A/N: There will be action coming soon, but I feel that a little breathing room is needed in-between action for character development first-the JMSDF and the Kanmusu are still recovering/resting up from their battle a few days prior, so it wouldn't make sense to cut into more action. Plus, Mikasa really, really needs to catch up on the modern world (and get over something). I'll try and increase my posting rate so that if these kinds of scenes aren't of interest to you then it won't seem like I'm dragging it out (I have no plans to do so, I want this plot bunny to hop somewhere!).

Little extra snippets that might seem fluffy or break the flow of the chapter/fragment but are still relevant to the plot will be designated with either a decimal or a letter.

Canon. Contains some additional scenes that I didn't want to flesh out into an entire chapter but add a bit more details/fluff on the characters.

"Hey Bob," a bunch of officers waved as they stuck their heads in the room. "We missed your silly face."

"As did I," Tōgō waved back.

"Any chance you can eat with us soon? How's that arm of yours?"

The lieutenant made a loud sniffle. "It's just a flesh wound!" she trumpeted as her colleagues left the room in laughter.

"Bob?" Mikasa asked curiously.

"A reference to my bob cut," she replied, pointing at her hair, "plus the fact they think I'm a bokukko."

"You do use boku a lot when referring to yourself," the battleship raised her eyebrow.

"Hey boss," Katsuragi called out as she hopped into the room. "It looks like you're okay."

"So I am. I heard you did magnificently during the defense of Tokyo."

"Eh, just the usual. Launched some planes, received some planes. Tried to kick some butt. Zuikaku-senpai would have been disappointed if she saw me."

"That's not what I've read," pulling up a report that the lieutenant had somehow gotten ahold of on her phone. "Kaga said that 'Katsuragi proved herself in that battle. Even the Kidō Butai would be hard pressed to defend the city with such low aircraft numbers. Yes, the First CarDiv would have performed better and spotted the offending abyssals had we been there, but she is more than qualified to sortie, especially given her efficiency in the present crisis.'"

"That's just that battleship's opinion," the Unryū carrier reddened. "I'm…I'm not that…I'll tell her I said thanks!" she replied quickly.

"How did the Kikka prototypes hold up?"

"Oh! They were wonderful, Lieutenant. I think my pilots had forty confirmed kills in them."

"Mmm. How agile were they?"

"They could keep up with the abyssal Zeroes pretty well."

"Sounds like the Shidens are still better," Tōgō sighed. "I guess it's because the fairies and I have more data to work off of with a plane that actual saw surface in comparison to a jet that only saw a few trial runs before being retired."

"But Tōgō! They're so fast!"

"Doesn't mean they necessarily have the fuel economy. Might put a strain on your AV gas supply in a prolonged battle."

"Lieutenant, can I keep these prototypes, please, please, pretty please?"

"A tsundere begging. I've seen it all."

"H-h-hey, I'm not a tsundere!"

"Considering how much you hated us personnel as 'weak-kneed surrendering bastards' when you first arrived I'd say so, but I hear you out. You can try them out for a little longer, but if they have issues I'm going to have to ask you to switch to Shiden or your Model 52's again."

"Thanks Tōgō-san! Get your butt well soon!" The carrier shouted as she danced back out.

"Is it popular in the present age to make references to one's rear?" The battleship remarked as she took an experimental sip of her green tea.

"Oi, you're in Lancashire mode again!"

"But isn't our chitchat so marvelous?"

"Tōgō-sama!"

"Oh hey, Iyo!" she gagged a little as her fellow officer nearly punched the wind out of her with his hug.

"Sorry," he bowed his head apologetically. "I was just worried…"

"No, no, I understand. I was being a bit reckless as always. Anyways, Goto still hasn't sent me an exact account of what happened after I was…incapacitated. Care to fill me in?"

"Oh. Of course!" His eyes widened before pulling out a sheet of paper.

"So this is Tokyo Bay right? And this, Yokosuka? Well, the abyssals seemed to try a series of rotating attacks to tire us out…"

"Mhm." She felt slightly alarmed as Mikasa raised an amused eyebrow, then looked from Iyo to her and back.

"…they tried sending Mosquitoes against us. They were so fast!"

"Well, they were considered among the best bombers in the war even though they were made from wood."

"I didn't know that. You're such an expert Tōgō!"

That knowing grin on the battleship's face was totally not ominous.

"Well," Tōgō shrugged, "you kind of get the hang of it after a while. Hōshō, Langley, and Argus also send out emails every now and then spouting aviation facts if you want to read them.

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, we tried using your prototypes."

"Did you catch anything with them?"

"…not really, but it could because I have bad aim. I wasn't sure which sight to look through!"

As stealthily as she could, Mikasa carefully took one of Iyo's sheets of paper and a pen and began drawing.

Maybe she was just overreacting…it looked like the spirit was simply bored and wanted to doodle to pass the time.

"It depends upon which mechanism you're using. It's a Hwacha-Ribault hybrid so it's a super-organ-gun-rocket-launcher-thingy. Sounds like it wasn't nearly as effective as we hoped, however."

"I disagree. They were clearly well made…" Iyo continued to talk, but Tōgō zoned out on Mikasa's handiwork, which was shielded from close observation behind the battleship's knees. Whatever it was, it required studying the two lieutenants' faces carefully.

Extremely carefully.

"…and then we put out the fuel fire. Man, I think we lost thousands of gallons of oil in that moment…"

But why did it require Mikasa to study Iyo's face, especially his lips?

"…and then Admiral Goto and Junichi left for the park to find Mikasa," at which Iyo gave Mikasa a salute. The aspiring artist appeared to give him no notice, for she was so deeply engrossed with her sketch that she didn't even notice her own tongue sticking out.

"Well, I will you leave you two to recover now," Iyo smiled and waved as he collected his things. "Get well soon, Tōgō!"

"I will!" she shouted back as he departed.

There was the sound of furious scratching as Mikasa finished up her masterpiece. Whatever it was, it involved the repetitive drawing of reciprocal c's…

Wait…

Was she drawing hearts? Between her and Iyo?

CLUMP.

"What are you drawing?" she asked sweetly as her good hand transformed into a death-like grip with the paper.

"Oh, you know," Mikasa replied innocently as she watched a menacing dark aura surround the bedridden officer, "things."

"May I see?" Tōgō inquired in a tone that hinted in unmistakable terms that there was no "may" in the matter.

"On second thought," she nimbly swiped the paper from beneath the officer before opening her own mouth, "I'm hungry."

"Mikasa~, don't lie to me~! I know you don't even have working boilers so you can't be hungry~!"

The battleship paid her warning little heed and promptly swallowed the piece of paper.

"What drawing were we talking about again?"

"You impudent rascal," the lieutenant scowled.

Knock. Knock.

"Are you two alright? Admiral Goto wanted an update while the girls took a break from the clean-up."

"Yes. Do you want anything to eat or drink, Nagato?" The lieutenant waved her hand over a towering mass of chips, chocolate, and other snacks that visitors had offered as presents.

"I'm fine. It would be impolite to take someone else's gift and eat anyway," the dreadnought returned as she reluctantly looked away from a large bag of Karl cheese puffs she had been eyeing.

Which suddenly reappeared like a massive flag before her face.

"Are you sure," Jukeini pressed, swinging it back and forth in a teasing manner.

"Dt," Nagato gagged, reddening at being caught. Her eyebrows shook uncontrollably as she trembled indecisively.

"...Fine."

"Don't worry, if you finish the whole thing there's plenty more where that came from. It must be a lot of work clearing up all of that rubble."

"Quite right. It doesn't help either that Akebono has been quite down the past few days, either. That destroyer doesn't think we can see but I can tell. I think she's worried about the incident."

"What incident?"

"Shortly before the abyssals withdrew, Yamashiro was hit by an unlucky aerial strike. Akebono was able to take her ashore and save her, but it seems that she's slowly convincing herself that this was all her fault. She keeps muttering about being reassigned, even after we all expressed confidence in her skills. Speaking of the grouchy destroyer, I should probably report back to Goto and the others. Mikasa. Lieutenant."

"Nagato, wait," the pre-dreadnought called out.

"Hm?"

"I want to say sorry for earlier...about my comment concerning you and children."

"Oh, that? I've already forgotten about it. It's a running gag around here still, so I'm used to such jokes."

"Normally I would agree, as I imagine it's the same with Kongō 'settling down,' but there's a major difference between that," Mikasa leaned over to face the towering red-eyed warship, "and a jab at the reason you still have Mutsu. When the Treaty's early provisions were announced you were so afraid back then, so scared that you would never get to meet your sister. But then the delegates agreed to save her, because schoolchildren fundraised her construction. I never had any true sisters, so I can only imagine how relieved you were at her surviving the ordeal. And what better way to show your gratitude then to express it towards her saviors?"

"Mikasa," Nagato tugged at her collar nervously, "that isn't quite the only reason why they continue to make such jokes. You'll...uh, find about them in due time," making a mental note to destroy any and all incriminating evidence in her sister's notebook (especially that video of her cuddling with that chipmunk-she hadn't forgotten about that whole little escapade!), "but I appreciate the gesture all the same."

It was interesting, the super-dreadnought mused as she walked back to Goto's office, how differently Mikasa and Lieutenant Tōgō had absorbed the outcome of the recent engagement. The JMSDF officer, who barely dodged death thanks to some childish and costly antic months prior, was completely cheerful and carefree.

As for the pre-dreadnought...there was something about that battleship that worried her. One moment she had been cracking jokes at Nagato's expense; the next moment, however so briefly, she was regretful and sorrowful. It was not something she was used to. Even in the good old days, Mikasa was consistently impassive when it came to expressing her inner thoughts. Everyone knew her as that spritely old dragon who clucked over the Kongō sisters as if they were her daughters, but was more than capable of cowing opponents into submission with her wits and battle experience.

The mood swings, however, were new.

"I never had any true sisters..."

Could that possibly be it? Did she miss her old friends?

Perhaps Kongō would be right for the job...

"Is that thunder I hear?" Mikasa peeked out the window as a low rumble echoed throughout the building.

Tōgō's face paled. "Hey, Mikasa…"

The rumbling grew louder and nearer…

"…can you forgive me for calling you an impudent rascal?"

"You mean what happened earlier? I thought you knew that I knew that was completely in jest! But why are you so-"

CRACK.

"PRESENT TIME, DESS!" a red and white whirlwind giggled as it threatened to uproot the bed.

"Well, some things haven't changed," the pre-dreadnought smirked as the lieutenant frantically sent her "please have mercy and pull this thing away from me" looks from her smothered position.

"Oh Tōgō-san I am SO GLAD to see you!" Kongō cooed as she affectionately patted and kissed the writhing patient on the head.

"Ahem." Mikasa cleared her throat.

As if repelled by dark magic, the fast battleship flew off the bed.

"Oh! Mikasa-san!" she waved in greeting. "Would you two be up for some tea? Don't worry, I brought some sweet tea for you, Tōgō-san!"

"And how exactly are you going to-nevermind," Jukeini sighed, massaging her forehead as the tea table materialized from who-knew-where.

"Eat up, dess!"

For the first time that entire afternoon, peace reigned in the observation ward of Yokosuka's naval hospital.

"So how has your afternoon gone?"

"Pretty good, I suppose."

"Is Mikasa-san enjoying your company?" Tōgō looked on smugly as it was Mikasa's turn to frown at Kongō's wiggling eyebrows.

"She's pleasant," the pre-dreadnought commented smoothly. "What about your day?"

"Excellent! We have saunas on base again!"

"You mean the docks have been cleared out for you guys to bath in again?"

"Yep! Though, they aren't exactly private at the moment…"

The lieutenant looked to her left and right. "Good thing the crew aren't here."

"If they were," Kongō grinned evilly and smacked her fists into her palms, "they would get my burning love for such voyeurism."

"Ahem."

"Oh! Sorry for leaving you out of the loop again, Mikasa-san…"

"It's alright. What's in that bag you're carrying? Another surprise rectangular device?"

"Oh! Right! Tōgō-san, this came in the mail earlier today. The Yamato sisters send their compliments!"

"A present? For me?" Jukeini nearly leapt off the bed as she snatched it from Kongō's fingertips. "Tell-them-I-said-thank-you!"

"What's inside?" the officer asked as she furiously shook the wrapped box.

"I don't know, dess! It's a surprise!"

"Sounds like a puzzle," Mikasa commented.

"Well, open it, Tōgō-san!"

"Well, I won't try and satiate my inner child too much. I'll just open this real slow-" Her eyes widened and Kongō turned beet red as they read the carton's side label.

"Don't look, Tōgō-san!" the energetic teaboat wailed as she covered her eyes.

"I'm impressed," the lieutenant remarked, her hands shaking from restraining her excitement at the package's contents. "So is the other-yep, knew it!"

"What is it?" Mikasa craned her neck as she tried to see what they were gawking over.

"Don't look, dess!"

"Nothing interesting," Tōgō answered shiftily, carefully refolding the wrapping. "I'll tell you later."

"Is it something unsuitable for public company?"

"YES!"

"No."

"I don't know who to trust."

"Me, Mikasa-san! Tōgō got a vulgar present!"

"I swear it's not. It's just…research toys I guess if that makes sense."

"Sure…"

A/N: The little exchange between Mikasa and Nagato is true; Nagato only had a sister via the treaty because the other powers relented in their demand to scrap Mutsu as Japanese schoolchildren had paid for her construction (it was completely altruistic of course, as it also helped the other nations keep some big guns that led to the "Big 7"). I also will make it clear now as I don't think it was made clear in the text that Nagato didn't resolve Mikasa's brooding; it's a long healing process whose roots will be explained in later flashbacks.