Without You
Chapter 2
Separation is a Difficult Thing
The next morning wasn't any better. Mutsu had a slow start and when she opened her door, she was immediately intercepted by Nagato who was about to knock on her door.
"Oh, Nagato, what are you doing here?"
"Sorry, I didn't meant to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that I have to go out, the Admiral's orders. And I want you to man HQ while I'm gone. Do you think you can handle that?" For some reason, Mutsu was speechless. "Mutsu, you okay?" Out of nowhere, she placed her hand on her shoulder which quickly snapped her out of her trance.
"Oh yeah, I can do that."
"Alright, thank you. I'll be counting you, we all will." At that moment, she gently placed her hand on her cheek. In response, Mutsu's cheeks turned bright red and got very warm. Unfortunately, Nagato was too ignorant to notice this behavior. They stared at each other for a few more seconds until she left and went out on her mission. Meanwhile, Mutsu made her way to HQ where Ooyodo was waiting for her.
"Orders ma'am." Mutsu was still thinking about what happened between them to realize that she was asked a question. "Mutsu-san?"
"Oh, sorry. No orders for right now. Let's just see how things go. Man the comms and be patient."
"Yes, ma'am." Without Nagato there, that room seemed very boring. Mutsu wasn't too good with giving orders, but she was good at following them. Now, with her taking charge of the fleet, she felt like she had a much bigger responsibility than normal.
As the day started out, things were very quiet. HQ had nothing going on. Mutsu occasionally looked outside and saw that everyone else was having a good time. She didn't mind doing Nagato's job, but seeing everyone with each other made her feel a little sad. She eventually found her way to the seat that overlooked the map of the area. She examined it carefully to try and figure something out, but nothing came to mind. When that got old, she turned her head towards Ooyodo, but nothing came in over the comms. That's when she let out a loud sigh. It seemed as if everything was happening when Nagato was in charge and nothing happened when she took that roll. But suddenly, Ooyodo concentrated her headphones as she was receiving a transmission.
"Uh huh. I see… Keep at it then." Without wasting any time, Mutsu stood behind her desperately waiting for the news.
"What happened?"
"Nothing really. They reported an incursion with a lone carrier, but they were able to finish it off."
"Hm, strange that it would be by itself. The Abyssals usually travel in large squads."
"Yeah, I know. I think that's why they felt the need to contact us."
"So that's it?" Ooyodo gave her a simple head nod and then Mutsu sprang up again out of nowhere. "Who transmitted that message to us? Was it Nagato? Is she alright?" Mutsu was bombarding her with questions, but she was unable to answer all of them. She eventually grabbed Mutsu by the shoulders and shook her around.
"Calm down. It was just a lone carrier. There's no need to worry about them. They had capable fleet girls in that battle so everything's fine." Ooyodo looked her in the eye until she finally settled down a bit.
For the rest of the time, nothing else came up. Mutsu focused her attention on the comms even though it was Ooyodo's job. No orders came in from the Admiral so there was nothing for either of them. Ooyodo wasn't much of a talker so Mutsu couldn't really figure what to talk about with her. The day grew late as the sun started to reach the horizon. After a few more minutes, a beeping came from the radar as Mutsu quickly made her way over to it. It was obvious what it was. She ran out of the room and made her way to the docks and waited. Only a few seconds later, she saw the squad make their way towards the bay and a smile emerged on her face. She saw they everyone was fine, but still looked a little sad. She welcomed back everyone as she patted them on the shoulders.
"It's so nice to see you all back safe and sound."
"Thank you Mutsu-san, wish we had you out there."
"But then who'd watch over the mainland?"
"You don't need to think about that." They both smiled as everyone made their way to the showers. The last one out of the water was Nagato who made her way to Mutsu. She was slightly on edge so she decided to let Nagato say the first word.
"These missions are always unfortunate. I hate seeing those looks on their faces. It's almost like they're useless."
"Don't think like that. They know their doing everything for a purpose… for our oceans to be back in our hands."
"I know. I just wish there was a better way for things to turn out."
"We all do." They looked at each other for a few seconds before Nagato broke their little moment.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to turn in for the night." She walked passed her and made her way towards the bath.
"Of course." Mutsu watched her and wanted to say so much to her, but she looked exhausted. She didn't want to hold her when she's had such a long day of work. She knew that it was best to wait for a better time for it. She sighed once again and headed back to HQ.
The night grew late and Mutsu headed home. On the other hand, Nagato waited until the bath was clear and then headed home to wind down for the day. The perfect heat of the water and the solidarity of the room was what Nagato loved most. It made her feel relaxed and ready to take another new day with her normal strength and stride. However, for some reason, her mind was a little restless as she took a load off. Something was on her mind that was normally a thought all the way in the back of her head.
Mutsu seemed a little different, didn't she? Something was different in her eye. She seemed so much more caring than any other time. Why was she like that? Did she mean to act like that or was it just me? I mean, I didn't really do anything different so it was definitely her. She sunk lower into the bath and tried to calm her mind, but that thought continued to linger making her unable to completely let everything go. She suddenly stood up from the bath and looked straight ahead with determination in her eyes.
Why is this girl stuck in my head?
End of Chapter 2
