: What the Fire Didn't Burn

"Some truths smolder quietly—until the right spark sets them free."

The woods were quiet, broken only by the distant chirp of crickets and the occasional rustle of wind through trees. They had set up camp in a clearing just off the main trail—close enough to feel safe, far enough to remain hidden.

The fire crackled in the center of their makeshift circle, casting golden shadows across their faces. Lena stretched her arms behind her head and sighed contentedly.

"Finally," she said, flopping back onto a bed of moss. "If I had to ride one more mile, I was going to fuse with that saddle."

Nala, sitting cross-legged near the fire, raised a brow. "You'll live."

Hikaru sat on the opposite side, sharpening one of his blades with a stone. The rhythmic shhhk, shhhk was oddly soothing.

Lena smirked and glanced at him. "So, Hikaru..."

He paused, glancing up.

She leaned forward conspiratorially. "What kind of women do you go for?"

Hikaru blinked. "What?"

"You know. Tall? Short? Fierce? Quiet? Got a thing for girls who could knock you out with one punch?"

He choked on the bite of dried meat he'd just taken and started coughing. Nala, without a word, stood and walked toward the tree line.

"Getting more firewood," she said flatly before disappearing into the shadows.

Lena grinned, clearly proud of herself.

"Why would you ask that?" Hikaru muttered, still red-faced.

"Because I'm bored, and you're fun to mess with," she replied, tossing another twig into the fire.

The trees thinned near the base of a small hill, and moonlight shimmered against a shallow spring tucked between rocks and wild grasses. The air was cooler here, the sound of water bubbling softly against stone.

Nala stepped forward, quietly assessing the area. It was peaceful, untouched—like time had forgotten it. The reflection of the moon rippled gently on the surface.

With a glance over her shoulder, she loosened the ties of her cloak, draping it over a branch. Her dress fell in quiet folds, slipping off her skin like the breeze itself had tugged it loose. She dipped a toe into the water, then stepped fully in—letting the coolness wrap around her calves, her waist, her shoulders.

It wasn't about bathing. It was about breathing.

She closed her eyes.

The woods were quiet, except for the crunch of leaves under Hikaru's boots and the rush of water somewhere ahead. He hadn't meant to follow her—really, he hadn't. But something about the way Nala walked off without a word, that distant look in her eye, wouldn't sit right with him.

Branches cracked beneath his boots as he reached a clearing bathed in moonlight, the gentle sound of flowing water guiding him forward.

Then he froze.

There, waist-deep in a crystal spring, was Nala—completely bare, back turned to him, dark curls loose as water rippled around her. The moon painted her skin like liquid gold, curves sharp and smooth beneath its glow. She looked carved from the very silence around her—untouchable. Unbothered.

His breath caught, and before he could make the noble decision to turn around, his voice betrayed him.

"...Seriously?"

She didn't jump. Didn't flinch. Just tilted her head slightly, voice as flat as ever. "You lost, pretty boy?"

Hikaru snapped his eyes up to the sky like that would help. "Nah. Just didn't expect a nudist sanctuary this deep in the woods."

She turned halfway, enough for him to catch a glimpse of her smirk over her shoulder. "Then leave."

He rolled his eyes but stayed rooted. "You're really just—out here. Naked. In a random spring. No concern for ambushes? Wild animals?"

"Why? You volunteering?" she asked coolly, voice like a blade sliding back into its sheath.

He ignored the heat climbing up his neck. "Don't flatter yourself. Just surprised you weren't afraid of getting your ego wet."

Nala laughed—sharp, amused, unimpressed. "Cute. You're still staring though."

"I'm not."

"You are."

He bit the inside of his cheek, gaze flicking anywhere but her. The tension in his jaw ached.

"You done?" he muttered.

"I was until you stomped over here like a jealous raccoon."

He nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She turned fully, still in the water but utterly unbothered. "What—never seen a woman before?"

"Not one so comfortable naked in a potential war zone, no."

"Maybe I'm not the one who should be uncomfortable."

He turned on his heel, muttering something that wasn't quite a curse. "Get eaten by a bear for all I care."

Her voice followed him as he stormed back through the trees. "Try not to trip on your pride, Hikaru."

His blood was still hot by the time camp came into view. He didn't know if it was irritation, confusion—or something far more dangerous.

The fire crackled low, casting lazy shadows across the campsite. Lena was lying on her back, legs kicked up on a log, arms folded behind her head.

"So," she said casually, eyes twinkling. "You were gone for a while, lover boy."

Hikaru grunted, tossing another stick into the fire. "I was looking for firewood."

"Right. And just happened to look near the spring?"

He didn't answer. His jaw clenched.

Lena sat up, grinning. "She skinny dipped, didn't she?"

He gave her a sharp look. "Do you have to say everything out loud?"

"Oh, come on." She leaned in like a gossiping auntie. "Did she give you the look? You know, the 'yeah, I know I'm fine' one?"

"She gave me a look alright," he muttered. "Like she was about to drown me for existing."

Lena snorted and flopped back down. "So... you're saying you're in love."

"I'm saying I need sleep."

"Mmhm."

On the other side of camp, Nala sat quietly, her back to them, sharpening a dagger. The flames danced across her bare arms and shoulders, glinting off the water still drying on her skin. Her expression was unreadable. Still. Cold. As if nothing at all had happened.

But Hikaru's thoughts wouldn't shut up.

The curve of her spine, the way her skin shimmered under moonlight, the way she looked over her shoulder like she had nothing in the world to hide—

He groaned and flopped down onto his bedroll, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"You good over there?" Nala asked, without turning.

"Peachy," he muttered. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Didn't say a thing."

Lena wheezed quietly beside the fire.

Hikaru shut his eyes tight, but her voice—low and calm—played on repeat in his head.

"Maybe I'm not the one who should be uncomfortable."

Whatever this was, it was going to drive him insane.