Chapter 1: A Fox's return
Chapter Text
Akagi was a curious man. A very, VERY curious man. He had always been one to easily surrender to his curiosity whenever he was left to his own devices. Like that one time when he couldn’t help but wander into an unnavigated cave in the Sanctuary that ended up with him falling down a deep hole filled with water that he had completely mistaken for a puddle. While he was widely known for his unmatched intellect that was second only to his older sibling before he passed, he still had his moments of air-headedness that always kept him up at night thinking about it.
He trekked through the stone path as he reminisced about the past, and his mind wandered to that time he had dragged Kaga and his nii-san to the new branch of McDonald’s opening within the Sanctuary where he also had a chance encounter with the Yorktowns who were out on a quote-unquote, ‘Diplomatic Visit.’ That was also when he had the bright idea of inviting them to eat together for lunch that day… if only he knew that that would be the day his brotherly bond with that damned Grey Ghost would start.
“Of all the places, of course, my friendship with the hero started at a fast food chain…”
Jin Kimura, a Shipboy posing as a ‘Mere Tourist’ whom, frankly, shouldn’t even be walking around the residential area of the Kansen right now, took in his surroundings, the familiar Sakura Empire architecture that he had loved so much in his old home was present, the wooden stalls that wafted with the homely scent of Ramen, Sushi and many other mouth-watering Sakura delicacies and desserts invading his keen sense of smell, the sound of the ever so adorable little ones playing with their Temari, the hustle and bustle of Human Personnel and Shipgirls who are out and about to feel the sun on their skin. All of it reminded the Male Kansen of what he had lost... of what he had failed to defend from the thralls of the Sirens…
“… Nii-sama.” Jin wistfully muttered to himself as his eyes glistened with unshed tears, his chest clenching with longing… Oh how he wishes that he could return to that sense of peace one of these days…
“No,” Jin shook his head, “I can never rest easy with those vermins still running rampant.”
He, after all, had been appointed as the Flagship by his remaining Sakura Brethren. Everyone he cared for counts on him now as they did before. He honestly thought that the position of Flagship was not a title he was worthy of holding at the time of the great escape, insisting that Lord Musashi was a better fit for the role of leading them some time before they crossed the portal to the unknown alongside the other Kansen from the different factions of Azur Lane, now known as the secret organization “Riptides” to distinguish themselves from their new world’s established defenders.
Yet they put their trust in him, and he had been hellbent not to disappoint not only his countrymen, but all of the faction representatives, too, taking his place alongside the likes of King George V, Bismarck, and his friend Enterprise as a proud leader and representative of his own faction. It was never an easy endeavor, what with being one of only four people to spearhead the charge to clear the way for their exit from their dying world, requiring an enormous effort and dedication from his side… He could’ve asked Kaga for assistance, yet he knew that brutish, battle-maniac was worth more in firepower than brain work, but he never truly held it against his only remaining family…
“Tch, enough of the past, Jin, you’re feeling far too sentimental today.” The man chided himself out of his own episode.
His expression brightened as he saw a store selling trinkets like pottery, decoratives, many household items and souvenirs, yet what grabbed his attention the most was…
“Hello there, miss, may I ask how much do you sell this Kitsune Mask for?”
A small, feminine figure dressed in a black Kimono with Fiery Red patterns regarded him with an empty look with her red eyes as her ethereal, flaming aide danced around the shop.
“… 3,000 yen,” was her monotonous response.
The Male Kansen shrugged at the attitude before he fished for his wallet in his small bag and paid the appropriate amount. While not exactly rich, he’s quite well off because of his cheap lifestyle, so he could afford to lose 3k.
“Thank you, little miss.”
“Nn, come again…” She waved him off with an impassive note on her voice.
The Shipboy gave a respectful bow and turned to leave for his destination, before…
“Matte.”
It was the same voice that belonged to the indifferent shop owner, but this time, Jin couldn’t help but pick out the suspicion lacing her tone.
“What’s the matter?” Jin asked, already thinking of a million different excuses that he could give to the destroyer in case she saw through his front.
Shiranui narrowed her eyes as she gazed upon him with an intensity that wasn’t there before. “You’re certainly a new face,” The Destroyer remarked. “I don’t believe that tourists and civilian workers are allowed to walk and conduct business within the Shipgirl Residential Area of the Sanctuary unless-“
“-Given explicit permission from someone within the executive staff or Lady Nagato herself, yes, I am aware.” Jin cut her off as he reached for his bag. “I’m a freelance photographer looking for a job within the PR department of the Sakura Empire, Kimura Jin, nice to meet ya, miss...?”
“Shiranui.”
He shrugged before attempting to ease her suspicion by pulling out a Fake Slip of Permission and a National Identification before handing it to the suspecting Shipgirl…
“(If this forgery worked on the Human Guards, surely it would work on her, too… Here’s hoping.)” Jin inwardly prayed, though he wasn’t exactly a believer of the divine, or rather, he used to pray to the gods, but no longer. The reason why is a long story involving the loss of a family member and a giant burning tree that represented their faith.
He didn’t like his chances and was NOT feeling optimistic at all. No matter how small, Kansen, like Shiranui, has sharper minds and instincts than your average Jane Doe. How does he know this? Well, the amount of times that a Destroyer had called him out on his bullshit no matter the excuse he gave can attest to this.
He wonders how Ayanami was doing in Hawaii with the rest of his friends…
“Hmm…” The Sakuran Merchant hummed in thought as she scrutinized the card that the suspicious photographer had handed her… Before she shrugged, and lazily passed it back to his hand, her face retorting back to its usual uncaring form. “Mhmm, seems real enough.”
... Okay, how, HOW in the Kitsune Pride Fuck was he not snuffed out by a Destroyer Kansen like many times before? What’s supposed to be a cause for inner celebration now had him and his not-visible nine-tails shaking on edge, because no way that could’ve worked.
Then again…
“If that is all, I shall be off now,” He bid his goodbye once more before hightailing it away from that place as fast as his feet could.
Miracles do happen. His good friend from the Eagle Union was proof of that sentiment. The Grey Ghost, the Kansen who just wouldn’t stay down no matter how much effort the Sirens had exerted to put him down for good, his willpower so great that it defies all logic and reason. He once beheld his strength firsthand when he alone saved him and a contingent of Sakura and Ironblood Shipboys from an ambush, taking on an entire fleet by himself without fear. Granted that he employed dirty tactics, it was still an impressive feat of martial and strategic prowess from the Hero of the Pacific, a title that was well earned in his honest opinion. It was as if his very presence inspired hope to those that sailed behind him. To put into perspective, he’s the kind of guy that the Samurais and Knights of old would want to be like, and that’s saying something.
Looking back, he was kind of a jerk to the otherwise patient man in their first meeting. Something he still held against himself. For showing such a condescending attitude towards the American, holding unnecessary grudges at a time when they face a threat greater than each other, he was genuinely surprised when he was the first to offer him any semblance of comfort when he held a cold, lifeless body in his arms-
“I’m doing it again, shit…”
Okay, maybe strolling into the Sanctuary was a bad idea after all, what with all the memories that resurfaced and the unpleasant emotions that stirred within him, but hey, Akagi was, again, a curious man, a VERY curious man, and no amount of correction, chastising, or grounding will ever dissuade him from following his adventurous and mischievous nature.
He let out a long sigh as he looked straight ahead, walking with no particular destination in mind currently, avoiding Shipgirls and Manjuus alike.
“Why am I here again?” Jin uttered under his breath. It was a question for the sake of being rhetorical; he knows exactly why he was here.
Right, he was here on a personal mission to see how this world’s Sakura Empire worked as a faction in Azur Lane. Their politics, leadership, capabilities, and vice versa. And today, he was quite giddy as if he had just struck jackpot in the lottery, for he was lucky enough to choose the exact day where Lady Nagato called for a meeting to discuss important matters concerning first and foremost, her precious Empire, and second, Azur Lane. He had been notified beforehand by Belfast that the executive staff of the Sanctuary had been planning a meeting from what he could gather on his side, though he hadn't given Jin a date of when this meeting will take place, so this truly was quite a stroke of luck that he will thank the cosmos for. Unfortunately, he was a tad too early in his arrival with nothing to entertain himself with before the time came for the meeting.
He could risk paying and playing on a booth, but he didn’t wish for local residents to ingrain his face into their minds and get too familiar with his look, so with only a camera that he had slung on his side and a Black Sony XB910N Wireless Headphone, he decided to fish out his phone from his pocket and turn on Bluetooth, swiping on the screen and parsing through his playlist and put the auditory device on his “ear,” before hitting the play button on Joji’s “Sanctuary” to set the atmosphere for his photography session.
If you’ve been waiting for fallin’ in love~
Babe, you don’t have to wait on me~
‘Cause I’ve been aiming for heaven above~
But an angel ain’t what I need~
Jin hummed along the beat of the song as he crossed a small bridge and took a photo of the things he found interesting enough, making absolutely careful not to take pictures of people without their consent. He saw Shipgirls aboard small wooden boats being pushed by the yellow colored chicks, slowly sailing and passing under him, disappearing from view and reappearing on the other side…
“Boats aboard Boats… pfft...” Jin couldn’t help but let out a wheeze, he found little humor from the fact that these girls are sitting on a boat to avoid getting wet. He shook his head as he pressed on to find the next spot of interest… wherever that might be…
Soon, Jin crossed to the other end of the bridge then under a small Torii gate, before finally setting foot at the innermost part of the base, a section of the Residential Area on the foot of the mountain. Looking up, he could see the shrine at the top of the elevated land where Nagato conducts her rituals to satisfy the spirits and the Sacred Sakura. He took a right and walked along the paved riverbank before taking a left turn into the internal parts of the sector.
Honestly, there seems to be no end to the amount of vendors and food stalls on sight, he could even see a group of Little Destroyers with Feline features and a typical Japanese Kindergarten uniform flocking towards a shop that sells Taiyaki.
“TAIYAKI, TAIYAKI, TAIYAKI!!” The destroyers happily chanted together as they watch the cook do his job while entertaining the little ones.
He couldn’t help the smile playing on his lips as his expression softened to show his adoration at the small group’s jovial chanting, making him lower the camera on his hand as he watched the owner of the shop pack their freshly made snacks and distribute it to them one by one.
The group got into formation before taking a bow to offer the cook their sincere gratitude, “Arigatō gozaimaisu, Mister Nakamura!”
“Off you go now, little ones.” The middle-aged man joyfully sent them off as he waved his hand in the air.
And so, the little destroyer group dispersed from the scene and started running towards his direction, although one of them appeared to be falling behind as the others sprinted to wherever their destination might be.
“Wait for me!”
“Taiyaki, with extra bean paste!”
“Hurry up before they get cold!”
“Please wait for me!”
“Mutsuki, let’s go to the playground!”
“Don’t leave me behind!” She begged her group, but her pleas went unnoticed by her peers.
Jin dogded from side to side to avoid the stampede of excited destroyers coming his way, before a mortified expression crossed his face when he saw the last one who was crying for the others to slow down, stumble and sprain her ankle, sending her into a dangerous headfirst dive.
“(Not on my damn watch!)”
Jin’s eyes shone as he tapped into his hidden power to leap the distance between him and the poor destroyer while she was still midair, then sliding to his knees as he caught her in his arms.
“Gotcha!” He exclaimed, “It’s alright now… I got you…”
The Shipboy offered his comforting hand, caressing the back of the sobbing bundle in his arms as the group came rushing back for the member of their group.
“Kisaragi!”
“Oh no, sister!”
“Are you alright?!”
Words of concern were thrown around as he tried his best to soothe the Destroyer’s emotional turmoil.
“M-My Taiyaki…”
Jin perked up, and took a quick look around after hearing the shaky voice of the little Shipgirl, before his eyes landed on the dirt laden fish cake that landed on the side, figuring out the source of the little one’s sorrow.
“Hush now, little one, don’t cry…” Jin softly consoled Kisaragi as his paternal instincts kicked him in the gut hard.
Kisaragi’s sister then stepped up to introduce herself to the man, “Hello, mister, my name is Mutsuki, of the Mutsuki-class, these are my sisters…” Mutsuki then went on to introduce everyone to him, giving a curt nod at each of their greetings before he introduced himself to them.
“Thank you for saving my sister, Mister Kimura, as thanks, I would like to give you…” Mutsuki paused mid-sentence as she rummaged through her bag, before proudly presenting him a couple of lollipops.
“Tada! Please accept these as payment,” Mutsuki bowed as she extended her sweets towards him.
Jin chuckled, before he brought his hand up to gently push her offering down. “There will be no need for compensation, Miss Mutsuki,” Jin reassured them as he wore his friendliest smile.
“Really?”
“Yup, although…” Jin himself off as he looked back down at the childlike kansen who held his shirt with a vice-grip, burying her face on his chest as she quietly sniffled.
Oh his heart…
“Kisaragi?”
“Yes, M-Mister Kimura…?”
“Are you hurt?” Jin asked with genuine concern in his voice.
The destroyer weakly dipped her head amidst her small whimpers.
“Where?”
“M-My feet...”
Jin nodded, before he heaved her off her feet and held her like a toddler, making her yelp in surprise before she buried her head in his shoulder. He then carried her towards the nearby bench, gently setting her down before getting on one knee in front of her as her sisters soon followed and stood around them.
“May I see it?” The Shipboy in disguise asked for permission as he kept eye contact with Kisaragi.
She weakly nodded as a response.
With her permission, he went on to carefully take the shoe off the injured ankle, and then sliding the knee length socks off her feet to reveal a spot that was visibly reddening from the sprain. It’s not that bad for now, but if this is left without proper treatment, it could lead to infection and other consequences that he will not name for his sake and the little girl in front of him.
He then took his handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket, before he carefully administered aid to the Shipgirl’s pain, earning him a soft whimper as he carefully wrapped and tied a makeshift splint on her foot. Luckily enough, the length of the fabric was just right to provide a temporary substitute to a proper splint.
The man turned his attention to the rest of the group, “Is there a health center nearby?”
All of them perked up as the kind man addressed them, but it was Mutsuki that would reply, “Um, yes! I know where Miss Amagi and the other sick Shipgirls always go for checkups, follow me!”
Words of approval were given to the eldest sibling from her younger ones, but amidst the sound of the Mutsuki-class’ praises, Jin had a passing thought.
“(Amagi? Getting check ups? I wonder why…)”
He shook the thoughts off and shoved his interest on the condition of this world’s version of his brother at the back of his head for now, there was still a little destroyer that needed his help.
With a carefully placed hold on Kisaragi, he lifted her into his arm one last time, and followed the bubbly bunch to their destination, although, the Shipboy could still feel the sadness oozing out of the pink haired cat girl. He knew the source, but it couldn’t hurt to ask just to be sure.
“What’s wrong, Kisaragi?”
“T-Taiyaki…” The Shipgirl who had her cheek pressed against his shoulder, meekly spoke, just barely above a whisper.
Heh… Cute…
As they passed by the Taiyaki shop, Jin made a quick right turn, much to the confusion of the group, but more so of Kisaragi as she quirked her head to face him. Realization soon hit her and sent the Male Kansen a wide-eyed look, which he returned with a benign smile before stopping in front of the Vendor.
The man in question piped up from whatever he was doing and addressed him, “Good day to you, boy, and I see that you’re carrying a sad Kisaragi on you, what seems to be the problem?”
“Good day to you too, Mister, and to explain; Little Kisaragi here is sad because she had sprained her ankle and dropped her Taiyaki. She struggled catching up to her siblings who were ignoring her pleas to slow down in their rush. She lost her balance in her hurry, and stepped on the ground awkwardly, which caused her injury.”
Jin called out the rest of the group, making them flinch, before they earnestly hung their head low and collectively apologized to their sister, “Sorry Kisaragi, we’ll slow down next time!”
Kisaragi was about to tell her sisters that it was fine, waving off their concerns, but Jin beat her to the punch and spoke first, “I’d like to order double of what she had earlier, boss.”
“Alright, two bags of Taiyaki with extra bean paste, coming right up,” the cook declared as he scrambled for the materials and ingredients to fulfill the order.
“But Mister Kimura-“ Kisaragi tried to protest, but Jin cut her off once more, shaking his head before he spoke. “Fret not, little one, my wallet is not gonna take a hit from this.”
He then turned to Mutsuki and the rest who wore adorable expressions of jealousy on their faces, a glint of mischief on his eyes paired with a foxy grin, “’Sides, you deserve it for being left behind by your sisters, no?”
“But-“
“Trust me, Kisaragi.” He placated whatever protest the destroyer tried giving, which was a success as she closed her mouth for good, sending what objections she had down the drain. He felt her comparatively small hands clench just a little tighter on the fabric of his shirt– a gesture which the man took as a good sign.
What was that about not letting the residents get too familiar, again?
Fuck it, out of the window now, because Mutsuki looks like the type that’ll talk about whatever he did for her sister in an exaggerated manner, but it’s not like he’ll come back to the Sanctuary after today’s rodeo… at least not soon enough.
“That’ll be a thousand, Kid,” the cook snapped him out of his inner musings with a polite smile on his face.
“Much thanks,” Jin replied with a tight smile as he placed the payment down on the counter and brought his free hand up to the paper bags containing the snacks, clinching them by the top before he held it to his side.
Kid? KID?! HE’S 25, GOODNESS FRIGGING DAMN IT, HE’S NOT A KID!!
Well, technically, he’s much, MUCH older than that, original hull and all other technicalities considered, but ‘Kid’? Hell to the no, he’s a responsible adult that will not be talked down by the likes of someone who was comparatively an actual ‘Kid’ in his point of view!
Proper comeuppance shall be administered for the audacity of this weak and pathetic vermin-
“(Woah, pull the reins of your high horses and hop off your saddle, Akagi, I thought we agreed to drop this part of our personality?)” He apprehended himself mentally before he gave a customary bow. He then turned to the destroyers and intimated them to lead him on as their jealousy had been forgotten in favor of a bubbly expression at the prospect of leading a man.
How they derive joy from such a trivial task, he doesn’t know, but children will be children he thought…
Although Mutsuki herself was actually in the age range as he was, her original hull was finished somewhere in 1926 if his knowledge of Naval History serves him right. The Akagi, meanwhile, was far too busy piecing itself together by that period, and that was before he was refited into the carrier that everyone knew and loved.
Ain’t that a fun historical fact?
Shaking his mind off of the momentary exercise for his brain, he took in the sight of the area’s layout once more; wiide, paved streets branching out into narrower ones which separated all the traditional looking Japanese buildings and stations with similar architecture, some irregularities could be seen on the path’s pattern that will lead towards small plazas or open areas, biggest of them all is a wide path entrenched between two small hills, lined up with giant red Torii Gates built over it.
Ah, that, he knows exactly where that leads…
“(I wonder…)”
He pushed the thought at the back of his mind for now as he returned his attention to the task at hand; dropping Kisaragi off at the Health Center.
It was a rather quiet walk to their destination that took about 3 minutes, before Mutsuki ordered the group to halt.
“We’re here!” She happily declared, to which he gave a nod of affirmative, but before he could move further, he felt a tug from the injured girl.
“Mister Kimura… I-I can walk on my own,” Kisaragi spoke, her voice dripping with endearing shyness yet her gaze burning with determination to prove something.
Jin deliberated for a moment before he finally relented to Kisaragi’s request, “Mutsuki, dear, can you help your little sister from here?”
“Of course, Mister Kimura, we’ll take care of it!” the destroyer in question joyously declared as she raised him a thumbs up and a silly grin.
He let out a sigh, before motioning for her and Mikazuki to come closer to receive their sister, before he carefully set Kisaragi down on her own feet, eliciting another soft cry as her sisters flanked her.
“Here, hold your sister’s snacks for her, and accompany her inside, okay?”
“Okay, thank you so much, Mister Kimura!” Mutsuki was the first one to give her gratitude before the rest happily followed and gave their own word of thanks.
“I’ll be off then, toodles little ones, and do be careful out there.” Jin dipped his chin before he turned around and made his way out of the scene.
“Sayonara, Mister Kimura!” They all waved their farewells, to which he responded with a wave over his shoulder.
Now, with all of that done, the thoughts he had earlier made themselves known once more, that giant path that would lead towards somewhere familiar… At least familiar to him and Kaga...
“I wonder if someone’s home right now…” Jin pondered out loud as the soles of his shoes thudded across the surface of the street. He walked in slow and small strides to give himself more time to familiarize himself with the Shipgirls’ home, even catching one of the many petals falling from a cherry blossom tree, feeling its familiar texture by caressing it between his fingers, before laying it flat on his palm and raising his hand before him to let the wind carry it away.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” His ears picked up the sound of a shrill voice, before his instincts took control of him and weaved to the side just in time as a figure blurred past him. Snapping his gaze towards the back of the mysterious stranger in a rush, he saw a brunette girl wearing a white and black flowy outfit reminiscent of the features that a crane has, with a red dress worn beneath.
Crane, Brunette… Ah, Zuikaku, how can it be anyone else?
“Hundred yen says that she’s late for a training session with Takao.”
At that, he let out a sharp exhale of amusement. It would seem that some things remain the same despite being in another world; Like how much of an untimely blockhead the youngest of the Crane Siblings are.
See, there was this one time where he had made his ineffably rock-headed kouhai swing his sword for exactly one-thousand times before he made him run laps around Pier 39 at San Francisco in front of hundreds of cheering sailors as punishment for oversleeping and being late for his scheduled swordsmanship class. Then, he would make him do strength exercises, much to the amusement of Shoukaku that would tease his brother to try to derail him from counting the amount of repetition he had completed in his push-ups, making him lose count amidst his weariness and frustration, which then prompted Jin to make him start over.
It may sound cruel, but he knew the limits of a Shipboy and figured that it was moderate work for a determined brute like Zuikaku, if keeping up with the renowned Grey Ghost as they swept Siren ships after Siren ships to hopelessly push their way to salvation was a feat to go by.
“Stop, stop, STOP.” He lightly hit his head three times with the heel of his palm in a forceful attempt to reroute his brain away from the bad memories. He couldn’t care less if there were people staring at him as he exclaimed.
It was irrational of him to forcefully oust it from the forefront of his mind, knowing well that it would always come back to haunt him once more in sleepless nights like many times before.
Yet what else could he do? He could talk to Kaga about it, but it wouldn’t quite help since Aoto Kimura was pretty much suffering from the same thing as he was without knowing how to deal with it other than repression, and he already was doing the same thing. On the note of his brother, he recalled a topic of conversation from a recent visit where his brother had told him that he had just been employed as a bagger in a supermarket just 5 minutes away from where he currently resides.
“Ah, Kaga the Baggah, it certainly has a nice ring to it,” He jested to himself before snickering like a little kid.
Jin told him not to stand out much before he set out to live on his own; he hadn’t expected him to take it to heart, truth be told. For all that idiot’s many, MANY flaws, an itchy trigger finger being one of them– alluding to his nature as a former Battleship, Kaga is a loyal subject and a loving brother in his own hard-ass ways, so who was he to deny the simple request of living on his own after all that he had done for his flagship?
As far as he was concerned, Aoto deserved time for himself, and that he should be spared of the mishaps that entail his nature as a curious adventurer any further. Besides, it’s not like he was still the condescending, codependent, arrogant shit-hat that put down those he deemed inferior to his level while forcing the glory of the First Carrier Division down the people’s throat, hell no. His time living in the ruined remains of San Francisco with the other Sakura Empire refugees has humbled him to reflect on his ways, and with the help of the senior Shipboys among the Eagle Union, adopt more tolerance for the lesser and help them better themselves through his mentorship, imparting wisdom to those willing to hear him out while he practiced a more independent way of life, relying on himself more than those around him.
He was not ashamed to admit that the Americans had an influence on the way he lives now, mostly with his choice of fashion. Seeing as how much the west had reshaped the Japanese over the years, he saw it fit to adapt to the new environment, so he discarded his original brown Kimono in favor of a more “Average Contemporary Tokyo Resident” look, if that made sense.
He sported a black lightweight hooded overcoat that hung just above knee length, choosing to keep it unbuttoned to reveal a turtleneck of a matching color beneath. He also wore a red scarf that had a small, golden emblem of the Sakura Empire pinned on it around the base of his neck and close-fit black pants, finishing it off with a black rubber shoe of the Jordan’s model with red soles and a pair of fingerless gloves.
The shoes were a birthday gift from Cleveland, another one of his close friends within the Eagle Union and an avid NBA fan, given to him on a birthday trip to Hawaii which was about a year ago now.
In Jin’s opinion, he looked a little too flashy to remain inconspicuous despite the mostly dark colorations, but somehow, he doesn’t stand out as much as he thought he would among the Shipgirls and their… “creative” preferences. His outfit, simply put, was an honest attempt to modernize the outfit that he was born with, making something new yet familiar at the same time. He thought it was a nice try, despite a lot of missing details here and there, it will do for now as he’s not really introducing himself as “Akagi” anymore… at least not actively.
With that aside though, Jin took a turn towards the path that would take him towards the First Carrier Division residence, his steps as slow as ever. He brought a palm up to his forehead as it started flaring up in pain, his mind suffering a sudden stream of memories, good and bad.
“Nii-san, is my presence really necessary for this?”
“Hai, my dear Akagi, we both must attend the ceremony this day."
A man with nine brown tails wearing a red Haori admonished a man of similar features beside him for his whining as they passed under a torii.
“What does Nagato-dono wish to achieve by ‘appeasing the gods for good luck’ anyway?” Akagi whined, “I could be training my precious kouhais in the arts of Carrier Combat and NOT let that damn white-haired mutt put too much of his influence on them.”
“I will not hear another insult towards Kaga from your mouth, Akagi, you two are supposed to be comrades in arms and are expected to act as such, so whatever gripes you have with him, I strongly advise you to put this foolishness to rest.” The elder sibling snapped his stern gaze towards him as he regarded his younger brother with an ominous smile.
Jin flinched before he snapped back to reality, finding himself under the shadow of another gate. He shook his head and continued marching forward, this time with a visible crease on his face as his vision narrowed in frustration and pain.
“(Make it stop…)” He pleaded in his mind before another scene played in his head.
“YOU DAMNED BASTARDS!! I WILL RID THE OCEANS OF YOUR FILTH FOR THIS!! I WILL MAKE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU FEEL THE PAIN OF A THOUSAND DAMNED SOULS AND THE RAGE OF A THOUSAND SUNS FOR THIS TREACHERY, THAT IS MY PROMISE!! ALL OF YOU WILL PAY!! I, AKAGI, WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!!”
The Carrier yelled, a bitter concoction of pain, sorrow, and hatred lacing his voice as he cursed the assailants of the murdered man in his arms, uncaring of the cries of his people as the symbol of their faith burned behind him, showering the Sanctuary in its ashes that fell like snow as it collapsed from branch to branch, until there was nothing left but the charred base of the Sacred Sakura.
“Akagi…” A man with white hair called out as he approached the grieving kitsune and stood just a short distance behind him. “Kaga has been looking all over for you…”
He wiped the tears from his face as he stood from his kneeling position besides one of the many graves that they had dug for the deceased victims of the Siren surprise attack, before turning to face him.
“He should have figured out that I’ll be here… How is the evacuation going?”
“Well enough, everyone on the island would be aboard the mass produced models by 0600,” the Hero spoke, not meeting Akagi’s gaze as the visor of his cap cast a shadow over his eyes.
He noticed the hint of frustration and guilt on the Eagle Union Carrier– if the pursed lips were anything to go with, and the Fox-boy couldn’t help but point it out.
“What has gotten you so upset, Ghost?” He inquired, coming off sharper and standoffish than he would have wanted.
“… I’m sorry… I should’ve gotten here sooner…” Enterprise gave an apology, which was wholly unexpected for the Japanese man.
Akagi sighed, his eyes glistening with unshed tears once more as he swallowed the lump on his throat and grit his teeth moments before he finally replied.
“It was not anyone’s fault that my brother now lies dead and buried… Do not feel obligated to apologize, damn it…”
It was true, no one else is to be blamed for the death of Amagi nii-sama but the Sirens themselves, so why Enterprise is apologizing for something he could not have controlled at the time perplexed him. Yet at the same time, Akagi understood where he was coming from somewhat, if only he had arrived sooner then maybe, just maybe…
Before he knew it, Enterprise outstretched his arms and gave him a little comforting head rub, the sensation of his callused hands against his scalp was not expected, yet he found himself basking in it more than he should as the waterworks ran freely down his cheeks.
“You’ll be given plenty of time to grieve, Akagi, but first we must bring these refugees to safety.” Enterprise said as he retrieved his outstretched hand from petting the poor soul.
Akagi– after the sob fest that he had shamelessly displayed in front of his ‘hated’ rival, rubbed the wetness off his eyes and composed himself. He dipped his chin then started walking past the American Carrier before stopping at a distance behind him where his voice would reach the man.
“… Thank you for that, by the way… I owe you one.”
The Grey Ghost acknowledged his shaky words of gratitude with a nod, before the Kitsune did the same and went on his way to his people and assist his fellow Sakura Kansen with the evacuation efforts, his eyes puffy but burning with determination, a flame that was stoked with the desire for vengeance… no, not vengeance, never vengeance, he shouldn’t pursue such foolishness if he wishes to keep his own hide safe…
So no, not 'Vengeance', 'Justice'.
For the man he held dear, for his slain countrymen, and for their grieving loved ones, he will pursue those responsible for that day’s tragedy… for a world without the fear of war and turmoil… for a world that’s fair and just, he promised to his people that justice shall be served no matter the cost, whether it be by his own blade or otherwise.
… Hah, when did he become such a devout follower of justice, he doesn’t know.
But here he is now, a man on a mission, threading through a different yet strangely familiar world, with memories being repressed and a fighting spirit left shattered after he got a taste of what peace feels like... He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long now before the years of enjoying peaceful times ended, but is the world ready for the existence of the Male Kansen?
How would they react once they find out that he and his brethren are being a bunch of wusses hiding among the general populace while the Shipgirls and the Navies all around the globe break their backs off in the struggle against the invaders?
Would they be welcomed, or will there be animosity?
“Questions for another time, Jin, we have somewhere to be.”
Right, as he pushed that line of thinking away, he had reached the end of the wide path, looking ahead, he saw his home… well, home away from home, that is; a typical Japanese mansion fit for a feudal noble, a courtyard with maple trees and a small pond that has a sizeable population of khoi fish swimming about.
He traced the line of stone tiles in his steps that connected to a small, wooden staircase that leads up to a roofed terrace area, only taking three steps before he stopped before the sliding door. He then fished for the mask on his person, taking his time to scan the details of the mask; one side was mostly a shade of white while the other half was red in color, both sides sporting a red ribbon knotted into a flower-like shape. On the white side of the mask, it was marred with intricate lines of gold and a single red one just above the eyehole. On the red side, it sported the same gold linings, but the only difference was that it had two white lines; one over the eye and one under. Right in the middle was a white, four petal flower bordered with a golden star shape, with black triangular patterns on each of the eight tips.
It was a great mask and he was genuinely impressed with how it looks. Just one look at it told him that the craftsman behind the Kitsune Mask knew exactly what they were doing with it.
It fit his favored color palette just right.
After a deep inspection of the artwork he held on his hand, Jin finally turned the mask over and put it on to hide his identity and pulled the hood of his coat over his head, hiding important features that will give him away once he returns back to hiding among the japanese population.
He carefully slid the Shoji door open, making as little noise as possible as he set foot into the living room, carrying his feet and putting as little of his weight on it as he could. He had completely forgone the common Sakura practice of taking one's footwear off by the entrance as he sneaked around the quiet house. There was a coffee table in the middle of the living room flanked with two pillows on all sides, enough to accomodate a family of six, while on the sides pressed against the walls are drawers of varying and portraits hanging on the walls. To his right was the way into the kitchen, which had cupboards containing food and beverages hanging above the sink and counter where the stove lies. Walking past that, Jin found himself walking up a flight of stairs that led to a small hallway with the bedroom over to his left and the shower to his right.
He walked up to the door of the bedroom and brought his hand up to push another sliding door aside… finding nothing within.
“All clear, I guess…”
Jin let out a sigh that he had unknowingly been holding in, his shoulders sagging as the anticipation died. He allowed himself to advance regularly after ascertaining that the house was currently vacant of any presence. He took one last look inside the room that was probably shared by the family, taking in the sight of varying framed images of four people, possibly memories of the current occupants which warmed his heart as it reminded him a lot of good times. He then made his way out and slid the shoji close behind him. He made his way back down and found himself sitting on his rear on one of the pillows in the living room, letting his back rest against the side of the table with one leg stretched straight and the other bent upwards with an arm lying on top, relaxing in the familiar yet glaringly different environment.
“I thought I'd be whipped with bad memories by now, but apparently not," Jin remarked as a small smile played on his lips.
This trip had surprisingly been therapeutic despite his expectations. Some things ARE different, and if it wasn't true before, it is solidified as fact now. It gave him hope for the chance that things would be different this time…
His heart felt... warm...
A warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time now...
The familiar sensation must have stirred something deep within the recesses of his mind as he closed his eyes and let the scene play out before him.
"Nii-san, I'm home!" Akagi cheerfully announced as he took a long drag of a familiar scent.
"Is that Ramen, Nii-san? Please tell me it is!"
"Oh, Akagi, you're back, and yes, it IS your favourite for today, treat it as a reward for a job well done for the entire week, my silly little brother~" 'Amagi' said as he walked out of the kitchen to greet his younger sibling.
"Uwah, thank you, Nii-san, you're the best, hehe~" Akagi happily hugged the eldest of the Amagi-class before he rushed towards the dinner table.
Jin jerked a tear out from the brief memory, before he wiped it off and opened his eyes back to the present.
“... I'm not celebrating just yet, though, there's still much to be done if we truly want a happily ever after…”
He resolved to himself before he stood up and made his way to the exit, closing the entrance behind him, he then made his way into the light of the sun, feeling lighter than usual as he walked out of this quick trip home with his mind more in peace with itself. It would seem that a quick detour turned out to be the right call to make after all.
Looking at his phone, he saw that the time of the meeting was upon him, so he started walking with hurried steps to begin his hike up the shrine.
Chapter 2: "I'm sure nothing would go wrong!" -Jin "Baka" Kimura, 2024
Notes:
Okie dokie, first meeting scene, let's do this!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The journey took the male kitsune about 9 minutes of jogging before slowly coming to a stop before the entrance of the shrine, and as he looked up, he saw the imposing figure of the giant tree where the Shrine was built beneath.
The place of the meeting itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary; just a typical wooden deck with an open roof acting as the main area that was surrounded by many shrines and temples of various heights. Right in the middle was the place of the meeting, where he saw two women of similar appearance giving the place one final touch.
“Fusou-nee, I think that's all of them." A high pitched voice said as she turned towards her company.
“Hai, it would seem that everything is in place for the conference. Say, dear Yamashiro, shall we head down for lunch?" The girl with a deeper voice suggested.
"But there's no one to keep watch here if we do so, Fusou-nee." Yamashiro pointed out, which got Fusou thinking and weighing her options as she put an arm under her chest and brought a hand up her mouth in contemplation.
She then looked up, and regarded Yamashiro with a smile. “You are right, however, I do not see anything of value that a thief would steal here in our absence, unless they are a serious geek for teacups and tables, so fret not, dear sister, I have faith in our security to not let any suspicious individuals through.” Fusou said before she feigned a look of hurt. "Do you not want to spend some time with your dearest sister, Yamashiro?”
As if a switch had been flipped, Yamashiro rushed to Fusou’s side and hooked her arms under her sister’s own. “Well, come on then! Let's climb down the mountain, I'll have lots of sushi, hehehe."
" Yamashiro-”
But Fusou was cut off as the enthusiastic cat-girl started dragging her down the mountain.
As they passed, Jin peeked out behind one of the small shrines, having overheard of the entire conversation between the sister ships before he walked out of his hiding spot and found the perfect place to eavesdrop on the gathering later; a low hanging branch of the Sacred Sakura that was thick enough to hide him from anyone curious enough to look up and strong enough to support his weight.
He summoned a red paper plane between his middle and index finger before he willed it to transform into a red, fiery chain resembling a miniature version of the Akagi's anchor. He locked on to his target as he started spinning it to his side, before releasing it towards the offshoot of the tree. He waited seconds for the chain to coil itself around it, before he tugged himself up with a grunt. He landed rather awkwardly, making him sway from side to side as he fought to keep his balance before he finally steadied himself and recalled his chain to his arms to dematerialize it.
He perched down to his knees, his fox features finally revealing themselves; nine brown tails that were seven feet in length each and a pair of pointy ears that enhanced his auditory senses.
Now he plays the long waiting game…
“... I'm gonna hang around here for a while, aren't I?" Jin jokingly asked the air but that seems to be the case because 30 minutes later, only Nagato and Mutsu had shown up.
Where the hell are the rest of them, anyway? Please, his legs are starting to grow sore holding this crouch position, JUST SHOW UP ALREADY.
“(TIMELINESS, TIMELINESS, PEOPLE!!)” He grumbled mentally.
Fate has finally rewarded his patience as he saw the rest of the invited guest show up one by one, but much to his surprise, a group of Eagle Union Kansen was escorting the Commander of Azur Lane himself up the mountain, who was currently preoccupied with a woman rubbing up against him in a possessive manner, much to the man's dismay, and the amusement of his retinue.
Okay, this was not part of the intel that was given to him, how could Oliver Ballard, the best Spy-Butler that the Royal Navy had ever produced, MISS such an important detail in his espionage for information?
“(Damn it, Belfast, I can't imagine you ever losing your touch, but now I'm starting to have doubts!)” Jin screamed in his head in anger, no way Oliver of all people would miss this. Did he do it on purpose or was it a genuine mess up? He might never know, in fact, nobody ever knows what's going on inside the great Head Butler's brain. Not even him with all his smarts.
Shaking that line of thought aside, he switched his attention to another point of interest; the Fox-Girl who had her arms wrapped around the officer's limb tightly as she spoke many words of ‘affection’ to him, and judging by appearance, he had an idea on who this girl is.
“You belong to me, and me only, Commander! That is something you should never forget, even if you are in charge of an entire fleet,” The girl mouthed as her eyes gained a dangerous hue. "... Or else."
…. Okay, Steve Kerr called Time Out, that girl, that VIXEN, was supposed to be him from this world? A lovestruck, over-possessive woman that dresses like a red light district courtesan?
… Yep, he'd seen it all, and he refuses to share a name with someone as eccentric as that prostitute. From this day forth, he shall always take on the name Jin Kimura, BYE BYE Akagi!!
… That was an exaggeration, but goodness gracious, she's beautiful and all, but the damn unnecessary amount of skin revealed from her cleavage… it was so lewd!
Let the people call him a prudish virgin all they wish, but she's probably not even wearing any undergarments, both top and bottom, which he found a no no. But certain degenerates might think it's hot.
“(Gods, I'm just about ready to die from second-hand embarrassment…)” Jin Kimura lamented as he brought a palm on his face, struggling to fight back the growing embarrassment he felt.
Well, not like anyone would see his blush behind the mask and from this elevation, but damn it girl, your breast is spilling out. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he kept observing as the Commander walked into the meeting place and gave his greetings to the current flagship of this world's Sakura Empire, before taking his seat right next to his other self, something the man in the uniform did not quite appreciate judging by the hints of displeasure on his tight smile that he regarded her with, and the bead of sweat that fell from his forehead.
He did not envy him one bit.
But before he could dwell on it any further, another group showed up and he immediately averted his eyes, because if female Akagi was bold, these two were a whole ‘nother level. One sported a dark violet outfit with large prayer beads tied around the arms while the other girl wore a set of blue with circles depicting the moon's lunar phases floating on her back.
He eventually found out that they were this world's incarnation of Lord Musashi and Lord Shinano after exchanging pleasantries with Nagato, though in hindsight, he should've figured that out at a glance, because they carried the distinct aura that only Musashi and Shinano had carried that Jin always felt, with some difference. More specifically, between Shinano and ‘Shinano’.
The girl, despite looking like she's about to nod off to dreamland, didn't show signs of sleep deprivation, wearing a serene expression of haziness which gave her a unique allure. On the other hand, Nerumi Hayashi always had a dark patch beneath his eyes and an ungracefully lazy front, always regarding everyone with a slothful, half-lidded stare that would come off as rude if you didn't know any better.
The juxtaposition was comical and he would have laughed if his mind wasn't preoccupied with ‘women bounties’ and the rush of blood on his cheeks that it caused. Oh goodness, why do these women with goddess-like beauty dress like that anyway?
Props to the Eagle Union girls though, as they had a uniform code that they follow. At least that's what he thought; maybe it's another case of siblings being siblings, which was most likely the case as the one with dull purple hair and amber eyes chided the rest of their group to stay still and quiet down, to which the group promptly refused as they kept taking shots at the poor dame.
“Essex, that Akagi girl is all over your man, you're not gonna do anything about that?" The one with blonde hair asked.
“Ease off my ass, Bunky, I already told you many times during the trip that I have no feelings for the Commander.”
"Is that so, sister~?" A girl with a similar shade of purple teasingly asked her sister, to which Essex furiously whispered.
“Will you two just hop off my case already?!” Essex angrily rebuked before she crossed her arms and pouted.
“And she's pissed, nice work, Tico and Bunky," a girl with twin tails deadpanned before she turned her attention towards her sister. “Essex, you really oughtta ease up a bit, watching you embarrass yourself with these two jackals is getting tiring at this point.”
"The Enterprise fangirl? No way, she has the Grey Ghost's flow copied, band for band and word for word, and Enty isn't exactly the most social carrier, which means Essex would most likely try to copy that hardass attitude, too.” Bunker Hill satted as a matter of fact.
"Ufufu, you ought to be more original, sis, you're not being subtle with your hero worship syndrome if you keep on doing what you're doing~” Ticonderoga immediately followed up, which had her sister popping a vein and glaring at her.
"Why you insufferable pricks!"
“You three, stop, everyone's looking at us for God's sake!" Intrepid sharply reprimanded which had her siblings looking around them, lo and behold, everyone was watching the drama unfolding before them with barely cocealed amusement, much to the eldest’ embarrassment.
“USS Bunker Hill, USS Ticonderoga, I hate you both with every cell of my body." Essex quietly mouthed at her younger sisters before she hid her face on her arms, plopping down the table to conceal her growing discomfort. Bunker Hill shrugged while Ticonderoga covered her lips with a hand to muffle a giggle before they settled back to silence.
During all of this, a brown haired Kitsune standing right beside Nagato suppressed a chuckle before she addressed her flagship. “The American Delegation are quite the spirited bunch, are they not, Lady Nagato?”
"Quite right, Amagi-san.” Nagato replied as a smirk played on her lips, before clearing her throat and turned to address the sickly woman besides her, “Though may I ask, was there any trouble on your way up?"
“Worry not, my lady, a little exercise is not detrimental for my body. Even if somewhat defective, I still possess the strength of a Kansen, so I haven't much trouble with the hike.” Amagi assuaged the Battleship’s worries as she turned towards the two women besides her, one had grey hair and drooped fox ears while the one standing next to her was a woman who had a mane of snow white fox ears and short, hime haircut of the same coloration.
“Tosa, Kaga, you may take your seat now, leave the space beside my sister vacant for me."
“Right then," Tosa replied before she tapped her sister on her shoulder, intimating Kaga to follow her to their seat which the carrier replied to with a shrug as her piercing blue eyes settled on her half-sister, who was far too busy cuddling up the object of her overbearing affections.
“Hey, Tosa, should we do anything about that bootlicker, the American looks like he's about to pass out from discomfort any second now."
“No, let Amagi put another bump on that vixen's head, it's much more amusing that way."
“Pft, right." Kaga finally averted her gaze as she settled down with her sister, leaving just one pillow vacant on her side as promised.
“(Tosa, huh… interesting…)” Jin thought as he kept surveying the event beneath with growing interest.
That was another difference crossed on the growing list. The Tosa of his world was never reborn as a Kansen for some odd reason that perplexed even the experts back then, and he wasn't the only exception. Another Example he thought of was the Queen Elizabeth Class of the Royal Navy, with only Lord Warspite, Lord Valiant, and Lord Agincourt turning into Shipboys despite the many attempts the scientists and researchers made, ranging to something as simple as charging it with more electricity, to something that was rather silly as dropping it on a cauldron full of boiling water, leading them to a conclusion that the name of the original hull plays a part on whether a ship would be reborn or not.
Tosa is a gender-neutral name, so why was their Tosa a no-show?
He could think about that later, so Jin shook his head as he turned his attention to another matter; his brother’s alternate self. It may be personal bias speaking, but he thought that the conservatively dressed woman was a dame worth falling for. She just has this mannerism that would warm one's heart and have a man on their knees begging to be pampered by their ‘onee-san.’
He wasn't going to be the one though, hell no.
More of the invited guests poured in, Kansen and Officers alike, as the time for the council drew close, exchanging pleasantries and greetings with each other as the meeting hall slowly filled up, until the last ones arrived. It was a lady with white horns and brown dark brown hair, accompanied by a girl with white uniform and similar physical features, save for the length of her hair. He found out that they were the previous flagship, Mikasa, and Hiei of the Kongou-class after they gave their salutations to Nagato. When all was accounted for, Lady Nagato implored every personnel to take their seat.
“With the arrival of Lady Mikasa, we may now commence with this day's agenda.” Nagato declared as she looked across the room and the people behind the separate coffee tables with varying amounts of occupants. Each of them sat up straight as they gave a nod of affirmative. The first topic of discussion was the current global status, starting with the worldwide issue of terrorism.
If memory serves Jin right, terror attacks had started taking a rise when the Sirens were first officially broadcasted from every news outlet, and the UN had been hard-pressed with taking every Siren Extremist down the picture. Biggest among them were the Siren Cultists, maniacs who preach about their Siren Overlords to the public and making a mess wherever they take station, from as little as vandalizing properties with graffitis, to some things as abhorrent as armed attacks, bombings, drug trafficking, kidnapping and subsequent human sacrifices. Even with the formation of the Azur Lane Infantry Division, they still struggle to snoop out the small pockets lying low and blending in with your average civilian.
Jin took it upon himself to make it an order for his brethren to ‘discreetly dispose of every discovered group within the territories of Japan, terrorist, cultist or otherwise.’
Next was the Sirens themselves. The front has been a complete stalemate ever since the success of Operation Siren Song, which pushed back the invader's conquest and reclaimed half of the world’s waters. Even with the efforts of the powerful US Navy and their Nuclear Carrier Strike Groups, with assets of Azur Lane joining the fray to provide insights and firepower, they still were having a hard time with the Sirens’ capacity for producing dispensable shell and missile sponges in the form of the Mass Production models. In a war of attrition, it was looking grim for them; every missile launched, every shell fired, and every torpedoes sent must count. Worst of all, they do not even have a single clue on which shot counted and which shot did not. Knowledge like this was better kept from the public, if only to avoid dealing with civil unrest, which everyone agreed was the right move for now.
Up next was Nagato’s status report of the Sakura Empire. She went into full detail of every Siren engagements and internal affairs that the Sanctuary has had during the entire month, noting that the intensity of the Siren attacks had noticeably declined, to which Essex concurred and interjected by telling the whole room that the same had happened to the side of the United States, much to everyone's surprise, before the Commander of Azur Lane grabbed everyone's attention.
“Everyone, your attention, if I may,” The Commander silenced the crowd as he extracted himself from Akagi's grasp– much to her dissatisfaction, then motioned for the Eagle Union girls to assemble the presentation, putting up a projector that was plugged onto a portable power generator before Intrepid lit it up, making a holographic, 3 dimensional model of the Earth.
“As we all know, Azur Lane, with the help of experts from all factions, developed the first functional Early Warning System for Siren Attacks. How this machine functions, I cannot go into full detail, not really an expert and all, but I have a grasp on the basics.” The Commander explained as every man paid close attention.
"We've determined that whenever the Sirens summon a portal for an entire fleet, they let off a copious amount of ‘Gamma Radiation’ before it completely vanishes as if it wasn't there to begin with. We've confirmed this after lining up the timelines of the attacks with NASA’s reports of detecting massive influxes of Gamma Rads from one coordinate after another. We also reached out to other international aerospace agencies to further verify this, such as the DLR from Ironblood, Germany, Roscosmos from Northern Parliament, Russia, and the CNSA from Dragon Empery, China being notable examples. This system works by connecting itself from Azur Lane’s personal satellites that were modified to detect Gamma Rads from the atmosphere, serving as its eyes that give us Global Coverage.”
“Ah, I certainly have heard of this… ‘system’ before, but we never knew how it worked until this day," Nagato piped up. "To be provided insight to this marvel of technology is invaluable, thank you, Shikikan.”
“No problem, however, that's not what I'm here for today.”
Before anyone could ask, the Commander immediately pressed a button on the remote on his hand, making the visual apparatus change to show a massive red spot in the middle of the Pacific.
“In 2020, four years ago now, our systems detected heavy Gamma Radioactivity, followed by an EMP blast that knocked out our eyes in the sky on this spot of the ocean, which had Washington concerned. Under the direct orders of the President, the 3rd and 7th fleet, with assistance from Azur Lane Kansen, was dispatched to investigate and possibly intercept what could be the largest Siren fleet that the world has ever seen. I was the newly minted Commander at the time.”
"I remember that; at the time we were wondering why the Americans were suddenly in a rush to leave in the midst of an exercise in Yokosuka, it seems this was why.” Kawakaze spoke with crossed arms, to which the Commander hummed and nodded.
“Right, but when we got to the coordinates of the anomaly at approximately 0700 hours, we found nothing but a litter of Siren debris and open air everywhere, which had everyone puzzled at the time. We considered the possibility of a fault in the system, so we ran numerous checks, but we found nothing wrong, and ruled out that possibility since it wouldn't explain the following EMP blast. We also considered a big duke out play from the enemy, so we left the 7th to regularly patrol that stretch of the ocean, but after months of nothing happening, a withdrawal was issued.” The Commander continued explaining as his gaze panned across the board.
“However, a year after that incident, the CIA reached out to inform us of the appearance of ‘Individuals of Interest’, people that suddenly showed up out of nowhere; we don't have a record of their names in the files, no medical records, where they lived before, et cetera,” The Commander spoke with an underlying implication. “Almost as if their documentations were mere forgery, which I have to commend them for if they passed under the Central Intelligence Agency’s nose for that long.” The Commander then pressed the button one more time, widening the three dimensional hologram as face image of individuals started showing up with names and basic information.
“Ghosts among us…" Amagi murmured as she brought a finger on her lips.
“Interesting…” Kaga right besides her muttered under her breath as her sight honed in on one name.
[Ash Grayson, Age: 30, Employment: Morgan's Farm.]
Amagi couldn't help but look as well. The man had a sharp visage that would make any woman swoon and lose themselves in a bottomless pit, dull purple eyes and medium length silvery white hair. To put it simply, this man exceeds the beauty standard for men as far as an average adult-looking Shipgirl far surpasses the norm for women. To put it even simplier, the man was handsome, too handsome to be true.
“Shikikan, I cannot help but point out some… irregularities…” Amagi spoke up, which then prompted the Commander to turn his attention towards her.
“You see it too, don't you?"
“Hai, the physical features… are they all… natural…?” The Sickly Fox asked.
"After we've discreetly picked a few of the people on this list to participate in a sampling test disguised as a health check-up, the experts have concluded that it is. So the white hair, the oddly colored eyes, they're all natural.” The Commander reported, his words met with intrigue as the crowd rose into a low murmur.
“Anyway, we're getting off-track, where was I… right; how these people are related to the decrease in Siren activity…”
The Commander then went on to give the particulars of things Jin already knew.
When his people got transported, they immediately scrambled to find out where they were using the stars, and after figuring out which ocean they found themselves crash landing on, Enterprise immediately ordered the survivors to make a break for the south, with submarines leading the way to warn them of any contacts patrolling ahead of them in advance. It's a stroke of good luck how Satellite Imagery hadn't caught them in the act during the time they bum rushed their way to New Guinea, landing on the coasts on their rigging form at the dead of night and setting foot on the beach without any human presence. It was fortunate that there was only a few Humans they took from one side to another, with only 200 heads joining them on the journey, mostly Women, Children and Elderly. They chose to stay as the Shipboys slowly split up, creating the underground organization that they now dubbed as the Riptides over the letters they had mailed eachother.
Prinz Eugen was the first to bid his farewell, taking his place as the Prince of Ironblood after Bismarck's demise. Then, it was the Royals and the Iris, with King George the Fifth and Lord Clemenceau at the helm. Next were the Russians, with Lord Gangut giving them a slurry farewell due to the egregious amount of vodka running in his system. Then it was the Italians, under the leadership of The Glory of the Naples, Littorio, whom he almost skewered with his Katana after his rather… flashy and explosive goodbye. And then, the Dragon Empery under Lord Yat Sen, who gave him words of wisdom before he sailed out with his rather small company. Up next were the Eagle Union, who were led by none other than the pillar of power that was Enterprise, who gave him a brotherly hug as they said their goodbyes. Finally, the remnants of the Sakura Empire, which he now leads, were the last to go.
They sailed their way back home, and found that it was different from the ruins they once knew it as. They twisted a lot of arms on the way before they finally found their way into Japanese society to live a quiet life. How they pulled it off was a miracle, and it baffled him to no end how he got where he was now without being busted still… until now, that is.
Now, Azur Lane had dogs sniffing them out of their hiding hole, which was expected, given the local Siren culling shenanigans that he and the other boys around the globe have been discretely committing around the seven seas, he'd already lost count of the tonnage of Siren assets he sent down the abyss to help ease Azur Lane’s workload.
The future of the Riptides remains uncertain…
When the Commander finished presenting his case, Amagi was the first to speak, “I see… Shikikan, you think these ‘Individuals of Interest’ are part of an underground organization that we are yet to determine the name of, is that right?”
"Right. And I'm inclined to believe that they're hiding something special; as in Kansen level of special.” The Commander solemnly declared.
Before anyone could voice their confusion, The Commander showed footage of an armed conflict between two groups, on one side of the street were a group of men taking cover behind the cars lining the side of the street, parked there by their owners who had ditched the vehicles to save their own skin from danger. On the other side were a number of men in black robes with the Siren Insignia unleashing hell on the aforementioned grouped.
“Cultists?” Nagato asked the Commander, to which he replied with a nod.
Jin, meanwhile, knew who these men were personally.
“(WHAT THE HELL WERE HORNET AND THE CLEVELAND BROTHERS DOING ENGAGING THEM IN BROAD SIGHT?!)” He yelled in his mind as a frown crossed his face behind the mask.
But before he busts a vein, the footage showed one brave terrorist advancing towards the position of the pinned men, who was then promptly run over by a man on a speeding motorcycle before he got closer, then dumping an entire mag in the direction of the Cultists.
“Cool.” Bunker Hill remarked as Essex and Intrepid agreed.
However, the man was suddenly engulfed by a giant fireball, courtesy of a man firing a Rocket Propelled Grenade at him from a rooftop, much to the concern of the Blonde Haired Cowboy who yelled out the man's code name, muffled by the black bandana tied on his mouth.
[“GRAY, NO!”]
But the man's worries were unfounded, because just a second later, the smoke was dispelled from the ensuing display; the man on the motorcycle revealed himself virtually unscratched from the explosion, with a metal arm appearing on his back that attached a gray flight deck reminiscent of the Grey Ghosts 1943 paint on his spine. The man then brought his arm up to summon a metallic long bow on his hand, notching an arrow made of red light on the string before he pulled and sent the bolt flying towards his assailant, nailing the terrorist between the eyes.
Then the Commander paused the footage.
“This footage of an armed conflict around a town in Texas has been running around the internet lately, I'm surprised none of you have seen it yet.” The Commander said.
“I don't remember a Yorktown-class running around besides the three we have back at the base.”
“(If you count Wasp, you have your fourth.)” Jin deadpanned in his mind, before he mused to himself once more… So Enterprise roped Hornet and the Clevelands into that one. With the Grey Ghost in the picture, Jin was considering the possibility of a sneak operation gone wrong, his anger cooling down a bit at the thought.
“That’s not all of it, we also have accounts from a convoy passing through the Sea of Japan. A sailor took footage of an entire Siren Fleet pouncing at them outta nowhere, but when all hope seemed lost…” The American Officer trailed off as he switched to another video in the point of view of a man watching the confrontation between a Mass Produced fleet and an unknown contact unfold before them.
The stranger floated above with an all too familiar rigging design on his side. Jin prided himself with his own set of fluffiness, but it pales in comparison to the ones the man in the video sported; nine silvery-white appendages that extended to 12 feet long, its fuzziness enough to cushion a man in cases when necessary, such as dozing off, ears standing tall with a long mane of silver hair tied to a high ponytail. The figure’s facial features were covered behind a blue Oni mask as they looked down the flotilla with an unreadable expression.
[“Look! That guy's about to do something."] Another sailor from the footage pointed out, snapping the entire deck’s attention towards their mysterious saviour.
The man in question clasped his hand together, the light of the full moon behind cascading them in its light that made him look like a deity that descended from the heavens to answer their call for help in their time of need. After a moment, he then spread his arms wide open, and swarmed the entire Siren fleet with ethereal, blue butterflies.
[“By this one's will… begone.”] The voice of the man echoed throughout the battlefield for all to hear before he willed every single butterfly to erupt into flames, engulfing each and every Siren vessel in blue fire.
The resounding cheers from the Sailors at the destruction of the enemy was prominent as their saviour hovered over the fleet of hostiles, destroying ships en masse, each engulfed into massive fireballs before disappearing beneath the waves one by one.
"So... Anything to say, everyone?" The Commander asked as he paused the footage.
The officer's words were met with silence as everyone was bug eyed with jaws falling to the floor with surprise. All, except one, a very snoozy one.
“Kansen…” Shinano softly spoke.
“But that’s impossible, Lady Shinano, no Kansen had ever been born outside our immediate attention, right?” A girl with another pair of Fox ears started on the side.
“That is true, Kii, all accounts of Wisdom Cubes materializing into human forms had always been under Azur Lane or Government watch. Shinano, are you sure of your own claims?” Nagato inquired.
“Hnn… This one… is certain… I have dreamed a myriad of visions and premonitions in my slumber…” Shinano resolved as she turned her attention to nothing in particular.
“... She's zoning out again…” Essex quipped, to which Akagi giggled.
“My my, our oracle is as energetic as ever.” She snickered, earning a sound of amusement from the sleepy carrier's sister.
“Dear me, sister, do you not think that it's improper to doze off in such an important discussion?”
“Mmn… This one… apologizes… for my eyes feel heavy at this moment… hnn…” Shinano’s head started bobbing forward and backward for a moment. Musashi prepared to catch her sister in her bosom, but to her shock, Shinano suddenly opened her eyes, a bright glint of blue shining in her irises as she shaked the tiredness off of her being, and slowly got on her feet.
“... Allow this one… to regal her visions in the world of dreams…” Shinano declared as she slowly strode to the middle of the crowd.
“This one saw… visions of a catastrophe… sights unfamiliar, yet familiar all the same… the sacred symbol of our faith burning down… A shining beacon of freedom… Warriors, Strangers… Outlanders that fell from the sky… A Prince abruptly burdened with leadership, yet steadfastly pushing forward… A King who bears no crown, yet surrounded by loyal subjects all the same… A Missionary who strayed from the light of faith… A Marksman whose aim is true, but their resolve, diminished by warfare and death… A Soldier longing for past glories, yet wise enough to avoid pursuing… A Comrade whose touch is cold, yet their smile, warm as a ray of sunshine… A Dragon seething with anger and hatred for those that had wronged them and those they held dear, yet dare not to let their wrath consume them… And a Fox whose passionate flames shall stoke the hearts and minds of the masses to take up arms, and fight for all that is beautiful in the world… and when the darkest hours are nigh upon us, their armies shall rally under an azure banner… to defy the fate that the cosmos had set forth upon those they have come to cherish… to protect those who had taken them in as family… the sons of the seas shall once more answer the call for war…”
Everyone was silent as Shinano finished reciting.
“Though this one's vision was vague… I still firmly believe that the man with the rigging… is the Grey Ghost themselves… though, one must add that they are not the ones who we have come to know now…” Shinano vaguely appended.
“Well, I'll be… when the Oracle speaks, I guess we gotta take her word for it, because she's apparently an interdimensional dreamer.” Intrepid jested, which earned her a smack from Essex.
Shinano softly chuckled at Intrepid’s attempt at humor.
“So, it narrows down to eight individuals then… that makes things easier and harder at the same time…” The Commander commented as he rubbed his chin. Easier because they only need to find eight, but Harder because they have to find eight in six billion, which is like finding a needle in a haystack.
“We already have a lead, do we not? That man with the rigging of a Yorktown class and the Male Kitsune that wielded a rigging similar to our oracle.” Nagato remarked.
The Commander nodded before he turned to address Essex.
“Essex, pass the word to our allies; I want every faction leader to head to Island Zeta and discuss the matter of possible ‘Independent Kansens’ with me at Azur Lane HQ, and draft action plans for a first contact with them.”
“Roger that, Commander.”
“If I remember correctly, there's a bunch of hooligans running around calling themselves ‘The Riptides’ or something along the lines of that cliche. Word on the street is that they've been busting Cultist assets left and right all around the world. One recently had coverage of the aftermath of a skirmish somewhere in Tokyo, Shibuya. I think it lines up.” Bunker Hill stated.
Ah that, so the brief stint he pulled off at Shibuya already had media coverage… that was certainly good to know for Jin, he hadn't turned his television on in a while.
“What're you saying, Bunky?” The Commander inquired.
Snatching everyone's attention, Bunker Hill added more to her conjecture. “Now this is me speculating here, but what if those guys from the videos were a part of this Underground Org we're talking about, and what if the Riptides are the very same org in question? It certainly helps us narrow things down more.”
The American Officer nodded at that. “We'll consider that as a possibility.”
“Also, are we just gonna ignore the fact that we Shipgirls may or may not have ‘Brother-ships? Cause those definitely were not the voices nor the body shape of a woman.” Ticonderoga opened up with her thoughts.
"That's… huh…" The Commander raised a finger to his mouth… Shipboys, huh?
“Ooh, now that's quite an intriguing line of thought… Ufufu, while on the topic, I did wonder about my appearance if I were of the opposite gender before.” Akagi said in the corner as a smirk crossed her features.
“While indeed an ‘intriguing’ thought, as you put, one advises that we approach this matter delicately. It would be wise to assume that these… ‘Male Kansen’ are as much as their own person as we are our own… even if one shares an identity.”
To Musashi, that sounded oddly specific, so she eyed her sister with an unreadable expression. Shinano felt her sibling's gaze on her, so she turned her attention towards her and gave her a small nod. It was enough for Musashi to confirm that her little sister knew something, so she made the quiet decision to talk about it later with her younger sibling once the meeting is over.
"(Yikes, don't come near me, woman…)" Jin mentally recoiled after he heard his other self’s thoughts.
Kaga only shook her head at her half-sister’s musings before her attention returned to the Commander.
“So… where do we start our search for these umm… ‘Shipboys’, if I may ask?” Kaga asked, her expression inquisitive as she locked gazes with the Commander.
However, before the man could answer, Shinano let out a noise akin to that of a light yawn to gain her fellow carrier's attention, addressing her with a knowing look as her lips quivered into a small smile.
“... We shall start at this very place, Lady Kaga…” Shinano answered at the Commander's behest, much to everyone's confusion before the ones with greater hearing than the rest perked up, their ears catching the sound of something unusual above them.
~CRACK!!~
… That doesn't sound like good news.
Looking down, Jin saw that he had subconsciously wandered far too close at the very end, which caused too much strain at the base of the extension he was perching from. Slowly but surely the branch started giving in, before it finally broke, and sent Jin plummeting down towards the ground with his hands flailing around.
“AAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
Simply put, JIN KIMURA HATES HIS LIFE.
Notes:
Houston, we have a problem:
Namely the concern that the fight scenes I've jotted down may be a little too bloated, which is a dilemma because if I try and shorten it, things wouldn't make much sense but if I kept it as it is, it might become boring to you all.
... Eh, whatever, I'll just finish it and see what I can do.
And by the way, seeing how this is my actual first series, *cough* unfinished plane people fic *cough*, Constructive criticisms are very much appreciated, and I would like to learn more from the Azur Lane fanfic community on where I can improve my writing.
Next chapter would be our boy running the ones and getting his butt kicked by our beloved Shipgirls, meaning action, LOTS of ACTION!!
Chapter 3: Sakura Gauntlet
Summary:
With an espionage gone horribly wrong, Jin now has to punch his way through an entire lineup of Kansen.
Will he make it out or will he end up behind the slammers?
Chapter Text
Everything was hazy for a bit, Jin expected a killer back ache from that fall, but surprisingly, there wasn't much pain as he felt something soft squishing on his back. With a groan, he finally got himself sitting up straight– and was immediately greeted with gazes of distrust and hostility as every Shipgirl in the room materialized their weapons on their hand, ready to skewer him at a Command.
He didn't know why, but a quick look of his surroundings, left right, up and down, told him exactly why…
He had just landed straight on top of Lady Shinano, who was now peacefully sleeping beneath him as if a man hadn't just landed on her.
… What an amazing first meeting…
“YOU!!” Nagato snarled at the masked man.
“W-Wait, this isn't what it looks like!” Jin immediately got on his feet and raised his arms in surrender.
“To conduct espionage on an important military conference like this… I must ask; do you have a death wish, boy?” Musashi gave him a menacing smile as electricity sparked all around her.
“Pigs like you are truly hard to come by, eh…” Amagi sneered.
“Oh come on, I-I didn't plan anything malicious, I'm just genuinely curious with how things are right now with the Sakura Empire, believe me!” Jin tried to persuade, but a menacing chuckle sent a chill down his spine.
It's his other self.
“For disgracing our dear Shinano like this… maybe we should cut you up to pieces and feed you to the fishes… do you not think so, everyone?” Everyone murmured an agreement as the human officials started booking it out of there, sensing the impending eruption of a volcano.
“Wait, guys, we shouldn't, look, He's got the fox features and everything, maybe he's the guy from that kid's fairytale that Lady Shinano had just told us.” Intrepid voiced her thoughts, which made Nagato deliberate, before making a decision.
“Trespasser, if you get on your knees and surrender now, we shall throw you behind bars and interrogate you for answers instead of the gruesome alternative.” Nagato composed herself enough to offer Jin.
The man had no chance of escaping at this point, he was surrounded on all sides by angry women, and pair that up with strength that would put Eddie Hall to shame, all he can do now is to comply and bend over… which he was too proud to do, so he opted for option B: Make One Last Blunder.
“Um… WHAT'S THAT!?” Jin pointed at… nothing in particular, making everyone tilt their heads towards the direction his finger was pointing at.
Seizing the momentary distraction, Jin tapped into his Shipboy prowess and dashed forward, pushing his way through the wall of bodies as he booked it towards freedom.
“Wha- STOP HIM!!” Nagato angrily commanded as Kawakaze pursued at her lady's command.
The petite Battleship then tuned in on her internal radio to make a base wide announcement, “Attention to all vessels, we have a spy on the run, apprehend this individual alive and do NOT activate your riggings within the premises of the Residential Area under any circumstances!”
Jin sprinted down the mountain as fast as he could, his strides wide and desperate as he glided through the air. He dared to take a look behind him and saw the Carriers sending their planes up, and a white blur at the corner of his vision ready to cut his head off his shoulder, which made him duck, barely avoiding the arc of her sword before she skidded on her feet, twisting her body mid slide before she grinded to halt to face him, settling into an offensive stance and jumping forward to drive the tip of her sword to his heart.
Jin yelped as he barely summoned his elemental Katana made of red fire in time to catch the tip by the flat of his own weapon, which pushed him back into an unexpected flying kick on his spine– courtesy of Kii, making him stumble and roll to his knees.
Not catching a break, The Shipboy saw Kawakaze swing her blade towards his torso once more, which he immediately deflected away, and dished out a wide sweep to throw both Kawakaze and Kii off, the latter who's also in the midst of an attack before she got tripped by the man.
“Oof/Hyah, KUSOGA!!” Both voiced their misfortune at the same time.
He took that chance to get on his feet, and jump over his adversaries, as he continued his run down the mountain. He started hearing the sound of aircraft screaming overhead– ones that belonged to the Essex's, probably to keep tabs on his current location. Fortunately enough, they were not strafing him just yet, most likely upon Nagato’s orders.
He was so out of it that he suddenly bumped into someone holding their food and making their meal fly off their hands, so he activated a special ability of his upon instinct. Three black tomoe encircled his pupils, enhancing his reflexes which allowed him to catch the woman by the small of her back before she fell over, snatched the container out of the air before lining it up with each falling delicacy one after another, catching each in quick succession and saving the poor woman's lunch before he handed it back to her and dipped as soon as possible.
“... Nya?” Yamashiro let out, flabbergasted by the display.
“Daijoubu, Yamashiro?” Fusou asked her sister in concern.
“I'm fine, Nee-san.” Yamashiro assured, before letting out another yelp as Kii and Kawakaze blurred past the two…
JUST WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY?!
Jin meanwhile, was still going as fast as his feet could take him, looking back at his pursuers over his shoulder, before looking ahead. He kept running and running until he finally reached the foot of the mountain, only then did he bother to stop. He put his hands on his knees as he risked panting for breath, sweat running down his face as he tried controlling his breathing.
“Aku, Zoku, San!” A feminine voice cried before his gut screamed at him to jump to the side.
Jin performed a butterfly twist to the left before the spot he stood still on just a millisecond ago was struck by a swing from Takao’s alternate self. He wasn't given time to think about that as a certain brunette Crane followed up with an attack of her own, swinging her sword in a wide arc from an Iaido stance, which his torso narrowly avoided by bending under it, his tails shivering at the close call as his right hand supported his weight.
Sensing an opening, he kicked the Crane away and got to his feet, and threw a barrage of fiery shuriken at Takao to force her to deflect, keeping her busy for a moment, before he leapt forward so fast that it looked as if he teleported, and got a hold of the Swordswoman’s wrist and judo flipped her to the ground, making her lose her grip on her sword. Jin immediately held it by the handle, and threw it like a javelin towards the now charging Zuikaku, forcing her to deflect the speeding projectile– time long enough for him to appear in front of the girl, and send a jab to her face, making her stagger before she lashed out wildly. Jin’s feet met her hand, kicking the sword off her hold, before he stumbled from an elbow from the woman.
“Gah, shit!” Jin wheezed as Zuikaku charged in for hand to hand combat.
The bird was the first one to send an attack, a flying kick which Jin sidestepped, followed by a left hook which he ducked under. He twisted clockwise to gain momentum for a counterattack, throwing his own left at her face, but the crane reacted fast enough to beat it to the side with her right hand, to which he immediately followed up with a right, but then he got countered with an elbow to his jaw as she caught the wild right swing by the back of her hand.
Dazed, Jin threw one last hail mary, which caused him to get clinched by the wrist. Zuikaku then used the opportunity to raise his arms over her head, and hit the masked Kitsune on his side with another nasty elbow, which made the man fall and roll backwards to his knees.
This girl got elbows, alright!
Jin decided to give the girl a treat of her own medicine, as he charged back in, this time, with controlled aggression in mind.
He opened with a left feint to her face making her react, which left her gut open for a knee to her stomach, breaking her guard and left her gasping and clumsily staggering back. He capitalized on her moment of weakness as he jumped forward with a two piece, one right straight for her nose, and one left for her liver, before he fed her another right and left on either side of her beautiful face. With the girl completely stunned, he dished out a roundhouse kick to her side with his right leg, sending her flying and making her crash against a building. But as he charged towards her again, Takao came to aid her comrade, nailing him with a straight punch to his left cheek which sent him rolling away.
Jin took that as his cue to run as he saw Kawakaze and Kii in the distance catching up as soon as he recovered, so he did, making a mad dash into the streets of the residential area as Takao came to help her friend while Kawakaze spared them little words before they continued pursuing.
Jin kicked his ass mentally for getting lost in his anger and lashing out at Zuikaku for a moment, reminding himself that he was not here to make enemies.
Kawakaze trained on the sight of the intruder’s running figure. Time seemed to slow down as she focused all her strength to her legs, she took a deep breath in as she turned the corner that the man had turned before her. She saw him still scurrying away for his life in the distance which made her blood boil, so she immediately got into a typical Iaijutsu stance, the ball of her left foot grinding back against the path as she leaned forward. As soon as Kawakaze released her breath, she dashed forward at blindingly fast speed, dispersing dust as she quickly covered the distance between her and Shinano's assailant. Jin was only able to react thanks to his instinctual activation of his eye ability, twisting to look behind him then raising his sword barely just in time to catch the Horizontal slash aimed to behead him.
This destroyer was a threat, he just knew it.
Before he could dwell further in that thought, his back crashed against a wall of a building, Kawakaze pushing the blunt side of his sword close to his face as she pinned him in place.
It was now a contest of strength to push the other back; one that Jin was confident he would win, so he started pushing with all his might; without the momentum of a headstart on her side, Kawakaze immediately crumbled. Jin finally moved Kawakaze off of him after a quick power struggle, and gave the girl no chance to think as he was immediately upon her, exchanging cuts and thrusts with her as sparks flew in the air at the sheer strength of their clashes. When Kawakaze tried to gain some distance, Jin would immediately throw a shuriken to keep up the pressure until he got closer for another exchange with their blades. Eventually, Jin caught Kawakaze in one last bind, before twisting the blade out of her hand, sending it flying in the air before it impaled tip-first on the tile beneath. He immediately brought the blade of his sword to the side of her neck before she could move.
The destroyer glared at him with eyes full of anger, gritting her teeth as her disdain for the man before her grew worse.
But before he could make an attempt to try and placate the girl’s anger and convince her that he was not an enemy, his senses told him to move out of the way, so he complied, backstepping without thought as a single wave of wind crashed down and broke the ground he was standing on before. Making him lose sight of Kawakaze.
He briefly panicked, before a girl with long, white hair landed in front of him with a soft thud, her sword held up on her side as she regarded him with a stern expression with her sky blue eyes, her outfit similar to that of Zuikaku, but without the red dress worn below the Haori with Crane motifs.
This world's Shoukaku.
“I've no idea what you have done, intruder, but I have seen what happened to dear Zui, and as her big sister, I have taken it upon myself to restore her honor at her behest.” Shoukaku declared as she got into a stance.
“... O-Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?” Jin asked as he snapped out of his daze, tails fervently swaying from side to side to indicate his attraction.
Damn it, why does she have to be so… so… BEAUTIFUL?! Oh how he wants to just kidnap the girl and make her his mate and lover for life, those soft and supple lips that he wanted nothing but to crash his lips onto, those eyes that gleamed against the sunlight with determination to see things through, and those lithe, dainty fingers that he wanted to be held with by his cheek as he looked at her with complete adoration.
… Whatever, one day, she will be his and HIS alone, and no man, NO ALIEN shall stand in the way of his conquest. For now, he has to deal with his current predicament; namely the Crane charging towards him with a sword raised overhead.
“Shit!” Jin let out an exclamation as he rotated to her right side, and out of the way of the Sakura Carrier’s downward cut.
Shoukaku wasn't fazed, she tilted the direction of her blade by twisting the hilt, before lashing out with a horizontal slash to her right, which Jin blocked in time to send him sliding back. Getting his footing, the man immediately settled into a stance, holding the sword in front of him as Shoukaku did the same. They stood in a standoff as both fighters honed in on eachother, making little adjustments to their stances, subtly shifting their hold and feet.
She was the one who initiated the duel, swinging an overhead slash which he caught by the flat of his blade, pushing his weapon with one palm of the steel to avoid getting sliced in two. Then, he let the blade slide to his left side, making Shoukaku lose her balance before he nailed her with an elbow to send her stumbling backwards. With no time to waste, it was Jin's turn to attack; he swung his sword from left to right, trusting the woman to react fast enough to an attack that would otherwise lop her head off her shoulders, which she did. The force of the clash sent her skidding to the side, before she grinded to a halt and let out a slight breath of relief.
Jin waited for her to make her next move, but was suddenly forced to let out a gasp as sharp pain erupted on his side.
It was Kawakaze, with her sword only driven deep enough before the length of her blade was stopped by his now bleeding right hand.
“Argh, s-shit!" Jin cried out as he tried pushing the destroyer's blade away.
He does not want to get sliced in half today, thank you very much. He was unable to push the sword off, and a quick look told him that Shoukaku was on her way to skewer him, too, so with a cry of desperation, he dematerialized his sword, and landed a hammerfist on the flat of the blade, putting stress on the steel before it snapped.
Jin took advantage of Kawakaze’s momentary shock to swipe her with a powerful right punch, cutting a wound open on her forehead before she crashed into an establishment.
He narrowly avoided getting stabbed in the face by Shoukaku, before he locked his left arm around her extended wrist firmly, and then hitting her straight on the face with the back of his skull, finally disarming the woman as he let her go stumble back from the blow, with no weapon in hand. Dazed, Shoukaku’s sight was blurry, before she let out a surprised yelp as something impacted her shins. She was suddenly on all fours, and before she could even mouth her confusion, she felt someone's weight on her back.
It was none other than Jin. He had tripped her with a sweep kick and sat on her like a stool, much to her annoyance.
Despite the cut on his side, Jin wasn't concerned with bleeding out. The opening wasn't shallow, yes, but it wasn't deep enough to register as a lethal blow. If it was any deeper, then sure, but that was not the case as he regarded Shoukaku with a neutral expression.
“I'm not here to hurt anyone, I was just defending myself.” Jin stated.
"Has anyone ever taught you manners, boy?! This isn't how you treat a lady, you know!” Shoukaku rasped out as she struggled to stand on her own legs.
“How about I play you a tune to calm you down?" The Shipboy in disguise said as he showed her the flute that she owns in his hand as a smirk played on his face.
“Don't you dare put your slimy lips on my-" But before Shoukaku could voice her protests any further, he slipped the back end of the instrument and played a failed flute rendition of Celine Dion's ‘My Heart Will Go On.’
She was silent for a moment before the eldest of the Crane siblings erupted in absolute anger, letting out a shrill cry as she suddenly bucked him off of her, making him crash on the ground on his back and eliciting a short cry out of him. Before he could stand up, he felt Shoukaku's weight on his stomach, making him wheeze out air as she clenched the collar of his outfit.
“H-Hey, take me out for dinner first before you ride me, woman!" Jin jokingly ordered, much to Shoukaku's anger and embarrassment as her face flared up at the man's innuendo.
“PERVERT!!"
Jin brought his arms up to protect his face from the angry bird that started wailing at him with her fists.
“H-Hey, it's not my fault that you made the conscious decision to sit on me, BIRD BRAIN-OUCH!” Jin exclaimed as a fist slipped through a crack on his defense.
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!”
Jin squirmed beneath the woman in an attempt to shake her off, but she was relentless in her attacks as she put more of her Kansen strength behind every blow. He decided that another method of escape is in order, and so he waited for an opportunity to show up, and show up it did as amidst her anger, Shoukaku telegraphed a particularly strong punch, so he weaved his head to the right, making her punch the ground besides his head before he hit the side of her face with an elbow, knocking her off of him.
They both scrambled back to their feet, but Jin was much faster. Charging forward, he caught Shoukaku in a tackle, carrying her like a sack of potatoes, before he brutally smashed her back against the wall, knocking air out of her lungs. The man wasn't finished though. As her back slid down, a knee landed straight to her face which made her black out, taking her out of the equation for good.
“Night night, love…” Jin exhaled as he staggered back.
After taking a second to regain his bearings, he approached and crouched next to the unconscious woman to check anything out of the ordinary. The girl still looked as beautiful as before in the man's eye, even with the nasty bruise that was starting to form on her right cheek, the sleeping beauty before him was still a sight to behold.
“(Now I feel guilty for what I did…)” He thought to himself, before an idea crossed his mind.
He tilted the unconscious woman's chin to the side, and then focused his cube's power into his lips, and lightly pecked the injured cheek of the woman to heal it.
It was a spell that had been taught to him by his world's Nagato during their stay at San Francisco upon his request, born out of his desire to not let the fate that his Nii-san suffered, befall another loved one of his. It worked by converging his Wisdom Cube's energy to one part of his body, most commonly one's hand, to then transfer it to another ailing Kansen to help them accelerate their healing.
Jin had not mastered the spell yet, but with something as small as a bruise in the face, a simple peck from a lip was enough, so he didn't waste the opportunity given to him on a silver platter to mark his new found beloved.
Satisfied with his work, he looked at the establishment where he had sent Kawakaze flying earlier and immediately jogged towards it. After a moment, he arrived and peeked through the hole that her crash had made, and after ascertaining that she was still breathing from where he stood, he let out a sigh of relief.
“She'll survive a concussion and a cut…” Jin reassured himself, putting his faith in Kawakaze's fast regeneration that entails her being a Kansen. He put his hands to his knees as sweat poured down his face, taking a moment to recover himself, before bailing out of there immediately, turning the street to his right and into one of the irregular paths that led him into a bamboo forest.
He slowed to a halt as he ascertained that the planes had lost sight of him. If he remembered correctly, just past this forest is a hill that leads down to the open ocean, so without any further delay, he dashed forward once more– before he skidded to a halt and performed a backflip as two figures with Fox features landed in front of him.
It's the First Carrier Division.
He settled into a combat stance as the female Akagi was the first to speak.
“Ufufufu, I thought I sniffed a rat scurrying about, do you think that you could escape, intruder?” She started.
“Eh, I didn't bet on it, my luck is worse than Henry Gunther who died a minute just before World War 1 ended…” Jin jokingly replied which let out a chuckle from his counterpart, and a groan from her company.
“Ugh, you're one of those type of men…” Kaga rolled her eyes before it narrowed.
“Come now, sister, when a clown performs, it’s appropriate that we give proper kudos, no?”
“That ‘clown’ had just disgraced Lady Shinano in front of us, Akagi, it's best that we take him into custody as soon as possible.” Kaga retorted.
“Ahaha, you're just itching for a fight, my dear sister,” Akagi teased as she settled into a combat stance, a smirk crossing her face as she materialized a paper plane between her fingers. “ Remember: no riggings~”
“Ryoukai.” Kaga followed suit as everything was quiet all of a sudden.
Both side were silent for a moment as Jin eyed them with a cautious look. The White Fox was the one who broke it as she charged forth with a war cry, cocking her fist back before she sent it away as soon as she was at a close distance. Jin did not stand idly by, he caught her knuckles in his hand, before he countered with a knee, eliciting a sharp cry of pain, but as soon as he let Kaga go, a small explosion made his head recoil, making him snap his attention towards the one responsible.
His brief moment of distraction was punished with an uppercut to the chin from Kaga, which sent him up in the air before his other self pushed herself up the air, did a front flip, then extended her leg to axe kick him back down the dirt. He then narrowly avoided getting stomped to the face by Kaga by rolling to the side, tumbling on the ground for a moment, before he kipped back up to his knees.
Aoto’s counterpart was onto him in a flash as she sent a punch to his face, forcing him to weave under her outstretched arm, much to her satisfaction as she sent a follow up knee to his face, making the man stagger back, before the other Kitsune girl pounced from behind and threw a high kick to the side of his face.
Jin wasn't caught slacking this time. He brought his left hand up to catch the blow by her ankle, then he brought his other hand up to have a good grip on the outstretched leg, before letting out a roar and lifting his female self to the the air, and swinging her like a baseball bat to the charging Kaga. The Brunette Fox-girl made impact with her sister and sent them both rolling to the side with a yelp of pain, and Jin was not about to let his chance to finish this fight slip.
He ran forward as Kaga and Akagi recovered, before he beat a wild strike to the side just in time before it connected to his face, and countered the snow-haired woman with a punch to the gut, then ducking under the other sister's swing to make her accidentally punch her ally on the jaw. It was only a millisecond, but that was all the distraction time Jin needed to execute his next combination. He started with a right knuckle sandwich straight on Kaga’s face, before he hit her with his right knee straight on the abdomen, he pulled the same leg to hit the brown haired woman on her stomach with a side kick, then finishing it up with a left straight punch right at the yandere’s noggin.
Sensing movement behind him, He did a quick 360, and performed a tornado kick, but the girl with light mane blocked it, making her stumble to her side by sheer force of impact. Jin materialized his fire sword again as he deflected a series of red paper planes from Akagi, before he summoned his fiery red chain on his off hand and threw it at her, suspending her movement as it coiled around her body.
“Wha-?! M-My, you sure have a particularly twisted kink, dear-KYA!” She was immediately cut off mid speech as she was tugged towards Jin, who had an arm outstretched to the side to meet her face with, putting her to sleep as he turned his attention to the other person still standing.
Kaga was pissed, and she made her anger known to him as she charged at him once more, letting out a growl as her tails bristled at the sight of her knocked half-sister.
Jin weaved through every swing she sent, waiting for a chance to counterattack as she threw flurry after flurry at him, before he caught a hook from the woman by the wrist. He attempted to land an elbow to her nose, but she was fast enough to raise her other hand to catch the strike, but that was a feint.
He stretched the same arm straight in a snap to grab her by the right ear, which earned him a sharp cry, before he harshly tugged at it, dragging her around before releasing it, and while she was preoccupied with her pain, he summoned his anchor again, and threw it at Kaga's face, resulting in a loud clang before she fell down counting sheeps.
He took a moment to catch his breath, before he winced in pain as the wound on his side stung. He raised his outfit over the wound, holding it up with one hand as he set his other on red flames. Taking a deep breath, Jin then pushed the flame on the wound, searing it close as the pain and smell of burnt flesh made him wince.
“... Ow…” He whined as he drew his shirt back down before he looked at the two girls sprawled down the floor to make sure that they were still breathing.
“Chest rising, breathing regular… they're good.” With that, He did not dally any longer.
Jumping over Kaga, the male Kitsune continued his dash through the Bamboo forest, dirt crunching beneath his feet as he followed the pre-determined path to his freedom. He hiked through old, worn down stairs with hurry, weaved left and right to follow the dirt road until it cut off and saw that he was near the end of the forest. He dashed into the light and the sound of sea gulls and open seas reached his ears, making him celebrate inwardly as he started accelerating.
The edge of the cliff drew closer and closer before he made a giant leap and rapidly lost altitude. He willed his Kansen power to being before his foot landed on the surface of the water with a splash. Jin was just about ready to dart out of the Sanctuary’s reach, before planes roared above him once more. He saw numerous small figures dropping down from each of them into the sea, landing and floating on the water the same way he did. Each of them fell in line to block his way to sweet freedom as they materialized their rigging.
From right to left, he identified Essex, Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga, Intrepid, Musashi, Amagi, Nagato, Mutsu, Kii, and Tosa…
… Oh, he's gonna get ganked, isn't he?
“(I'm really down on my luck right now…)” Jin Kimura was just so done, surely nothing could make this worse.
He realized that he had just jinxed himself with that line of thought when two Carriers with bunny ears dropped down with their rigging already engaged as they, too, fell in line with their comrades to stop him from slipping from the Sakura's grasp.
“Okay, shutting up now…” The Shipboy said as his shoulders slumped with complete exasperation.
“Intruder. I am giving you the chance to lay down your arms and give up," Nagato started as she stepped forward with an imposingly large rigging behind her. “Surrender now, or be slain for an enemy spy!”
Maybe it’s because they have the numbers and firepower advantage over a single Carrier Shipboy who doesn't even have his rigging activated yet, but what made them so sure that he cannot snatch a win at the jaws of such overwhelming odds?
He prided himself as a Veteran with plenty of battle experience, but the thing is, those same experiences told him that this wouldn't be a winnable fight. He was encircled with opponents that were powerful enough on their own, and there was an entire lineup about to gang up to kick his skull in.
“(Okay Jin, be sensible here…)” The man advised to himself as he eyed the fleet in front of him with barely concealed nervousness. Obviously the only course of action now is to give it up and surrender; he was down on his luck, he was cornered, outnumbered and tired… and yet a nagging feeling within told the Shipboy to keep fighting, something that was constantly echoing in his ear telling him that these girls are not yet ready to hear whatever secret he was hiding.
The final nail in the coffin that sealed his decision was the one single move that he had saved up throughout the entire escape. If he played this just right, he may be able to use his ultimate move to secure him a victory over this entire fleet.
Easier said than done though, because with warriors of these caliber, he had to summon the strength and finesse of both his Enterprise and the other to his side to even have a chance at all.
… But he had already chosen his course of action, and in the end, Jin decided to NOT be sensible and steeled his resolve as he opened his mouth to give his final reply to Nagato.
“No."
It came as a shocker to everyone that the spy didn't voice his surrender, and it was Nagato who escaped from her stupor first.
“Tch… very well…” She said through gritted teeth, before she waved her hands to her front.
“Everyone, engage and de-capacitate the intruder at your discretion!" Nagato barked out, which spurred everyone into action.
Amagi rotated her rigging’s turret towards his direction before she unleashed a full salvo towards Jin, which he weaved through, before rolling forward to avoid the fighters strafing him from above. He willed his sword into existence once more as he redirected projectile after projectile, before a high explosive shell sent by Tosa crashed to his side, whom in his moment of distraction flanked the male Carrier to find a window of opportunity to land a hit.
He was sent flying towards a waiting Essex, who caught him by the neck and choke slammed him down the surface, eliciting a pained cry out of him. No rest was spared for the male because he was sent rolling on the floor again as Intrepid soccer kicked him on his side, making him roll around before recovering to his knees.
Before he could register his surroundings, a giant shadow loomed over him. Jin reacted just in time to catch the two giant metal fist clasped together to crush the comparably tiny man beneath them, the metal groaning as he pushed the overwhelming weight back with all his might.
He was pinned in place by Musashi, and the others capitalized on this opportunity like vultures. Mutsu and Nagato fired all their guns at the Shipboy, impacting the man on his chest, launching him backwards. Musashi weaved to her right to let him fly past her, watching as he landed at just the right place for her 18 inch gun. She loaded her cannons with High Explosives and waited for the man to recover to his feet.
He stood up, but was immediately met with the wrong end of the Thunder Fox’ gun. He could only raise both arms to protect himself as she discharged her load point blank, nailing him on his torso and sending him travelling through the air before his back crashed against the base of the cliff, making a small crater proportionate to the size of his body, before he slipped down the water beneath face-down.
After a few moments, He shakily pushed himself up, getting on his knees as he spat blood out of his mouth and staining the back of his mask before he stood straight once more. His vision started darkening at the corners, yet he could still see that the fleet was approaching him before they stopped at a distance, regarding him with unreadable expressions as he panted laboriously.
“This is the last time I will issue this order, Shipboy, stand down." Nagato coldly remarked.
Jin kept wheezing for air as everyone in front of him stared with caution, their fists clenched tightly to their side as they remained waiting, anticipating any move that may come from him. He looked down at the water and saw the reflection of his masked face. Deliberating for a moment whether he should throw the towel and get on his knees, or keep fighting in vain, and risk getting slain for an impostor.
“(... Here goes nothing, I guess…)” He resolved.
It was time to pull the trick that he had been hiding in his pockets out into the light. It was time for the Flagship of the Combined Refugee Fleet to show his greatness in battle once more. With that decision in mind, he took a deep breath and took one step forward, standing tall amidst all odds.
“I'm very sorry, Lady Nagato, but no.” He promptly refused her offer, much to her annoyance.
“Do you realize the situation you are in, boy?" Amagi asked with concern, a frown creeping up on her face. She felt a begrudging sense of respect for the man’s will to push on, and looking at the women around her, they share the same feelings as she does.
“Look pal, I respect the sentiment, and these girls, even more so since this ‘Warrior Honor, Never Surrender’ stuff is their whole schtick, but look around you; we outnumber you, twelve on one, are you sure you wanna fight your way through that?” Essex pointed out for Jin.
"W-We’ll treat you nicely, mister, we'll feed you LOTS of Dangos and Ramen in your captivity if you just come with us." Mutsu stuttered out, her eyes betraying the feelings of genuine worry for the badass masked man.
… Ramen, eh… the offer was tempting, but Jin wasn't craving some at the moment.
“Apologies, little one, but my pride dictates that I shouldn't.”
“You think this is a matter of pride!?" Kii snapped on the corner, with Tosa right besides her remaining silent as her gaze hardened.
Musashi tapped her fellow Battleship's shoulders, intimating her to calm her anger before she spoke.
“There is no shame in admitting defeat, so long as your spirit remains unconquered. There is, however, shame to be found in foolish deeds such as recklessly gambling one's own life to try and prove something,” Musashi started. "We will not look any less of you if you give up now and accept that this is your loss, dear…”
“... No, I refuse… I…” He trailed off as he finally willed his rigging to ignite beside him. He then engulfed his entire body in his own flames, the warmth soothing his pain and burning the fatigue out of his system, before it suddenly went out as abruptly as it had appeared. Raising both of his arms to his side, he willed two blades to appear in his grasp.
“I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!!" Jin loudly declared as he activated the innate ability he possessed in his eyes and dashed forward.
Everyone opened fire at a moment’s notice, but Jin weaved through the shells that screamed towards him and dodged the bombs that the planes dropped, making high pillars of displaced salt water all around him. After a moment of dancing around his feet, Jin made it to his first target; Tosa.
She drew her sword as soon as he was within striking range, and swung down with a mighty slash, but with his now enhanced senses, he deflected just in time before he turned around, pivoting his hips then whipping the katana off her hands with a lash of his tail. Noticing movement behind him, he turned and threw one of his two swords towards the charging Kii.
The Battleship had planned to help her comrade, but with a flaming sword now stuck on her rigging, penetrating all the way into the magazine of one of her miniature turrets, the girl could only yelp as she was knocked out from the ensuing detonation. Jin rode his momentum as he got low and swept Tosa down to her back, before he swiftly got on his foot and put her to sleep with a heel to her noggin.
Jin then willed three fiery shurikens on each hand, before he threw them into the air and transformed them into aircraft, keeping all the enemy birds distracted in a dogfight as he dealt with their owners.
Next on his hit list were the two rabbit-eared Carriers whom he surmised as this world's Second Carrier Division. He launched himself forward to his targets, swinging his sword and swiping away the cards that flew towards him, before it eventually stopped as the two sisters readied themselves for close ranged combat.
Jin started with an overhead swing, but was caught by Hiryuu by his wrists, to which Souryuu then attempted to take advantage of. Jin caught on to her schemes, and drove a side kick into her abdomen to thwart her plans from coming to fruition, making the woman backpedal in pain and drop her glasses.
With that immediate threat dealt with, Jin quickly landed a knee to Hiryuu’s gut before wrenching his hands free and driving one hand around her throat. He then twisted the younger sibling to turn her back against him, before he drove another knee to her spine, making her cry out in pain as he bent the girl backwards before slamming her down the ocean floor writhing in pain. He finished her off by soccer kicking her to the temple.
“Hiryuu!" Souryuu voiced her concern, which caught his attention.
Jin didn't waste time conjuring his chains on his hand, before casting it towards Souryuu, wrapping it around her neck tightly before he pulled her down and made her faceplant at the surface below. With the older hare down, he drove his sole at the back of her head to make sure she's knocked out of the fight, adding another two to his tally.
4 down, 8 to go.
He didn't have to wait long for his next target as his guts pulled him down to duck under a swift left hook from Intrepid, her sisters following suit as Essex sent a red arrow of light towards him.
He weaved his head out of getting a free lobotomy, before he landed a headbutt square at Intrepid's nose, which made her careen back.
He caught a swift high kick that was aimed for his temple from Bunker Hill, before he swung her towards Ticonderoga, eliciting a pain from both as they crashed, before he swivelled his head to the left and caught another red arrow from Essex with his left hand, before he raised his right to catch Intrepid's sucker punch from the side by his palm.
Without sparing a look, he yanked the Eagle Union Carrier close to him, twirling the arrow on his hand before he stabbed the sharp end on her shoulder. He cut off her pained yell with a strong hook to her temple, knocking her out and sending her collapsing limply on the floor unceremoniously.
Amidst the beatdown, Bunker Hill and Ticonderoga recovered back to their feet, and when they saw what happened to Intrepid, they immediately charged towards Jin, with Bunky screaming in anger at her sister’s misfortune as she fostered hate for the man responsible.
His senses warned him of danger, so he weaved to the right and ushered forth his blade once more as the place where he had stood just a moment ago was slammed by the giant metal palm of Musashi’s rigging. He dashed towards her, jumping over one wide swing before he stopped upfront of the buxom Kitsune, and delivered an uppercut to her chin.
She staggered back, before she lashed out with another wide swing, which he had anticipated. He caught the giant arm on his side, making him cringe from the pain of the impact, before he locked her and her rigging in place, foot planted down on the surface, and chopped off the outstretched steel appendage by the elbow.
“AAAARRRRGH!!" Musashi let out a shrill cry as she clenched her right arm from the transferred pain, her scream heard by everyone with varying effects, but the one's that were affected the most were none other than the remaining Sakura combatants, who were wide-eyed with mortification.
“Musashi!!/Lady Musashi!!" Mutsu and Nagato both yelled out respectively.
Meanwhile, Amagi had her hands up to her mouth in surprise and rising terror as only one thought ran in her mind.
"(Just… who is this man?)"
As she staggered back, Jin hauled up the severed limb into his arms, and caught Bunker Hill in a back swing, sending her rolling to his left. He followed the momentum of his spin to nail Ticonderoga to her side next, sending her in the air before she plummeted down to her sister in high speed, knocking them both out of the count in the resulting impact.
He returned his eyes on Musashi, who was very much mad that her rigging's arm got cut off. Her tails bristled behind her, swaying erratically as she eyed him with unfiltered disdain. Before he could ponder on it any longer, she let out a snarl before her rigging started wildly swinging the giant, purple sword on its remaining limb.
Jin was forced to dance over and under the consecutive attacks, twisting and weaving left, right, and center to save his skin from getting halved. Musashi slowly but surely got consumed by her own rage and frustration, before she finally snapped, fangs bared and eyes slitted.
“STOP DARTING ALL OVER THE PLACE, YOU DAMN CUR!!"
Essex, seeing as how the situation has gotten out of control, chose to stay out of the rampaging Battleship's way and regrouped with Nagato's group, who were still frozen in place at the savage and uncharacteristic display of aggression.
“Lady Nagato, I can't get a clear shot on the guy at the rate things are going!" The American said, snapping the Priestess out of her stupor, and regarding her with the best look of composure she could muster given the current situation.
“A-Aye, I shall make an attempt at communication." She sputtered out as her heart drummed on her chest. She gathered her composure and focused on her internal radio before she spoke to her comrade.
“M-Musashi!" She called out, but no visible response.
Taking another deep breath, Nagato made one more attempt to call out.
“Musashi, STAND DOWN!" She yelled out, which finally elicited a reaction as everyone saw her pause with her attacks… Everyone, including Jin who took full advantage of her distraction, willing one of the aircraft that he sent up to rapidly lose height, before it crashed on her back, making a giant fireball as she stumbled towards him.
He swiftly moved beneath her arm, before he pushed himself in a vertical, and cut the other limb off by the rigging's shoulder with a slash of his sword, making her howl in pain once more as she fell on her side. He pivoted his body in the air before he landed back down the ocean’s surface, landing gracefully before he knelt right next to Musashi.
He focused his cube’s energy to his hand and immediately administered aid to the ailing Shipgirl.
Musashi felt as if a warm blanket had just engulfed her body, her pains starting to numb as all that mattered to her was the warmth that suddenly spread like wildfire throughout her entire body. Her features softened as she drifted off into comfortable sleep.
And then, there were 4…
Over at the distance, the group started feeling their nerves creeping up on them like the cold hands of death. Nagato, even when her instincts told her to take Mutsu and Amagi’s hand and retreat to save their fur, stood her ground. Her pride as the Sakura Empire's flagship was at stake and she'd be damned if she let it be sullied, yet at the same time, that pride conflicted with the desire to save what's left of her group from the danger that was now approaching, her honor be damned.
Jin stopped just a few steps away from the remaining members of the original twelve that barred his escape, a frown crossing his face as the American woman put herself between her Japanese comrades and himself.
“Stay away, pal, or I'll open fire." Essex said with a level voice.
He had to commend her. While the Sakura Shipgirls eyed him with extreme caution and hint of terror, Essex didn't let her own fear show, staring him in the eye defiantly as she trained her loaded crossbow at him.
“You saw what I did?" He asked.
“I did."
“Then you know what's best for you."
Essex lightly shook her head, grim determination taking a hold of her as she stalled the man, buying time for reinforcement that she wasn't even sure would come.
"I'm not getting out of the way, if that's what you want from me."
“Is that right?"
“Positive." Essex retorted.
Bull-headed determination, Courage, Selflessness and an overwhelming sense of Duty and Protectiveness… Truly the girl takes after a lot of Enterprise's most recognizable characteristics. Even when she knew that she was clearly outmatched, here she was standing up to him for the sake of the three behind her.
He genuinely wanted to praise her for it.
“You know, you're a good girl, Essex, I'd really hate to hurt you, so please, just step out of the way and let me stroll out of the Sanctuary for good."
"You are not going anywhere, Ninja wannabe, so stay put where you're standing. If you take another step, I'll shoot.” She sharply commanded when she saw him taking a single step forward, which made her take one step backwards in turn.
He let out a long winded sigh at her insistence, before he finally decided to act.
“Alright then…” He trailed off before he took a step forward, and promptly swiveled his head to the side as an arrow flew past him. With a strong leap, he blitzed forward and got a hold of her crossbow. They both struggled for possession of the weapon before he finally wrenched it off her grasp. Amidst her momentary shock, a kick which had enough power to knock her out landed on her temple, sending her to the ground barely just clinging to consciousness.
The other three didn't waste time as they opened fire with their rigging, but in a demonstration that defied physics, he willed his anchor into existence and spun the chains around him to block and deflect the incoming projectiles. After that, he launched the anchor forward, catching Nagato and Mutsu together but barely just missing Amagi as she stumbled down the side and on the water just in time to avoid getting restrained.
He pulled the Sister-ships towards his waiting hands, catching them by their scruff which extracted a yelp, before he clobbered their faces together and dropped them over to his side.
Amagi broke into a cold sweat, her rigging dematerialized as her heart started beating rapidly. Her thoughts started going haywire with fear as the man slowly loomed over her.
Her chest felt tight as the corners of her vision started darkening, lightheadedness numbing her legs of any sensation as her world closed in all around her. But just before she passed out, someone hauled her up to their arms, the tight grip of cold terror suddenly replaced with the warm embrace of familiarity. Her vision regained clarity and then warm, red irises met purple ones as she finally saw the face of the man beneath the mask…
“Akagi…?” She couldn't help but say the name. The differences were obvious, but the similarities were so heart-achingly close that she couldn't help herself. The way he wore his smile, the way he regarded her with an expression that promises nothing but unconditional love… It was just like her little sister’s…
She searched deeper within the Shipboy’s eyes and found a deep sense of longing and sorrow seared to his soul, and being the good elder sibling that she was, she didn't hesitate to cup the man's cheek as that was all that her frail and fatigued body allowed her to do.
“... A-Akagi…” She called out once more.
"Not the one you know, Amagi-san." He said, a warm, microscopic smile playing on his lips as he turned his attention towards the one part of her body where her cube lies.
He brought his hand there, and focused his energy there once more.
“You won't even remember my face after this, Amagi-san, so save your energy, okay…?" Jin said, his statement met with a slight frown.
"But why…? Why refuse my offer of comfort…? W-Why deny me of my responsibility as an older sibling…?” She weakly inquired as she wiped the trail of blood that flowed down his eyes, tears pricking the corner of her own vision as she wanted nothing but to hug the boy close to her.
“Your kindness and generosity is not a luxury for me to enjoy, Amagi-san.”
"(Especially after my past failure.)" Jin added in his mind as he started tampering with her wisdom cube.
“Rest now, Amagi-san… It's nice to finally meet you.” He sent her off to dreamland as he erased the memory of this short, familial moment.
With her unconscious in his arms, he laid her down on the surface of the water, and stood up to make a break for his freedom, at last. His ears noted the distant whirring of prop planes– most likely backup from the Sanctuary, which prompted him to launch every last one of his planes up in the air to buy more time for him to flee the premises of the place.
Good grief, he could already imagine the amount of ear chewing and tongue lashing Aoto was gonna give him once this hits the news…
Notes:
Ooookay, so I'm putting references here just in case:
Hand to Hand sequence with Zuikaku and Jin were inspired by that one sequence from The Raid: Redemption movie where Rama and Andi fights the final boss, Mad Dog.
As for the one where Jin grabbed Kaga by her ear, it was from Jaka versus Mad Dog from the same movie.
I suggest you check the film out, if not, watch the clips, cause the fight choreos was straight up lit!
Yes the idea of the dual wielding sword and the chain was a straight ripoff of Kurama and Leviathan, which I'm very sorry for.
Maybe I should've asked for permission to AntoRaid first.
Again, screw me and my Lazy mind*head scratch*
I tried going with a Ninja-esque vibe with Jin, with the Shurikens in place of the usual Paper Planes that Akagi has, and the Anchor that acts like an oversized rope dart. Also, our boy has a Sharingan... Hehe...
Next Chapter: Eagles in the Shadows
Date of upload, hopefully by december...
... So much for a 3 part series, huh...
Chapter 4: Eagles in the Shadows
Summary:
While Jin Kimura was getting his stern rocked by the Shipgirls of the Sakura Empire, a Strike Team under the guise of a biker group had found some respite from eliminating the cancers of society for but a short moment.
Notes:
I like Basketball, Motorcycles, Ships, Airplanes and Gacha Games!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was currently 1 am past midnight in the borders of Arizona, and here was Hornet aboard his personal motorcycle, speeding through the scenic highways of one of the interstate roads that America has built to connect the nation’ various state together for a swift car ride… at least it would've been scenic if it wasn't too damn dark outside. They passed by cacti and massive rock formations as his vehicle sped across the road at high speeds that would've had them chased by the state police if they actually bothered. Literally in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, he was accompanied by five other individuals and the bright moon that casted its glow to shed what little light it had to their darkened surroundings. He looked over his shoulder and saw that out of five of his retinue, one of them were tailing far behind as they visibly lost acceleration.
“Cleve, you're dropping speed, what's going on?" Hornet tuned into his internal radio and asked. He was met with static at first, before a voice finally came through.
"Shit, uh… I'm running outta gas, man." Cleveland spoke, eliciting a groan of frustration from his siblings as the blonde haired, red-eyed Cruiser brought one hand up from the steering gear of his bike and scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“I-Bruh… I thought you said that you were in full-tank before we rode out?" Montpelier deadpanned, the white haired Shipboy slowing down and pulling up beside his older sibling and giving him a pointed glare.
" Y-Yeah, well, that was the case the day before yesterday but, now it's umm…” Cleveland trailed off as he felt too embarrassed to speak.
“Ugh, Cleve, you’re such a moron.” Another blonde-haired man piped up, rolling their eyes in exasperation as they, too, formed up on the unfortunate Kansen.
“Oh come on, Columbia, cut me some slack, I didn't expect to run out so soon!" He snapped as felt genuinely hurt from the unrestrained name calling.
“That's why Gray always advises us to always top up on fuel before going on a sortie," A boy with silver hair and blue eyes started. "He goes out of his way to tell us that all the time, have you been paying attention?"
"I have, okay, Denver? And I'm sorry, but you guys are gonna have to tow my dumbass in a few moments…” The eldest sibling paused for a moment, cooling himself off from his momentary loss of composure with a deep sigh, before he followed up with a jest. “... Assuming any of you still wanna haul my ass the rest of the journey.
“I ain't towing you."
“Nor am I."
“Eh, pass, bro."
“Oh come on, are you guys really just gonna leave me in the middle of nowhere? Seriously?! Criminal Injustice, right here!" Cleveland yelled as Hornet chuckled at the Cleveland class’ antics.
“You had it coming, DICKHEAD, we weren't the ones who forgot to check their gas meter when running pre-ride checks at the last stop!” Montpelier cracked back over the radio.
"Guys, put a zipper on it, this is an Interstate Highway, we're bound to come across another Rest-Area if we just keep driving straight ahead,” Hornet chided, before he addressed his Flagship.
"Yo Gray, you hearing this?" The Cowboy Kansen asked his sibling, to which the man let out a light grunt in response.
“Yeah, I hear them." Enterprise finally spoke a word, his reply simple and brief as he focused on the road ahead.
Hornet's eyes gained a glint of exasperation for a moment, before a somewhat dejected yet genuine smile played on his lips. Ash Grayson is not one who always made his amusement known, nor any type of emotions for that matter, but when he does, it was a cause for celebration for those he had called a friend and an ally.
“Look alive, people, no one's towing anyone today." Enterprise grabbed the Cruiser's attention as he spotted a sight for sore eyes.
Up ahead was a Rest-Area with various establishments and stations, but what stood out the most at the moment was the Gasoline Station that was still lit up even at this hour, and after a little bit of jubilee and jollyness over the comms, all of them eventually arrived at the metaphorical oasis in the middle of the desert and pulled over the station to have their rides filled with gasoline one by one by a man with an afro hairstyle and bags under their eyes.
“We got ourselves a nodder.” Columbia joked before letting out a snicker.
“I feel bad for the guy…” Hornet said as he took a long drag of his cigarette and flicked the butt off to the ground before he stepped on it, his boot crunching the dirt beneath as he twisted his shoes over it repeatedly to put the embers out.
"Bro's working way past overtime, shouldn't he be asleep already?" Montpelier piped up beside him, hands in his pocket with an impassive expression on his face.
“Don't ask me man, I'm okay with it so long as it's convenient for us, but damn… Bro’s gonna give Nerumi Hayashi a run for his money with those sleeping habits.” Hornet joked, before sharing a quick chuckle with his company.
“Also, should you be doing that?” Montpelier said, much to Hornet’s confusion and couldn't help but ask.
“Doing what, exactly?”
“Smoking near the dispensers while they're pumping fuel into the tanks, I mean.” The white haired Cruiser clarified, to which the Yorktown class shrugged.
“Eh, don't worry about it, I'm still at a safe distance, I won't ignite things outta nowhere so we're all good,” He reassured his friend before immediately following up. “I'm taking a piss, you guys do me a favor and push my bike in the parking lot over there."
After receiving an affirmative from the group, he went into the men's restroom for the urinal to relieve his bladder and let loose, whistling the United States anthem as he did so for a moment before he got done with his business. He then went over to the sink and took his gloves off, laying them on the side before he washed both of his hands and splashed his face with cold water before he looked at himself in the mirror to see any inconsistencies that needed ironing out. The man had sharp, green colored irises, eyebrow length bangs and rat-tail fashioned blonde locks. He wore a black, denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows over a yellow and black checkered shirt, a black bandana tied around his neck, regular-fit black jeans for his bottom wear, leather boots for the feet, and a pair of black, fingerless gloves with hard polymer on the knuckles in case he needed to cave a Cultists face in.
All in all, no problems for Hornet, so he picked his cowboy hat up from the side, grabbed his gloves and pushed the restroom door open to make his exit. He patted the dust off his hat and fixed it on his head as he trudged towards his friend group hanging around the parking lot by the small convenience store, all four taking a seat on their super bikes as they scrolled through their phones.
“Man, I can't get a signal ‘round here." Denver complained, to which Montpelier concurred as he pocketed his phone with a deep groan of annoyance.
“Same here." Cleveland said, holding his phone over his head with both hands before resigning with a sigh and putting his gadget away.
Mitchell Lewis Grayson approached his friends before he raised an eyebrow. “Why the long face, fellers?"
“Can't get shit around here, can we get a move on already?" Columbia piped up on his side.
"Yeah nah, we're not making a ‘move on’ until Gray says so." Cleveland said as he reclined his back against the seat of his motorcycle and started counting stars mentally.
The younger Grayson noted the empty seat next to Cleveland, briefly wondering where the owner was before he voiced the question out. “Where's the boss man, anyway?"
"Indoors, probably grabbing us a bite or two.” Denver lazily answered as he slumped forward, tiredly crossing his arms on top of the fuel tank before pressing his face against it.
“Huh… Thoughtful as always, isn't he…?” The Male Carrier muttered to himself as he took a seat on his own ride.
“Heh, right." The Cruiser said as he stifled a yawn.
The silence that ensued allowed Hornet to collect his thoughts and reflect on past events. After the catastrophe that was their stealth operation had gone viral online, they had to go low and back into the shadows for some time before a call from USS Montana, who goes by the name of ‘Buck’, notified them of the new issues that arose in California and spurred them into action. The issue at hand was the sudden rise of disappearance cases for female adolescents, who were later found dead at random places like on a dark alley or in the middle of a forest away from civilization, with a gaping hole on their chest and their hearts cut out. It was easy to put two and two together, and they had determined that it was the Cultists doing, given the consistencies that point towards them as the perpetrators.
They had hit the road as soon as they determined that they were in the clear of people looking out for them, taking off from Abilene, Texas at the dead of night, passing through Midland and Ciudad Juarez, avoiding local authorities and stopping wherever they could to replenish their gas until they found themselves in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
They had to lie low once more as there was a sudden, unexpected encounter with a small group of Siren Extremists in the city– ones alerted by the presence of people out on a witch hunt for people like them after that fiasco at Texas, which resulted in another engagement that dragged the attention of the authorities by its scruff. They had determined that those criminals are out for revenge for their fallen brethren; Gray had surmised as such because there was no other feasible reason why they would risk revealing themselves in the light. That assumption was proven correct as one of them literally yelled out their intentions as they dumped an entire AK mag at his group's general direction.
When things cooled off again, they went out at night on a city-wide manhunt, turning in those who surrendered to the local authorities by tying them up against a stationary object before they notify the authorities of a captured Terrorist’ location, and killing those who fought back without hesitation until sunrise. The day that came after that, they continued their journey towards California, stopping by Lordsburg for a quick maintenance check on their bikes, before speeding down Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway all the way into Benson Stein’s Pass.
Currently, Hornet and his group had stopped by a gas station called Chevron in San Simon, Arizona, just situated at the side of the road some miles from the border of the state.
Hornet was then snapped out of his thoughts as a commotion over at the side caught his attention; it was the Cruisers. Cleveland, Denver and Columbia passed around Montpelier’s phone from one person to another as the latter struggled to take his phone back from his siblings. The group of three weaved and dodged around the white haired Kansen, a cacophony of enraged yelling and amusement-filled cackles reverberating throughout the night air.
“GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK!!” Monty cried out, much to the amusement of Denver who threw it over the angered Shipboy’s head and into the waiting hands of Columbia.
“Over here, handsome guy~” Columbia taunted in a sing-song manner before calling out to the eldest as their victim snapped his attention towards the blonde. “Cleveland, PASS BREAK!”
Columbia threw it high in the air, the electronic barely just slipped Montpelier’s hand as he jumped after it, before it landed on the hands of Cleveland.
“Looking for this, Monty~?" The blonde man said with a shit-eating grin as he provoked the poor Shipboy, the latter of which subsequently snarled as he started engaging in a cat and mouse chase between siblings.
“What’re you hiding here, anyway~?" Cleveland jokingly asked as he eluded his chaser’s grasp.
“THAT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” Montpelier said as he jumped into the air once more, much to Cleveland's satisfaction.
The added embarrassment of falling for a pump fake served to fuel Montpelier’s anger, causing him to let out a cry at the top of his lungs as the laughter turned manic.
“Oh shit, he's turning into the hulk!" Cleveland pointed before laughing his aft off.
“I'M GONNA KILL YOU, USS CLEVELAND!!"
At that, the aforementioned Shipboy ran circles around his sibling as Monty swiped and swung left and right in an attempt to give his older brother a nasty one on the head. Then, the unfortunate soul jumped high once more, only to be met with the cold night air as there was nothing…
He had just fallen for another fake shot, courtesy of Cleveland. Once his foot met the earth, he was onto his brother once more, chasing him around as he yelled profanities before he tripped and fell to his side when Cleveland made a tight turn to his left, breaking the former’s ankle.
“OOOOOOHHH!" Cleveland, Denver, and Columbia yelled out as the latter two made it over to a very much pissed Montpelier sitting on his ass.
No way these asshats are making a clown out of him like this!
“Yo, what's going on ‘ere?" Hornet grabbed the three's attention as he trudged over.
“Ah, Mitch, you're gonna love this: Monty over here-OOF!"
As soon as Cleve’s eyes were away, Montpelier immediately seized the opportunity to pounce on his sibling and tackle him from behind, making him lose his hold on the gadget. Hornet watched it fly in the air over his hat, spinning around the air before it landed on the elder Grayson’s hand.
“What is all this ruckus about?" He asked, a hint of curiosity betraying his expressionless face as he held a plastic bag filled with all kinds of snacks to satiate their stomach on his other hand.
“Ah, well, Monty seems to be hiding something…” Mitchell trailed off as he slowly panned over the two wrestling Male Kansen on the ground while Denver and Columbia cheered. “You're curious to see too, ain't you?”
Ash shrugged at his younger brother’s question. On one hand, it would be a complete breach of privacy if they looked without Montpelier's consent, which goes against the ‘freedom and democracy’ that he and the rest of the Eagle Union upheld staunchly, but on the other hand, their mind gnawed at them to take a look and satiate their curiosity. Just what is Montpelier hiding from them?
“Not like I'll lose anything, anyway…” Gray stated, pausing as he brought the screen to his face, and read the contents out loud for the entire Gas Station to hear.
"... ‘And so, I pushed her back down the bed, her eyes full of love and adoration for me and me alone. Her soft whimpers were like music to my ears as the pad of my fingers roved through the skin of her torso, letting the tips of my digits sensually rub down her chest all the way down to her entrance. I stopped for a moment, and decided to look back up to her eyes, mentally asking for permission before she nodded as a way of communicating her approval. Without wasting another second, I untied the lace of her soaked panties, throwing it to the side to reveal her sopping-”
"AYO, STOP STOP STOP!!” Hornet shouted, halting his brother from reading the rest of whatever monstrosity of a piece that is in that phone.
How was his brother so unfazed by that?! Like seriously, HOW?! He read that shitscribble in such a level voice, it's like he was reading a normal US military report document!
"Gray, it's not what it looks like!" Montpelier pushed himself off of Cleveland before rushing over to take his phone back from his boss.
“It is what it looks like." Columbia interjected.
"SHUT UP!” Montpelier looked over his shoulder as he glowered.
"NOPE!”
“... Montpelier, is that-"
“Written Sexual Content, yes, I do that from time to time…” Montpelier cut his Flagship off as he admitted to his rather odd interests, much to his own embarrassment and to the amusement of his siblings who broke into another laughing fit, clutching their abdomens as they rolled on the ground howling their hearts out at the hilarity of Montpelier's deepest, darkest secret.
“W-What the fuck, bro, AHAHAHA!"
Cleveland wiped a tear off as he and his brothers took their time to get back on their knees and slowly compose themselves.
“I can definitely say that you have an… affinity for…”
"Fanfictions.” The Cruiser finished for the Flagship when he trailed off, bringing his hand to his face as he died inside.
Gray let out a noncommittal hum, his face as indifferent as ever as he reached into the bag to grab the contents within, tossing one quick meal and a bottle of water for each of his subordinates.
“Okay… moving on from that, eat up boys, we leave and make for Phoenix as soon as possible.” Gray stated, before he turned heel and made his way towards his own vehicle.
“And off he goes as expressionless as ever…” Hornet mused to himself, slightly shaking his head as he let out a deep exhale.
The fact of the matter is that Enterprise wasn't always the emotionally constipated leader that everyone knew him as. Something had happened in the past that made him the way he is now. How does he know?
Well, Hornet was part of that story.
It was just a normal day in their post-apocalyptic world back then, when all of a sudden the Yorktowns, along with his close friends from the Kido Butai and a flotilla of Cruisers and Destroyers, were given orders to go far south to investigate what everyone thought was a Siren Anomaly at the time. They had set out in the afternoon, taking the necessary amount of provisions with them to do the job that they had been issued at the fringes of the biggest desert there was in the globe.
There, they discovered the Sirens' biggest facility yet, which they dubbed as the ‘Antarctic Base’. At the very same place is where their salvation was situated– the portal which they all had escaped through into this new, alternate reality. It was still under construction at the time, so they didn't know it would be the very thing that would save their collective hides later on. Looking back, it made sense because after ascertaining the concentration of Siren forces at that specific location and seeing the amount of Elite Sirens walking around, they've determined that this same facility was the Headquarters of the Sirens, and what does one do when some kind of important sci-fi tech lies in your possession? Put them in the most secure location that you have, of course.
Unfortunately, as they were sneaking around to take a peek at what their tormentors were up to, they were discovered by a patrolling enemy UAV that they failed to notice in time, alerting the entire horde to their presence, which immediately swarmed towards them at a breath. They made a mad dash for the frigid waters, but the Sirens gave chase, peppering them with shells and bombs as they ran away, chipping at their strength little by little before they eventually grinded to a halt, tired and wounded as a fleet barreled towards them guns booming.
When all hope seemed lost, Enterprise, in the midst of everyone's despair, ordered the rest of the fleet to go ahead, much to everyone's confusion, and to the dismay of Hornet and Akagi, yet despite their protest, they couldn't afford to waste time as the entire fleet was closing in on them rapidly.
Hornet, tearful with sorrow at the prospect of having to leave another of his brother behind yet determined to follow the orders of his flagship, dragged Akagi away as the Kitsune-Shinobi kicked his legs around and desperately yelled out for his friend’s name, refusing to accept the fact that he was about to lose another loved one at the hands of the enemy and screaming at the top of his lungs as the Grey Ghost sped towards the Siren fleet to meet them head on.
While Enterprise was one man, it was still a massive blow to all of them because of what the carrier stood for. Morale took a hit and the faction representatives were hard pressed to keep it from plummeting further down. They all had tried their best to keep the people's spirits up but soon they resigned themselves to stop trying any further, seeing it a pointless endeavour to try and remedy things when the Symbol of their Hope, and at the time Admiral of Azur Lane, perished.
Everything looked bleak, and everyone was losing hope by the second. Plunged in a deep pit of despondence that seemed inescapable, one representative suggested that they make one last all out attempt at the same base that they had scouted out, one last assault to either end the enemy or die in battle valiantly– the latter of which was more likely the fate that awaited them, marking the complete extinction of Azur Lane and Humanity. They would've vehemently refused and shot down the idea in the further past, but given how dire the situation was back then, they considered the line of thinking until they received a distress signal that came from their leader at Honolulu just two weeks later.
They had immediately set out to rendezvous with him as soon as possible, arriving just in time to save him from the stragglers that gave chase to the severely wounded and battered Shipboy. Vestal and Reno tried their hardest to snatch him away from the jaws of death while him and Akagi waited in trepidation, concern and restlessness plaguing their minds as they prayed for the man who they had both come to love as a brother.
Defying death in its face for the umpteenth time now, the Repair Ship and his assistant managed to save Enterprise from the Reaper’s grasp, putting him in a deep coma for six months and slowly recuperating from the operations that Vestal and Reno had put him through while Hornet visited with Akagi whenever they could. One day, he rose from his slumber as he had finally completely recovered from the incident and was deemed healthy enough to lead Azur Lane once more, reigniting everyone’s hope for any future at all, much to a certain Shinobi and a Cowboy's relief.
He regaled to everyone his experiences to the board, briefing them in an after action report about his run in with the Sirens, telling them of how he had whittled their numbers down one by one until he eventually ran out of ordinance to throw, how he was relentlessly chased for days into the Marshall Islands and how they pursued him all the way to the coasts of Hawaii.
Hornet noticed a visible change in his brother overtime after his recovery, so he had brought it up to Vestal and asked for an explanation on why he suddenly came off as colder to him and Akagi.
“It is simply a conjecture on my part, but I believe it's because of the amount of physical strain that Enterprise had sustained during his days-long game of cat and mouse with the enemy fleet. Even as a doctor, I too do not know what else it could be other than a Trauma Induced Neurological Disorder that somehow…” The Doctor trailed off to find the right words before speaking again.
“... I wouldn't say ‘disabled’ his capacity for emotions completely, but whatever he DOES feel now is ‘muffled,’ for lack of a better term. It means that if you really want to see him smile, it requires an extreme amount of external stimulation to even elicit an emotional reaction out of Enterprise, and it could be any emotion, too. It honestly doesn't make sense, because an x-ray scan of his body post-operations told us that his internals are fine, so my personal theory is that his Wisdom Cube had a play on how he is now, although ‘what’ exactly did it do is the thing that eludes me...”
So that's how it was, a field operation gone wrong had robbed his brother of his emotions. Of course, as Vestal told him, it did not take all his capacity to feel emotions completely, but from time to time, it certainly felt like that was the case, what with all the cold shoulders and scoffs he gave him. Yet he was still his brother, he will always love him as he was then, as he is now, and as he will be. No matter what, he will always be right by his brother's side, how could he call himself his family if he wasn't there for him just because he couldn't accept that he was an impaired soldier now?
“Ride or Die…” Hornet reaffirmed as he tore open the plastic that contained a quick sandwich.
“Hey, you seem deep in thought." A voice from behind remarked, the sound of shoe crunching the gravel grinding to a halt just right beside him.
It was Cleveland, with a bitten sandwich and a bottle of water at hand, staring at the back of their leader as he walked towards his motorcycle.
“Yeah, ain't nothing to worry about." The blonde Carrier dispelled his friend’s concern, which was met with skepticism from the Cruiser as his attention turned towards the Cowboy with a raised brow.
“Really now?" Cleveland questioned.
“Cleve, drop it, I don't wanna talk about it." Hornet sternly shot down, before taking a a bite of his own meal.
It was bland, unsurprisingly enough, but it will do to satiate his hunger for now, and it's not like he hasn't eaten worse before; this was still leagues above a rationed MRE in his opinion.
“Aight, geez Cowpoke.” Cleveland mollified as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
Hornet let out a sharp exhale, weary and exasperated as he quietly ate his food, a pensive expression growing on his face as his thoughts ran as fast as his superbike, and Cleveland couldn't help but point it out again.
“There you go again, thinking so deeply like you're a damn philosopher and then getting ass mad when people point it out, just tell me what's up, Mitchell.” He said, eliciting a groan from the Yorktown-class.
“Man, mind your own damn business, why won't you?” The Cowboy lightly exclaimed as he dipped his hat over his eyes.
“Nah, seriously, what's going on? You've been thinking a lot more lately, just spit it out.” Cleveland gently prodded, making Hornet finally relent with a deep exhale.
“... It's Jin… I've been thinking about him and the rest lately.” The Carrier began as he paced around before he continued. “I was wondering how he’s doing right now. I know we do meet annually and we keep contact through the mails, but it's just different when you're there besides them-NO HOMO, GODDAMMIT!” Hornet cut himself off and snapped as soon as he spied a smirk growing on Cleveland’s face before punching him on the chest, beating a cry out of the eldest of the Clevelands.
“Gah, fuck!" Cleveland gasped out as he lurched backwards from the hit, "Man, what's that for?!”
"And you wonder why people don't wanna talk to you, can't you take things seriously and drop the fucking comedian act for one second?” Hornet crossed his arms under his chest as a light scowl emerged on his visage.
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'll take you seriously now." The Cruiser eased with a barely concealed grin as he stood up straight.
"You're not even funny, Calvin!” The Carrier added, calling out his partner's bullshit.
“That's not what people think, Mitch, they think I'm hilarious.” He boldly declared as he puffed his chest in pride.
“You're delusional."
“Am not."
“At which coast of the seven seas are you remotely funny, Calvin ‘shit-for-brains’ Johnson?” Hornet deadpanned.
“W-Well, uh…” Cleveland stuttered as his brain worked in overdrive to come up with a retort.
"Uh… Uh… Underpants? Undercover? Under the weather? Undertaker?" The Carrier mocked.
"Hey, not fair, you're not letting me fire anything back with how relentless you are!” Cleveland said, his nose flaring in irritation as he gave Hornet a pointed look.
Hornet rolled his eyes before he voiced his thoughts, “You take me for an idiot, USS Cleveland? NEWS FLASH, I'M NOT. I ain't about to give you an inch because you're gonna take a mile out of it with your lame ass jokes that belong in the mouth of an active Volcano!”
“Just admit it, I always come up with the best jokes among us!" The Cruiser hotly argued, much to Hornet's chagrin.
“The best joke that ever came out of you is your damn miserable existence, cause you wanna know something? Your humor is as dry as the damn Sahara Desert." The Carrier bit back as he started stomping away from his friend to make his way over to the rest.
“Hey, now that's just uncalled for!" Cleveland defended himself, faking an expression of hurt on his face before he followed after his companion.
“Shut it, before I shove a bomb down your throat to shut you up for good!" Hornet scolded his jokester of a friend as he continued marching ahead, and then slowly coming to a stop before his brother who wore a contemplative look on his face as he was far too engrossed in his thoughts all the while sitting down comfortably on the driver's seat of his superbike.
The man of the hour had a youthful appearance despite the fact that he's three decades worth of age, sporting a dirty, silvery-white hair and a dull pair of purple orbs with nary a glint in them. He wore a black scarf around his neck, a plain, gray t-shirt with a black biker jacket worn over it, a pair of black pants similar and to Hornet's own, and jet-black rubber shoes.
His eldest noticed his presence and immediately snapped out of his reverie to address his sibling, taking note of the youngest’ distress.
“You seem upset." Enterprise remarked, to which Hornet blew a raspberry as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Who wouldn't be when you have this guy over here?" Hornet responded as he threw a thumb over his shoulder.
"Hey, I can see your finger!” Cleveland's voice piped up from behind him.
"Oh yeah? It's supposed to be like that, goldilocks! Here, take this!" The Cowboy glanced over his shoulder and flipped the bird at the Cruiser before turning his attention back to his brother, a hint of bemusement on his expression at the curious display.
“Did… Cleveland do something?” The white haired Carrier couldn't help but ask his brother, to which Hornet responded by rolling his shoulders once more before walking closer to the side of his brother and propping himself against the side of the back end of Enterprise's bike.
“How ‘bout you? You seem deep in thought.” Hornet noted, eliciting a mild reaction from the other Carrier as he briefly flinched before composing himself.
“... It's… definitely something.” He answered with an emotionless voice, which confused the Cowboy because of how ambiguous his message was.
“Be more specific, man…” Hornet sighed, making Enterprise avert his eyes from his younger brother.
He took a deep breath to gather his nerves to say what has been plaguing his mind, before he released it. He then turned to face his brother, locking eyes with him as he reluctantly spilled the beans.
"... It’s about us…” Ash Grayson admitted, raising a hand to cut Mitchell off from speaking.
“... Do you blame me for it…?” He asked, subsequently confusing his brother, before he clarified for him. “Yorktown's death, I mean…”
“... Gray, you can't be serious, of course I don't, I…” The blonde Carrier trailed off, before he put a hand on his eldest' shoulder as a form of solidarity.
“Gray… you can't keep blaming yourself over this… we had to make a sacrifice back then, and Yorktown stepped up to the situation on his own accord… It's no one's fault…” Hornet reassured his brother as he gave him a sad smile.
“... I should've taken his place.” Ash spoke with an unemotional voice, but Mitchell plucked out a small hint of grief lacing his words.
Hornet was not having any of it, so he got in front of his brother, facing him with a light frown before he put both of his hands on his shoulder, lightly shaking him before he spoke.
“Enty… Look at me…” Hornet said in a level voice, his mouth quirking into a small smile as his brother’s cold and unfeeling face lifted for him to see.
“... You can't keep dwelling in your grief like this, man…” Hornet stated, his hand lightly squeezing Enterprise's shoulder in a bid to offer a small bit of comfort to his sibling.
"... It's not just that, Hornet…" Enterprise started as he wrapped a hand around his brother’s wrist.
“What about you…? I've been far too absorbed in my own grief that I ended up neglecting how you feel… I ended up glossing over the fact that you must be hurting from losing our brother, too… I couldn't even take the time to talk about it with you… I… I'm sorry… for being a terrible sibling… I'll try to be better…” The eldest promised the youngest as he let out a shaky breath.
"Enty, come on…" Hornet vehemently shook his head before pulling his sibling into a hug.
“... You're trying your best, man… That's enough for me…” The Blonde consoled as he patted the White Haired Carrier’s back.
“... If it were me that died on that day-”
"If it were you that took Yorktown's place on that day, I would be just as devastated.” Hornet sharply cut his brother off as he pulled back, a stern look crossing his features as he stared at Enterprise for a moment before he softened with a composing breath.
“Yes, you can argue that Yorktown would've done a much better job at dealing with my grief, but losing you would've affected me just as much as losing our brother did… I loved you just as much as I loved him, so it would hurt all the same… Don't think for one damn second that I would've been off better if you were gone instead of him… Things could've been far worse than they are, Enty… I could've lost you both… You know how I reacted when it came this close to that possibility turning into a reality, no?”
"He cried like a bitch all night.”
"CLEVELAND!”
The aforementioned Cruiser started laughing at his own discretion, before he let out a yelp as the rest of his class went and dogpiled on top of him.
“That fucking guy… can't we just frigging hang him?!” Hornet let out a furious grumble as he extricated himself off his brother and turned his attention to the owner of the voice.
“I… don't think we should do that…” Enterprise interjected, to which Hornet groaned.
" Yeah, I know that, I was being rhetorical, Enty…” Hornet assuaged Enterprise' concerns, his face softening before he turned his attention over to his brother.
“So, Ash Grayson, are we good then?” He asked, to which Enterprise gave a nod and a verbal reply.
“Yeah… I guess you can say that we're good now…” Enterprise reaffirmed before he lightly cleared his throat.
“You should finish your sandwich, because we're leaving in a moment…”
Hornet nodded at that, “Roger that, Flagship."
Enterprise watched for a moment as Hornet marched back to where he had left his breakfast, before he pressed a finger on the starter button of his black Yamaha YZF R15 155 Sports Bike, before revving the motorcycle to heat up the engine and catching everyone's attention.
“Everyone, we're leaving for Phoenix soon." He shouted, his voice spurring Cleveland and his brothers to action as they rushed towards their own motorcycles of the same model as their leader, while Hornet frantically chowed down on his food before he gulped down the entire bottle, and promptly ran towards his own ride, starting the engine and kicking the single stand back.
“Is everyone ready to go?" Mitchell asked the group as he followed his flagship’s procedure, heating up his vehicle’s engine as he looked to his side.
“Ready to go, boss."
“I'm good to go."
“Ready."
“No problems on my end, means I'm good to get out of this signal-less hellhole soon."
After receiving the Cleveland’s affirmative, he turned towards his brother.
"We're good to go, Gray, lead the way.”
Enterprise nodded, before he maneuvered his bike out of the parking lot, and shifted gears.
"Alright, let's turn and burn.”
"YES SIR!”
With that, Enterprise– code named ‘Gray’, and Co rolled out into the night, gliding through the asphalt of Interstate-10 once more.
Notes:
Okay, I said I'll upload this by December, but then I had a spark of motivation at 3 am in the morning, I HAD TO CAPITALIZE!
Also, did anyone actually care about the Titanic Flute that I made Jin do in the previous chapters?
Speaking of the previous Chapters, I made a few minor adjustments to all three chapters for those who wanna re-read.
Anyways, next Chapter at January, for real this time cause I have to focus on the upcoming first semester finals.
Also, YOUR BOY IS GOING OUT IN THE MOVIES WITH HIS CRUSH AT DECEMBER, YIPEE!!
I've been courting the girl since 11th grade Highschool, and she's coming home from Cavite back to our hometown for sem-break!
Anyways, next Chapter: Enterprise in Phoenix
Chapter 5: Enterprise in Phoenix
Summary:
Ash Grayson's strike team finally arrives in Phoenix, Arizona to finally hit the hay, however, some string of events causes the man himself to go down memory lane.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The ride from San Simon to their destination took Gray's strike team about 3 hours and 20 minutes of bike ride through the mostly empty freeway of Interstate 10 before they saw the city lights from a distance. Finally the group got within the city after taking a left turn at exit 145B, entering and driving through 7th street to mark their arrival at the city of Phoenix.
They veered right and into a narrower path after a short trip through the wider asphalt, riding past the buildings of varying heights lining the side of the street of the city’s network of roads with each block divided by intersections until they finally found just the right hotel to stay for now.
Richmond's Hotel. A five story tall building with a rather welcoming outside decor and a spacious and homely lobby, with Cleveland even making a remark about the giant glass chandelier over an array of couches. It sat just a couple of blocks away from a Supermarket– McDowell's Marketplace, which was mighty convenient for them, frankly speaking, but they could think more about what they're going to do with the information handed to them later. For now, they are tired as FUCK.
They had just booked a room inside for a whole day, everyone was dead tired and very much sore on their backs from the long motorcycle ride, so tired they were that even the walk through the corridors to their assigned room was somewhat of a hassle. When the team put all their things aside, Cleveland immediately made a beeline for the couch and started snoring as loudly as he could, blissfully sleeping on the lounge of the room they had rented, leaving the rest of his siblings to suffer the torture of their older brother’s loudness as they twisted and turned where they laid, with sleep eluding them for about an hour now due to Cleveland’s distasteful manners. One of them finally had enough and voiced his displeasure at their group's current situation.
“Man, fuck this dude…” Montpelier tiredly piped up as he rolled on his stomach in exasperation.
Columbia then sat up with a sour expression on his face, giving his unconscious eldest a stink eye before he turned to address his other sibling. “Prank ‘em, Dennis."
Denver let out a hum of affirmative before a groan escaped his lips as he pushed himself off the carpet that he was previously laying on. He stretched his arms up in the air. He stifled a yawn and then got on his feet before he carefully trudged forth.
Someone's senses caught on to the faint sound of movement– alluding to his years of experience in a war-torn world that had refined it to near perfection, pulling him out of his catnap due to the noise as he lifted the hat he had used to cover his face from light.“
Alright, Dennis what are you up to this time?" Mitchell groggily asked from over the bed as his eyelids fluttered open to reveal his visibly weary green eyes.
The Silver-haired Cruiser brought an index finger up to his lips to shush the cowboy before he reached out for the bag of tissue lying on the top of a drawer.
He then took several sheets of the toiletry into his hands before crumpling the pieces and rolled it into a fine ball. After that, he carefully snuck up to the still comfortably asleep Cleveland, whom of which was STILL snuffling without a single consideration for the other boys in the room with him, and in the watch of three other pair of eyes that were now wide awake to watch the show, promptly hopped into the air and dunked the ball down Cleveland's throat, whom of which let out a strangled sound as laughter erupted within the living room.
The loud sound of amusement roused Gray, who had pulled out a chair and was sleeping comfortably near the dining table. After the leader briefly took a peek of whatever is happening, he buried his face in his arms once again and let out a barely audible groan of frustration at his team’s antics.
Dennis took one step back before Cleveland rolled off the couch and hit the deck on his side with a thud as he briefly choked from the piece of paper, tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he beat his chest in an effort to remove the piece of paper lodged in his pipe until he finally spat the content out. He then turned to address his assailant with a look that promised death upon him.
“Denver!"
"What, I'm just dishing out karma, don't look at me like that.” The silver-haired Cruiser shrugged.
“Son of a bitch, you know what you were doing!" Calvin growled as he gave Dennis Johnson a pointed glare.
“If you weren't snoring so loudly, that ball wouldn't end up getting gagged deep down your throat, I say you deserved it for being such an ill-mannered dumbass.” Hornet deadpanned right after he composed himself from his own laughter. The Cowboy then relaxed his back down the mattress, covering his face with his hat as he got comfortable with the bed’s warmth once more.
Cleveland seethed at Hornet’s flippant dismissal, before he reigned his rousing emotions in and let his back collapse on the ground, sprawling out on the floor as he let out a composing exhale.
With the commotion dying down, everyone got back to where they were resting before, making themselves comfortable as they finally got the very much needed shut-eye that they had craved, leaving Calvin Johnson wide awake and staring at the ceiling, bored out of his mind as the lack of any activity besides being a jerk to his siblings made itself known.
He reached for his phone over at the coffee table situated at the center of three seats, two small couches and a single long sofa encircling the wooden furniture.
The Shipboy brought the phone up to his face and pushed the power button, making the electronics come to life, lighting up to show his lock screen before his eyes trailed up to check for the time.
“5:10…” Cleveland muttered to himself as he turned the device off and let his arms fall limp to his side.
Without anything to do at the moment, he decided to surf through all the Social Media platforms he had on his phone and caught up to speed with world news, and then he saw something that caught his interests. A headline that may or may not be documenting an event concerning one his kin. He thoroughly skimmed through the contents of the entire news article and when he felt obligated to call Mitchell over, he decided to do so, clearing his throat of any lingering soreness from the previous incident before he spoke.
“Mitchell-”
“Piss off, Calvin…” Hornet spoke in a debilitated manner, which made Cleveland curse inwardly for a moment.
“Look, your boy Jin just did something, says here that he was caught snooping around the Sanctuary.”
That definitely caught Hornet's attention as he began to get off the bed, the furniture creaking from his movement. He threw his legs over the edge before he stretched his back, then promptly stood up to his legs to make his way over to the lounge and right beside Cleveland. The latter then gave his phone to the Carrier for them to read the news article themselves.
“... Espionage at the Sanctuary leaves several Kansens Hospitalized.” The Horny Maru narrowed his eyes as he read out the title before he non-verbally waded through its contents.
His words snapped the group out of their snooze, making them sit up, their attention grabbed by the importance of it. Columbia couldn't help but make a remark about the sudden weight that befell the room.
“Uh, you gonna read it out loud or…?”
Hornet then threw the phone back at Cleveland's waiting hands before he addressed the other Cruiser. “Cole, get the remote and get the news on screen, I wanna see how the world reacts to whatever Jin did this time.”
“Are we sure it's Jin though?" The Cruiser asked, to which the younger Yorktown-class sent a nod.
“It said in the article that the Shipgirls described the assailant as ‘appearing like one of their esteemed seniors in the First Carrier Division.’ Last I checked, Aoto is not stupid enough to do something of this level unless Jin said so…” He trailed off as he took a seat on the couch.
“I know him, he wouldn't ask someone to do something if he could do it himself. And besides, this is exactly the level of risk that I knew that fox for, he's bound to get curious at some point.” Hornet explained himself.
Cole Johnson nodded an affirmative before he made his way over at the table where a flat screen was positioned before grabbing the remote just below the TV and tossed it at the Cowboy.
The entire group scrambled to find their own seat as Hornet turned the screen on and searched through every news channel and outlet available at this time early in the morning.
“[ -Kate Lockwell coming in with you live from the Sanctuary…]”
“There, stop!” Cleveland piped up, making the carrier halt in his search.
“[…In a shocking breach of national security, an independent operative infiltrated the Sanctuary, one of the Sakura Empire's most secure military facilities, during a classified meeting of high-ranking officials and Shipgirls. The incident, which has left the nation stunned, resulted in several injured Kansen and the escape of the perpetrator.
Sources within the military report that the clandestine meeting was focused on critical defense strategies and internal affairs when the intruder struck. Described as a highly skilled operative equipped with advanced technology to stand as a match for the indomitable defenders of humanity, the spy not only breached multiple security layers but also engaged in direct combat with the Shipgirls present.]”
“And by advanced tech, they're probably referring to his rigging.” Calvin Johnson said out of the blue, making Hornet nod absentmindedly.
“[Among the injured are names like IJN Nagato, IJN Mutsu, IJN Musashi, IJN Amagi, IJN Tosa, IJN Kaga, IJN Akagi, IJN Shoukaku, IJN Zuikaku, IJN Hiryuu, IJN Souryuu, IJN Kawakaze, IJN Kii, USS Essex, USS Bunker Hill, USS Ticonderoga, and USS Intrepid, who sustained little to significant damage while attempting to subdue the intruder. All injured personnel are currently undergoing repair and recovery just a day after the incident, with the Sakura Empire Navy assuring citizens that their spirits remain unbroken.]"
"[Eyewitnesses described the intruder as a masked, highly trained operative that resembled one of their own, capable of evading even the watertight security of the base.]”
One of the Shipgirls, Takao, was put on screen as she answered an interviewee’s question.
“[Thinking about it further, the man definitely resembled Akagi in a way…]”
Was all the Cruiser had to say, Camera-shy as she was before she went on her way with her sister, the latter of which was hugging her arm close to her chest as the reporters begged for them to come back, to no avail.
The footage then cut to another brunette woman who had amber eyes and bovine horns protruding from the side of her head. She also wore a black officer’s uniform, with a white cape swaying against the wind behind her as she held her saber at her side.
“[I may be old, but I know what I saw. A man with a shade of brown hair and fur suddenly fell from the sky along a rather sizable branch of the sacred Sakura, but that's not important! That Kitsune boy clearly resembled one of our own, more specifically, our dear Lady Akagi from the First Carrier Division! N-Not that this elderly woman is insinuating anything, of course, I was simply making a comparison, I do not wish to cast a shadow of suspicion to my juniors if I can avoid it, after all, that only leads to a souring of relationships which we cannot afford in a time such as this.]"
“Yeah, no doubt, that's Jin alright." Montpelier spoke up, to which Denver replied with a hum of agreement.
“[The Commander of Azur Lane, Marco Brody, had even issued a statement early this morning…]”
The Reporter said as the scene cut to an officer on a podium with black hair and gray eyes reading through a paper in front of various news outlets as the cameras of journalists let off a flash to take images of the Commander.
"[This act of treachery was clearly a calculated effort to undermine the security and unity of the Sakura Empire. The bravery of our Kansen in defending against this threat cannot be overstated. We will ensure that the perpetrator will be put into custody.]"
At that declaration from the officer, Mitchell couldn't help but narrow his eyes and lean forward as he rested his elbow on his knees. The prospect of a possible confrontation with Azur Lane does not bode well for the Riptides. Taking everything into account, they are sorely outmatched, even if it's only the Shipgirls who were hypothetically deployed to dispatch them temporarily or god forbid, permanently.
He had a certain Mutiny to thank for slashing a third of their original strength away from them.
“[Speculation about the identity of the operative has gripped the nation. While enemy factions such as the Sirens and their ever elusive worshippers have long been suspected of espionage attempts, intelligence analysts believe this incident may point to another rogue organization operating outside conventional allegiances.]”
Amidst all of this, Hornet sensed movement from behind, looking over his shoulder for a moment, he ascertained that it was his brother that had made his way over to the group, who then stood right behind the sofa and planting both of his hands on the top of the backrest as he watched the broadcast with rapt attention.
“[Security protocols across all Sakura Empire installations have been drastically heightened following the breach. Investigators are working tirelessly to determine the extent of the information compromised and prevent future attacks.
Citizens have expressed concern over how such a secure facility could be penetrated, with calls for greater transparency from military leadership. Political leaders have demanded a full inquiry, promising swift action to restore faith in the nation’s defenses.
The daring escape of the spy has left a trail of questions and fears about what secrets may now lie in enemy hands. As the investigation unfolds, the Sakura Empire vows to remain steadfast and vigilant in the face of this unprecedented attack. Further updates will follow as more details emerge…]”
Every Shipboy in the room was silent as the anchor took over and shifted to another topic in the background, the sounds of the broadcast being filtered out as each individual man held a pensive expression on their faces, chief among them was Enterprise, who let out a deep sigh a moment later.
“Damn it, Jin…” The leader lightly exclaimed, catching the attention of his team, who then proceeded to voice their own thoughts.
“Okay, so Azur Lane's aware of Shipboys now… fantastic…” Cleveland said, to which Montpelier couldn't help but speak out.
“Technically speaking, they've been aware of our presence for some time now, they know about the Riptides, but nothing about the agents that operate under the organization, at least, nothing big like us being actual male kansens.”
“Still, Mielow, they know Shipboys exist among the populace, even if they don't make the connection between the Riptides and Shipboys immediately.” Columbia said before he reclined back to his seat and added to his statement.
“I honestly doubt it because they have the backing of various intelligence agencies working together to substantiate the intel that they provide to the Commander, I'd be more surprised if they didn't connect two and two together…”
“... What now, then?” Dennis asked as he turned towards Mitchell, who shrugged his shoulder in turn. The Cowboy then turned to address their leader to ask him the same question.
“What now indeed, Gray?"
The question hung in the air for some time as Ash Grayson pondered their current state of affairs, weighing his options and accounting for possibilities silently, leaving the rest of the group without an answer for a solid minute, time they used to drop back to their respective seats as their attention returned back to the television.
Their leader finally snapped out of his own thoughts and articulated his rather anticlimactic thoughts.
“I don't know."
Everyone flinched and let out a weird noise at the comical answer.
“You left us in the air for a hot 60 seconds-”
"61, actually.” Denver cut off his other blonde brother mid-tirade which earned him a questioning look from Columbia.
"Why were you keeping count of that?"
Dennis only answered with a shrug as his eyes returned back to the television that was still playing a live feed.
Cole could only roll his eyes at the way Dennis ignored him.
“So, 61 seconds, as corrected by Dennis… anyway, why the silent treatment for a long time, Admiral?” Cleveland continued for his brother as Cole Johnson’s attention returned to the news, the oldest of the cruiser noting the way his leader flinched as soon as he called him ‘Admiral’, promptly kicking himself in the ass for it as a certain level of guilt welled up within him for his instinctive act.
"There's… far too many things to think about…" Gray replied, trailing off as he turned and started making his way towards the rack to grab his jacket and then made his way to the exit, earning him a narrowed look from Mitchell.
“Where are you off to?” The younger Carrier asked, stopping the older one from twisting the doorknob. The latter then looked over his shoulders and addressed the former.
“Outside… I need space to think…” Enterprise cryptically answered Hornet before he threw the garment on and pulled the door open to make his exit.
The Cowboy opened his mouth to speak, but the Marksman had already shut the door behind him by the time he did so. After a second, his shoulder sagged as he let out a breath of exasperation.
He had just forgotten to tell Ash Grayson to buy them proper breakfast while he was out…
As if on cue, their stomach let out a collective growl making them straighten up on their ass before they each gave the other a look. The eldest of the Cleveland class broke the awkwardness and began.
“... Does the Hotel offer Breakfast Services?”
"I think so? But that particular service wasn't part of the bill when we checked in with the reception earlier, so we'll have to pay extra if any of you want to be served some food.” Dennis said, much to Mielow’s confusion.
“Huh? Shouldn't the meal service stuff come with the booking of the room?” Montpelier asked, to which Dennis shrugged before plopping back down to his beloved carpet.
"Apparently we forgot to put it in with the things that we wanted, to be fair though, we were dead tired and I don't know about you, but I wanted nothing more than doing something about it at the time… and Gray holds all the money for the team… what a drag…" the silver-haired Cruiser complained.
"You think he has it with him? I mean, he could've left his wallet on the table.” Cole interjected, standing up to peek over the long couch before he dropped back down with a dejected expression as he added to his earlier words. “Yeah, no, he brought his wallet, fuck…”
“Welp… best we can do is hope that his considerate nature pulls through for us and he comes back with food or stuff to make food with. For now, we hold out...” Hornet said, much to the Cleveland class' displeasure as they voiced it with either a groan or a barely audible ‘damn it’ before gloom followed.
None other than Cleveland sensed it, and he decided that he was NOT having any of it, so as a smirk crept up to his face, he opened Reddit and typed in the Azur Lane’s unofficial subreddit on the search tab.
“You guys wanna play Smash or Pass?"
"Eh, why not?” Mitchell was the first to respond, and the rest followed after, willingly or reluctantly joining Calvin's game as he celebrated inwardly and started with an image of a Blue Haired, American Woman in a two piece swimsuit posing for the Camera.
“St. Louis, Smash or Pass?"
___________________________________________________
He was no Hero, and he will never see himself in that kind of light through hell nor high-water. Enterprise always repeated these string of words in his mind like a mantra of self-deprecation, yet to him, it was the bare minimum of what he could do to mentally punish himself for his long list of failures as Grand Admiral of Azur Lane, whom he now calls the Riptides after a voting was held.
“Grand Admiral…” He repeated as he let out a scoff.
The older Grayson normally wasn't as expressive as he is now, but how could he help himself at this rate?
He wasn't a good tactician, as proven by the many lost battles of the Shipboys under his command in their vain resistance against the Sirens, and he wasn't one who gave speeches to inspire and motivate his men, thanks to the fact that he is far too uncharismatic and socially inept to ever connect with his audience. Overall, he's just not good for anything other than swinging his polearm and shooting an arrow from his war bow.
He was no better than a weapon of war that is to be wielded, nothing but a Soldier that should be following a superior's orders and not a Commander who is the one giving them. He is better off a puppet than a puppeteer, but when everyone else felt themselves inadequate to take the reins, what was he supposed to do?
When every available officer was turned to ash due to the Sirens' sudden all-out global offensive that left everyone dazed, who else was there?
When the white clouds above the cities and countryside turned green from gas attacks, who else would take the mantle of Admiral other than him?
When the people cried in terror as their friends and loved ones fell to the ground and turned into blood starved, flesh eating monsters, who then would rally humanity under a single banner and call themselves the leader?
When all eyes were on him, what else is he supposed to do?
… He never wanted this, never wanted to send good men to their deaths, never wanted to make the final calls to every decision, never wanted to bear the responsibilities of leadership. He should've laid dead with those good infantrymen that he had sent to the meat grinder to buy more time for humanity's collective existence, even if he had surrounded himself with the most competent leaders that had ever known in his life, he still ran the waters red with his allies’ blood and he can never forgive himself for his inadequacy as Azur Lane's supposed Grand Admiral…
Grand Admiral? What's so grand about about him other than his capacity to fail worse than his previous failures? It even came to a point in time where he had to coat his own bare hands with the blood of former allies.
If he had been a better Admiral, he would never have needed to draw his weapon and drive it deep within Friedrich Der Grosse’ heart and suppress the mutiny that the Ironblood Battleship had led with an iron fist.
If he had been a smarter Admiral, he would've known that the Siren fleet that Observer Alpha had directed to intercept his fleet was a distraction to lure them away from saving the Sanctuary in time and avoid the death of a majority of their personnel, Shipboy or otherwise.
“... It's all nothing but failures…” Enterprise dejectedly muttered, the slightest frown crossed his usually unemotional features as he walked past the hotel’s exit and out in the open street, following the pavement as he aimlessly paced forward in short, slow strides.
If he was just better, then Yorktown would still be alive…
At the thought of his brother, a certain memory that had haunted him in his dreams came to the forefront of his mind, coming with the sole purpose of reminding him of his greatest failure.
The Second Battle of Midway.
It had been a catastrophe for the combined forces of Azur Lane as they had walked right into the Sirens' carefully laid out trap. Their fleet, under his leadership, had set out from San Francisco to investigate one of their forward outposts that had gone dark for a week by then, stopping in Pearl Harbor to rest and resupply. At the time, the Naval Base, and Hawaii by extension, still had not fallen into Siren dominion like the rest of the world had.
The Kido Butai, led by their flagship, Akagi, were always behind him in whatever endeavours he brought them through, and of course, his eldest and youngest, Yorktown and Hornet, who were always supportive of him ever since the representatives elected him to be their leader… or rather, when he stepped up to the situation…
He was also joined by a contigent of Destroyers, Cruisers and Battleships, all from varying factions of what's left of Azur Lane at that point. He had derived some form of pride at the combined arms of nations that were sailing under that Azure flag. But reality is a cruel mistress, and this fact would rear its ugly head soon to the Shipboy Officer.
Enterprise and the fleet sailed up south of Midway, closing in on the stretch of land before his ears picked up a whistling sound before a blast sent him flying back. Everything had happened so fast that Enterprise had almost no time to process it, mostly because he had taken a shell intended for Hornet right at his face, knocking him into a barely conscious state.
Communication was in disarray and leadership was almost non-existent, with the Ironblood ships seemingly the only ones maintaining their composure while everyone else were seemingly panicking as the Siren bombers came diving in at the moment of the fleet’s vulnerability while also trapping them and the entire atoll in a Mirror Sea.
Through his haze, he made out the rallying voice of his eldest as Hornet tried his best to shake him out of his stupor, explosions erupting from all around him as the enemy fleet peppered them with ordinance. They had walked into a trap and it was all his fault for being so stupid at the time to realize it… Yorktown had led the fleet to retreat west of Midway, carving their way through flesh, metal, and fire as Siren humanoids and mass produced units rolled up to face them, until their Elite finally showed themselves.
The grinning visage of the Empress that still hounded his sleep to this day. The Arbiter had shown itself to Yorktown, and while his memory was cloudy, he had vividly seen the movement of his brother's lips, as if mouthing a heartfelt farewell before he left Grim in his and Hornet’s care. On the corner of his darkening vision, he saw his youngest reaching out for the eldest as he engaged the Empress in single combat, at the same time, Akagi and Kaga dragged the grieving Carrier away towards a small opening slashed open by Hiryuu and Souryuu. He was heaved up into someone’s back, whom he later found out was Zuikaku, and was whisked away as the sky above them shattered like glass, signalling the defeat of the Arbiter that had erected the Mirror Sea.
Enterprise later woke up within the hull of an unknown Kansen in the sick bay, groggy and disoriented from the injury he had sustained from the battle. He remembered forcing himself off the bed before he got decent and went above deck to find out that Azur Lane had just lost the battle and consequently lost the entire atoll to Siren hands.
It was Hornet who broke the bad news to him as he walked towards the bow of the Carrier and to his brother's side while the blonde stared at the distance ahead with an empty look.
“You're finally awake…” The Cowboy carrier spoke monotonically as he caressed the head of a Bald Eagle that sat comfortably on his lap…
It was Grim… his brother's familiar. So that begged the question, if Grim was here, then where was Yorktown?
Before the Admiral could voice his question, his younger sibling looked over their shoulder and addressed him with a blank expression, his eyes red and his cheek stained with dried tears.
“Enty…” The blonde spoke after a few moments, the note of his voice causing mild concern for the older Yorktown-class.
He looked at the animal in the Cowboy's lap once more, and while he wasn't an animal whisperer or anything, he could still see and feel the dejection that the Eagle let off as its feathers ruffled against the howling wind of the cold pacific.
Enterprise decided to take a seat beside his brother, sitting on the edge of the USS Hornet's bow and letting his legs dangle below him, the wind and the sound of the hull cutting through the waves giving him a moment of comfort amidst his growing anxiety.
The lack of their eldest’ presence and the fact that Hornet was shedding tears for some reason just now did not exactly paint a good picture for Enterprise after he connected two and two together.
It can't be… there was no way, right…?
It can't happen, he refuses to believe it, his heart says so, but his mind tells him that it was the unfortunate, logical conclusion. How can all of this happen during his moments of vulnerability?
He clutched his chest at the surge of pain that he felt before he shook his head and cleared his mind. Assuming things without confirmation is not good practice, so he let out a deep, shaky breath before he turned to regard Hornet, head clear but never truly quelling that nagging fear he had.
As he did so, however, Hornet let out a choked sob before the cowboy composed himself and scooted closer to Enterprise and removed his hat from his head before he laid it on his eldest’ shoulder. He then handed the bird of prey to the Admiral of Azur Lane, the latter of which caressing the avian as soon as it was propped down his lap.
“... Yorky… where…?” Enterprise trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished but Hornet had filled in the rest in his head, which made his face morph into one of sadness.
Enterprise did not take that as a good sign, making the fear burn brighter than ever as a sudden pang of pain erupted in his chest, a lump forming in his throat as his eyes glistened.
“No… Hornet, please…” He pleaded for something, ANYTHING, to refute his conclusion, but his brother's tears started to fall once more, even though he looked as if he had shed all the tears he had earlier, which made the corner of his eyes wet with unshed tears of his own, grief bubbling up within him even though his mind denied the possibility that-
“Yorktown is g-gone… he's gone, Enty, he's gone…” Hornet’s voice shook as he confirmed Enterprise’s fears.
Enterprise remembered how his world shattered around him that day, how he sobbed like a child as he buried his face in the locks of his younger brother, spilling tears like he had never before as he sought whatever little comfort Hornet provided to ground himself somewhat.
Yorktown is gone… and he couldn't even say his goodbye.
Perhaps that was it, the biggest source of his grief, the one thing that always kept him up way past midnight as his tears rolled down his cheek. The regret of never being able to tell his brother the words that he wanted to tell him. It had always gnawed at his mind and will to live, always blamed himself over his own loss which hurt him deeply. The pain of regret hurt more than any wound that a shell, bomb or a blade could inflict upon him.
“YOU ARE A WEAK LEADER!" A man's voice boomed as another memory of the past came to haunt him.
It was some time after the battle of Midway that some of the Shipboys within the Ironblood expressed their dissatisfaction with his failures, not that he blamed them, of course, even he did not forgive himself for that slip-up even after Bismarck himself reassured him that it was not his fault.
That act sparked even more dissatisfaction amongst Bismarck's colleagues. What started out as hushed whispers behind his back soon turned into blatant slanders in his face, and despite Bismarck's attempts at pacifying his Ironblood comrades, Friedrich Der Grosse thought he knew better. His words were passionate and his declaration loud, and one thing led to another, Ironblood was divided into two for a day as an armed conflict soon erupted between two factions. Friedrich's Traitors and Azur Lane went up against the other, brothers turning on eachother while numerous civilians were caught in the crossfire despite their efforts. While the conflict lasted 24, it had severely weakened the already fragile resistance that they had put up against the Sirens. It was only through sheer luck that they pushed back the ensuing Siren siege the day after Enterprise drove his blade into Friedrich Der Grosse' heart.
“You… will lead my people into certain death… all because of your weakness… we never deserved to suffer such a fate before your hands, American… I was only trying to save my beloved Ironblood…!” The Battleship wheezed out as he was surrounded by a small contingent of Azur Lane Shipboys while the rest restrained the surviving mutineers.
“You're right about everything, Lord Friedrich… but most of all, you were very much right about one thing…” The American Carrier trailed off as he pushed the weapon deeper, eliciting a gasp from the Battleship as the former's eyes went from the usual dull shade of purple into an ominous dark red as they locked gazes with each other.
“I will lead them." He said in a cold voice, as if the Grim Reaper himself spoke through his lips.
That time came with its own set of anguish that the current oldest of the Graysons couldn't help but spiral down into. Despite the reasons that everyone gave him, he still couldn't help but wonder if the outcome would've been completely different if he had just… done better…?
But as he spiralled down another whirlpool of grief, the image of his brother flashed at the forefront of his mind to remind him of the promise he made at San Simon…
“You can't keep dwelling in your grief like this, man…” Mitchell's words echoed in his head, making the older Grayson bring his palm up to his face.
Hornet… his beloved little brother… so many times had he come close to facing his own death throughout the years they had been together… all because he, as a big brother, couldn't do his job to properly take care of him in Yorktown's stead… All because he was a weak leader… A bad sibling…
No… His little brother was right, there was no point in dwelling in the past. He had made a promise to his only living relative to do so, yet deep down, he knew it was never that simple. Even still, Ash had resolved himself to try as hard as he could for Mitchell Lewis Grayson, he cannot forgive himself if he didn't after everything that he had made the Happy Hornet crawl through for his mistakes.
So many misgivings to be rectified…
“Hornet…” He absentmindedly murmured as he took in his surroundings after wandering around aimlessly for an unknown amount of time.
He looked around for any signs or landmarks to figure out where exactly he was right now, and after seeing the Supermarket across the road, he fished his phone out of his pocket to look at the time.
“6 am…” Enterprise muttered to himself before he stored the phone once more. He was still ways off from the opening time of the store, so he decided to pace around and actually start thinking about current events…
And also what he would cook Hornet and the Cruisers for breakfast. While he was no star chef, he was fairly confident of his own culinary skills, if a week with George the fifth was worth anything.
“Breakfast, huh…?”
Small, yes, but Enterprise hoped that it would be a good start to turning things around for the better.
A feast to herald the arrival of a new dawn for the USS Enterprise.
Notes:
FNATIC ONIC PHILIPPINES ARE YOUR WORLD CHAMPIONS, KELRA IS A FUCKING BEAST ON GRANGER, SO IS INNOCENT, BUT GODDAMN KELRA!
TANGINA, AHAHAHA, SULIT GUESS COINS, LET'S GOOO!!!
Especially that final engage on Team Liquid Indonesia's base in Game 5, that motherfucker had nothing but objectives in his mind.
Bad news is that I dropped to Epic II again, and I have to grind all the way back to Mythic... again... goddammit.
Anyway, cool, a Chapter before January because I cannot, in good conscience, leave the few Shipboy fans Hungry after our lord and savior went on a break, so here's a half-baked dessert to sate your hunger, my friends.
I took some creative liberties in this chapter, I had to because Richmond Hotel is not actually real.
Also, I'm rocking a new profile, btw, how's it look?
Art Credits at my Bio cause it don't belong to me.
I'll post the link here:
https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/68701603Next Chapter: Prince of Iron coated in Blood
Chapter 6: Prince of Iron Coated in Blood
Summary:
Bismarck had just announced her departure for Island Zeta, and those who were left behind had opted to celebrate their leader's departure with a mug of beer on their hand. Among the festivities, another Flagship drinks himself away.
Notes:
THIS SHIT TOOK A WHILE, SO SORRY ABOUT THAT LMAO.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Situated in the western side of Jade Bight lies the coastal town of Wilhelmshaven, home to the famed Shipgirls of the well respected faction of Ironblood within the organization of Azur Lane. It is also the place that approximately seventy-thousand Germans call their home. Pubs to get drunk at, smooth flowing traffics that put World Powers to shame, Supermarkets, you name a thing, and they most certainly have it. One can expect no less from the second largest economy within NATO and overall the fourth largest globally. Here you will have a blend of many quirks and colorful personalities interacting casually over a mug of their beloved and lauded Bier.
On account of that beverage, right at this very moment, at this very evening, the kansen of Ironblood had pooled together in the local pub to celebrate the departure of their leader, Bismarck, and a small contigent of trusted German Shopgirls to make their way to the HQ of Azur Lane.
The representative came out with a statement which stated that the matter of her departure “concerns that of recent global matters pertaining that of Sirens and other small dissenting groups that had made waves with their sudden revelation, as well as other manifesting issues to be discussed with the Commander of Azur Lane, Marco Brody.”
Yeah, like Prinz Eugen would believe that, he just knows that the representatives would be gossiping about him and his Shipboy comrades… like all girls do when a rising superstar boy makes their day view… Can't blame them for that, but still...
"Thanks a lot, Jin…" The Shipboy groaned to make his frustration known, his voice somewhat muffled with his face buried in his arms as he laid half-drunk on one of the tables of the pub where every single Shipgirl and their sisters had decided to crash on collectively and party for the evening.
“I'm… quite confident that there are reasons why the Flagship of the Sakura Refugee Fleet decided to stroll into the Sanctuary like that.” A man with white hair and a British accent responded to Prinz Eugen’s lamentations.
"You think so, Lusty?” The Prince of the Ironblood asked in a flippant manner.
"A-Ah, Eugen, our civilian names, damn it…!” Illustrious leaned forward and covered the sides of his face before he furiously whispered, reprimanding his fellow Shipboy for his careless use of their secret identity.
Prinz could only let out a small chuckle of amusement at Illustrious’ frantic yet vain attempt of schooling him of his casual use of their real names, however, Prinz didn't care…Or rather, he was far too inebriated to pay any of his compatriot’ words any semblance of attention.
After they lingered in silence for a brief moment, Eugen finally peeked over his arms and spoke.“I sure hope that you're not here to give me a sermon over my alcohol intake. Blücher is already as insufferable as he is."
“I… do not appreciate your words regarding your own sibling, Eugen Klauser…." Illustrious chided once again, a frown forming on the Carrier’s face as he trailed off while he looked down on the Ironblood Flagship from his seat. After taking a moment to take in a composing breath, he continued. “I would appreciate it if you cherished the one sibling you have left.”
"Oh, great, are you trauma dumping on me, Herr Idelle? I had to skewer Hipper because he knew better than to side with that traitorous bastard whom I would like to NOT put a name on right now. I do not wish for my fine evening to be soured thinking about that man, thank you very much.” Eugen snarked back at the British Shipboy before he finally mustered the strength to sit up straight, despite his movement looking just a tad bit shaky from all the beer in his system.
Ian Idelle couldn't help the deepening frown on his face, partly because of the fact that he had lost count of the amount of mugs that Eugen had consumed, but mostly because the German Cruiser had hit him where it stung the most.
At the same time though, the Kansen of His Majesty's Ships cannot bring himself to stay mad at the drunk bundle of mess in front of him. He understood that Eugen’s past had not been kind to him; things like becoming a stressed out bundle of mess tend to happen when one suddenly has a heavy responsibility thrust into their arms immediately after the death of a loved one.
Even now, try as he might, Illustrious could see the toll of the burden of leadership it had taken on The Miracle of The Third Reich. He knew that the Prince of Ironblood had a lot on his plate so to speak, and this is how he chose to cope with the pressure that followed with his job as the chosen successor of Bismarck, one of Azur Lane's greatest who chose to sacrifice his life to give his people, and Azur Lane as a whole, a chance for a new beginning.
Not to mention the fact that the Shipboy likely never wanted such a heavy responsibility in the first place. Prinz Eugen is a free soul that is severely constrained by a heavy responsibility over his shoulder.With his mind sorted, the Carrier shook off the frown that he sported and addressed Eugen with a sympathetic look.
“Eugen…” He softly called out to his comrade, attempting to grab the latter’s attention. He was successful in that regard as Prinz Eugen whipped his head back to Ian after taking in the momentary distraction of a pair of submarines dancing drunkenly on the top of a round, wooden table while the girls merrily pooled around the performance and cheered them on.
Eugen saw the urgent expression on Illustrious, which made his smirk drop in favor of a downtrodden look as he suddenly found the furniture that stood between them more interesting.“... I don't regret killing Hipper… not one bit… just a shame that I had to do it in the first place, Ja…?”
Ian Idelle slowly nodded as a show of understanding and solidarity. The last of His Majesty's Illustrious Knights couldn't ever fathom how Eugen could have overcome his baser instincts such as his love and fear of his elder sibling to make way for reason and logic in order to do the right thing. If he had been charged by George to drive his sword into any of his brother's hearts, he wouldn't be able to do it.
And yet his immense love for family was not enough to save those he cherished when it came down to it.
“FORMIDABLE!!"
Illustrious’ own voice in his memories echoed loudly within, hitting him hard like a whiplash and causing him to physically recoil lightly as his eyes snapped shut and his eyebrows creased in discomfort at the sudden growing headache.“(Not now… please, not now…)”
Ian mentally pleaded as lightly shook his head before snapping back to attention… and was immediately met with Eugen’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Fancy a drink, Herr Idelle?" The Cruiser said as he pushed a mug full of beer towards the Carrier, one that he had initially saved for himself for later consumption. With a deep, audible exhale, Illustrious went to reach for the mug's handle before he brought the beer up to his lips and downed its contents in a few big gulps.
The Knight wasn't concerned about getting drunk, given his superb constitution as a Kansen, it would take more than a single mug to get him hammered shitefaced and knocked out unconscious in his bed.
“Better?" Eugen asked as Ian lowered the mug back down the table before he tentatively wiped the few drops of beer that lingered on the side of his lips.
“Yeah." Was Illustrious curt answer, which elicited a hum from the Prince.
“So, hit me with it Ian, what's got you traveling into the Vaterland?"
“Partly because I am on vacation with Unicorn, partly because I wish to talk about recent events and share what we, The Royal Navy, have been up to as of late.” Illustrious explained himself.
“I see… maybe it's best that we-” Prinz Eugen suddenly cut himself off as a pair of inebriated Shipgirl, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau if he remembers correctly, passed by amidst the celebration.
“I told you not to overdo it tonight, Schwester.” Gneisenau chided as she carried her sister off to the exit.
"Neeeiiiinnn… I dyon’t wunna go home yettt…” Scharnhorst whined, her face flushed red as she slung one arm over the shoulders of her sister while drunkenly outstretching the other arm like a child crying for a toy that she wanted at a supermarket but was denied of such.
“Scharnhorst please, you've had enough today, next time again, ja?”
"Finee… kiss me later in bed though, schwester…?"
“SCHARNHORST?!"
The randomness of the drunken woman's words made the two men listening in from their seats shake a little as they suppressed any form of sound that would give away their amusement. They remained like that until
“Gottverdammt…” Prinz exclaimed as he took another swig from his mug, a smirk on his face as the hilarity of the moment lingered.
“... I would say that such… prurience is unbecoming of a lady… but shite, mate, that's hot…” Illustrious admitted to his rather bold thoughts as he interlaced his fingers together.
Some Illustrious Knight he was…
“What is the White Knight thinking about, mind humoring me a little?" Prinz couldn't help but voice his curiosity, to which Illustrious immediately answered.
“Two inebriated people of the finer sex gifting eachother a kiss in bed before it eventually spirals down into a mess of creased white sheets and disheveled hair as the cries of pleasure reverberates around that particular space in the throes of passion.”
“... Jesus, are you sure you're a Knight, Herr Idelle?"
“I am a sailor, too, mind you." Illustrious half-arsely defended as a smirk played on his lips.
Prinz Eugen couldn't help the hearty chuckle he would let out at such a weak excuse, but he would ultimately take it. “Honestly, you may look prim and proper, but-"
“-Masculinity remains as such." The Carrier finished for the Cruiser.
“Ja, men will be men." Prinz Eugen replied, reaffirming his compatriot' words before he let out a chuckle.
The comforting air that fell between the Ironblood representative and his Royal counterpart made them almost forget something important…
Almost.
Prinz Eugen finally decided to get into the meat of the matter as he straightened up in his seat for a second time.
“Right… Now, about that matter we were supposed to talk about before we disperse and go our separate ways…” He said, his voice neutral as he crossed his arms under his chest.
“But of course." Ian said as he mentally recounted everything that needed to be said and worked his mind to lay it off to Eugen as briefly as he could.
They dwelled in another bid of silence for the umpteenth time before he pushed himself off his seat and stood up and motioned for Eugen to follow him outside.
Illustrious, kept watch of his drunken compatriot over his shoulders on the side of caution as he led him towards the exit. Soon enough, he pushed the pub door open and led Eugen along the pavements as vehicles of various kinds passed them by. He then turned to an alley just two buildings away from the pub, deeming the spot inconspicuous enough to hold this conversation.
“Ja… here should be isolated and quiet enough to talk here, so…” Prinz Eugen trailed off, to which Illustrious nodded.
“Good news first then, business as usual and the world's in great shape.” Illustrious began.
“Our intelligence network has picked up rising activities all over the globe. If you know what I mean.”
“Terror activities and Cult bullshit, Ja, I'm aware." Prinz said as he gave the Carrier a small nod.
“Mhm. Take a look at this.” Ian then passed his phone towards Eugen, the latter of which took the device before he pressed the screen to play the paused video that was being shown.
The video depicted a man standing on an elevated position as a crowd of armed, masked men cheered beneath him while he circled a man on his knees with his hands tied behind his back as he delivered a speech with a Desert Eagle in hand.
“Who filmed this?"
“Agent C24 did, it's a terrorist meeting from an inconspicuous spot somewhere in Afghanistan. This is a video he captured before he took up arms and subsequently blew up as much as he could.” The British explained to the German.
Obviously it's terrorists, Eugen wasn't an idiot and Illustrious should have known that, and isn't Afghanistan currently being governed by an extremist group that hates the west in particular?
“How did he find a way inside the country?”
“At first, we attempted exploiting legal entry points and some loopholes to find a way into the country with Agent D52, but attempts to sweet talk them into letting our Agent pass did not really end well for us because, frankly speaking, extremists are a bit too stupid and loyal to their cause for their own good.”
Ian’s remark elicited an amused reaction from Eugen before he continued.
“We inserted C24 via help from Littorio’s covert partnerships with locals from neighboring countries around the Mediterranean and dropped him off from Syria and kept contact with him through Iraq and Iran until he finally entered the Northern borders of the country somewhere in Taybad, I believe. From there, we worked with him to search and exploit vulnerable cracks in Afghanistan's borders.” Ian further clarified.
“I have to ask, how did you ‘keep in contact’ with him?" The German asked again, to which the Knight only quirked an eyebrow before he spoke his response.
"Brother, surely you have not forgotten the one piece of technology that had kept us alive way before the crossing, have you?"
… Right.
"The Skyhowler.” Eugen uttered and Illustrious immediately dipped his chin in confirmation.
The Skyhowler; a salvaged, jury-rigged communication device fusing remnants of Azur Lane’s naval tech with scavenged pre-war human technology, capable of long-range encrypted transmissions despite Siren interference, to this day, it remains as USS Reno’s biggest source of pride.
With satellite systems all shut down and undersea cables that they couldn't utilize, the remnants of Azur Lane had to salvage and retrofit warship-grade communication systems.
Some components were lifted from wrecked Ironblood and Eagle Union Mass Production Models, while others came from decommissioned pre-apocalypse naval bases. The Skyhowler is a hybrid of human ingenuity and leftover Azur Lane technology, designed to operate despite Siren dominance over electronic warfare.
Using a Wisdom Cube as its power source, it immediately minimizes the weakness of the device eating up a large amount of energy. To help with the temperature problems it might face as it intakes power, small, unstable fragments of old warships are carefully salvaged and housed in makeshift cooling units to prevent immediate overheating.
Signals forecasted by the Skyhowler can reach across entire continents if atmospheric conditions are favorable, thanks to Ship Core remnants and frequency hopping, it remains partially functional even under heavy interference, so it's also quite resistant from jamming attempts unless they get stuck inside a Mirror Sea. Without a physical cipher key, intercepted messages are unreadable, how it is so, Eugen is not privy to, and weirdly enough, so is Reno.
A theory circulated that by using the recovered Wisdom Cubes of their Shipboy compatriots who had sadly passed, their 'will' seeped into the systems of the machine and while that didn't give it sentience, it somehow made the encrypted messages harder to crack with a 'will' barring outsiders from taking a peek within the contents.
The Skyhowler represents Azur Lane’s last stand in communication, a desperate mix of naval warfare tech, scavenged human engineering, and post-apocalyptic improvisation. It’s not just a radio– it’s a lifeline keeping the resistance connected despite the Sirens's overwhelming advantage over the allied forces on all aspects.
Also, C24, that sounded familiar… Ah…
“That agent of yours is Sheffield, if I have to guess…” Eugen muttered the Town-class Cruiser’s name, which was met with a hum of affirmative by Ian.
"Indeed.”
"What's his job in there, anyway?” Prinz Eugen couldn't help but ask.
"Same as any intelligence service agents, Intel Gathering." Illustrious simply replied as he pocketed his hands in his white coat, his black leather boots tapping lazily against the ground as his black dress shirt that was buttoned up to his collar creased from the movement.
That made sense, though in hindsight, Eugen should've figured.
The insights provided by the Royal Butler Corps would certainly help their own cause and develop more effective counter-terrorism strategies and directives for Shipboys around the world.
It would certainly do them well if they can keep tabs on Enemy operations and identify networks to map out terrorist connections to other groups and individuals across other nations.
Speaking of individuals.
“Who’s at the helm then?” Prinz Eugen mouthed his curiosity.
“Someone new and someone dangerous like the rest that came before.” Illustrious vaguely explained.
At that, Eugen could only give a questioning look as he raised a single eyebrow. “Can’t you be more specific, Illustrious?”
“We have no names currently, but Sheffie is trying his best with what he has to provide more intel. There is no need to rush him, he’s already working with a handicap as he is, but what information he provides now is still a big one. You'll see why.”
Eugen let out a skeptical huff before he returned his attention to the recording at hand.
“[Brothers! Sisters! Witness the truth that the cowards of the UN and Azur Lane seek to blind you from! They dare call our gods Sirens, invaders, monsters! Liars!]”
"[They are not invaders, they are reclaimers! Harbingers of a destiny far beyond the comprehension of these pitiful so-called ‘heroes’ who cling to their dying empires! They kneel to false freedom, wielding weapons of mass destruction, a slandering vain image of our gods, while we bow to divine power! The Sirens are not our enemies– they are our salvation! They are the ones who will cleanse this corrupt world, who will rid it of the weak, the defiant, the unworthy! And we, the faithful, shall be their sword and their flame!]"
The crowd erupts into a loud cheer as they raise and point their rifles in the air and collectively open fire.
"[These tools of the oppressors! These puppets of Azur Lane, they who dare to stand against the tide of destiny, they who humanity DARE to parade through their pathetic streets as the populace offer their undeserved praise!]" The leader yelled out as he all of a sudden halted in his steps, just behind their unfortunate victim before casually shot their sacrifice from the back of their skull, making the murdered person fall limply on their side as the crowd's howls intensified.
"[They fight to preserve a rotting corpse of a world, a world that was never meant to be! But their resistance is meaningless, for tonight, we offer our life as tribute to the true masters of this earth—the Sirens, the rightful gods of this universe!]"
"[HAIL TO THE SIRENS, HURRAH!!!]" The gathering of the terrorists all collectively hailed as fissures that ripped the fabric of reality appeared from all sides, surrounding the cheering crowd.
Not a moment after, tank-like constructs hovering above ground rolled out of the entry point and right behind them followed lines of mechanical humanoids equipped with black rifles that glowed a hue of blue along the barrels– plasma rifles.
“[What the fuck…]” The sight earned the holder of the camera some choice of words which Eugen couldn't help but find himself parroting in his head as the presence of Sirens made the suspicions set in.
Suspicions that would be proven correct just a moment later when the familiar figure of an elite walked out of the one fissure that materialized above the makeshift stage. Not long after, another set of mechanoids started marching in, this time, accompanied by a different construct.
Eugen deduced that it was their logistical cars after cross referencing from memory, most likely carrying weapons and other military supplies to further boost the capabilities of the bastards to wreak havoc through acts of armed terror.
He returned his attention back to the Siren Elite… Six guns, three on both sides, a lantern hanging over her head and a black, skimpy dress with thigh highs…
An Arbiter, more specifically…
“The Hermit, huh… I'm guessing she's there to deal weapons with these misguided hooligans…?” Prinz Eugen asked.
“Sheffield thought so after we extracted him out of the country and back to Her Majesty's embrace. Should be obvious, no? The agent even said so himself as he grumbled about Edinburg catching dust all over his body while he lugged him on his back and the tan he had attained during his journey through the deserts of the Middle-East.” The British Knight replied.
The remark about Sheffield's complaint made Eugen chuckle wryly, not really concerned for the Town-class’ skin problems as he had full faith that his anatomy as a Shipboy will help him return back to his normal complexion in no time, but more so with the fact that he finds it oddly heartwarming and sad at the same time that Sheffield still cares for his Agent compatriot, no matter what shape or form he took...
Something that he thought Oliver Ballard would appreciate...
First thing is first, however.
“… You know what this entails, right?” The Ironblood Prince queried, which was met with a serious look from Illustrious, bordering concern if he read the subtle clues right.
He doesn't know, maybe it's just the alcohol getting to his system…
"Indeed, your highness…" Ian nodded, as the air felt just a little thicker, a foreboding feeling sending a chill down the spine of the German.
“My King and Lord Ballard had already led their respective teams and dispatched well armed groups from Plymouth, all the way up to Northernmost Scotland…”
"And Montana had already urgently called for the High Commander to gather a strike team and rush towards California ASAP for something big, suspected to be Siren related…” Eugen finished for the Carrier.
“... You think the Cultists have already made a strong militant foothold in America?" Ian asked, to which Eugen vehemently shook his head.
“I don't think so, they'd be bombed to oblivion by Uncle Sam once they detect high paramilitary activities within the mainland, so no chance in hell is that happening. The Americans are rather sensitive when the subject of the talks moves to what belongs to them.” The German stated.
“Same could be said with the rest of NATO- no, scratch that, other Countries in general would react just like the US if faced with the same circumstances."
Eugen only shrugged his shoulder at the Carrier's counterargument and passed the phone back to Illustrious’ waiting hand.
“... I'll instruct my boys to keep their eyes sharp for anything then. Thanks for showing me this, Illustrious, you've given me something to think about for the time being." Eugen said as he extended his arms for a handshake, to which Ian promptly took.
“Anytime, your highness.”
"Oh, for fuck sake, I'm not a Prince!”
"It is in your name, though."
“Stück Scheiße!"
Illustrious regarded his compatriot with a deadpan expression, to which Eugen drunkenly snarled.
Eugen tried walking towards his friend, but started losing balance as his Wisdom Cube could no longer hold the alcohol back from fully taking over his his system at last.
Illustrious quickly acted and caught the now half-asleep Eugen in his arms.
“We ought to bring you over to Blücher now, my friend, come on…” The Carrier jested as he slung one of the Cruiser's arm on his shoulder and brought his right hand to their waist to help assist them in walking.
“Ian… you… you look so handsome…~” The Eldest of the Klauser sibling cooed, to which Ian Idelle couldn't help but wear an expression of discomfort.
“... And that would be the alcohol speaking at your behest, my liege."
“Mmn, maybe so… and not that I'm gay or anything, Herr Idelle, but… do you mind if you give me a kiss?~”
"That... I would have to say pass on that offer, my liege.” Illustrious couldn't help the disgust churning his stomach at the thought of his compatriot’s suggestions.
“Oh come on, I was messing with you my friend!” Eugen revealed, his mood jovially drunken much to Illustrious’ suffering.
Amidst their talk, however, a certain raven-haired beauty sat inconspicuously on a bench placed on the other side of the street where Ian and Eugen had their conversation with a newspaper over her face, laying it down flat on her lap to reveal the gleam of her interested yellow eyes and her smirking lips.
“Hehe, interesting… truly interesting, Prince of the Ironblood…~” She murmured to herself before she stood up and left for home.
Would she be disclosing what she had discovered today with anyone? Friedrich der Große figured not. She would let it all play out and let fate run its course and let the Shipboys play their part first.
“And so, the stage is set for the Ironblood in this play called fate… I do so wish to see how it concludes.” Friedrich whispered to herself.
“I shall be watching you closely, Eugen Klauser…”
_________________________________________________________________________
It would be some time later that Ian Idelle would arrive at the front door of the Ironblood Flagship’s residence for you see he didn’t really ‘walk’ him home as much as he helped him ‘stumble’ back home, inebriated and hysterical as he was helped back to his humble abode.
In the front stood a young man with blonde locks, his reddish-amber eyes looked upon their approach with concern before he walked over to meet the British halfway through.
“A fine evening to you, Lord Bluchër.” The knight respectfully greeted the Prince’ younger sibling, the latter of which only let out a sigh of exasperation before he dipped his chin in acknowledgement of Illustrious’ greetings.
“Good evening to you, too, Herr Idelle…” Bluchër then trailed off as his gaze travelled downwards to his hammered older sibling. “I see you have a family member in tow.
“Indeed…” Ian curtly replied before a wry chuckle came out of his lips, maneuvering himself in preparation for passing his baggage over to his Ironblood compatriot.
Seeing the Carrier’s movement, The Cruiser immediately acted and moved forward to reach out and sling his brother’s free arm over his own shoulder, and let his arms reach around to grasp him by his waist. Eugen then stirred out of his hazyness to look at the source of the new sensations he had felt.
“... Blu…?” Eugen drunkenly slurred out.
Bluchër noted how his sibling’ eyes were unfocused and dreamy, and how his movements seemed a bit too unsteady, at least more than what is normal considering the fact that Prinz Eugen was a heavy drinker, not to mention the tinge of pink on his cheeks which was not normal whatsoever.
Concern soon welled up in Bluchër’s chest as he eyed his brother.
“He drank a bit too much today, I apologize for my lack of actions in regulating his intake.” Ian confirmed the Blonde Cruiser’s concern, which soon made way for justified frustration, but he reined it in for now, He’ll give his brother a tongue lashing after he goes through a killer hangover first.
“Vielen Danke, Herr Idelle, for bringing my brother home." Bluchër voiced his gratitude, to which Illustrious simply nodded.
"Of course. Do go easy on your sibling, Bluchër. Admittedly, he has a lot on his plate right now.” Illustrious advised knowingly in an attempt to quell the rising emotions his compatriot had.
Fortunately for the Carrier, his words worked wonders as Bluchër now found the frown that he had unknowingly sported melting in favor of a softer expression.
“... I see.” Blucher murmured before he fixed his gaze back up to his gaze and nodded.
“I shall be on my way then.” The British man declared as he turned heel and left.
Blucher watched the Carrier strut away for a few seconds before he gave his brother a sidelong glance and turned to drag his brother back inside their shared home. The door creaked as the cruiser pushed the oak door open. A modest sight immediately met him before he then moved to help carry Eugen towards the couch of their living room, grunting as he struggled to guide the drunken Ironblood Prince in navigating around the long couch that stood a comfortable distance away from a black, flat screen before he gently laid him down the soft cushion. He scanned the state of his unconscious brother thoroughly as he put a hand on his own waist.
After taking a moment of thorough inspection, he then turned towards the direction of the kitchen that also doubled as their dining room, walking past the entrance, around the dining table and the counter that separated the cooking area, over to cabinet that contained the medicine. Sifting through the small boxes and bottles that contained tablets for all sorts of ailments, he finally found his prize, Aspirin.
After fishing it out, Blucher closed the cupboard that hung above the kitchen sink before he turned his attention downwards where he pulled a drawer open at his side to grab a glassware before he pushed it close and walked over the fridge to fill the container full of cold water. He then put the glass of water above the counter and popped a single tab of Aspirin on the liquid before he stirred it with a spoon that he had taken from the nearby container. The metal utensil clinked against the material of the cup as he thoroughly whisked to make sure that the chemicals of the tablet mixed well with the water.
However, as Bluchër went on, his eyebrows creased in mild discomfort– before a massive headache suddenly overwhelmed the youngest of the Hipper Siblings as the sound of the glass and spoon tapping together faintly resembled that of the song that Eugen’s sword sung at the day when…
The man whimpered as he found himself suddenly weak on his knees, only catching himself in time by clutching the edges of the counter as he found himself going spiralling down towards a terrible memory…
The day when Hipper passed… the day of Friedrich's betrayal…
After the Azur Lane alliance lost the battle of Midway, Bluchër was present at San Francisco as they communicated with the limping fleet from the safety of the resistance’ base as a member of the few Ironblood Kansen appointed by their former flagship, Bismarck, to stand with the rest of the rear guard, who themselves were the few chosen to stay behind San Francisco by their respective representatives. He waited in trepidation for Eugen and Hipper to arrive back with Kommandant Enterprise and break the bad news to him and the rest of his Ironblood compatriots.
He vividly remembered being one of the Shipboys who stood at the docks to greet the returning men. He remembered Z23 making a remark about the subtle frown on his face as the fleet disembarked from their vessels and anchored themselves in the harbor. He remembered the American Admiral that led the resistance being assisted by his blonde sibling down the gangway as they carefully got down from the USS Hornet. He stood besides Friedrich Der Große, who flanked him on his right and his Destroyer friend on his left, sensing the former's discontent, his overwhelming disappointment and frustration veiled under an unreadable expression, his golden gaze honing in the tuft of Silvery-White covered by a white cap, its visor casting a shadow over his bandaged left eye.
The sight of the flagship already affected Bluchër's mood in a negative way, but the ensuing madness that followed put a dent on his already plummeting morale.
" YOU ARE A WEAK LEADER!"
An Ironblood rear guard voiced behind him, he couldn't remember whose voice it was that started that madness, but either way, it didn't matter who began, because the rest of his compatriots soon followed and parroted their protest, making their dissatisfaction known for the Eagle Union Carrier. Worse of all, Friedrich even had the guts to step forward and have a few choice of words with the injured Carrier before Bismarck himself told him off.
He did not get it… not at all… they are fighting an enemy that has control over… pretty much all the courses of actions they can take and what decisions they can and cannot make. Why do they cast blame towards the one person brave enough to step up and take the heavy burden of leadership and the guilt of all the consequences that came with it?
USS Enterprise… Bluchër thought that the indomitable Carrier who had taken out fleets of Sirens in a single bombing run and stood toe to toe with not just one, but multiple of their Arbiters without faltering, was not at any fault at all. So why can't the rest of his Countrymen see that their Admiral is faultless… or maybe he was, maybe he just refused to acknowledge that he was not fit to fill the role of the marionette for the puppet that was Azur Lane… even then, his respect for the American did not wane. After all, he was still the person who took it onto himself to carry the heavy load of responsibility on his back. A respect that was forever instilled as he led them into salvation.
Blücher couldn't help but quirk his lips into a small smile. His gratitude towards Lord Grayson is immense, and he was sure that the same could be said for anyone who flew under his banner. After taking a brief moment to compose himself again, he pushed himself upright with a light grunt as the wobbly feeling of his legs slowly died out.
He took the spoon out of the glass of the mixture that he had concocted for his drunken sibling and began to make his way back towards his sleeping older brother. He placed the glass of water and aspirin above the low standing table in front of the couch which separates it from the television and crouched next to the sleeping Prince to check on him once more as a precaution.
He could see the hint of amber orange through the youthful man's lidded eyes, sporting the black leather jacket that he had taken from his own wardrobe with a red shirt that had the Ironblood cross emblazoned in front of it. He paired it with a gray pair of trousers and black leather boots that extended up to just above of his calf.
With a sigh, Bluchër moved up from his position and moved to the right angle to push his brother to sit up straight, letting out a grunt in the process. After he did so, he propped his brother's left side to the backrest of the couch, allowing him to remove the right sleeve off of his right arm with a hint of a struggle. With the jacket now hanging loosely behind Eugen, the blonde Cruiser then brought his arm up to support Eugen's right side before he tugged him towards that direction and let his weight shift after taking a firm hold on his unconscious form. He then worked on the left sleeve next, which was a bit stubborn to pull off, but Blücher eventually extricated his brother's limb out of the clothing, laying the jacket off to the side to be picked up later by him, all the while the back of his brother pressed up against his chest.
“Mmn… Hipper…”
Blücher tensed up before his head whipped downwards to look at his brother in alert… only to soften again as he found that the inebriated Prince was simply sleep talking.
“Mein Gott, bruder…” The younger Cruiser exclaimed.
He then carefully shimmied off to the side, catching the head of Prinz with his left palm before gently laying his head down the armrest of the chair. Blücher patted his hands together in satisfaction before he picked up his brother's jacket and hung it on the rack placed close to the front door before he locked the front door and decided to call it a night. He walked over to the small corridor that led into two bedrooms, with two doors standing opposite of eachother. He opened the right door that led to his room before he stopped and peeked over from the door frame to have one last look at his brother.
For a moment, he remembered the times when Eugen stood tall as his black cape swung as the air billowed behind him. For a brief moment, he remembered when he donned his military outfit, the gray shade of fabric and the black military boots that thudded across the battlefield. For just a split second, he saw his brother lower the visor of his cap to cast a shadow over his eyes at the seriousness of a situation, an ornament he had decided to add in his wardrobe to imitate his flagship, Bismarck. For but a brief flash, he saw his six-limbed, draconic rigging roaring in triumph.
For he was the Prince of Iron that had coated himself with the blood of his enemy with the tooth of his fierce aide and the steel of his Messer.
Most of all… he was his brother… his poor big brother that had the weight of the Ironblood over his shoulders... and he couldn't be more proud of him.
“I do wonder when I will see Stahlzahn in action once more." Blücher wondered out loud before he shook his head and made for his bed, closing the door behind him to signify his decision of hitting the hay for the day.
__________________________________
Deep beneath Jade Bay, a loyal companion rests, his reptilian head attached to a broad neck turned and tucked within itself as it blows bubbles and displaced dirt with each breath. his hide was dark above but blood red beneath and its body sinuous with long and broad forelimbs and hindlimbs, the latter of which had two-gun turrets attached to them. But both pairs paled in comparison to the furled form of its wings, which resembled a pair of giant wingarms, with each having a turret posted above its shoulder as well. his long, broad tail occasionally swayed in its sleep to dissuade any fish that dare disturb its slumber.
This Dragon was Stahlzahn, Prinz Eugen’s rigging and faithful aide, whose wings can fell a Rook class with a bat, behead his foes with a gnash of his iron teeth, and take down an elite swipe of his claws.
Notes:
Gogmazios. Yeah.
So what happened? Well, Hoshimi Miyabi came out, that's what, and also ASABA MOTHERFUCKING HARUMASA, BOI!
The moment I saw that guy, I just knew I should use him as another one of my inspiration.
Initially lost the 50/50 on Mimi's (Miyabi) Banner, but I soon bounced back and got her after another 20 pulls. I'm having a blast with ZZZ, and alongside a bad case of writer's block and college, this fanfic was basically left collecting dust for almost 2 months.
Witness me as I return the focus back towards the IJN and the USS, and I will glaze USS Enterprise till my dying breath!
I know that there's not much of Shipboys meeting Shipgirls in this fanfic under that trope, and I am sorry for that, my mind is working over how I'm gonna go with it.
Next Chapter: Imperial Japanese Nonsense. (featuring the Kido Butai).
(Also, if you still cannot tell, I'm doing these without an outline, XD).
Chapter 7: Imperial Japanese Nonsense
Summary:
Somewhere in the forests of Yoshidaisama, a Fox and his Pack are on the prowl for prey within the thickets.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was currently 3:30 PM in the afternoon, in an undisclosed area somewhere in the thick forestry close to Yoshidaisama, when a pair of white, canid ears twitched as it captured the sound of patrolling guards around the perimeter of the secret hideout he was about to burn down to the ground.
His sky-blue eyes shone amidst the shade that the thick vegetation offered, his boredom clear for anyone to see as he was just about to do the same thing he had done for a good while now. At that, he let out a scoff.
“My abilities as a warrior will certainly deteriorate with the lack of worthy foes." The Kitsune in white spat as he let the two grunts pass.
He mentally counted to ten before he finally decided to come out of his hiding place. He patted off the leaves that hung on the white zip-up Hoodie that he left open. He wore a black shirt under his overclothes, a perfectly fitting pair of pants and a pair of blue walking shoes.
Why was he hiding? Even that eludes Aoto Kimura. He could have just cleanly assassinated those two guards, all things considered, heck, he could even practically just face-tank whatever caliber their guns could fire... The man couldn't help but smirk sadistically at that as his sharp eyes bore down on the back of one of the two patrolling low-lifes that are the Siren Cultist unfortunate enough to be assigned this far away from the main hideout.
Without hesitating, he reached into his concealed-carry beneath his jacket and pulled out a CZ-Shadow 2 Compact pistol model. He pocketed one of his hands nonchalantly as he took aim with the gun he held on the other. He then twisted the gun side-ways, honing into his targets in an unorthodox manner as he grinned like an idiot.
“West Coast rules, assholes.” Aoto announced himself loudly as he pulled the trigger and popped a bullet into the brains of the two men.
The Aircraft Carrier wasn't concerned about men being sent his way, in fact, that's exactly what he wanted as he wanted to feel the thrill of combat after a long streak of disappointing, one-sided slaughters– assuming the grunts would even offer a fight this time, which was a stretch.
Aoto chuckled at the thought as he went over to the two bodies he caught– and promptly dropped his smile as he fully saw the face of the men he killed.
“So young…” He whispered to himself as he flicked the safety back into safe and stored his gun back in its holster.
Why these young men would waste their life to follow such a self-destructive cause, he doesn't know… much. He had an idea, of course. Throughout the course of the Siren War– this world's Siren War– the general populace was fed with Azur Lane Propaganda to try and keep Global Morale from plummeting, but with the increase of security concerns, people are growing even more anxious by the day. Those who are weak-willed eventually caved to the brainwashing and joined the cause of those who are twisted in their minds.
A cancer to society that he had vowed before his flagship to erase from their home soil.
“Aww, sent that guy to an early grave, Senpai?" A sassy voice piped up from behind the Kimura Fox, which snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Evidently." He scoffed as he looked over his shoulder to address them.
Shoukaku. One of Akagi's closest confidants and his biggest critic. The fellow White-haired Carrier let out a chuckle at Kaga's serious retort as he walked over to his side.
“Where's your brother?" Kaga diverted, which earned him a raised eyebrow before he received a reply.
“I sent my little brother ahead to join Hiryuu and Souryuu senpai. They informed us that they’ve found a hidden route to the location of the hole that they decided to dig themselves into, so I told him to go while I come find you.” Shoukaku explained himself as he marvelled at his senior’s handiwork. Two bullets, dead center on their heads.
“Nice shot, by the way."
“Hmph." Kaga grunted before he turned on his heel and made his way back to the clearing where they had split up.
“Let's not waste time here, we have a job to do, so come and lead the way, Shou.” He commanded, to which the eldest of the Cranes shrugged casually and complied as he went ahead to join his senior in tracking their steps.
They traversed the rough terrain of the forests for some time, their limbs finding one anchor after another in a slog of a journey across the leaf litter and rocks, with nothing but the sound of rustling vegetation and the crunch of dried leaves invading their auditory senses until the silence finally got to Shoukaku.
“... How is our Flagship, by the way?" Shoukaku asked, with a note of concern lacing his voice as Kaga hummed in thought.
"... Still recovering.” Kaga answered straightly, simple and concise in his words.
It made the Kouhai's eyes roll before he snarked back at his compatriot.
“I know that, hardass, but I was talking more on whether he could actually move around without looking like an old woman with arthritis.”
Kaga huffed at the sarcastic clarification sent to him by his junior, before he sighed and reigned himself in.
“... He's going to be fine, Shou… an eighteen inch shell to your chest is no laughing matter, but he has taken worse hits in the past. I'm confident he'll be right back with us soon enough.” Kaga assured Shou, the latter of which gave Kaga a mindless nod.
"So, has he told you anything?" He asked, making Kaga look at him quizzically.
“About what?"
“On why he went to the Sanctuary." Shoukaku added to his question.
“Ah… it's not my place to say, Shoukaku, but I can say for certain that it has something to do with his curiosity and…” Kaga paused, feeling his throat hitch for a moment before he shook off the sudden unsteadiness he felt.
“Senpai…?” Shoukaku, who had stopped on his tracks immediately when he saw his company do so, softly called for his senior who seemed to be out of it for the moment.
“... I'm… fine…” Aoto assured more to himself rather than Shiro, who eyed him with an expression of doubt, which soon contorted to that of realization and understanding before going over to place a hand on the shoulder of his friend in a show of brotherhood and solidarity.
“... Amagi-dono…?” The Crane said.
Kaga nodded to confirm Shoukaku's thoughts. Yes, it seems that their flagship’s trip to the Sanctuary's entire purpose was that of self-discovery and a well deserved closure. He genuinely does feel happy for his senpai, his frustration about untimely revealing themselves to the light aside, the Crane couldn't help the joy he felt when he saw his friend sleep the night soundly as if a heavy burden chained to his shoulders had been lifted.
He came home with bruises, burns and cuts all over his body, but he had never seen him look so… relieved, for lack of a better term. Shoukaku couldn't help but make a mental note out of it when he saw the look on his eyes when their gazes met, his red irises that had withstood so much stress in his fight against twelve of the many best Azur Lane have to offer. He was battered, but not bitter nor broken, in fact, there was an emotion radiating from the brunette kitsune that Shirou observed that was familiar but couldn't quite put a name on it at the same time. Was it love?
He decided to confess his thoughts to Kaga.
“... Jin found something there."
“I'm aware." Aoto replied as he, too, carried a small smile on his face.
“You know something, Kaga?"
“Is that how you address your seniors now, Shiro?" Kaga pointed out, which earned another shrug from the eldest of the Shoukaku-class Shipboys.
“Come on, such a formal form of speech isn’t necessary when addressing you, and you're evading my question, Senpai, spit it out.”
“Hmm…” Kaga let out a hum as he began recalling the details of their conversation that day after he collapsed on the tatami floor, blood, sweat and soot all over his body.
"I'm telling you, Ao, she's beautiful!” The Fox in his memories shouted.
"She was fabulous with her technique, her footwork is divine, not to mention her innate ability that grants her the authority to control the winds, just like OUR Shoukaku, oh Aoto, where do I begin with this truly majestic Soaring Crane, oh, I know! The way her intense eyes glared down me that made me weak in my knees, her declaration loud and clear as she showed her intent to avenge the loss of her sister, the way she flew down and landed on her feet to my level like a Crane…”
Aoto found himself nodding along as Jin Kimura found himself absorbed in his own little world, gushing about this alternate dimension’s Shoukaku, filtering it out as he found shelter in his own mind. Supposedly, Kaga made it his mission to interrogate his Nii-sama about his side of the recent espionage issue in the Sakura Empire’s Sanctuary.
Initially, Akagi was compliant as he went into full detail on how he docked at the port aboard a civilian vessel alongside many other tourist who wanted to see the Sacred grounds for themselves, how he snuck away and convinced the guards to let him pass into the Shipgirls’ residential area with forgeries courtesy of a certain Yuubari among the Refugee Fleet's ranks, how he bought the mask that soon would later make him infamous among the residents as the Kitsune no Kamen, how he took pictures, aided an ailing Kisaragi, and his ‘Homecoming.’
And then, the meeting of the Azur Lane Commander and the Sakura Empire officials with matters of concern such as national security and recent issues, political and non-political alike. Then, he told Kaga about Azur Lane’s growing suspicions and their awareness of the existence of the Riptides.
Mainly because Lord Hayashi and Shikikan Grayson were woefully ignorant to the fact that a camera can be carried in your pockets nowadays. Moving on from his inner frustrations of his compatriot's misgivings, Akagi went on with his discussion as the topic proceeded to his other self, how he abhors the way she had dressed, the way she talks, the way she acts, everything.
He remembered how Jin Kimura was so passionate about how awfully… indecent Lady Akagi was despite the professional nature of their situation… It would take his prudish brother some time before the heat of his critiquing every detail of the alternate version of Jin would die down and jumped towards another point of interest.
Tosa and Kaga, more the former than the latter. Tosa, his actual sister-ship– or brother-ship if you care too much about the trivialities of nailing a gender on an insentient piece of metal– actually had the chance to be reborn as a Kansen, which he later brought up to Yuubari. Though his face did not betray any emotions, the glint on their eyes told Kaga that it was an interesting topic of research– if it wasn't being added to all the information the cruiser already had on a research that was already in the process of being conducted way before the Akagi found out about Lady Tosa.
It sent a tinge of jealousy on Kaga's part as his Tosa never really had the same opportunity as this world's own, but it died down just as soon as it ignited as he rationalized it with the old adage. It is what it is. There was simply no point in crying over spilled milk, and that led him to pipe up about this Sakura Empire's Kaga.
He had expected a lot of key differences, but as he went on and on with his first impressions of the girl, the more Kaga's interest fell. She was prideful of her own prowess, she was a junk for battle, and she’s pretty much subservient to Akagi, the latter of which would often fall apart with her absence, at least in a combat scenario.
She's just… so similar to himself in the past that he couldn't help but be biased against her. No one could fathom how much he despised that version of himself back then, preaching about how power and strength controls everything, how obsessed he was to the individual aspect of it, reasoning to those around him that it's the only way to protect those he valued as his sorry of an excuse to keep chasing for more improvement.
He eventually dropped that one dimensional mindset when the death of a certain brunette Kitsune destroyed his world. He may not have shown it but truly he was scarred by the passing of his only mentor-figure at that point in time.
Then, in his time as a refugee in the West Coast of the ruined United States, the Ghost bested him time and time again in their physical spars, rare as they were. He cannot excuse himself, he lost and continued losing in a skid.
He can shamefully argue that the battles were close, but his pride– at least what remains of it– did not allow him to do so. He was losing to Enterprise, plain and simple.
It destroyed him mentally, but help came from an unexpected hand. As he grumbled about his own losses, Yorktown was there, insistent and determined to help him along with Akagi and his compatriots, to rebuild themselves into men that would eventually become the people they are today.
At the time, Kaga was understandably hesitant to take the American’s hand, but as they spent more and more time in the sea defending San Francisco together, he eventually accepted and let the eldest of the Yorktowns groom and train him, body and mind, into a cold and calculating warrior, and a patient and understanding brother. He had to admit, even Amagi was not as stern as Yorktown was in disciplining his misgivings. Just the right mentor he needed for self-improvement.
If he had to make an analogy, he was a wall while Mister Yorktown was the sledgehammer that broke him as he relentlessly pounded him the various disciplines he now follows up to this point. Of course, the American wasn't ashamed to show favorites as out of the two of them, Akagi was more open and enthusiastic to be mentored by someone seemingly their ‘equal’.
That in turn, earned him more smiles than Kaga did, but the white-haired foxian was fine with that. He didn't need smiles or other insignificant praises that his friend could give, he needed his guidance to be a better man than his former self. He needed to develop into something more than just a battle-starved maniac to protect what matters to him most.
None other than his brother, who had taken the worst hit out of everyone at the passing of the Sakura Empire's brightest Kansen in strategy and battle tactics.
His determination to fulfill this self imposed oath burned stronger as Nagato declared Jin Kimura the leader that would take his place in the leadership of the resistance council, admitting that he as an old battleship must step aside as flagship to make way for someone with a more revolutionary mindset such as his brother's.
That's when he had formed a closer tie to Enterprise, the seemingly cold and aloof carrier of the Union whom he had initially expressed his reservations with, but as they spent more time charging into battle side by side, their chemistry as comrades at arms soon developed, paving the way for a mutual trust that would soon bloom into something more as him, Akagi, Hornet, Yorktown, and Enterprise found themselves present within the vanguard of every sortie as their interpersonal connection with eachother was rivaled by none. The Men of Midway, they were called. He remembered befriending him over their shared self-imposed responsibilities of watching the brunette foxian.
And all of this started because of a McDonald’s branch opening at the Sanctuary… hah...
“Yoohoo, World to Aoto Kimura?”
“O-Oh, you were saying something, Shou?” Kaga said as soon as he snapped out of his inner ruminations.
“You seem pretty out of it, Senpai, you mind getting it off your chest…?” Shoukaku inquired, a look of curiosity on his face which made Kaga hold his chin in thought.
“... Let’s talk on the way.” The fox dismissed, eliciting a thoughtful hum out of the crane before he opened his mouth to voice his thoughts.
“Okay then.” The junior carrier of the Kido Butai agreed as he walked ahead of his senior to lead the way.
For a moment they paced through the thicket of the forest in relative silence until the white foxian cleared his throat to break it.
“So, you were curious to know what I know, then?” Kaga asked his comrade once more just to make sure.
“Yup yup, so come on, you’re free to exercise your freedom of speech with me.” At that, Kaga let out an amused scoff while Shoukaku held no reservations and chuckled at his own, dry remark.
“If you insist, Jin has fallen hopelessly in love with your alternate self.” Kaga confessed with a straight face as he observed closely for Shoukaku’– the shipboy– reaction.
His patience was rewarded as he saw the Male Shoukaku freeze on his track as he whipped his head, turning around to look at Kaga with a gobsmacked look, his jaw seemingly reaching the ground as his expression contorted to that of visible disgust a scant few seconds later.
“Ew!” Shoukaku bellowed out, scaring the wildlife out of the vicinity as Aoto let out a controlled series of laughter, his hands brought to his face as the eldest of the crane brothers’ lips opened and closed, the poor man struggling to form a set of words until he finally shook himself out of it.
“What’s so funny?!” He glowered at the senior Carrier, the latter of which let out a sigh as he finally reined his amusement in.
“What do you mean ‘what’s so funny,’ your reaction is so worth the laugh, Shirou.” Aoto remarked, which got him another growl from the bird-man.
“This isn’t funny, yo! Think of the implications, what if he was secretly into me, oh no, OH NO, I AM NOT FUCKING GAY!” Shoukaku despaired, comically crouched close to the floor as he brought both hands to grasp at his white hair, a dark look befalling his face as he began muttering nonsensical conspiracy theories regarding Jin Kimura.
Kaga watched for a moment before he shook his head and went over to pat the crane on the back, a microscopic smile curled on his lips before he spoke.
“Don’t worry about it, I know my Nii-sama well,” Aoto began. “You are not gonna wake up with a sore ass in the morning, Shoukaku, stop despairing.”
“Really?” the Avian Carrier perked up, to which the Fox-eared man reassured.
“Yes, really, at worst he swings both ways, leaning towards those who are more on the feminine.”
“That’s not reassuring, my guy.” Shoukaku rebuked as he leapt off his seat and stood back up.
“It’s the best you’re gonna get from me, so tough luck getting me to soften up to an idiot like you.” Kaga dismissed his friend.
“Since when have you picked up your brother’s humor, Kaga?” The Avian sarcastically questioned his Canid compatriot, to which the latter only rolled his shoulder.
“I just simply thought that imitating a bit of his speech prose and pattern would make my job of communicating with you and the others a bit more easy.” Kaga explained himself, eliciting a thoughtful hum from Shiro.
“Uh-huh, bad impression, if I say so myself.” The junior snarked at his senior which made the latter wave him off.
“Come off it, Shou, I had reasoned that I’m only mirroring a little of what makes him as a whole, not becoming a one to one copy of Jin.”
“Whatever you say. Nice to see the hardass, Battlebarge turned Carrier, SuperMarket bagger begin softening up with his subordinates, how touching.” Shoukaku teased, which earned an unamused expression from Kaga as he replied with silence. At that, Shoukaku grinned.
“Oh there it is, the boring, ice-cold, siren-killer persona that everyone has come to know and love.” The Crane pressed his luck further and the Foxian couldn’t help the guttural sound coming out of his lips through his gritted teeth.
“Shut up, Shiro, or else I’ll shove a Zero down your throat.” Kaga warned.
“Goodness, calm down, Battlebarge, I was just messing with you,” Shoukaku said as he raised his hands in mock-surrender. “But honestly speaking though, I think I speak for the rest of the Kido Butai that we appreciate our dear senior’s attempt at connecting with us.”
“Surprise surprise, you’re actually genuine with your words, I thought you’d use this as ammunition against me and point out right to my face how out of touch I really am with my contemporaries.” Aoto bit back at his kouhai, before he let out a sigh.
“But you’re right, it is an attempt to get to know more friends, as I’ve promised to my dead mentor.” Kaga plainly voiced.
“You mean Amagi-dono?” Shoukaku voiced, but much to his confusion, Kaga shook his head before the latter opened his mouth to clarify.
“It was Yorktown. While Lord Amagi was certainly a person who had an impact in my life in times of weal, I sincerely believe that it was the brother of Shikikan Grayson that had helped outline what my future would be like outside the shores of The Sanctuary in our woeful times,” The Foxian spoke, his smirk visible for the Avian Carrier to see as flashes of San Francisco came and went like lightning within the confines of his mind. “You’ll have to thank him for what I am today.”
“Yeah, thank you Yorky for thawing the ice cold walls of my Ice Cold Senpai.” The white-haired junior mockingly complied, to which Kaga simply gave a playful chop on his scalp, eliciting a squawk out of him.
“With that being said though, I’d like to know your thoughts about the Shipgirls of this world, Aoto.” The Junior asked after he settled down.
“They're strong, they do their jobs, and they’re a bunch of pretty faces sleeping with the Commander of Azur Lane.” Aoto answered without much thought put into, which caused his company to grumble.
“Oh come on, that’s it?”
“What do you want me to say?” The fox queried, regarding his companion with a curious look.
“I don’t know, something deep, something about preaching strength and stuff like that?”
“You speak as if you didn’t see firsthand that I have broken out of that shell,” Kaga said as he sent his junior a straight-faced look. “Have some fate, Ugly Duckling.”
“Hey! A Crane and a Duck couldn't be any more far apart, you Rabid Mutt.” Shirou retorted.
Aoto shrugged at the deeply offended Crane’s counter-argument before backing his insult.
“Both have white feathers and both are birds, it’s close enough.”
“Oh gods, we have Animal Expert Aoto Attenborough with his immaculate observations over here, ladies and gentlemen,” The Kouhai sneered over his shoulder. “I do wonder what other Incredulous- I mean Incredible takes he has in store up his smelly old crack for us.”
Kaga let out an exhale of exasperation as he rolled his eyes.
“You really like hearing the sound of your own voice, huh?”
“Anything to drown out that miserable, monotonic and annoying no-bullshit voice of yours, thank Kami-sama that you at least have the minimum amount of intelligence quotient required for an actual creative joke.”
“Pot calling the Kettle black much, IJN Shoukaku?”
“Piss calling the Shit disgusting, more like.” Said Shipboy retorted with a touch of self-awareness, making Kaga grunt at his smartass remarks.
“Will you shut up?”
“NO! I will not shut up about this,” The Crane sharply rebutted. “I am so damn offended that I, the Majestic Flying Crane of the Imperial Japanese Navy, is being compared to a wet and pathetic water chicken.”
“You… are insufferable…”
“Ohohoy! Good to know that I’m getting on your nerves, Kaga.”
Aoto, despite his annoyance, made a mental note of Shoukaku’s reactions and stored it at the back of his mind to tell his nii-sama later. His Junior went on and on with his tirade about how he was rightfully superior to him, how unfair it was that the two of them– Shoukaku and Zuikaku– had practically turned into errand boys for those at the top, including Jin whom he said was undeserving of his role. In the past, he would have reprimanded such a backhanded remark towards his flagship, probably giving someone a few choices of stern words for slandering Akagi like that. Now, it’s different. Now, he knew better than to assume that every word that comes off as an insult always comes bearing heat behind it, and as he had observed with his ranting Junior, that couldn’t have been any more closer to the truth, knowing that it was all for the sake of harmless fun
In fact, he understands where his junior was coming from, now that he had thought about it. After all, what is so impressive about bombing a bunch of rice farmers as opposed to holding the last line of defense against an Industrial, Economic and Naval powerhouse? The Cranes deserved their ‘Laurels’, as the Sardinians would call it. Would he admit to it out loud, of course not, but as his eyes landed at the back of Shoukaku, he couldn’t help but let his gaze soften at the sight of his spirited tirade, the casualness of their situation bringing him an odd sense of comfort, in spite of his earlier annoyance at his Kouhai’s remarks.
He'll simply give him his silent praise for that is what all his pride as a warrior and right hand of Jin Kimura would allow.
To be frank, it’s nice to be interacting with his juniors and connecting with them in such a casual manner. He began understanding why Yorktown was so insistent on repeatedly bashing the idea of tolerance into his head, because it sure was a damn breath of fresh air to have open talks such as this to pull himself away from the stifling, overly-respectful atmosphere of the meetings he used to join his brother at as his right hand and also the generally anti-social nature of his day to day life.
Huh, would you look at that… Yorktown may had been up to something. Perhaps he saw a potential in him to do great. Although ‘what’ specifically is one that eludes him, though as he thought about Shoukaku, The Kido Butai, and all of Sakura Empire, he was quite confident that he'd figure it out so long as he had them by his side someday.
Shirou and Aoto’s journey soon took them for a hike uphill then towards the edge overlooking a small valley between two sizable hills, where the rest of his team was waiting, surveying the Cultist hideout for activity.
One of them soon took notice as their drooped, white ears perked up at the sound of feet crunching dirt and grass.
“Kaga, Shou! Over here." Hiryuu waved and called them over.
The two of them soon joined the others as Shoukaku took his place besides his brother while Kaga crouched besides Souryuu intently watching the terrorist through a pair of binoculars.
“What do we got?" Kaga asked.
“The usual, Cultists holdout, minor differences," The eldest of the dragons answered. "I've identified about three hotspots. One close to a cave, where the hottest activities are, probably tight security."
Kaga only raised an eyebrow at the very candid observation before he motioned for Souryuu to hand the observational instrument over to him.
“You got something else to tell me, spit out.”
"Hostiles, heavily armed, alerted by that gunfire earlier," Souryuu answered straightly as he busied himself by doing card shuffling tricks. "See for yourself, Senpai."
That, Kaga did as homed in on the eastern entrance of the clearing first. Grunts armed with the usual nine mil pistols and smg’s running around with a certain gait that exposed their alertedness, nothing unusual since it leads deeper into the forests. You wouldn't exactly expect any company coming from that direction, the fox thought. Things changed when he panned towards the west. His eyes narrowed at the sight that beheld him. Guards wandering and dicking around with plated armor, high caliber rifles like AR-15’s and AK’s, and dedicated machine gun nests guarding the way into the cave about 300 meters away from it.
“Huh, would you look at that, they got new toys.” Kaga couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark as he watched these children play with said new toys.
“It doesn't end there, Senpai, look…” Souryuu directed Kaga towards the central point and the latter complied.
He turned his attention to the cave entrance and a serious expression crossed his face. Not because of the geological hole itself, but the the men surrounding it. They were fitted out with the same amount of armor, but that's where the similarities end. The weapons, for one, were topped up with the best attachments that the average American civilian could buy in the market, complete with optics and other utilities to help in a firefight, not to mention the stash of RPG-7’s and Explosives sitting near a large tarp that was turned into a makeshift tent and the MG nests with a full-blown 50-Caliber ‘Ma Deuce’.
“... What the…” Was all Aoto could say, his bewilderment shown in full for his compatriots to see.
“Senpai?" Shoukaku called out, ripping his attention off of his brunette sibling who had stopped sharpening his Ōdachi as he himself looked at Kaga's direction.
“No, it's nothing, it's just…" The Senior paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and words for a moment.
"... It's quite bewildering, for lack of a better word, that these amount of men, with these amount of weapons managed to sneak past the authorities' radar despite the strict rules addressing firearms.”
"Aye, quite the surprise indeed, now-”
Hiryuu cut off his siblings word as he jumped up, alerted by a glint from the corners of his vision. Within a split second, a bright azure flash came and went, and Hiryuu immediately got into a firing stance, weapon in hand as he notched a lightning bolt into his bladed bow and sent it flying fast towards the general direction of danger.
Despite how fast it went, Kaga's superhuman reflexes allowed him to see in time just where the shot raced towards, without hesitating, he pulled away from the enemy camp and into a thicket splattered with blood and gore as a previously ghillied sniper laid motionless and headless over his sniper rifle.
“... Well done, Hiryuu." He praised mindlessly as he couldn't help the swell of pride he had in his junior for saving them the headache of being shot on the head by a 50 BMG M82.
“All in a day's work." Was Hiryuu’s reply as the white haired dragon-rabbit was interjected by their avian friend.
“Uh, boys, I think they saw that, they're buzzing up down there." Shoukaku remarked as he honed in towards the enemy ground forces down below.
True to his words, Kaga saw the entire hostile camp scrambling all over as they flowed out of their previous work and into full alertness and what he saw next made him scoff. For one, they were very disorganized, with no one at the top barking orders, everyone was basically doing their own thing when someone probably cried about a man down. Two, his instincts knew and told him that these poor insects were amateurs at best and have no experience with a gun at worst. The thought came to his head after he reflected more about the two young men he had shot in cold blood before. What he saw just now, the mis-distribution of firepower among the troops, the disorganization, and the way they played around…
“... This is gonna be another one-sided slaughter, boys." Kaga muttered before he began giggling sadistically.
“Um, Kaga…” Hiryuu addressed his senior with a note of uncertainty in his voice.
“Hah, it's nothing." Kaga assured as he finally simmered down and stood.
“Souryuu, Hiryuu, you two’ll fly and drop east, take out the weakest link as they wouldn't expect someone charging in from there. And do it swiftly,” Kaga instructed, his hands behind his back as he paced closer to the edge and oversaw the ants scattering before him. “Once that's done with, regroup with me to the main outpost. If you're fast enough, you might even catch a few preys of your own.”
"Man, that's disgusting, don't phrase it like that please." Hiryuu articulated his disgust while Souryuu simply chuckled and waved his senior off.
“Shoukaku, Zuikaku…” Kaga trailed off as he turned to look at the smirking Eldest and the Eager Youngest.
“We're on it, Senpai, just leave us to wreak havoc on the west side!” Zuikaku said, being more than happy to show off to his seniors.
“Hai Hai, Zui, simmer down.” Shoukaku piped up in an attempt to cool his brother's excitement before he turned towards their leader.
“In any case, yes Senpai, we'll take care of the east entrance, we know what we're worth."
“Good, I'd expect nothing less from you two.” Kaga stated as he threw the binoculars for Souryuu to catch as turned one last time to address his crew.
“Let's get to work, men."
“HAI!" The Kido Butai curtly responded before a bright blue hue engulfed each and everyone of them.
There was Hiryuu in his familiar black vest with the chrysanthemum seal worn under a gray jacket, tight fitting pants of similar colors and a pair of blue running shoes.
His rigging was simple and straightforward; it was a wooden-looking flight deck with a quiver built below the metal casing. The contraption was attached to an anchor on his back by a metal arm that he could freely extend and retract at a will.
Similar to his own brother, Souryuu, who sported a dark green haori over his own chrysanthemum sealed vest which had another layer below in the form of a black, long-sleeved shirt that fit nicely into his body. He wore a pair of black pants himself and finished it off with a pair of shoes similar to Hiryuu.
Souryuu willed his rigging to move to his side, and with mastered ease, he put a set of cards stacked on top of eachother down the flight deck and spread them along its length like a dealer in a Casino.
“Be seeing you later, Senpai."
With their farewells bode, the two brothers donned their Rabbit Masks and went ahead, willing their aircrafts to come forth and rattling their targets, further alerting the Cultists of the presence of an enemy as propellers whirred. The two of them didn't have to wait long for their rides as a pair of bombers were closing in on their position, and as they flew by, Hiryuu and Souryuu hitched a ride to battle by jumping aboard.
“Ooh, show-offs." Shoukaku couldn't help but snark as the wind made the sleeve of his jacket flutter and flow.
The two brothers– Shoukaku and Zuikaku– both wore a tailor-made white Haori with sleeves loosely based on the wings of a japanese crane, much like this world's Shipgirls from Jin Kimura's anecdotes, Aoto thought.
The key differences between the two Shipboys were the colour of their vests. Zuikaku wore dark-red as his choice of color with black gloves worn on his hand, offering little protection from the flames he conjures. To finish his uniform, the Brunette man wore black pants and a pairing of white shoes laced up as his footwear.
Shoukaku, meanwhile, decided that his choice of wardrobe would be a blue vest with the golden seal that the people had come to know the Sakura for over a black, long-sleeve. His pants were of a similar shade to his little brother, with the footwear being blue in color as opposed to his brother's brighter coloration.
When it comes to rigging, they're mostly similar with only a few minor differences. With Zuikaku having to house his enormous Ōdachi, his rigging had to to be significantly wider and longer as it acted as both the flight deck and the scabbard of the blade, the flat surface of the wood built over the metal casing that covers the sheath of the bladed weapon below. His rigging attached itself to his spine with a broad, metallic arm to help support the weight of the entire complement.
Shoukaku armed himself with a pair of swords with one blade shorter than the other. His rigging structure was like that of his sibling; a sheath built under the flight deck with the added bonus of another elongated compartment attached by two pieces of metal onto the side of the rig. To put things simply, it was a stylized Daishō, modeled specifically for Shirou’s tastes. His rigging, too, was attached with an arm, but at a significantly smaller scale for it wasn't burdened with carrying as heavy of a load as Zuikaku's.
“Senpai, we’ll get going, too." The Brunette crane voiced his enthusiasm through the grin on his face while his brother simply gave him a shrug.
The Crane Shipboys soon departed after Kaga gave them the nod of a go ahead, jumping down the cliff as the winds followed Shoukaku's whims, helping him and his sibling break their landing as they donned their Tengu Masks and charged into battle.
The Foxian mentally counted to ten before he took several steps back, gaining distance from the edge of the cliff, before he began pacing forward and rapidly gaining speed. Just before he fell to his injury, his sharp, blue eyes shone a brighter hue as he mustered his cube’s power and diverted them to his legs, sending him flying into the air in a mighty leap, leaving an explosion of dust in its wake.
Kaga harmlessly soared to the air, the loose fabric of his jacket whipping and waving, materializing a blue, Oni half-mask on his face as he extended his arm to summon his weapon. A fiery spear made of hot-blue flames, taking on the appearance of a variation of the traditional japanese spear called ‘Kama Yari’.
On his side, his rigging lit to life as the small embers expanded to take shape. And there floated his flight deck, constructed purely of azure fire.
As he began rapidly descending, his shadow loomed over one unassuming grunt who had taken a glance up a little too late as the Nine-Tailed Carrier bore down on him at a rapid speed. He could only let out a brief cry before Aoto stabbed him with a spear through his throat and smashed him on the ground, alerting the others to his presence as they turned their sights at him.
He took a moment to take a look at his surroundings before his eyes landed on the cave up ahead, guarded by a ton of bodies that would soon be headless. That thought alone made him smirk as he got to his feet and jumped off the corpse of his first victim.
“One." He counted, signifying the beginning of another slaughter.
Just another day in the Riptides.
Notes:
Where the fuck have I been, you ask... well...
Fuck, where do I start? midterm exams for second sem hit, got addicted to Ibis Paint trying to draw shit, Zenless Zone Zero Fanfiction (Check it out if you wanna), TNC making it to the MPL Philippines Season 15 Playoffs...
It's a lot, and not to mention Punishing Gray Raven, Wuthering Waves and ZZZ updated fairly recently.
Yeah, been busy jumping around personal life and academics.
Why do I feel the need to mention the games above? well, the characters from this game kinda, is my inspiration in the process of creating the rest of the Kido Butai.
Starting off, there is Hiryuu taking after Asaba Harumasa from ZZZ, with the bow and his electricity powers. More on that on a later chapter.
Souryuu, meanwhile, is just my attempt of turning him into a Yugioh duelist, lmfao.For Shoukaku and Zuikaku, I got my inspiration from Alpha and Yangyang from PGR and Wuwa respectively. For Shoukaku, I gave him the Wind Powers of Yangyang, the Bladework of Alpha: Crimson Abyss and Crimson Weave's Tanto (Which I made a Wakizashi). For Zuikaku, He'd have Crimson Weave's big ass Odachi? Nodachi? Idk, I'll research on that later.
I'm also doubling down on the City Ninja aesthetic of the Sakura Shipboys as opposed to the Shipgirls' traditional wear.
Also, I mentioned that I got addicted to Ibis Paint earlier... well...
https://x.com/Average601/status/1902962200681255369(Basically, I tried drawing Shipboy USS Enterprise as best as I could according to my interpretation. posted a link cause IDK how images work.)
Next Chapter: Rumble in the Jungle.
When: When I'm finished with it XD
Chapter 8: Rumble in the Jungle
Summary:
There is a reason that the biggest, most dangerous fish of the sea lurks in the deepest abyss.
And as chaos ensues in the surface, the Cultist go along with their plans of ascension.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was literal pandemonium inside the darkness of the cave system that the Siren Extremists had excavated, supported by sturdy beams and trusses of wood and occasionally metal, everyone was running around all over the place like headless chickens and there was not any sense of order or structure is in sight as the manual alarms blare outside of the cave, invading a young girls’ ears as she laid flat on an elevated stone surface, her limbs tied on the corners of the bloodstained rectangular platform as she cocked her head from side to side wearily, her eyes that had lost its glint a while ago now rekindle with the fires of hope…
“... Save me…” The foreign exchange student pleaded as a tear rolled down her cheek as the supposed leader of this group barked orders at his lieutenants in a desperate bid to get things under control.
“Two.” Aoto counted before he blitzed forward to grasp another poor victim by their face before smashing them down the ground, crushing their head like an insect.
That's three.
Aoto pulled his hands back, and shook the blood and gore off his hands before he waved his fiery flight deck in front of him to protect himself from machine gun fire from the nest.
“Tch, annoying…” He scowled as he materialized a pair of blue shurikens between his fingers before launching them separately towards his targets. Just before contact, the throwing stars transformed into aircrafts and crashed onto the nests, engulfing the emplacement in a majestic fireball, marking their blazing end.
He didn't even bother counting this time as blue fire converged above the palm of his hand until it finally materialized his spear. With no hesitation, Kaga threw it in the direction of three grunts that were frozen in fear and twisted awe at the show of might displayed by the cold demeanored foxian.
Not a split second later, howls of pain resounded through the air as his weapon made a shish kebab out of those grunts, as it flew straight through their torso and drilled a gaping hole that rapidly sapped their vitality away. Even when the corners were singed with fire, it did no good as the orifice was just too large to reasonably cauterize.
The Carrier then turned his attention to another team on the side of his vision and walked through the hail of bullets peppering hime like it was a minor inconvenience. Aoto reveled at the look of panic and fear etched on their faces as they desperately reloaded and dumped lead at his general direction, but the second wave still did nothing, they began to despair.
“Heh, running away?” He mocked as the Siren worshippers cried and ran for their lives, some stumbled and crashed face first, some fell on their rear and some crawled as their shaking legs betrayed them.
“Pathetic.” He sneered as he struck a stance and materialized a fiery matchlock gun on his hand.
He calculated a total of twenty-two and aimed to take them down one by one. He sniped the furthest ones first, blowing their brains out of their ugly heads heads, shooting them like ducks as their numbers rapidly fell. One by one, Aoto mailed them bullets in varying body parts. One where he blew an arm off, another where he put a hole in their stomach and so on.
That carnage went on and on until it was only one worm left out of his group to be plucked out of the ground.
He loomed menacingly over them, casting a shadow over their form as darkness crept in all around the poor victim's being, the inevitability of a brutal end closing in on them as they crawled backwards like a coward while they begged for mercy.
“P-Please, PLEASE, HAVE MERCY ON ME!” He pleaded as he raised his arms.
“I was juked into this shit! I don't want any part of this at all-AAAAAAGH!”
Aoto cut them off as he lit them on fire, watching them squirm and writhe in agony beneath him as blue fox fire slowly disintegrated them into a pile of ash, his eyes betrayed nothing but the lingering cold fury for those willing to betray their own species for a false sense of hope and unity under prophets with a skewed faith towards the enemy of humanity.
With that show over, Aoto moved on to the next recipient of such fury, a young looking bastard with a cocky grin on their faces as they held an RPG over their shoulders.
“Say hello to my little friend, DEMON!” They cried out as they pulled the trigger and launched the rocket towards the Kitsune that pounced on their hideout.
Aoto let the projectile fly and make contact, engulfing him in an explosion that sent debris and dust everywhere, concealing the results of the young maverick's hard work, but to them, it's all over.
“Got you, you bastard, that one's for my boys in heaven!” He yelled out enthusiastically, celebrating his victory over the demon that had terrorized him and his now dead friends.
The Demon was exorcised… or so he thought.
A brutal squelch soon made it to his ear as pain erupted in his abdomen. His eyes widened in shock and pain as a gasp of surprise escaped his mouth. He deigned to look down at what happened and saw the same demon burying his hand into his gut, blood staining them from fist to wrist as he eyed them with an unimpressed look.
“Not impressed, kid.” Was the last words that Aoto would let them hear before he grabbed onto something soft and tube-like, before yanking it out and letting their guts and digestive system spill out before he let it go as the young maverick fell limp on a bed of his own organs and blood.
He ducked under another rocket as it whistled towards him, letting it pass harmlessly and impact the ground behind him before the Shipboy dashed towards the assailant, his fiery blue sword primed on his side to cut them in half. With impressive speed, he blew past them and vanquished the poor soul in the blink of an eye.
He arrested his momentum by planting his feet to the ground and skidding to a stop before bringing his hand forward to will the matchlock gun on hand once more, took aim and blew the head off the shoulders of another cultist, blood spraying from the now headless body before it fell limp on the dirt.
“Alright, who's next?" Aoto said as he turned his attention towards the cave as another wave of armed cultists poured out of their hiding hole.
“EVERYONE, HIT THE GROUND!" A senior looking cultist yelled out before a bomb impacted their general area, sending a couple of men flying and crying to the ground from the shockwave, before the assailing bomber roared past them.
“How many do you think I got from that?" Hiryuu asked his older brother as he turned to address them, but the man in question didn't humor his sibling’ inquiry as he gazed ahead with a serious expression.
“Think about that later, take them out while they're still disoriented." He instructed as he drew a card from his flight deck and threw it at a hostile individual that tried to sneak one in, lodging the card deep into their throat.
“Woah! didn't see that guy there." The youngest expressed his surprise momentarily before he shook it off and forged ahead, bum rushing towards the disoriented group as he held his war bow in front of him with both hands– then pulling them apart into two curved swords, his wisdom cube activating as he began crackling with electricity with every step that he took.
Then, in a blink of an eye, he surged forth like lightning, disappearing into a blur of blue light before he struck his first victim like thunder, giving them no room to react as a cross shaped cavity appeared on their torso, the edges burned from the electricity that coated his steel.
He skidded on his feet and took advantage of his angular momentum, spinning on his feet before cutting a deep cavity on someone's side and grinding to a halt right behind them.
And in a show that would instill pride to Jin, Hiryuu weaved his head out of the way of a bullet, letting it whizz past before turning and sending his short sword flying towards a cultist that tried to shoot him from the back and hitting them in their eye socket, their head recoiling as their arms fell limp on their side, making them release the gun they held.
Hiryuu immediately blitzed past the standing corpse of his victim in a flash, pulling the blade off their still warm body as he blazed away before twisting it in his hand and driving it deep into the chest of another man that was just a split second away from discharging their weapon.
Souryuu, meanwhile, busied himself by covering for his comrade and taking out individuals that went under his sibling’s immediate notice by sticking a card to their body casually, making them fall like flies with a cry as he swiftly and methodically took them out. And then, a pistol round connected to his cheek, making Souryuu flinch before he turned towards the aggressor from the left.
Said aggressor seems to be, as the Americans say, ‘shitting his pants’ at this very moment as evident regret etched their features as their gun clattered to the ground.
The Eldest of the Leporine Half-siblings then eyed them with malicious contempt as he smirked sadistically.
“You should not have done that, partner." He said as their glasses shone brightly and his face darkened.
He willed a card with an insignia of a blue thunderbolt in the middle to fly off the deck and into his palm before it disappeared into a hue of blue as the elemental playing piece coated his fist with crackling electricity.
He jumped forward in a speed incomprehensible to the would be victim, and in their perspective, Souryuu practically teleported as air was extracted out of their lungs as the Shipboy lifted the cultist by the throat with their free hand.
The man tried everything to gain freedom– clawing their assailant’ wrist, punching their face and kicking their chest– but to no avail. Souryuu held on with a vice grip, and without much fanfare, he pushed his sparking palm against their chest and electrocuted them on their way to the afterlife.
After that, Souryuu dropped the still smoking, charred body, not even flinching at the sight of burnt skin nor the smell of charcoaled flesh.
“D-D-Demons!" A voice fearfully called out, which set off the rest of the remaining contacts as they scrambled towards the trees in a vain attempt to seek shelter from the attacking superhumans.
“They're scurrying off!” Hiryuu said right after nailing a man with a headshot over at the far side, prompting Souryuu to huff.
"Do not let them.”
At that, Hiryuu was spurred into action as he lunged ahead to give chase to the enemy. There will be no mercy for the wicked. Not today, nor ever.
With that in mind, Hiryuu sped past his brother– and stole a card off of their deck, which elicited a negative reaction from the senior Carrier after he recovered from the momentary shock of the junior swiping a fast one on him.
“Hiryuu, you bastard!”
At that, glee filled Hiryu as he cackled like a Yokai-possessed idiot before launching away the card with a print of flames on it. The card whizzed past every single cultist that ran to escape before it erupted into a long wall of fire to halt their plight.
His satisfaction was evident as Hiryuu couldn't help but quirk his lips up as he slowed to a stop. In front of him were a bunch of gobsmacked young boys, accompanied by a very few dissident of aged men with their backs against the the literal firewall, quivering in fear as what seems like a supernatural being that smote their brothers before, stand there menacingly as their partner walked up and joined them.
And then, Souryuu promptly detached his deck from the metal arm that held it and smacked the contraption on the back of their head in a comical fashion, resounding in a loud metallic thump.
“I-Itai!” Hiryuu exclaimed as a seething Souryuu addressed him with a look that would make a dragon want to retire.
“You idiot! I was saving that card for situations that warrants its use," Souryuu angrily said. “And have you not any regard to the law?! Fire Hazards are to be carefully utilized in an environment such as forests, dickhead!”
To be precise, The Forest Act prohibits unauthorized use of fire in forests.
Although its articles don't explicitly mention ‘lighters,’ they forbid using any fire-producing device without proper caution, particularly to prevent forest fires.
Activities like lighting cigarettes or campfires in forests without permission fall under this restriction, but getting into further detail of that matter would be irrelevant to get Souryuu’s point across.
Fire in Forest equals Bad, simple as.
Hiryuu caressed his aching scalp as he gave his sibling– or half-sibling if you will– a stink eye.
“Was bonking my head with a flight deck necessary? I'm already a dumbass as I am.” He asked Souryuu as the latter hung said contraption to where they belong.
“That’s what happens to unruly brats like you, now let's clean up the rest before the card that you wasted burns out.” Souryuu flippantly dismissed as the Extremists composed themselves from the initial wave of shock and awe.
One of them let out a cry and issued a desperate command to fire all they had to their assailants, and a second after the order was issued, small arms fire soon came after, but it was honestly more of an annoyance than anything meaningful. Bullets either crumpled in itself or ricocheted and glanced off to the side, panic looming over the Terrorists as the pair walk through the hail of lead they had dished out, frantically pulling their triggers with each step the Shipboys took as they found themselves being driven back towards the wall of flames that sent an uncomfortable warmth on their backs, the heat felt through their clothes as they were driven further and further into their demise until a collective click resounded in the air.
“Looks like you're all out.” Hiryuu remarked, spurring them to act in various ways.
Some shakily scrambled to reload while others lost grip of their weapons as they fell on their ass in fear, begging for mercy, some put up a brave front despite teetering close to shitting bricks in their pants while some began praying to their Almighty Siren Overlords to grant them salvation from the assaulting Devils of the Forest.
And two in particular decided to throw their empty weapons towards Hiryuu, prompting the Carrier to weave to the side and let the empty guns fly past him, clattering on the ground harmlessly.
Then the pair let out a manic howl and charged towards the Shipboy, drawing their knives out of their compartment in a brave– or foolish– attempt to take the Shipboy down.
Hiryuu charged ahead of his comrade to meet the two idiots in the middle. As he closed the distance, Hiryuu’s eyes gleamed a bright-blue color, tapping into the power of his Wisdom Cube and breaking the metal bow into a pair of blades once more.
He made all the calculations necessary in a split-second, and when the opening finally came, the Leporine jumped to the air, performing a full 360 degree twist front flip and became a whirlwind of death for but a few milliseconds, twisting in the air between his enemies as he sliced the twos head clean off their shoulders in a display of athleticism that would make Carlos Yulo himself blush.
Hiryuu landed on his knees and struck a rather peculiar pose, as if showboating to a nonexistent audience. His right hand was tucked behind his back while his left was extended to his side with a hand holding the weapon straight, his left knee close to his chest in a crouched position while his right leg was stretched to the side.
If Souryuu had to describe it, it would be Hiryuu's take at Tom Holland's Spiderman Pose, which he couldn't help but gawk at in disbelief for a moment.
Is this what the young ones of this generation call ‘Aura Farming’?
Brain numbing contemporary jokes aside, the eldest of the Leporine duo shook his incredulity off his system, and finally made his move as he lunged forth and performed a high kick to send the head of one of Hiryuu's victims flying towards the group of insurgents, lining it up perfectly with the face of a guy at the frontmost of their scattered formation, if it could even be called a formation in the conventional sense.
Hiryuu reacted accordingly as he stood upright the very millisecond he felt the chance and clapped his curved swords back together into its bow form and notched a lightning bolt as soon as the etheric bowstring came into being, and sent it with the velocity of a high caliber round.
It pierced the lifeless head that flew and spun like a soccer ball, taking the body part with it for a flight as it roared towards a terrorist before it struck its victim, hitting a bullseye hit between both the eyes of the one still attached to a shoulder and the beheaded one, the owner of the former soon collapsing limp to the ground as Hiryuu sped past the first of many to come.
Souryuu got into the action as well, settling into a combat stance as a stray group from Hiryuu’s pile charged at him.
“I count ten hostiles." He muttered to himself as the dissident rushed his position, ready for a fight or two.
Only, that's not what they're going to get.
The Four-eyed Leporine beat a wild haymaker from the first terrorist before he gave them a backhanded slap to the face, immediately following it up by planting his lead foot on the surface, twisting on the ball of it and delivered a graceful spinning hook kick that connected to the side of their face, causing an audible crack to resound as they fell to the ground with a dislocated neck.
No time for reprieve though, for as soon as Souryuu recovered, he weaved his head to the left and caught the arm of the assailant. He pulled his victim for a spin before he let go and let their momentum send them flying towards their friends, knocking them down like a bunch of bowling pins, and as they clambered to recover, Souryuu brought his hand up, and straightened his medial and index finger up before he uttered a command.
“Ignite!"
A millisecond after an order was issued, a paper with Sakura letters and symbols lit the man he threw in a rapidly spreading flame, affecting those that were in contact with the poor man, making them howl in pain and agony as they burned to a fine crisp.
And that was five, if he had counted correctly, he still had the other five trailing behind the first set ready to give him a try. Well, not for long…
Their position was soon strafed by machine gun fire from a plane flying past the field of the fight, the clearing providing just the ample amount of view for a run. Blood and gore splattered as dust was kicked up and displaced by the rounds that missed their rounds, taking care of Souryuu's problem.
That makes ten in total.
The Senior Carrier then looked over to their sibling off to the side and saw Hiryuu taking on a bigger group, surrounded in an encirclement with a cocky grin on his face.
The Shipboy counted about 18 individuals raring to go for a fight, and this time, Hiryuu would politely oblige and fulfill their desire for an ass whooping.
The Superhuman willed his entire complement out of existence as he spread his arms wide in a taunting manner.
“Come meet your maker, you heathens!”
That spurred the lot into action. Some of them, specifically about ten of them, began charging towards the cocky Leporine while the rest stayed back and engaged from a distance with small arms fire, but they echoed the same sentiment all the same.
“For our Overlords!” They yelled collectively as a group.
Souryuu wasn't idle throughout all of this and began throwing cards to those firing their guns from the back while Hiryuu could only scoff at the act.
“This is my pile, nii-san…” He muttered as he got into a stance.
The first cultist that came his way swung with nary a technique, letting his right hand swim through the air before it was abruptly halted by the Shipboy, who let his head fall back a safe range beforehand and had caught the strike with a hand on their wrist.
The Carrier wasted no time to follow up on this opportunity as he pushed the fist away from his face and wrestled it over to his left before he kicked the extremist inside their left knee, causing them to let out a cry as they lost balance and collapsed to the ground with a broken limb.
Hiryuu immediately took notice of the others following suit after his victim. He jumped into the air before he twisted into a spinning kick to cave in the skull of a cultist, striking them on the left side of their cranium before they flew off to the side, possibly dying of severe brain damage.
As soon as he landed to his feet, Hiryuu brought his palm up to arrest an incoming strike from his left, before grabbing onto it tightly and tossing the responsible cultist onto another group of three that was charging towards him, knocking the four individuals to the ground before a bomb blew them up from above, courtesy of a bomber from Hiryuu's air wings, leaving a crater of violence and death from where they were just a few seconds ago.
Hiryuu then winced in surprise as a series of small caliber bullets peppered his body before he clicked his tongue to show his annoyance. Before him, a good distance away from where he stood, there were the leftovers who had rendezvoused together after Souryuu had picked them off from the flanks. His skin felt itchy from all the munitions that bounced off his sturdy body, so he could give the three terrorists that small win.
Not for long, though…
The Leporine Shipboy crouched momentarily to pick up a rock from the ground before he stood back upright. He cocked his arm in a form that resembled a baseball pitch, before he flung it at full speed towards one of his adversaries.
The rock sailed through the air in record-breaking speeds, displacing dust from the sheer force of its velocity before it made contact, turning the head of the poor soul foolish enough to gain his ire into fine paste, making the other two hold their fire for a moment as they were splattered with gore, blinding them momentarily for Souryuu to take advantage of and finish them for Hiryuu.
The latter of which was quite happy dealing with the last stragglers from this section of the enemy base, the younger Demi-Hare counted about five remaining cultists and immediately got to work.
Hiryuu leapt forward to meet a charging terrorist head on before he weaved under a wild swing of their right hand– before he bore his fist up the gut of the man following behind them, making the second extremist double over before he did a 180 and struck his right heel to the wide open flank of the man he dodged past earlier, knocking them down to the side before a card from Souryuu tagged their torso and burnt them to smithereens.
The youngest could only grunt in annoyance from another stolen kill before he spun on his heel to face the grunt he had struck on their abdomen earlier– and fed him a very nasty front rising kick to the bottom of their chin, with the added spring from his supporting leg, making the victim’s head whip back into a range of motion that was clearly unnatural to the average human anatomy, accompanied by a resounding crack as they did an involuntary backflip.
Souryuu, amidst all that, finished off the last man over at his side by twisting their head, breaking their neck in a snap as the other one struggled to keep vital fluids in their body as it oozed out of a new orifice right at their throat, courtesy of the Carrier who sliced it open with a single throw of a card.
Back to Hiryuu, he was currently holding two men by the collar before he smacked their faces together and promptly let go to address the incoming threat– only for said threat to fall flat on their face as a certain four-eyed Carrier sent a card their way and pierced through their body.
“STOP THAT, YOU THIEF!”
"That's quite rich of you to call me out, my dear brother.” Was the Eldest’ nonchalant reply as he strolled over to his sibling' side while the latter finished off his downed opponents with a stomp on each of their faces to cave their skull in.
“Tch, I could've bagged more bodies than you if you weren't such a thief.” Hiryuu made a remark, to no effect as it only elicited a scoff from his Senior.
“I take no part in your childish games, Hiryuu, why does it matter if I got more kills than you?”
"Oh come on, you know there's at least some fun in seeing these lowlife, leeches of society skedaddle with their tails between their legs?” Hiryuu asked.
“Not quite the worthy prey I was looking for." Souryuu retorted as he fixed his glasses.
Ah, the ever so blatant disparity between a Kansen and a normal human.
Did you know that Mutsu once had a foot race with Noah Lyles during a joint morale boosting exercise between the United States Navy and the Armed Forces of Japan in the Sanctuary and won by a margin of 2 seconds? It may not sound like a lot, but trust Souryuu, it's as impressive as the people say.
In that same vein, did you also know that this world’s Enterprise’ kick once produced a force of roughly between 50 to 150 tons to dent the hull of a decommissioned Cargo Ship as a part of a propaganda commercial to, quote unquote, ‘boost the collective fighting spirit of America’?
And now imagine that kind of strength but multiplied by one and a quarter, you get a Shipboy. The strongest of which can go toe to toe with the likes of an Arbiter. The results would vary as a tussle between them would always be a coin toss…
Well, unless you're a certain American Shipboy who fights like he was blessed by the devils of the high-seas themselves.
“Pssh, buzzkill…” Hiryuu waved him off before the soothing sound of a flute made his ear perk up, accompanying it is the sudden strong gust of wind that blew towards the western-most part of the enemy settlement, the leaves rustling as the woods swayed to the whims of mother nature's breath.
"... If I have to guess, that's probably Shoukaku composing a dirge for the unlucky bastards.” The younger Shipboy commented.
“It would seem so," Souryuu retorted. “Come, let us rendezvous with Lord Kimura at once, lest we run the risk of being late."
"Late for what?” Hiryuu replied with a quizzical look on his face, which prompted the eldest Leporine to let out a fake cough before he turned his back on Hiryuu.
“Nothing, let's just leg it." Souryuu said before he took off, the sun glinting off the lens of his eyeglasses as a sadistic smile crept up on his face.
"(More…)"
“So you ARE enjoying this!" Hiryuu suddenly piped up over to his side, making him jump before he snarled at the youngest.
“No I don't! That's just you."
“You definitely do!"
“Am not!"
Over on the westernmost side, Shoukaku and Zuikaku were delivering what they had promised. It was complete chaos as stray 7.62s and 5.56 flew everywhere, most not hitting their mark, not because they were missing, but because the rounds either glanced off or crumpled in itself as soon as they made contact.
Not to mention the miniature wind vortexes that made it even more of a hassle for the terrorists to keep themselves on their feet.
“This is boring…” Shirou Sasaki couldn't help but remark as the loose fabric of his haori fluttered and flowed with the wind while he sailed up in the air like his namesake, the Soaring Crane.
And speaking of Cranes, a loud explosion caught his attention, before immediately identifying the man behind such handiwork.
“It would seem that my brother has taken out another arms depot.” He said, stating the obvious with a nonchalant expression before he brought his flute up to his lips again and commanded a squadron to strafe a group of five taking potshots up in the air towards him with gun fire.
Not a second later, the group of five was splattered into red mists as high caliber munitions ventilated them in bulk.
Zento Sasaki couldn't help but let out an airy chuckle at his eldest siblings’ nonchalance in the face of all this violence. Even through the tengu mask, he could just picture Shoukaku’s flat look.
Thoughts for later though as he returned his focus to the battle– if it could even be called that, because to be completely honest with himself, this is more like a one sided slaughter, like bringing a flamethrower to kill a single bug.
Zuikaku had already forgotten how many he had diced up since the start of the assault, some of them disfigured from the bombings, some of them chopped in half, and some charred to the color of coal.
He conjured up a fiery shuriken between his fingers before casting it towards a Siren worshipper that tried to hide and bide his time in one of the settlements that he had initially spared, hitting them dead on the face as they aimlessly discharged their rifle before they fell limp on the ground.
“Sloppy…” The Brunette made a self-chastising comment on where he lacked before he was alerted by a whistle-like sound that gradually and rapidly increased in volume.
Coming to a realization, Zento immediately turned and pulled the massive blade he wielded out of its sheathe and brought the weapon up before him to slice the incoming rocket in half, letting the two inert pieces slide off either side of his head before he honed in on the assailant.
The Avian took off towards them briefly after, wasting no time to cover the distance as he readied the enormous odachi on his side. Another few split-seconds passed and only then did Zuikaku finally lash out, timing his attack correctly as he sped past the terrorist, catching them in a wide, circular arc before their torso found itself sliding off their lower body.
He saw the look of surprise and terror on the Siren worshipper’s lifeless body below him, but he didn't dwell much on that as next on the chopping block was the group that Shoukaku caught in a vortex and the others that ran freely taking pot shots at the flying turkey in the sky, who gracefully swam through the air as a literal tornado surrounded him like a cyclone.
“Huh, that's convenient." Zuikaku quipped.
The Crane did not waste any second to completely seize the opportunity his eldest provided and immediately got into a particular stance.
He stomped his lead foot in front of him and brought the blade over his shoulder before he took in a heavy breath, focusing on the power gifted within him.
The Wisdom Cube answered his call for more power and granted the man his request, his yellow-amber eyes now glowing an azure hue as his sword ignited.
“RETRIBUTION!" Zento shouted out as he finally lashed out in a wide arc, sending a vast wave of flames in front of him. As it travelled, the flames soon coagulated together mid-air to form the ethereal image of a fiery phoenix, burning everything in its path, be it a stationary object or a living man.
None were spared by Zuikaku’s wrath as the giant, fire bird flew towards its main destination.
Said group were desperately trying to get their bearings amidst the tangle of limbs and the air pressure that trapped them, but their efforts were further invigorated when they saw their impending doom coming.
“Come on, move it!”
"Urgh, we're stuck!”
"Just keep pushing!”
"I-It’s coming, WE'RE ALL GONNA-”
Their panicked words were soon silenced by the following explosion as the bird made impact and engulfed them in a fireball of death.
Not to be outdone by his brother's flamboyancy, Shirou took note of the roaring fires that burnt the various settlements that the cultists had and literally fanned the flames into a roaring inferno as he commanded the winds with a tune of his wooden flute to form whirling twisters of air around fires, transforming them into a destructive combination of blaze and gust.
His eyes gleamed a bright blue hue as he tapped into the otherworldly power vested within him by the Wisdom Cube and mobilized the miniature Fire Tornadoes in various directions, scattering the remaining terrorist that survived Zuikaku's initial onslaught.
Speaking of him, the brunette turkey had his work cut out for him for while he was busy dodging and weaving around the wild trajectories of the pyronadoes, he also had to cut down the terrified terrorist as munitions exploded all around them, sending their morale further down into a freefall.
Finally, he called over to his sibling who was casually floating through the air above the battlefield as they reveled in the destruction of their handiwork.
“Hey, I'm down here you jackass!" The youngest yelled.
"Hah? The self-proclaimed equal of the Grey Ghost is struggling with a measly bunch of twisters? Oh, how far the glorious have fallen…~” Shoukaku mocked before he brought a hand up to his mouth and laughed at the youngest’ expense.
This elicited an immediate retaliation from Zuikaku as he seethed down on the ground. He rerouted one of his planes from strafing the shattered formations to do a Kamikaze run on Shoukaku, who promptly dodged, yelping out in surprise from the close call before a tick appeared on his forehead as he balled his fist before him.
“That wasn't necessary, you brute!” The eldest shouted out, visibly shaken from the near miss.
To which Zuikaku only scoffed at as the youngest of the Avian Carriers went straight back to business and surged forth to cleave whoever was bold enough to face him, all while his aircraft joined Shoukaku's in containing them in their area, preventing escape attempts as they rained ammunition and bombs to those that even tried.
One group though, off to his distant left, managed to sneak past his watchful ire as he tore one cultist apart after another, hiding behind all the fire, smoke and debris of the burnt tents on their way to their freedom that is the thick foliage of trees and shrubbery.
If only there wasn't another overlooking presence up above.
Shoukaku bore down on them like a raptor, his Flute now stored to his waist to make room for his hand to hold his Daisho. He lost altitude rapidly, the loose fabric of his Haori flapped intensely as he blew past the winds’ invisible resistance before he finally crashed onto one of the five scurrying rats, planting his heel on their chest as his momentum caused his victim to be pushed along the surface, digging a small trench.
Without hesitation, he brought the longer Katana down the chest and into the heart of the man he stomped on before he flipped the shorter wakizashi in the air and caught it by the blade.
He then launched it towards another Siren worshipper, and while a wakizashi isn't traditionally a throwing weapon, Shoukaku and his Shipboy compatriots had an aptitude for doing the improbable as he landed it square on the enemy's lobe as their head reared back from the impact.
The Carrier immediately pulled his Katana out of the dying man below and jumped for the shorter sword, ripping it off his other victim’s face before they collapsed on the dirt lifeless.
He crossed his weapons in front of him and sent an x-shaped blade of wind ahead of himself, chopping a cultist standing on his way into four different pieces before he jumped over them and formed the shape of scissor right at the throat of his next victim, eliciting a noise of utter shock out of them before snipping their head clean of their shoulder.
Shirou then turned towards the last survivor of the sneaking group, the tip of his blade now directed to their throat as they raised their hands in complete surrender.
Looking at the kid in front of him, he couldn't help but feel his empathy flare up as he gazed deep into the young boy’s fearful and sorrowful eyes, his weapons forgotten as they laid dirty on the ground beside him.
“Why did you join them?" Shirou hissed as a mix of emotions boiled within him.
“... I-I had no choice… everything is just so unaffordable now, even if I could find myself a high paying job,” The young boy explained through gritted teeth. “I can't build myself a life living normally at this point!”
"Why didn't you try?! You think that's an excuse for the thousand others you terrorize day and night?!” Shirou snapped as the sharp weapon dangled far too close to the kid’s throat for their comfort, his hold on his weapon tightening as frustration bubbled up within him.
"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?! YOU DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE SAME HARDSHIPS I DID!”
"No… I went through worse." With that, Shoukaku silenced the young boy for all of eternity.
Shirou Sasaki could only wonder… no, there are definitely others like the boy he had just jabbed on the throat. Such is the effect of the Siren War.
Employment boomed at its beginning for a very short duration, millions were drafted into the military, removing them from the civilian labor force, and for the rest, they would find their places in factories, producing weapons, vehicles and supplies.
But soon enough, that would make a complete 180 as the war wore every nation down. With the years of conflict piling up one after another, came also the impacts it had on the economic front. Trades were on the brink of collapse, with income and output of supplies for all countries at an all time low, hyperinflating finances, destroyed infrastructures in less developed regions that may take decades to rebuild…
Even a powerhouse like Japan was not spared. Despite the bright lights, the Socioeconomic status was anything but. One only needs to look at the kid lying in the pool of his own blood to put emphasis on that fact.
Even with all his power as a Shipboy, he could only do so much in the dark, and he won't even know whether it'd make a difference in the end. For as much as he wanted to help solve all of this, his skillset is not what's needed to tackle the issue, so really, what can he do…?
Shoukaku then let out a heavy sigh and beat the blood off of his sword as he began wandering towards the noise Zento was making over at the other side of the western settlement, sauntering over burnt and mangled corpses. He stored his Daisho back in their compartments as his air wing dissipated into small, purple paper planes just as they flew overhead. They fell to his hands, catching them between his fingers before willing them to disappear.
Maybe… they could do more than serving humanity in the shadows…
“... Jin…” Sasaki Shirou couldn't help but mutter to himself. If there was someone who could figure it out, it's his senpai, loathe as he might to admit it.
Though he'll take a mental note of that for later discussions as he finally wandered over to Zento as he finished off the last of the survivors.
“Zuikaku, let's rendezvous with our seniors at once.” Shoukaku curtly instructed.
"Hai, Shoukaku-nii.” The youngest answered with a nod of his head, storing the odachi back to its scabbard before taking a running start past his older brother, the latter of which couldn't be bothered to sprint as he took the flute on his waist and brought it to his mouth, willing the winds to propel him off the ground once more as he turned and sped ahead to fall in step with the youngest, leaving behind the desolation they had caused.
“Is that all?" Aoto couldn't help but scoff as he dropped the lifeless head he was holding to the ground, letting it roll downhill as he marveled at the destruction he had caused with his back turned towards the cave’s entrance.
The numerous corpses, the burning machine gun nests and tents…
He should've been happy and proud, but the brief catharsis that butchering all these men like pigs in a slaughterhouse had finally dissipated and he was left with a sense of immense dissatisfaction.
Some Battlebarge he was…
Grumpyness aside, there was some silver-lining to be had, for he took on the most fortified position in this entire encampment all on his own, which had him a leg up against his Juniors…
Well, “Juniors" with a quote on quote.
The truth was that he and Jin were the ones in the game of catch-up for some time now as their juniors finally reached the peak of their potential, not that he was jealous of their accomplishments, quite the contrary in fact. He derives pride from what his juniors have achieved in their years of service to the nation, growing under his and Akagi's meticulous guidance, but there's still that certain inexplicable feeling of being left behind...
Again, he was supposed to be the Senpai along with his half-sibling, so he was more than happy for a challenge to finally hone his degrading combative prowess… only, they won't be had here as they were pretty much stuck dealing with threats from within and not the dangerous foes and adversity he was so used to dealing with.
What he would give for a chance to wipe the floor with Purifier’s disgusting face one of these days…
Was he jinxing it? Most likely, but does he care? Not at all.
With nothing left to do, he turned to face the big, geological hole where all the depraved practices of these Hokey Zionists are being enacted by some equally twisted leading figure. He was about to take the first step into the cave when his ears twitched as he picked up the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.
“Senpai!" Hiryuu called out as he slowed to a stop beside Kaga, who crossed his arms and closed his eyes before making a lofty remark.
“You’re late, I was starting to think I'm gonna have to storm this hole all by myself.”
"And let you hog all the Kill Count? Of course not,” Hiryuu haughtily bit back. "Though, with that being said, I don't think there's not many bodies to bag in there, probably just the remnants.”
"Whichever the case, I think I would prefer staying here and guarding the entrance,” Souryuu piped up as he slowly propped his rear above a sizable rock. "Hiryuu, you can go ahead with Kaga-Senpai.”
"Well… if you say so." Hiryuu felt a little perplexed, but ultimately accepted it with a roll of his shoulder.
“Guys, wait up!” The familiar voice of Zuikaku called out as he ran towards his seniors, accompanied by his brother who sped ahead of him and floated over to Kaga, landing in front of his senior as he dispelled the air that propelled his flight.
“Glad you both can join us, I thought we’d have to go spelunking without the pair of you.” Hiryuu teased with a grin on his face.
“What took you two so long?” Aoto asked with his ever indifferent face, crossing his arms like a dad demanding an explanation from his kids.
“We took care of the western side as fast as we could,” Shirou said as Zuikaku slowed to a stop just beside him and chimed in. “Sorry, Senpai, they were well armed and very numerous, we did it as fast as we could.”
Kaga let his stern, lecturing gaze soften somewhat as he ultimately bought their explanation, partly because there’s nothing to get so hissy over in the first place and partly because the senior Carrier came to the realization that acting like a stuck up officer was unreasonable of him.
“Don’t fret, you two did nothing wrong,” Kaga reassured as he turned his gaze towards the entrance. “What matters is that the two of you even made it.”
“Is that supposed to be a praise or a jab at our lack of timeliness?” Shoukaku retorted with an aura of smugness that irked the Kitsune, but Aoto didn't bother.
“Whichever the case, let's get to raiding their sacred chamber-ah?” Shirou began, but was immediately cut off when he felt his legs wobble beneath him, and before he knew it, he was already on his side with a certain white-haired Carrier rushing beside him with… wait, is that concern he sees on Lord Kimura’ face?
“Shirou Sasaki, have you been careless with the usage of your ability to fly?” Kaga queried with a strict note on his voice.
“Ah, well… I may have… spent the entire engagement over at the western side hovering and showing off on the battlefield.” Shoukaku said, nervously chuckling as he shrank under his senior's disapproving gaze.
The senior Carrier then let out a sigh as he relented with his rigidness and helped his junior up to their feet, his features softened as he gave him a word of advice.
“You have to let this bad habit of yours go, showing off is a fool's idea of glory afterall. much better to conserve all that power for powerful prey.”
“Hai, Senpai.” Shirou said, scratching where it wasn't itchy as he averted his gaze.
That aside, Aoto finally made a decision.
“Shoukaku, stay here with Souryuu and watch the exit, take your time recuperating, Hiryuu, Zuikaku, you two are with me. We'll flush the rats out of their nest.”
“Senpai, I have a concern.” Zento piped up.
“Hit me with it.”
“I'm lugging this gigantic piece of steel around, and while we don't know how wide the caverns are, I don't want to have to wave this thing around in a possibly cramped area, so I'd like to request a swap with Souryuu.” Zuikaku said.
“(And besides, I want to keep watch on my brother, anyway.)” He added mentally.
At that, everyone just gave a nod, especially Kaga, who had to applaud his junior's strategic thinking in his head, no matter how small it was. It's Zento Sasaki, afterall, you'll never find a more fitting example of a bird-brained individual than him.
“You have to give them credit no matter the significance of their feats. I'm not saying that you coddle them, I'm just asserting that everything starts with baby steps.” A certain echo of the past in the deep recesses of his mind resounded, making Aoto sigh.
“... Fine. Souryuu, you will take Zuikaku’s place. Now, let's get to work.” Aoto said as he brought an arm on his shoulder and rolled it, letting out a satisfying crack.
“Ryoukai.” Everyone gave their collective affirmation.
With that, Aoto and his group took their first step into the Hornet’s nest.
“Sire, every last one of our men have been massacred!” A voice of a young woman frantically reported.
“Hmm… I see…” Was all they said as they walked over to the reinvigorated girl lying flat on her back, pulling on her constraints desperately as an unknown contraption loomed over her.
“... Begin the refinement process.” He instructed, which made everyone whip their attention at him bug eyed with surprise.
“But sire, the ‘Herald’ said that the process is still imperfect and had instructed us to stay our hand from further attempts until further notice!” They said with a hint of concern.
“We are running out of time, sister! The Demons of Azur Lane, their False Idols, are now at hand’s reach of one of many of our God’s masterpieces! I refuse to let it fall to the enemy’s hands, now initiate the process! Seal the entrance and man your post for the refinement process!”
“Y-Yes Sire!” The girl said before she frantically issued orders to her compatriots to run to their places.
Armed terrorists rushed out of that section while the experts rushed to the terminals, the hardwares was rigged to run and control the contraption.
The machine was dark colored, featuring an elongated, tri-pointed radial structure attached to the body of a cylindrical laser module at the base, and floating right at the center, acting as its focusing lens, was a Wisdom Cube, but unlike a normal one, this Wisdom Cube exudes a certain Aura of Darkness, matching its black coloration as it loomed menacingly over the poor girl.
“Sire, our armed forces have all filed out of the lab.” A cultist notified their leader, eliciting a hum out of him as he approached their test subject.
“Seal the latch.” The Overseer of the entire outpost commanded, spurring the nearest individual into action.
They pushed the metallic door close and gave the handwheel a firm spin before it completely sealed, locking them out of the world outside as the Black Wisdom Cube illuminated their venue of experimentation.
“No…” The girl muttered to herself as a wave of despair crashed onto her like a Tsunami while she stared down the cold and inanimate cube as it gained a brighter hue by the millisecond.
To think that this… thing… would decide whether she will die or live a life different from before.
“You should be grateful, girl… a chance for ascension… to grace and grovel at the feet of our gods…” Their Sire trailed off as he spread his arms wide in the air.
“Oh, you should truly be honored! Many such as I envy your position, so be grateful for the divine gift they have bestowed upon your mortal coil!” He proudly preached before he let out a manic laugh, drowned out by the deep humming of the charging machine.
Three small focuses of light illuminated the black wisdom cube before the main module charged up enough power to fire at the wisdom cube, sending down a beam to the black, crystalline piece of geometry as the dirty violet coloration slowly purified into a bright red coloration.
And then, a bright flash followed.
“Sire, the power output is stable and has reached a hundred percent. The Sacrifice is prepared for its refinement.” A cultist said as the rest paused to look at the figure of the man looking at the fearing woman with an unreadable expression.
He then looked over his shoulder and uttered one single word that would change the girl's life forever.
“Fire.”
And just like that, a steady stream of unique gamma radiation bombarded her body, a line of light red stretching from the contraption’s tip to the middle of her chest burned her as she wriggled and convulsed in pain.
“AAAAAHHHH!”
Her bloodcurdling scream was empowered by the energy she was being plated with, her nerves feeling as if magma had replaced her blood, all while her physical features began to visibly transmorph into something different… something alien… something profoundly unholy…
Her hair lengthened and changed in color, what used to be a vibrant shade of blonde now darkened into that of dark blue, her skin, healthy and white lost their vitality as she slowly took on a more deathly pale, her eyes, especially her pupils, once a youthful shade of light blue, now darkened and dimmed under the influences of an energy that no human should even be subject under in the first place.
Her scalp suffered an agonizing pain from within as she felt her very skull transform, and then a pair of webbed horns befitting of a marine animal suddenly bursted out as blood sprayed from the sudden change.
Her arms disappeared and was reduced into a red light that resembled the vague outline of a limb for a moment before it began filling up with a black, chromatic limb structure resembling gothic armour that covered her arms just below the shoulders, with red lines glowing and dimming like a pulse.
Here they were, the fanatics of a destructive yet unknown entity, creating an abomination that made nature itself recoil in disgust, their ethics and morals cast aside in an attempt to pursue their twisted ascensions.
She was no longer a human.
Soon, the flow of energy died down, and the lightshow with it.
No longer was she a feeble teenager.
“Sire, the Black Wisdom Cube Transfer was a Success.”
No longer was she powerless.
“Arise… Arise, OUR ORACLE!!”
No more begging and pleading for her life.
The girl rose upright, her locks covering her eyes before she pulled on her constraints, snapping the metal chains that shackled her, leaving the rest to dangle on the iron cuffs that still bound itself to her wrist.
She had the power…
“How glorious…” The Overseer whispered in awe as their experiment finally came into fruition, watching as the mortal woman woke up as she slowly stood above the stone platform, looking down on her subjects… at least, that's what they thought…
But most importantly…
“Come, my lady… let us make haste and spill the Demons’ blood in our gods’ name.” He piped up after snapping himself out of his reverent trance, offering a hand, but was soon left perplexed as the girl only looked at his outstretched limb with a vacant look.
… She had the HATRED.
Her eyes soon flickered with strong emotions, before she bore her canines and hissed wordlessly at the man, her face contorting from a serene, indifferent expression to one that tells of a profound anger… of fury… of disdain.
She…
The woman(?) started levitating as she began hyperventilating profusely, seeing all red all around her, much to the confusion of the creatures before her, especially the one who had stood much closer to her, now backing away from her as a hint of concern now crossed his face.
Was…
Her hair bristled like that of an animal as three outlines of unknown constructs appeared on both sides and behind her, but the ethereal red shape was soon occupied by three Jellyfish made of black Iron, the jagged look giving an aura of corruption and evil as the authority granted to her by the alien device stirred to materialize her rigging.
… A Siren.
The Hybrid then let out an ear-piercing screech as her legs was imbued by the power of the black Wisdom Cube, transforming her terrestrial pair into an an aquatic tail, with a tailor not so dissimilar to her arms. It was a black, metallic flexible tail with a physical light projection of a red fin, the entire bottom half was itself lined with a pulsing red.
She hovered in the air as her marine tailpiece made motions resembling a swimming mermaid before she lashed out and fired her armament in every direction, sowing chaos in that sealed environment as explosions shook the entire underground experiment site, debris and leftovers of every terminal’ electrical component flew everywhere as sparks and fire lit the dark chamber.
She willed the biggest of her jellyfish to unveil its weapon of mass destruction, a circular hole that glowed a menacing red revealing itself as the cover parted from the middle to retract inside its bulbous head.
With another yell, the girl unleashed her excess power, turning rock and stone into molten hot lava and charring the bodies of those in the line of fire.
The survivors rushed to the exit and began banging on the porthole as another explosion finally caused electricity to wane and die, darkening the caverns that led outside as the lights blew out, spurring the guards to fish for their flashlights to give themselves illumination besides the lights the chaos from the Sacred Chamber.
The Overseer, who had been so busy hiding behind whatever he can find, be it the flesh of his fellow worshipper, or the ruined remains of hardware, now found himself running towards the latch as he helped his compatriot in unsealing the airtight hatch, the metal groaning as they attempted to spin the handwheel…
Until a piece of bloodied metal rebar pierced the steel doorway, lodging it between the gaps of the supports of the Iron Wheel, rendering it impossible to revolve accompanied by a scream of agony from the other side, surprising the Overseer for a moment and making him stumble back.
He was trapped.
Not long after that realization, a sharp pain erupted from his back as three pointed steel pierced him all the way to his chest, followed by the death of another one of his brothers from earlier as the group of metal jellyfish swarmed and tore them apart into pieces.
And then, it was his turn as all the anguish and pain he had issued now struck him back in full force.
For he had created not an oracle nor an ascended. He had created a monster.
He had created…
The girl let out another shriek, sending chills down the spine of those who were there to hear it before she finally collapsed to her knees from all of her expended energy, a tear streaking her cheek as she no longer roared in anger but wailed in pain and anguish as the torment of her past were still vivid in her mind. Here she stood triumphant yet grief stricken at the same time, her delicate state of mind still struggling to comprehend the bombardment of forbidden knowledge courtesy of her overlords as her free will wrestled with the enforced desire to sow chaos and destruction.
And eventually, she passed out from the internal conflict…
Over to a corner, covered in debris, were the fluttering light of a piece of a terminal screen with a peculiar name on it.
( PROJECT “LAMIA” IS COMPLETE.)
The men outside recovered their bearings after almost having their eardrums blown out, standing upright again as the men devolved into a murmur of remarks.
“What the hell was that…” A young voice remarked as he turned to look at the sealed Iron door behind the group.
“Think about that later, we have to save Honda-san!” Another masculine voice retorted.
“It's too late… poor bastard bled to death while we all hit the ground.” An old, gruff voice resounded as the owner shone his flashlight at the poor victim stuck to the metal door behind him by a sharp, elongated piece of metal right at his gut.
“Kami-sama…” One of them expressed their awe and horror at such a brutal sight behind him.
But they couldn't dwell on their dead compatriot for too long as heavy footsteps from the dark reaches of the tunnel resounded, putting all of them on alert as the the thunderous thudding of sole meeting soil became louder and louder before it paused.
They trained their sights at the dark pathway, ready for any threat that walks out of the dark, their flashlights shining the darkness to make out whoever– or whatever– was staring them down.
The mystery would soon be answered as Aoto Kimura materialized his fiery katana, illuminating his menacing white figure for all the cultist to see and grovel in terror at.
“OPEN FIRE!”
And not a second after that command was issued, a hail of lead made its way over to the intimidating Kitsune rapidly closing in on them with his downright magical blade.
Aoto, in a display of pure skill, parried and deflected the rounds that flew towards him, sparing him the annoyance of dealing with bullet stains as he walked up to his first victim. With his sword firmly clasped in his right hand, he cleaved in a wide arc before him and cut the terrorist in two.
The Kitsune turned his attention to the man next in the chopping block and sliced their rifle’ barrel off before he cocked his blade back to then stab them on the throat.
And then, the Carrier wildly swung his sword to cut a deep gash on the bodies of two other cultist, the blade carving through the metal and fabric of their protective vest before they fell face first.
He stomped past them to grab another Siren Cultist by their throat with his free hand. He raised them off their feet to then crush their pipe in his strong, vice-grip before he brought the corpse before him as a meat shield.
The body was pattered with bullets, the blood still coursing in their veins spraying out in a fountain as he was cascaded with a line of small arms fire.
And then, their rifles all made a collective click.
“S-Shit!” One of them cursed as they frantically reached for a magazine.
But Kaga wouldn't give them the chance as he threw the dead body aside and began waling away at the survivor, dismantling their already disgruntled formation down to the last man in a haze of flame and blood. Heads rolled, limbs were severed and the ground was painted red beneath him as Aoto slaughtered them like younglings who can't fend for themselves.
Eventually, the storm passed and the Kitsune in white held the last man by their face, the cultist kneeling before him as they struggled to free themselves. Their efforts were in vain, however, as Kaga then tightened his grip, slowly crumbling and imploding their head in itself before brain matter and other head organs splattered everywhere.
Hiryuu and Souryuu then walked up to their Senpai, stolen flashlights they looted from the dead in hand as the youngest of the Leporine Shipboys wolf whistled at the dirty work of their Senior.
“Hot damn, Darth Vader.”
And Souryuu couldn't help the urge to roll his eyes at the remark.
Aoto gathered himself from his bloodstained reverie and looked ahead.
“That's where the source of the noise is,” he said cooly as he prepared himself to kick the latch down. “Be ready for anything.”
At that, Hiryuu and Souryuu took up arms as Kaga freed the dead body on their way, throwing their corpse aside before he willed his Wisdom Cube to bless him with enough amount of strength to break the Hatch down.
And then, with a mighty roar, the Senior Carrier brought his heel on the door, causing a loud bang as its structure broke and collapsed to the ground with a resounding, metallic ring, displacing dust everywhere that made everyone alive cough.
“Jesus fucking christ, Battlebarge!” Hiryuu remarked after he recovered.
“Oh, you subscribe to Christianity now?” Souryuu interjected with a dry tone of voice.
“Shut up, it's just an expression!” The youngest bit back, all while Kaga ignored their quarrel as his gaze fell at the figure completely sprawled out amidst all the visual chaos that is the Sacred Chambers of Ascension, as they had come to know from the words of the extremist defending it.
The features, the otherworldly beauty, and the rigging composition… it's not even a doubt.
A Siren Humanoid.
However, Aoto couldn't dwell long on that as he noticed how her face expressed a deep, scarring pain in her sleep, as if she was in a terrible nightmare, her scrunched brows, her soft yet strained moans… as if she was reliving memories full of torment...
“Well what do we have here…” Was all Aoto could say.
His instincts. It was always the first thing he had trusted, sitting up higher than even his loved ones in that hierarchy, if he was allowed to be bold and say it, and when you ask the Kitsune what the first thing in his head was when encountering a Siren, he would confidently answer with Hatred.
However, for the first time in a long stretch, Aoto found himself conflicted whether he would trust his gut or not as what he saw for himself was oddly… Human…
Sirens often carry themselves like that of an indifferent machine. They may laugh, they may sneer, they may display anger and hate, but all of that felt simulated… artificial… as if it was a pre-programmed response by a creator that wanted to recreate the essence of Humanity in their twisted creation.
This Siren, however, exuded none of that aura from where she laid…
As if the girl had a soul of her own…
Notes:
Guess who's back?
I wanted to finish as soon as I could, but Gary Williams and Astra Yao dragged me to New Eridu thinking of the Super Family's course for a while, got me brainstorming Ideas and shit, but through Observer Zero's BS multiversal magic, I made a quick Homecoming.
Now, speaking of Magic "WHY ARE THE SHIPBOYS USING MAGIC NOW?!" to that I say, I'll explain the power system later because I wrote myself to a corner with this one.
Now, Lamia, and if you play PGR, you know the reference. In this universe, she's a Super Submarine Human-Siren Bio-Construct on par with a Legendary Shipgirl like Enterprise, and that's all I can say for her.
And speaking ALSO of Enterprise, I remade my shitty OC art, take a look at a thread I made in twitter and make a judgement!
Here:
https://x.com/Average601/status/1946933433072292217?t=9CZ8bZ-1Bi-SF0uOm4iShw&s=19
Another work I'm proud of is a doodle of Stahlzahn, over here:
https://x.com/Average601/status/1950035666441552153?t=ZgZexxK7U3YELOlehDTamA&s=19
With that being said, ONIC Hollow Investigation Agency is banging at my doorstep again, so I gotta catch y'all later.
Next Chapter: Golden State Warriors
AntoRaid98 on Chapter 1 Sat 26 Oct 2024 10:52PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 1 Sat 26 Oct 2024 11:04PM UTC
Last Edited Sat 26 Oct 2024 11:07PM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 1 Sun 27 Oct 2024 08:57AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 1 Sun 27 Oct 2024 10:22AM UTC
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Gooperscooper2 on Chapter 2 Sun 27 Oct 2024 07:53AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 2 Sun 27 Oct 2024 09:43AM UTC
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Akhiran on Chapter 2 Sun 27 Oct 2024 08:37AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 2 Sun 27 Oct 2024 09:15AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 27 Oct 2024 09:43AM UTC
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AidenJacksonSmithDSBB on Chapter 2 Mon 28 Oct 2024 03:29AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 2 Tue 29 Oct 2024 01:30AM UTC
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Gooperscooper2 on Chapter 3 Mon 28 Oct 2024 02:48PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 3 Tue 29 Oct 2024 08:33AM UTC
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Akhiran on Chapter 3 Mon 28 Oct 2024 03:39PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 3 Tue 29 Oct 2024 08:32AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 3 Mon 28 Oct 2024 08:36PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 3 Tue 29 Oct 2024 02:42AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 4 Fri 08 Nov 2024 05:33PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 4 Sat 09 Nov 2024 08:20AM UTC
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Synso on Chapter 4 Fri 08 Nov 2024 10:29PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 4 Sat 09 Nov 2024 07:56AM UTC
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Mrmister_1 on Chapter 4 Wed 20 Nov 2024 05:46AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 4 Wed 20 Nov 2024 08:49AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 5 Sun 22 Dec 2024 06:50AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 5 Sun 22 Dec 2024 07:31PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 5 Sun 22 Dec 2024 10:32PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 5 Sun 22 Dec 2024 11:52PM UTC
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Gooperscooper2 on Chapter 6 Fri 07 Feb 2025 10:58PM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 6 Sun 09 Feb 2025 06:49PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 6 Mon 10 Feb 2025 12:47AM UTC
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Mrmister_1 on Chapter 6 Sat 15 Feb 2025 08:51AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 6 Sat 15 Feb 2025 08:57AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 7 Tue 08 Apr 2025 09:10AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 7 Tue 08 Apr 2025 11:15PM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 7 Wed 09 Apr 2025 05:36AM UTC
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panzerkampfwagen2 on Chapter 7 Tue 29 Jul 2025 11:58AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 8 Tue 29 Jul 2025 09:59AM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 8 Tue 29 Jul 2025 11:00AM UTC
Last Edited Tue 29 Jul 2025 11:01AM UTC
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AntoRaid98 on Chapter 8 Tue 29 Jul 2025 03:40PM UTC
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M0B1US_0N3 on Chapter 8 Tue 29 Jul 2025 11:06PM UTC
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