OMG, it's been over a year since the last update and what a year its been. New job, new home, a virus causing chaos around the world, crazy elections, etc. etc. I'm hoping to get back into this story, just haven't had time with everything happening. I finally saw the movie a couple of weeks ago, I'll probably update some of the past chapters to match some of the story from it and probably be making some references to it in the future.
Now on to the latest chapter.
I only own my OC's.
Beta read by Sabrina06.
Enjoy.
Principal Munetan and Instructor Furushou talked to Mashiro-Chan on the main deck of the Harekaze . Several Blue Mermaids inspected the damaged skipper on the dock, taking photos, and prying out the bullets in the craft.
"So your saying that Captain Misaki and Chief Medical Officer Kaburagi went out on a shore excursion on their own?" Munetani questioned her daughter.
"Yes, I was trying to tell the Captain to stop but she went on anyway. I'm not sure where they went, something about meeting a friend of Kaburagi-Chan." She groaned, as she fisted her hands and slammed them against the metal wall. "I should have tried harder to stop them, it's difficult to stop the Captain when she sets her mind to something on a whim."
"It's not your fault," Instructor Furushou began, placing a hand on her shoulder, "This was just going to be a simple trip for the two of them, nobody could have imagined the circumstances that transpired. Don't focus on what you can't change, focus on what lies ahead."
Mashiro took a calming breath, and nodded towards her teacher.
Her mother spoke up, "All that matters right now is finding Captain Misaki and getting her back, then bringing those responsible to justice. Please go check on Kaburagi-san, see if she can recall anything that'll give us a lead we can follow."
"I thought Nee-san was questioning her right now?"
"She is, though having someone that Kaburagi-san trusts can help." Principal Munetani stated.
Mashiro nodded towards her mother, and entered the Harekaze. As she walked through the lit corridors she couldn't help but feel the tension in the air. The ship's corridors were always filled with a high energy atmosphere whenever the crew walked them, a warmth to them that couldn't be explained. Though now the corridors felt empty, and sorrowed, like the ship itself was feeling sadness that its captain had been taken from it, like its crew that worked so hard to take care of it.
The crew had taken the news hard, their feelings on dealing with what they were told spilling out.
Mei was vowing to tie those responsible to the torpedoes and launch them out into the ocean.
Maron wanted to turn one of the boilers into a makeshift iron bull, and roast whoever took the Captain inside.
Kouko, who's imaginative gangster persona had come out, saying that they'll be, "Sleeping with the fishes!" when she's done with them.
Rin couldn't help the tears that streaked down her cheeks as she tried to calm the bridge crew.
Macchi stood on the mast of the ship scanning every moving object below her. Like an eagle protecting its nest and searching for danger.
Tama, the quiet gunnery officer, had fiery vengeance that burned in her eyes as she listened to Mei's threats.
Mashiro knew everyone had their own way of dealing with what had happened, she struggled to keep her own feelings contained. Though she knew the one suffering the most was Kaburagi-san, the girl who had to witness the entire incident and couldn't do anything to help Misaki-san.
She had retreated almost immediately to the Infirmary after informing everyone on what happened to the Captain and refused to open the door until the authorities arrived.
Harekaze II, Infirmary
Inspector Munetani sat in the Infirmary with Kaburagi-san. The usually calm and collected girl was feeling the toll of her emotions. She had refused to leave the sanctity of her infirmary even after Munetani had suggested she get some fresh air to help her calm down. Isoroku and Tamonmaro, had both come to the girl's comfort. The cats had sat outside the infirmary before being let in with the inspector. Tamonmaro laid on Kaburagi's lap as Isoroku sat on the desk behind her, as if both of them tried to give her the support she needed.
"Kaburagi-chan," Munetani began softly, "Are there any more details that you can give us?"
The shaken girl shook her head, while rubbing Tamonmaro's back "It all happened so fast, I can barely remember any of it. My flight or fight instinct just carried me back to the Harekaze."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, Inspector Munetani got up and checked the door to see her youngest sister. She opened the door wider and allowed her to enter.
"How is she?" Mashiro asked.
"Physically she's fine, though the emotional trauma is taking its toll on her. She's given us some details about her attackers as well as a vehicle description for the van they rode in." She looked towards the young girl, "She carries herself so maturely, it's hard to remember that she's still only twelve years old."
"When we held an equator festival, she told the crew her age. Needless to say everyone was surprised. Nee-san, do you know anything about why anyone would try to abduct her and the Captain?" Mashiro asked.
Inspector Munetani thought to herself for a moment, lying to her sister wasn't going to help anyone. "We wanted to keep this a secret, but now that the Harekaze is involved, you should know as well."
"Know what." Mashiro asked, concerned by what she was about to hear.
"A sample of the RATt virus at the Medical University was stolen by a Dr. Yukki, to what end we don't know. He's been missing for several days, now Dr. Yukki and Kaburagi-san worked closely with each other to further study the virus. Your inspection was actually going to be us questioning her to see if she knew Dr. Yukki's whereabouts."
"Kaburagi-san wouldn't lie about anything." Mashiro retorted.
"I know. Now with this incident, we're beginning to suspect that there might be other people involved with the virus sample going missing."
"I was who they were after?" A disgruntled voice called out.
The sisters looked towards the young girl, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Inspector Munetani sighed, "We believe you may have been the actual target of the kidnappers. Captain Misaki was a collateral victim," Mashiro took a few steps towards Minami, who began to fight back the tears that formed in her eyes.
Munetani put her hands on the disgruntled girl's shoulders as she knelt down, "This wasn't your fault Kaburagi-Chan, you had no idea that this was going to happen."
"But," She crooked as her emotions began to unravel.
Mashiro came forward and took the girl in her arms, "We're going to get her back, nobody on board this ship blames you for the Captain being abducted. We're all going to stick together, no matter what happens, we will get her back."
Minami finally let her emotions out, "I'm sorry," she nearly screamed, "I'm sorry," she repeated.
Mashiro let her own tears out also as she embraced her crewmate, no, her friend. Her sister stepped out of the room and let the two have a moment. She felt pride toward her sister, and knew that she needed to do what she could to help find Akeno as fast as possible. She searched through her notes, one word stood out to her, "Nona." She had seen that word before, she headed topside to make some calls.
Unknown Location,
Akeno groaned as she awoke, a nasty headache immediately greeted her as she stirred. Upon her eyes focusing, she took in her surroundings. She was in a dimly lit room, the walls and ceiling made of metal. She pushed herself up and sat next to the wall,
"Finally awake?" A voice called out in Japanese.
She turned to see a middle aged man sitting against the opposite wall, staring at her. She noticed several bruises on his face, as well as a slight cut on his forehead.
"Who are you? Where am I?" She immediately asked, as she tried to stand only to find her balance failing. She leaned against the wall, the man got up and approached her.
"You shouldn't try to make so many quick movements, your body needs time to process what it's been through. It's best if you keep seated, until you regain your balance." The man explained.
Akeno sat back down against the wall, the man sat down in front of her. "To answer your first question, My name is Daichi Yukki. To answer your second question, you're on a ship, as a prisoner, that's all the information I can give to you.
"Wait, as in Dr. Daichi Yukki? You messaged Kaburagi-san to come and meet you at the industrial docks." Akeno recalled.
He shook his head, "I didn't send that message, the people responsible for our arrangements sent that message. If you know about the message does that mean you know Kaburagi-san also?
"I'm Akeno Misaki, I'm the Captain of the Harekaze, she serves as our chief medical officer."
"I'm going to assume since you are here that she wasn't abducted?" He asked.
Akeno shook her head, "I'm not for certain, before I was knocked out I screamed at her to run away. I'm assuming since she isn't here, she probably escaped. Do you know what these people want?"
Dr. Yukki sighed, "I'm afraid they already got what they came for, the RATt virus."
"How did they get it?" Akeno asked.
"I stole and gave them a sample of it." He confessed.
Akeno was shocked, "Why on earth would you give it to them, do you know what happens to people when they are infected?"
He bowed his head and nodded, "They threatened to hurt my wife if I didn't help them acquire the virus. I thought I could give them a dead strain of the virus, completely harmless in case of exposure. What I found out after overhearing a guard conversation was that this ship actually has a scientific lab on board. They could easily replicate a live strain of the virus from the dead strain that I supplied them."
"Then why still go after Kaburagi-san?"
He lifted his head, "I published a small article on some controlled experiments using the virus on rodents, however that was with the help of Kaburagi-san since she had first hand knowledge of the virus. Our abductors mistaken me as the main researcher of the virus since her report wasn't released to the public."
"What do they plan to do with the virus?" Akeno asked, worried about the answer.
Dr. Yukki got up and sat against the opposite wall, "They could make a biological weapon, sell it to the black market, or something worse. Whatever the reason, the outcome cannot be good."
The lock on the door was fiddled with before opening, a young man entered the room. He wasn't Japanese, not having any Asian features into his looks. His dark green tank top and dark camo pants contrasted to his lightly tanned skin.
"Greetings passengers," He began, his Japanese almost fluent, "Let me welcome you aboard our fine vessel. Sorry about the arrangements of your quarters, but you'll have to make due for our voyage."
Akeno stood up, "I want to know who you are, why did you kidnap me, and what do you want with the RATt virus?"
"Such anger and rudeness, and they say that Japanese people are known for their manners." He retorted, "First off, my name is on a need to know basis and you don't need to know. Second, you wouldn't be here if you didn't help the brat we actually wanted to escape. Third, the virus will prove invaluable to some future plans of ours."
"What plans?" She asked.
"All in due time, but first," He looked towards the doctor, "Since we didn't get your precious student, it looks like you'll have to help us yourself doctor.
"No," Dr. Yukki exclaimed as he stood up, "I will not help you in any way, you can't possibly comprehend what damage the virus will do if it is released."
"Don't worry doctor," The man began as he stepped closer to Akeno, "I'll make sure the virus is contained and doesn't grow out of control. However if you refuse to help me after asking nicely, I'll have to resort to violence." The man grabbed Akeno and stood her in front of him, he maneuvered her arm and put pressure on her shoulder joint.
"Doctor, I think you are aware of what happens when enough pressure is applied to an extremity of the human body."
Akeno tried to keep her voice down as the pain began to increase in her shoulder joint, the man slowly putting on more pressure. Her knees began to give out from the pain in her arm.
"I've been told that this hurts, even more when it finally pops out of place. It could also cause some irreversible damage to her arm. I don't like doing this to children, Doctor, but if you don't help me, I'm going to have to hurt this poor girl." He started to put more pressure on Akeno's arm.
Dr. Yukki watched as Akeno's pained expression became more apparent, he gritted his teeth. "Enough, I'll help you, just don't hurt her."
The man smiled, "I knew you had a bleeding heart doctor." He released Akeno, she took several deep breaths as the pain in her arm dissipated.
He made his way to the door,"You'll begin work tomorrow. However, doctor, know that if I think you're stalling or not working efficiently enough. Your cellmate will be punished for your lollygagging." The door closed behind him, a loud clunk indicated it being locked.
Dr. Yukki came over to Akeno, "Are you alright?"
Akeno nodded her head, "I'm fine, but you can't help them. We both know what'll happen if he gets what he wants."
"What do you propose we do then, escape?" He replied, "The door is always locked, we don't know the layout of the ship or how many crew are on board. Assuming we made it off the boat, we're not even sure of where we are."
"No, but you're going to have to go to that lab from this room. You can take notes of corridors and stairs. You might also be able to see out of a window or a porthole, also this ship has to have skippers or other small boats on deck for shallow ports or emergency use. If we can get one in the water I can pilot it back to shore if we have to."
Dr. Yukki thought for a moment, "That's pretty thought out for our current situation, I'm going to assume that the lab will be well stocked with chemicals and compounds to help in research. I could use a knock-out drug or gas to put any guards to sleep."
Akeno smiled as she saw the doctor light up with hope, this ship wasn't going to hold them for long. They went over the details of everything they knew, and what they needed to find out.
Harekaze II,
Mashiro covered Minami as she slept on the infirmary bed, the disgruntled girl had fallen asleep shortly after letting out her emotions. Mashiro stood up and headed for the exit, taking one last look at Minami and the two cats sleeping next to her. She nodded to herself and closed the door.
Instructor Furushou approached Mashiro, "Is she asleep?"
Mashiro nodded towards her, "Yes, hopefully she'll be able to get some rest."
The teacher let out a breath, "It saddens me as a teacher to not be able to help one of my students, it angers me more to not be able to protect my students."
"Do the police or Blue Mermaids have any clues yet?" Mashiro asked, hopeful for an answer.
Furushou shook her head, "No, nothing concrete as of now. However, I know that Inspector Munetani is doing everything she can to find Misaki. That does lead to something else that must be addressed." she finished.
"What is it?" Mashiro asked.
"Follow me to the classroom, this is something that must be discussed with the whole crew."
The two made their way to the classroom of the ship, Mashiro pondered what it was that her instructor wanted to address.
The two entered the large room, Mashiro was surprised to see the crew already there. Many of them sat in cold silence, some whispering to each other. When their instructor entered what little chatter that had been going on died down. Furushou signaled Mashiro to stand beside her in front of the class. As Furushou looked over all the students in the room, she could see the distant worried look in their eyes.
"I wish I was seeing you all again under better circumstances," Furushou began, "I know you would all rather be scouring the port looking for Captain Misaki. I know that she is not only a classmate and friend, but family. Right now, the Blue Mermaids are following any lead they can uncover to help locate Captain Misaki. However, since Captain Misaki is currently gone, that leaves the Harekaze without a captain." Furushou stated.
The girls quietly looked and chatted to each other, their instructor held up her hand quieting them down.
Mashiro's mind started to race, there was only one possible replacement for the Captain she could think of. Herself.
"You want to replace Akeno just like that?" One of the girls accused.
"I understand your anger, but this must be addressed now." Furushou quickly replied.
"Who would replace her, then I ain't following no punk who hasn't proven themselves?" Kouko asked, in her gangster persona.
"Who else, except the Deputy-Captain?" Furushou replied, looking towards Mashiro.
Mashiro was shocked by the news, and her teacher saw the tension in her. The crew broke out in surprise and chatter.
"I know you've denied being made Captain in the past, but as of right now, I see no one better qualified to take command of the Harekaze and her crew. You wouldn't be betraying anyone by accepting the position, and you already know the crew and their talents." Furushou stated.
Mashiro hesitated, she felt like she was betraying Akeno for taking over command of the Harekaze. On the other hand, she knew that her instructor was right, and chain of command would have her placed in the position anyhow.
"Surely, there must be someone more suited than me?" Mashiro hesitantly asked.
"Maybe there is, however my point still stands. If you don't want the position that's fine also," Furushou started, "I can look at other potential candidates, but I personally believe that you would be the best choice Mashiro-Chan."
Mashiro was still hesitant, what would the rest of the crew think, would they truly follow her like they did with Akeno.
"Why do you deny the talents that you have?" Hiromi questioned, as she stood from her chair. "I've seen you time and time again command the ship in Captain Misaki's absence. You've always walked in someone's shadow, never wanting to stand out on your own. I understand your hesitation, I'd be the same way if someone asked me to replace Maron as chief engineer."
Mashiro was taken aback from the words of her friend, "Would all of you be okay with this?" She asked towards the rest of the crew.
"I'll follow you." Hiromi stated.
The crew looked around at each other and nodded,
I'll follow you." Maron stated next, as she stood up.
Kouko stood up next, still in her gangster persona "I'd see no problem following her, she's been out there, side by side with us through thick and thin. I'd follow her to the ends of the earth if it came down to it."
Shima and Mei stood up next.
"We'll follow you," Mei stated
Shima gave Mashiro a thumbs up with a "Ui"
One by one the crew stood up, all vowing to follow Mashiro.
Mashiro stood in awe and shock, her crew, no, her friends were all willing to accept her as Captain. She still felt hesitant though, she looked to her instructor, though Furushou looked back with annoyance.
"Time and time again you have proven your talents, yet you're always hesitant or deny having them. Another lesson in command is to know when to take chances, seize the initiative, and to take opportunities when they are presented. Your mother and elder sisters have all had opportunities presented to them, and they took them. So I'm going to ask you again Mashiro Munetani, will you become Captain of the Harekaze?"
Mashiro's hands formed fists, her teacher's words having the desired effect on her.
"I'll do it." Mashiro quietly said.
Furushou shook her head, still having a look of annoyance, "Not good enough, will you become Captain of the Harekaze?"
"I'll do it." Mashiro stated again, with a little more confidence.
"Like you mean it!" Furushou stated.
"I'll do it, I'll be Captain of the Harekaze!" Mashiro nearly shouted, the ship's halls carrying her voice down. The crew immediately began to clap and holler, after a moment Furushou quieted them down again.
Furushou smiled at her student, and nodded "That is how a Captain responds, well done Mashiro-Chan."
"However I'll do it on one condition," Mashiro started, "Only until we rescue Captain Misaki and bring her back home." The crew agreed with her, causing the instructor to smile.
Furushou nodded at her, "Your commitment to your Captain is to be noted, and I see no reason to deny your condition."
Her mouth formed a stern expression, "Very well, Captain Mashiro, you are hereby given command of the Harekaze II, you will assume all duties given to you by your rank. You are to maintain this standard until Captain Misaki has been rescued and returned to her post."
Mashiro stood up straight and saluted, "Yes, Ma'am!"
As usually feedback is always welcomed.