian added.
Hiro smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."
They sat in silence, watching the stars.
Yurei's hand rested on the step between them. Marian's hand rested on the other side.
Neither moved.
Neither needed to.
Tomorrow they would leave. Tomorrow the road would begin again.
But tonight—tonight they had this.
And it was enough.