Chapter Twenty-Four

Because I was unconscious in the immediate aftermath of my fateful encounter with Enterprise and her escorts, I wasn't aware of just how serious her injuries had been until several days afterwards. Everybody, including Captain DeWolf, always seemed to avoid the subject whenever I was around, as if they wanted to spare me any further guilt. In all honesty, it took a while for me to work up the courage to find the truth out for myself. It was the only time I visited Enterprise since my arrival, and I had to practically beg Vestal to let me have even a few minutes with her patient. My last memories of Enterprise were that of a strong and proud woman, filled to the gunwales with confidence, like some giant amongst a fleet of already impressive warriors. To see her brought so low, ravaged by explosions and shell splinters, felt surreal to me, as if a part of me refused to accept that the bedridden, bandaged-covered woman I saw was truly Enterprise. She was the woman who made the impossible seem trivial, so how could she possibly be the same person who now needed a machine just to breathe? It felt wrong on a visceral level, as though a fundamental law of the universe had just been trampled over. That was the one and only time I visited her. It might've made me a coward, running from my guilt like that, but I just couldn't bear the sight any longer.

Thus, it went without saying that I felt a huge sense of relief when I was informed that Enterprise had regained consciousness. A huge weight lifted from my soul in an instant, and while a part of me was still anxious about our inevitable meeting, my previous encounter with Cleveland left me confident that I would not be facing any firing lines from the Eagle Union. If Enterprise had been the type of person to hold a grudge, our whole alliance in the aftermath of Project Orochi would've never been finalized.

Once we had been notified, DeWolf brought the meeting to a close, or rather, he had no choice but to end things as Hornet was out the door before the captain could even suggest it. It wasn't as if her sentiments weren't shared by the rest of us, and we all followed suit to the infirmary.

Word of Enterprise's recovery spread faster than an oil fire. By the time we arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside her room. Everyone was clamouring to confirm the rumours for themselves, but Hornet must've already been inside because nobody else dared to even open the door, and instead fought for what little space there was to see through the door's tiny window, like curious children peering into a classroom.

With a sharp whistle, DeWolf announced his presence. "Okay ladies, make a path—acting CO coming through." One by one, the gathered kansens shuffled off to the side, making enough of a path for us to continue through. As the captain and the other senior kansens went ahead, I paused for a moment to check on the trailing member of our little entourage—a rather anxious-looking Choshu. She had followed along as requested, but I noticed that she grew quite silent once we reached the infirmary, and now that we stood within steps of Enterprise's room, she looked hesitant to go any further and seemingly more interested in a spot on the floor between her fidgeting feet.

"Is everything okay?"

She had clearly been lost in thought as her eyes snapped to me, ears perked at attention, but her expression was reminiscent of an animal caught in headlights. "Wh—? Oh, um, I… I'm fine. Just a little…"

When her words trailed off and hung silently in the air for a little too long, I stepped in. "Uneasy?"

Choshu nodded. "The last meeting with her didn't exactly go well. Maybe… maybe I shouldn't be here."

It was rare to see her so uneasy. It reminded me of when she was freaking out over the needle back in Dr. DeWolf's lab, but I didn't want to suggest that she was scared. "For what it is worth, I am nervous as well," I said in hopes some solidarity would help ease her worries. "But the captain and Hornet and everyone else will be there, too, so we have nothing to worry about." I offered a hand out to her. "You are not alone. I shall stay with you, if you wish."

Though she was the type to always put on a brave face, I could see that bravado fall to the wayside as she accepted my offer. Hand-in-hand, I led her in where the captain, Enterprise, and the rest of the senior kansens were already in the midst of their discussions. They were gathered around the bed where the famed Union carrier sat, who, although still covered in numerous bandages, was looking far better than the last time I had seen her. Hornet sat next to the bed, understandably the closest, while DeWolf stood on the opposite side. King George V, Akagi, and Hipper stood back, watching on in silence.

"I'm glad to hear you've been doing such a good job looking after the fleet in my absence," Enterprise said to DeWolf. "They said you were good, but I hadn't expected you to start implementing reforms so quickly."

"I'm surprised to hear that," DeWolf replied with a raised eyebrow.

"That I'm happy?"

"No, that the Royal Navy said something positive about me."

"Contrary to what you might think, you do still have friends in the Royal Isles," Enterprise said as she managed a weak smile. I even noticed a quiet, but stifled chuckle from King George V. "They said you were a talented and diligent officer, whose skills were being put to waste watching over convoys. Also… something about being a thief?"

"You know how possessive the Royal Navy can get," DeWolf said with a tired roll of his eyes.

"Honestly, I'm more surprised you're still sitting in bed. I would've expected you to rush out the door the moment you could," Akagi said, more of an amused observation than any attempt to criticize.

Enterprise took the teasing in stride, chuckling quietly as she waved it off. "Belfast and Vestal threatened to strap me down if I dared step out that door without their permission," she explained. From what I had heard about the famed Royalist maid, that was not just an idle threat. "I hope it's not too much trouble to ask you to keep on watching over the fleet in the meantime."

"I'd say take all the time you need, but I think we both know you won't," DeWolf jested. When it came to being overly committed to one's duties, the two of them were of the same mind. I had no doubt that Enterprise would be at least back on light duties before the week was over, or even sooner knowing her tenacity. "I'll have some reports prepared for you so you can have all the details on what's been happening, but Hornet explained the basics to you already."

"Quite the situation it is—a Nagato and a Mutsu from another dimension." Enterprise's attention then turned to Choshu and I. "I'm relieved to see you're doing well. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about what the admiralty is forcing on you because of this," she said, referring to the inhibitor collar I still wore. Even though the situation was resolved between us kansens, the various admiralties had not yet made peace. "I'll forward a report to my superiors as soon as possible, but I doubt they'll listen… even to me."

At least she was being honest. The alliance had always been more of a product of the kansens than the admiralty or politicians, so it was understandable that they weren't always on board with what we decided. As far as they were concerned, we were being a little too autonomous for their liking, and there were more than a few paranoid minds that worried we might decide we didn't need the admiralty at all. The best we could do was continue to follow orders and hope to fully earn their trust, which was why, despite the indignity involved, I accepted the conditions of my parole without complaint.

"And of course, that would make you our new guest, correct?" Enterprise continued on as she looked over to my counterpart beside me, who I noticed was now gripping my hand tighter. "I'm told we're to call you Choshu, correct? Still, it doesn't feel right to at least not greet you once as Nagato." She offered out a hand of friendship, gauze still taped over the numerous knicks and burns. "I'm sorry for the trouble my fellow Unionists may have given you."

Given all the wounds she sustained, Enterprise was the last person I would've begrudged for being cautious or wary, and yet here she was still accepting our newest addition with trust and compassion. For a second, I assumed Choshu's momentary silence while she regarded the offered gesture stemmed from the same sense of surprise and humility as mine, but as her eyes stayed transfixed on Enterprise, I began to see a hint of something darker. Was it hate? Anger? As her face twisted into a harsh glare, I braced myself for the worst, as did everyone else.

"No! I don't care what universe I'm in, I will never, ever shake hands with an Enterprise!" she bellowed. Before anyone could even speak out, Choshu broke away and sprinted out the door.

I was tempted to give chase, but indecision and shock kept me in my place. We all stared at the doorway for a brief, agonizingly silent moment. "I… uh, she, um…" I fumbled with my words as I turned to try and unload as many apologies and excuses as I could in a single breath. "P-please forgive her! She's been under a lot of stress, and… and…"

Were I not so flustered, I would've noticed sooner that Enterprise appeared to be the only person who wasn't surprised by Choshu's reaction. In fact, her expression remained remarkably unfazed. "It's fine," she answered, calm and collected. "I think I understand her; I could see it in her eyes from the start."

Hornet, surprised with her sister's calmness, asked first. "See what exactly?"

"A lifetime of pain. Fear. Regret," she answered. "I saw… me."

DeWolf let out a tired sigh. "We'll go speak with Choshu after she's had a moment to calm down," he said. The captain had reached the same decision as I had, in that a moment of solitude and reflection would likely help more than an immediate confrontation. "For the time being, though, I think we'll let you get some rest for now. Or at least, as much rest as they'll let you get." He turned and glanced to the doorway, as did the rest of us, where we could see the crowd of kansens that had remained gathered out in the hallway. At the front of the pack, I could even see a few of the Fletcher destroyers, holding cards and drawings with 'get well soon' written across them.

"If it's not too much trouble, I would actually like a moment alone with Nagato," Enterprise said in a surprising request that puzzled everyone, including myself.

Hornet, despite never harbouring any ill will against me for what happened, still nonetheless had a wary look about her as her gaze bounced between her sister and myself. "Are you… are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'll be fine."

Despite Enterprise's reassurances, everybody still had their apprehension, and I doubt anyone felt them more than I. After all, I was the one who had put her in the infirmary in the first place, and while I hadn't noticed any problems thus far, there was no guarantee that she was completely safe from me. I had almost been able to put the horrible thoughts and fears about that encounter out of my mind, but now they were surging back with a vengeance. I was scared, simply put; scared that I could hurt someone again, that I wouldn't be able to control whatever it was inside me. I wanted to object, or at least follow my counterpart's lead and flee the scene, but the Union carrier gave me the same reassuring stare that she had given her sister a moment before. It was if she was silently telling me the same thing, that she'll be fine.

That I'll be fine.

I could see why so many of the Eagle Union looked up to her: there was something about her that just made you believe in whatever she told you. Was that what the westerners called leadership, perhaps? Either way, it was enough to calm my nerves and stay my objections while the rest of the occupants left the room one by one, until it was just Enterprise, myself, and the deafening silence. As Hornet had vacated the nearby chair, I decided to make use of it, if only so I would be less tempted to run.

"I… suppose if I tried to apologize for what happened, you would insist that it's unnecessary," I remarked, suspecting her response would mirror the one I got from Cleveland some days earlier. "Still, I am truly sorry."

"It's okay. I understand you weren't yourself at the time," Enterprise answered. "After all, I've been through that same experience. What do you remember feeling at that time?"

It was a question that I had been asked a few times already from both DeWolfs as part of the investigation. It seemed that emotions and memories played a significant part of the phenomenon, two things that our wisdom cubes were highly attuned to. "Anger and pain, mostly," I explained, same as I had before. "It was so overwhelming and intense, like I was—"

"Sinking into the abyss?" she said, stealing the words right out of my mouth. I could only nod in agreement. My colleague turned her gaze out the nearby window, which afforded a rather scenic view of the ocean. "At times I felt like I was staring into a mirror, yet while the reflection staring back was not my own, I could feel all of her pain. That reflection told me that she was… a shadow… a possibility of what I could become. All the emotions I felt in those experiences I could see written on her face, and I could see them on the other Nagato's as well."

As far as I could recall, none of the reports on Enterprise's experience mentioned a reflection or 'possibility.' She may be sharing details that even she kept secret from her superiors. "That power, though, that 'awakening' you experienced… you learned how to control that power, didn't you?"

That calming aura about her faded as she just shook her head. "I learned how not to be consumed by it, but that's far removed from controlling it. I'll admit, I was not in a good mental state when it happened, and I think the awakening fed off my own conflicted emotions. Once I learned how to be at peace with myself, it stopped feeling like a tide I had to fight, but instead a current to sail upon."

At peace with herself? She made it sound so simple when she phrased it like that. I was at peace with myself, wasn't I? Sure, I had my worries and concerns, but the same held true for everybody. It wasn't as if the Enterprise before me had achieved a state of zen-like emotional harmony, so it couldn't mean that I needed to be one hundred percent conflict-free. Plus, if anybody was in conflict, it was Choshu, not myself. It was her feelings towards Enterprise that were at the root of this entire affair, after all, so it was more of a matter of getting her house in order.

"Sorry that I don't have a better answer for you," Enterprise apologized, snapping me from my contemplations. "I'm not even sure if what worked for me will have any bearing on your situation. It really makes you realize just how little we still know about wisdom cubes."

There was a strange comfort in knowing that I was no longer alone in my plight. Though I had my family, friends, and colleagues to turn to, none of them could ever fully understand what I was going through, what I had experienced. True, Choshu was going through this ordeal as well, but as her recent outburst demonstrated, she was not always reliable, and while we were similar, she still felt so alienable that it was hard to relate at times.

"I am confident that I will persevere with the assistance of both DeWolfs," I answered, although my words did not reflect how anxious I still was.

"Speaking of DeWolf," Enterprise continued on, her eyes glancing to the doorway to make sure nobody was close enough to listen in, "my sister tells me you've been made his ship secretary."

I prayed that she was a mature enough person to not make a big deal of my working assignment, but that didn't stop me from sighing audibly. "Must everyone make such a big deal out of it? I am simply assisting him with administrative duties."

Sensing my tension, Enterprise just chuckled dryly. "I just want to make sure my executive officer is in good hands," she reassured me. "Has he settled in okay?"

"There have been some moments of discomfort as he adjusted to his new position, but I would say that he is performing his duties admirably now."

Her tone and expression took a sudden turn though, her voicing dipping into a concerned whisper. "But how is he?"

Suddenly, I suspected she wasn't concerned about the caliber of his paperwork or the changes in procedures. Feeling a surge of caution, I too checked the door for potential eavesdroppers before scooting my chair closer. "He is… troubled. He hides his pains in his work, but I have already seen it drive him to needless risk and harm," I answered after some consideration. "How much do you know about the Iroise Sea?"

Enterprise sighed, a mix of fatigue and annoyance. "Not as much as I would've liked. The official version they gave me was that it was a routine Royal Navy operation that went awry, and then-Commander James DeWolf was forced to take command of the fleet in order to organize a fighting withdrawal, saving countless lives in the process."

"And the unofficial version?"

"The Royal Navy kicked a hornet's nest, and a man was forced to decide which half of the fleet to sacrifice in order to save the rest." Both the words and their implications hung in the air for a few moments. My tenure as flagship of the Fourth Combined Fleet had thankfully been free of such difficult choices, so I could imagine how much such decisions could weigh upon a person's soul. "I could find bits and pieces about the operation: something about an experimental project and a captured Siren facility."

"The Wishing Well," I murmured without even realizing it.

A brief flicker of surprise crossed the carrier's features. "You know about that?"

I hadn't intended to let that be known, but it was good to confirm that she clearly knew about it as well. "My empire has its spy networks, same as yours," I stated, keeping it vague so as to avoid lying to her face. It began to seem more and more like Project Orochi wasn't the first time people trifled with Siren technology only for it to explode in their face.

"You know, when I was making my choice for executive officer, DeWolf was actually a rather controversial choice," Enterprise continued on. "The Royal Navy said he was a brilliant officer—dedicated and steadfast where it mattered most—but also that he wasn't the same man after Iroise. There were some that considered him a coward for transferring to a quieter post afterwards, and even a few that wanted to blame him for what happened. I think there's a bit of wounded pride that an officer from the colonies was the one who had to save them."

Considering all the political considerations that had to go along with the choice of executive officer, I wouldn't have imagined that Enterprise would've picked a man who was disliked by the Royal Navy. I would've expected the controversy to be from our side in the Crimson Axis, maybe even as a deliberate provocation to try and force us to abandon the alliance. How there could be people who considered him a coward or even at fault just seemed unfathomable to me, but I reminded myself that, just like kansens, the world of men was full of volatile personalities that were just as prone to the pitfalls of pettiness and spite. From what I've heard in the past, it wouldn't be the first time the Royal Navy has blamed a man for saving lives.

"Curious that the Royal Navy didn't object more openly to his appointment."

"But then they would have to say why, and I don't think they want to talk about Iroise."

Knowing these controversies, I felt compelled to ask. "So why did you select him then?"

"Because he was the only one who was recommended to me by another kansen."

The news of Enterprise's awakening occupied the base's attention for the rest of the day. It was basically what everybody talked about regardless of which camp they belonged to, but at the same time, so did whispers about Choshu's reaction. I would be lying if I said that I didn't spend most of the day worrying about her, but despite our best efforts to track her down, my counterpart remained elusive. It was a big naval base, after all, so it was easy to lose track of one kansen who may have been making an effort to not be found in the first place. Between those difficulties and the mounting paperwork, the captain and I eventually had to abandon our efforts for the day and finish what office work we could. DeWolf was bothered by the setback, and I could see it in the way he remained uneasy during the evening and how every little noise made him look to the door, as if hoping Choshu would come waltzing in at that moment. At the end of the day, he said he wanted to give searching one last try, but knowing how self-punishing he could be, I had to talk him down and practically force him back to his quarters so that he didn't spend the entire night running around the naval yard with a flashlight.

That didn't stop me, however, from making one more effort before retiring for the night. While I wouldn't say it to the captain directly, a part of me suspected that whatever troubled Choshu was not something she would feel comfortable speaking about in front of him. She was a proud Sakuran warrior, and so she wasn't one to air her grievances openly. I hoped that she'd respond better to kin than a foreign officer. I had a good hunch as to where she would be: her warrior nature wasn't uncommon in the empire, and she pursued her craft with the same single-minded dedication as the likes of Myoukou and Takao. I knew both of them well-enough to predict that at a stressful time like this, they would be somewhere training, and the girls had built a small outdoor dojo for just that purpose near the dormitories. It wasn't much more than a simple raised, wooden platform with some mats thrown overtop, but it served its purpose well. It was there that I found my counterpart, silhouetted against the brilliant crimson and violet hues of the setting sun. She had a wooden training sword in hand, which she brought down in swift and precise intervals, each strike punctuated with the sharp rush of parting air. Despite making no attempts to hide from her, she was clearly so engrossed that she didn't even notice my presence until I set foot onto the training platform, at which point she suddenly turned about-face and brought her sword down so quickly that I hadn't even time to respond before I found myself staring down the blunted tip of a wooden blade.

"I'm not going back," she wasted no time in declaring. At least she had made up her mind in the intervening hours, even if I didn't like the conclusion it reached.

"And I have no desire to try and force you back," I reassured her. "However, it is clear Enterprise is still a major issue for you, and I would not be a very good sister if I just ignored it."

Her glare narrowed for a moment before she eventually lowered her guard. "I want nothing to do with her. It is as simple as that."

I was beginning to understand what others felt when I was being stubborn. My little sister must have had the patience of a goddess to have put up with me for so long. However, if Choshu was stubborn as I was, then I also knew nothing was ever as 'simple' as insisted. "Enterprise is a good person. You have made peace with the other girls from the Eagle Union; you said so yourself that they are not the same people."

"She's not like them! Enterprises are all the same!" she snapped back. Her ears flattened as she let out a low, audible growl, and for a moment I thought she was about to pounce on me. Instead, her posture eased and then she marched over to a nearby rack that held extra wooden swords. Though I could see what was to come, I couldn't do anything other than catch the weapon when she threw it to me. "Spar with me, Nagato," she said as she took up position in the center of the arena. "They do say the best way to know a person is to fight them."

"The only people who say that are those that already like to fight. The rest of us much prefer using words." There was no chance of changing her mind, so I took position across from her, sword at the ready. I was no duelist—at best I had the basic training offered to all kansens of the empire, but I had never needed to carry one into battle before. Anything that ever came close to threatening me up close either fell to my secondary batteries, or were cut down by Kawakaze. It was only my first bout with Choshu where my lack of skill in close-quarters became a problem. If nothing else, I could use this opportunity to brush up on my skills. "Tell me, why do you believe that Enterprise is no different?"

Unsurprisingly, the warrior favoured actions over words, lunging at me with a high, downward chop that I just narrowly managed to raise my blade up in time to block. Despite the suddenness, it was clear that she was taking it easy to warm up. Though the realization of the disparity was disheartening, it was better than a headache. Holding her position for a second, she smirked and then followed it with a couple of firm, but slow, strikes from one side to the other. It was a pattern reminiscent of the old training routines, and though I was out of practice, I was able to return the motions in kind, albeit a bit less polished.

"I could see it in her eyes," Choshu answered. "They might not be exactly the same right now, but the same spirit dwells within her. I will not make peace with that monster, dormant or not!" She struck back again, faster now, which forced me backwards as I twisted and stumbled to keep my wooden protector between me and her. I was still able to keep pace with her, but after the fourth consecutive attack, she was able to knock my guard open, and I had to dive out of the way to avoid taking a blow to the head. I was only able to recover afterwards because she decided not to press her advantage, instead taking a few steps back to ready herself. "We kansens are built from the memories of our hull—you and I share the same base memories, the same start, and it is only the experiences of our lives as kansens that we've diverged."

"And I am to presume that the experiences of our Enterprise have not been sufficient to make her different from yours?"

Choshu clearly waited on me to act as she assumed a defensive stance with her sword held upwards but close to her chest. Her expression read of calm and collected confidence, born of years of experience, and as I surged forward, I witnessed firsthand the fruits of her labours. I lashed out with quick, probing strikes, testing her defenses as she blocked and parried the rapid series. The clatter of our wooden blades soon began to echo across the training yard, like a pair of taiko drums at a festival. After a particularly powerful overhead chop, our blades locked together as I pushed my weight against her.

"I understand that Enterprise hurt you, but you cannot keep holding onto hate. Division only lends aid to our enemies."

"Understand?" she growled back through gritted teeth. "What could some hina doll like you understand what we've had to endure?" She pushed back with such force that I was almost thrown off my feet, and I barely had time to regain my footing before I had to dive once more as Choshu came dropping in from above. Even with a wooden sword, she drove the point into the ground with enough force to crack and splinter the planks below. "You've not known what it means to wage war! To put everything on the line in battle! To live day to day without the certainty of who would live and who would die!"

Choshu punctuated every word with another strike, her blade almost becoming a blur as it scythed through the air. Every block reverberated through my palms into my very core, quaking with the recoil of a full salvo. All I could do was meet her fury with my own, and once I saw a moment of reprieve, I launched my own fusilade against her, striking high and hard over and over. What I couldn't match with grace, I compensated for with repeated, hammering blows that threatened to force even her off of her feet. It was a curious feeling to be in the heat of a sparring match. I wasn't thinking or overanalyzing my every action, but instead it felt as though my body moved of its own initiative, fueled by the memories of past conflicts. Kansens were powered by collective memories, after all, and right now it was those memories alone that kept me fighting. I think it even caught Choshu by surprise, as she could do little else but keep her blade up, weathering each blow as my strength chipped away at her strength. At the end, I brought down my sword so hard that when it struck hers, the two edges cracked on impact.

"Enterprise fought to stop the Sirens, to protect humanity, and, more importantly, to save my friends!" I never thought I would be defending Enterprise's honour with such vigor, but nothing had been ordinary in my life lately. "She is not the same person! You have nothing to fear from her!"

There was a faint, flickering amber light from her eyes as Choshu pushed back in a new, sudden surge of strength. "I am not afraid!" she bellowed.

I was thrown back a step, leaving me wide open as she jabbed the tip of her sword right into my gut, knocking the air from my lungs faster than a submarine blowing its ballasts. Whatever momentum I had was left in a staggering mess as every thought and emotion was fixated on trying to get some air back in. In a last-ditch act of desperation, I swung wildly back at her, but even with the force of a kansen behind her, my blade just thumped harmlessly into her awaiting palm. Catching my strike looked almost trivial to her, and she promptly wrenched the weapon from my grasp in one smooth motion. If I had any hope that Choshu would recognize this moment for the victory that it was and end the spar, it sank to the bottom of the ocean in a heartbeat. Gripping both blades now, she swung again with her off-hand. Hard, too. I had barely regained the ability to breathe when the second blow folded me in half like a broken keel. She definitely wasn't pulling her punches.

"You want a taste of what war is like? Here!" With a wide sweep of her swords, she knocked my legs out from under me, but not content enough to just let me land on my backside, as I hung in the air for a split second, she brought her weapon crashing down. The wooden edge slammed into my gut like an artillery barrage, and drove me into the ground with enough ferocity that I felt the planks beneath me buckle and cry in response. That was the end of the spar for me given that even breathing was an arduous task, and I was more concerned with cradling my tender abdomen than standing.

Standing triumphant over me, Choshu tossed one of her swords aside, then raised the other above her head with both hands. "Let me tell you about a story, and see if it sounds familiar: once there was a nation, small but rich in spirit. The other great powers looked down upon it, called it weak and inferior. But it was content to let them think that, for it had been watching the other nations for some time, learning how the world works. It watched as the other nations fought and squabbled with one another over land and power and resources. It recognized that in the game of empires, there were only rulers and the ruled." I tried to use the opportunity to get back to my feet, but no sooner did I roll over and brace myself up on all four, she bashed me on the back with her sword, which renewed my impression of a pancake. "And so the nation worked to grow stronger. It studied from the other nations, learned how they fought, how to wage war, all the while they continued to just think of the small nation as weak and inferior. The nation just wanted to be seen as an equal, but it knew that the other powers would only see its growing strength as a threat to their own. If the world was just going to see the nation as a threat, then it decided it may as well teach the world fear."

Every so often, she'd hit me again. I couldn't tell if it was because of how worked up she was getting, or because she just wanted to make sure I was still listening. My yelping at least made it clear that I hadn't lost consciousness. Eventually, though, she relented long enough for me to at least roll off my stomach, which would at least spare my back from further bruises. I found myself staring up at Choshu's crouching form, leaning upon her sword that was now planted just inches from my head.

"And then the world sent back her: a warship that lived only for vengeance and hatred. It didn't matter what weapons we armed ourselves with—torpedoes, bombs, artillery. Nothing could stop her. Even when we believed her sunk, she would rise from the depths, shake off the ashes, and strike again." I could see her knuckles turn white as a quaking fist tightened around the hilt. "One by one, our greatest warriors broke upon her like waves against the shore. Nothing could sate her bloodlust, and once she was finished tearing apart our Kido Butai, she turned her hate on the rest of us. Destroyers, transports, cruisers, submarines… it did not matter who you were, if you flew the empire's flag then you were a target. If you tried to fight, she would grind you into dust; if you tried to run, her planes would chase you down to the ends of the oceans; and if she set her eyes upon you, turned the oceans red with fire and torpedoes, brought the very sky crashing down upon you… nothing could save you. Wherever she sailed, hell followed."

"That… still doesn't…"

Choshu wouldn't let me finish, though, as she grabbed me by the face and pulled me in closer. The gaze that met mine screamed of barely restrained madness, of horrors I could not even begin to fathom. "I see the same eyes in her, Nagato! That same piercing stare. She is as driven to war and violence as the one I knew; the only difference is that she hasn't yet found a reason to want to murder us all. Rest assured, give her a cause, and she will drag you, screaming, into the abyss without hesitation!"

As much as I would've liked to have described her words as just the words of a paranoid lunatic, there was some measure of truth behind them. Enterprise was undeniably a warrior worth a thousand, and who repeatedly repulsed even our elite carrier divisions. The ferocity she loosed upon the Sirens during the battles with Project Orochi would've made short work of the empire's fleets. She was like a sleeping giant, and all it would take was one moment of arrogance on our part to fill her with a terrible resolve.

Though Choshu continued to just hold my face in her hand, as if squeezing a lemon, I wasn't too concerned about my well-being, and the reason for that confidence was because I could see something that she couldn't. A third party was stepping into the ring, and I knew she wouldn't play around.

"Are you two fighting again?"

Never before had I been so grateful to hear Mutsu's inquisitive words. The surprise prompted my counterpart to release her grasp on me and assume a defensive stance, namely by clamping both hands down atop of her head to protect her ears.

"W-we were just sparing, I swear!" Choshu exclaimed. How quickly her attitude changed in the presence of our sister. Then again, we both knew what she was capable of, and I found myself instinctively taking measures to protect my delicate ears as well. "Nagato, tell her we were just sparring!"

My sister approached and leaned over me, hands on hips and a deeply suspicious frown across her face. "Is this true?"

For a change, I didn't have to worry about lying or stretching the truth for my sister. "That is correct. It was a mutually agreed upon duel," I informed her. There was still a lingering worry that she wouldn't believe us, but after a few seconds of her guilt-infusing glare, her posture and expression relaxed.

"Good grief, what am I going to do with the two of you?" she asked with a whimsical sigh. As I was the one laying bruised on the ground, my sister reached down and helped me back to my feet. "You two are such a handful, I'm starting to feel like the big sis around here."

"What are you doing out here anyways?" I asked. Though I was grateful for her timely intervention, the training ring wasn't the kind of place she just wandered to on a whim, especially so late in the day. Normally at this hour, she'd be getting ready for bed at the very least, if not already asleep.

My suspicions as to the reason were confirmed when her eyes immediately went to Choshu. "Well, I heard about what happened at the infirmary," she explained, her words now steeped in worry. "Are you okay?"

The once proud and defiant warrior seemed cowed by the seemingly simple question. "I'm… I'm fine, really," she murmured back, not even able to make eye contact with Mutsu now.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I knew how successful my attempt to get Choshu to speak went, so I was curious how she'd respond to this request. I had a feeling there wouldn't be a second duel going down. My counterpart's eyes nervously darted over to Mutsu, then away, then back again. "N-no," she answered. "I mean, m-maybe later."

For the life of me, I couldn't understand what it was about my sister that made her so impossible for either of us to resist. Perhaps it was just a universal constant between Nagatos and Mutsus. And my sister knew how persuasive she was, as she clearly demonstrated by reaching out and just hooking one finger around one of Choshu's pinkies, giving it just the gentlest of tugs.

"Do you want me to bring my futon over tonight?"

As I watched Choshu consider the offer, I noticed that her ears began to twitch. There might have been some truth to that alleged habit of mine: another one of those universal truths along with Mutsus always knowing how to precisely deal with their troublesome older sisters. With that observation in mind, it came as no surprise when Choshu's response was a meek, "Y… yes. I'd like that."

"Okay, then why don't you head back to the dorms, and I'll go make sure Nagato gets to bed as well before I join you."

If I were not seeing it with my own eyes, I'd swear there was sorcery at play here. Despite not getting precisely what I had been looking for, at least I could rest easier that night. Little by little, I was deciphering the mystery that was Choshu.