It was a beautiful spring day outside, and I looked up from my work to admire the cherry blossoms that had just begun to bloom. The day had also been mercifully peaceful, with the Sirens laying low and even the petty squabbling between the various factions dying down, at least for a while. At this point, I thought I might have been able to make it to Mikasa's model museum today with time to spare. I had been looking forward to it since she first mentioned building it, and I promised her that I'd visit the day it opened, even if I had to rush over at the last moment. As fate would have it, I would be there much earlier than I estimated, but not in the way I was expecting...

My attention turned back to my work as Soryu approached me, handing over the day's patrol logs. I scanned them and nodded, making a few notes before handing them back. "Looks like we'll need to pull Enterprise and Essex off rotation for rest and resupply, so let's go ahead and ready Lex…" my instructions trailed off as I heard a rumbling noise, one that grew louder and louder. The office began to shake, and I looked over at Soryu, who seemed equally puzzled at what was going on. "...the hell is that?"

Soryu quickly checked her tablet and shook her head. "No early warning alarms have been tripped, everyone's checked in, and this island has no history of seismic disturbances."

"Any way to figure out where it's coming from?"

The bunny kansen pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose before tapping a few commands into the tablet. "Best guess...somewhere in the Sakura Empire quarter."

I was on my feet, cap in hand, within moments. "Let's go check it out, and hopefully it's nothing serious…"

Soryu dutifully followed me out the door and outside as we began walking towards the Sakura quarter. I couldn't see any smoke or fire, and there weren't any sirens or alarms blaring. As much as I wanted to sprint over there, I forced myself to keep things to a brisk stroll-there was no point in alarming others, especially if the matter wasn't serious.

Zuikaku, however, seemed to take an alternative view of things, as she came around the corner at full-tilt, waving me down as soon as she saw us. "It's Mikasa's Model Museum! Come quick!"

"Oh, no…" I felt a cold knot of dread begin to form in my gut as I broke into a run after her, hoping it wasn't as bad as all the shaking implied.

It was worse. As soon as I ran through the door, what I saw brought me to a screeching halt and my heart plummeted into my stomach. The museum looked like a modeler's abattoir. Ships, or pieces of them, were strewn about, masts snapped off, gun barrels missing, propellers and rudders cast about all over the place. The lighter color of the base plastic standing out in sharp contrast to the darker paints where it had been chipped off, or worse, broken. Some of the breaks were clean, others warped and twisted in ways that I knew would be unrecoverable. Shelves had been knocked over and destroyed, glass shards embedding themselves into some of the models. Hours upon hours of painstaking devotion, of careful assembly, painting, and detail work...gone. And there, in the center of the utter devastation, was Mikasa. On her hands and knees, a shattered Takao clutched in a gloved hand, weeping uncontrollably.

I quickly rushed to her side, kneeling next to her as I placed my hand on her back. "Are you okay, Mikasa?"

"M-m-my pride and joy," she moaned through shuddering sobs, "All my models of the sweet little kids...they're...they're…" Whatever she intended to say, it was lost in another wordless cry of despair and tears. Needless to say, I took that as a qualified "no" to my question.

"It's no use, Commander," Zuikaku said as she knelt beside me. "Shokaku's been trying to get her out of this since everything happened, but she's absolutely inconsolable." The younger carrier sighed and looked around at the devastation that had been wrought.

"Understandable, given how hard she's worked on this," I replied, glancing back over my shoulder before returning my attention to Mikasa. "Hey," I said softly, giving her shoulder a brief shake. "We're gonna get this fixed, I promise, but I need you to come with me first, okay?"

Mikasa quieted down and slowly looked up at me. Tears were streaming down her face, and her eyes were already a deep red, and my heart went out to her. "C-commander?" she said, her voice still trembling as she tried to choke back the sobs.

I gave her my best smile and nodded, "Yeah, it's me. Let's get you up on your feet, alright?"

She nodded slowly and reached out to steady herself on my shoulder as we both got back up. She stood on shaky legs as she straightened up and looked around the museum. Her mouth opened and shut several times before she wailed again, burying her face against my chest, her hands clutching at my shirt.

I held her tightly as she shuddered and sobbed in my arms, looking around for someone to help. My eyes locked onto Zuikaku, and I gestured with my head for her to come here. Dutifully, the younger crane trotted over, her eyes darting between Mikasa and myself. "We can't let her be seen like this," I whispered as best I could without being drowned out by her cries. "Is there somewhere quiet we can take her so she can get this all out of her system?"

Zuikaku thought for a second, then nodded. "Her apartment is right around the corner, and if we go out the back, we should be able to make it there without anyone seeing us."

"And if her door's locked?"

She glanced at the grief-stricken kansen and shrugged. "Well...I'm sure she has the keys on her."

I glanced meaningfully down at the weeping woman in my arms, then back to Zuikaku, along with a stern look. The crane quailed at the angry glance and shrugged again. "Sorry, Commander, it's all I've got."

"Alright," I sighed, "let's get going, then, and hope she's the kind of woman who leaves her door unlocked…"

The door was locked, but thanks to some quick thinking on Zuikaku's part she managed to find the keys still in the museum's back office and let us into Mikasa's quarters. While she wasn't crying as loudly as before, she was still sobbing heavily, and by this point, I could feel a wet spot through my shirt from her tears. I guided the former Combined Fleet flagship to her couch and eased her onto it. At least, that was the plan. As I eased her down, she refused to relinquish her hold on me and dragged me onto the couch with her.

With a resigned sigh, I draped my arm over her and continued to comfort her as she sobbed against my chest. Zuikaku gave me a questioning look and I shook my head. "I'll be fine," I said as quietly as I could. "Just find Soryu and let her know I've got my hands full. Have her finish what she can today, and I'll get things caught up tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Zuikaku nodded, saluted(which I returned as best I could), and left, shutting the door behind her.

Mikasa remained inconsolable for the rest of the day and into the evening. Eventually, sometime after sunset, she mercifully passed out. I tried to extricate myself once she was slumbering peacefully, but every time I tried to move her, she whimpered and held onto me tightly. After the third breakout attempt, I gave up, grabbed a couple of throw pillows for each of us, leaned back, and shut my eyes. After a few minutes, I slipped into a deep, if not peaceful, sleep.

The light of the following morning brought me back to the waking world, although with a few more aches and pains than I had gone to bed with. The stiff muscles in my neck were the first thing I noticed when I woke up, followed closely by the fact that Mikasa was no longer asleep on me. Sometime during the night, she moved off of me and curled up on her side of the couch. Not wanting to wake her just yet, I adjusted her cloak to cover her better and shuffled towards the small kitchen to make us coffee or tea, whichever she had on hand.

I found a small teapot and a couple of Sakura-style teacups fairly easily, but what I failed to find were the teabags. Not wanting to tear up Mikasa's kitchen looking for them, I took an educated guess and popped open a small tin near where the teapot had been sitting. Inside were what looked at first glance like lawn clippings, but as soon as the scent hit my nose, I recognized it as green tea leaves.

"Oh, great," I muttered to myself. If I wanted to make us tea, I'd have to figure out how to brew it first.

"Is there a problem, Commander?" Mikasa's voice startled me, and I jumped slightly as I spun to face her.

"Mikasa!" I exclaimed, still trying to compose myself. "I hope I didn't disturb you, I wanted to let you get as much rest as possible after...well, yesterday."

She smiled, soft and sad, and shook her head. "Not at all. I think the sunrise woke me up more than anything else." There was a pause as Mikasa hesitated for a second, looking uncharacteristically unsure of herself. "Thank you for staying with me yesterday, by the way."

"You're welcome," I replied, keeping my tone casual. "It was no trouble. I haven't built a model in a long, long time, and never as good as what you've built, but I remember how much time and effort it took to put one of those together. I'd be pretty upset in your shoes, too."

Her smile faded, replaced by a look of deep sadness. "I just...I…" She paced around the room, trying to find the right words. "How could this have happened?" she finally blurted out, every word dripping with frustration. "My entire collection, gone in the blink of an eye…" A long sigh escaped her lips as she ran a hand through her hair. "And now I've got nothing to show the kids…"

As I opened my mouth to reply, there was a tiny, but insistent knock on the door. We both looked at it, then at the clock on the wall, then at each other.

"Who could that be this early in the morning?" I asked, and Mikasa shrugged helplessly.

"I have no earthly idea, but I'm going to go check it out. If you don't mind waiting here, please…" she motioned for me to stay put before heading towards the door, straightening her uniform as she did so.

While I couldn't see what was going on from my vantage point in the kitchen, I could hear the exchange between Mikasa and her early morning visitor.

"Good morning...Mutsuki, right?"

"Mhm," came the small, hesitant voice. "Um...I...I did something bad…"

"Wha-" Before Mikasa could even get a word out, Mutsuki burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Mikasaaa!" the destroyer wailed. "I'm sorry I'm such a bad girl!"

"What? Why? What happened?"

"I…I…" she said between heaving sobs, "I p-pushed the big red button in your museum and then e-e-everything broke!"

Well, that answers that. I resisted the urge to duck around the corner and see if Mikasa needed help, but fortunately, she seemed to have the situation well in hand. "Oy... It's okay, now. Settle down. No more crying, Mutsuki. There there... show me a smile. Smile for a candy! Coochee coochee coo!"

Mutsuki's sobs slowly transformed into playful giggles before those too faded away. "But, Miss Mikasa, you really... You're not mad at me?"

"What's done is done," she sighed, "Getting mad wouldn't help anything."

There was an awkward pause for a moment, and then Mutsuki suddenly said, "Um... since I did something bad... I have to find some way to help fix it!" And with that, she was off. I heard her little shoes running down the hall before Mikasa shut the door.

She graced me with an apologetic smile as she came back around the corner. "My apologies, Commander, for asking you to stay out of sight, but I don't want any rumors flying around if we're seen in my apartment this early in the morning."

"Absolutely understand," I smiled back. "Running the base is interesting enough without adding romantic gossip to the mix."

"Indeed," she nodded firmly. "Now, would you like a cup of tea?"

I chuckled at that, much to her confusion. "I was trying to make us some before you woke up, but I'm not quite sure how to do this with just tea leaves…"

She grinned softly as she grabbed an electric kettle and began to fill it up. "Would you like me to show you how, Commander?"

"Please," I said absentmindedly as I stepped away from the teapot. "But...we're not going to use the teapot?"

"We are."

"But you're filling up the electric kettle."

"I am." She watched as I tried to figure it out, giggling softly. "I'll show you, don't worry. I imagine it's a little bit different than the way you're used to making it."

"Clearly," I muttered dryly but kept a sharp eye on what she was doing.

"So, what you do differently is that you place the leaves, about two spoonfuls' worth, into the teapot here…"

"Won't we get tea leaves in our cups, though?" I interrupted, much to her amusement.

"Not at all," she answered as she lifted the teapot and pointed to something on the inside. "It's got a built-in strainer, see?"

I peered inside and saw the apparatus hidden beneath the teapot's dome. "Ahhh, now I get it. So we just boil the water, pour it in the pot to steep, and then pour it into each cup?"

Mikasa reached over and deftly snatched the kettle from its charging dock and began to pour the steaming but not quite boiling liquid into the teapot. "Not quite. You want the water to be hot, but not boiling, to get as much flavor out of the leaves as possible."

"It's still had without cream or sugar, though, right?"

"Mhm," she nodded as she put the lid on the teapot and stowed the electric kettle back in its proper place. "This isn't like the tea the Royal Navy likes to foist on everyone."

"You never were much of a fan of Royal Navy cuisine," I grinned, and she made a face in return.

"Had enough of it when I was back in the academy. Nothing wrong with it, really, but when it's all you have to eat for years on end…"

"Fair enough. Still hard to imagine you as a student, though."

She smiled wistfully and looked out the window for a moment, reminiscing. "That was a lifetime ago, it seems, but yes, even I was fresh-faced, eager, and headstrong once. Still have my old uniform...somewhere...I think."

"That'd be something to see," I chuckled. "The cuisine aside, is there anything you miss from your old Academy days?"

"Friends, mostly," she sighed. "The sense of camaraderie and adventure of not knowing what's around the corner and being so excited to meet it. What about you, Commander?"

The old, familiar pain lanced my heart as my memories of the academy came rushing back to me. My mouth went bone dry as I tried to find a happy memory, something that wasn't tainted by what came after. "Innocence," I finally said. "While I've learned a lot and grown as a person, and as an officer, I think I could've gotten there without all the...bumps in the road."

Mikasa looked up at me with an inquisitive, but empathetic look. "Sounds like your time in the academy wasn't quite as carefree as mine. If you ever want to-"

"One day," I interrupted her with a sad smile. "But not today. One personal tragedy per twenty-four-hour period, I'm afraid."

She chuckled softly as she turned back to the teapot, pouring the now-steeped tea into our cups. "Whenever you're ready," she said nonchalantly as she handed one of the cups to me. "Here you go."

I accepted the hot tea with a slight bow and a smile. "Thank you." As I took my first tentative sip, I was surprised at just how flavorful the tea was. Guess not knowing what I was doing worked in my favor for a change.

We stood there quietly savoring the moment and our beverage for a moment before Mikasa spoke up again. "How are things in the office?"

"Mercifully quiet for a change," I answered happily. "The Sirens seem to be on the defensive right now, and we've taken advantage of the lull to strengthen what we've taken and get caught up. I think I may actually wind up with free time again, which will be really weird."

Mikasa smiled a knowing smile and nodded. "Any idea what you'll be doing with your newfound freedom?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was probably going to take a day to enjoy the cherry blossoms when they've fully bloomed. After that…" I shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"I have no doubt you will, Commander," she smiled before she took another sip of tea. "Have you ever been to a cherry-blossom viewing?"

I shook my head. "Can't say that I have. I know some of the Sakura Empire girls have had a few each year, but I've missed out on them."

"You should take the time while you still can, Commander," she admonished me. "The cherry blossoms in full bloom are a beautiful sight to behold, no matter the era."

For a second, I was puzzled by her last comment until it kicked in: she'd seen multiple generations of the Sakura Empire in her long and illustrious service. "If you don't mind me asking, what's it like living through multiple eras?"

She smirked playfully at me as she sipped her tea. "Is that a subtle dig at my age?"

"Not at all," I chuckled. "Just...curious about that sort of thing. I don't think we'll see quite the same level of cultural and technological upheaval on such a wide scale in my life."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," she cautioned. "After all this is over, who knows what will find its way into civilian life. Not to mention everything we'll glean from Siren technology once they're defeated."

"I suppose…" I murmured thoughtfully. "So...paint a picture of what I can expect, then."

Mikasa thought it over carefully, idly tapping her lower lip with a gloved finger. "It's...strange," she finally answered with a sigh. "The things you grew up with, the way you do things, they're all gone, replaced by something different, and at times, a little scary. But people look at where you came from, the traditions and methods by which you do things with a bit of reverence. A sort of...living history. I don't mind it, being able to show these kids how it was done properly back in the day, but...it can be a little odd on some days to have what you would consider to be your normal routine as a history lesson."

I nodded as I listened. There were times even I was struck by how "old-fashioned" her way of doing certain things was, although I found it charming. "Makes sense." With the light from the morning sun getting brighter and aware I should probably get home before most of the base is up, I finished off the tea and set the cup on the counter. "This has been excellent, but I should probably get back home and get ready for the day. Thank you for the tea."

"As should I," Mikasa replied with a bow. "Thank you for being here for me."

"It was my pleasure," I answered, bowing in return. "See you later, Mikasa."

"And you, Commander."

The rest of the day sped by in a blur. Despite the workload from yesterday carrying over into today, however, we still managed to finish things at a decent hour. Suddenly finding myself with free time, I decided to give Soryu the rest of the day off and take a walk around the base. As I was strolling around the Sakura quarter, I saw the light on in Mikasa's Model Museum and wondered what anyone was doing in there.

Deciding to go check things out, I walked up to the door, found it unlocked, and slipped inside. The place was still a mess, but I could hear someone shuffling around in the back. Following the sound, I rounded the corner to find Mikasa dutifully sweeping up the various bits of broken glass, plastic, and wood. Occasionally, she would stop, bend over and pluck a gun barrel, turret, or other model part and toss it into a nearby box.

I watched her for a few moments before I knocked on the doorjamb to get her attention. Her head snapped up and she looked somewhat surprised to see me, color flushing her cheeks. "C-commander, what are you doing here?"

"We managed to finish up early today, so I was out taking a stroll, saw the light was on, and wanted to check in, make sure everything was alright." I glanced around at the destruction and amended, "Well, as alright as things can be…"

Mikasa surveyed the room and shrugged. "It's...going," she sighed. "I've just been sorting out what can be salvaged and what's a total loss. The display cases, shelves, those will all have to go, but some of the models can be saved, and with a little love, restored. But before I can get to salvaging, I need to get this place cleaned up first."

"Sounds like a plan," I concurred. "Toss me a broom."

"What?!" Mikasa exclaimed, "C-commander, you can't…"

"Not with my bare hands" I concurred and grinned at her, "hence the broom." When she continued to stare at me, I said, "Look, I've got free time, you need a hand with all this, and most importantly, I want to help you. The faster we start, the faster we can get this finished and we can work on getting your models restored."

"...Sh-shikikan…" she quietly murmured, her cheeks a deeper red now. But despite the surge of emotion that was clearly welling up inside of her, she managed to put that confident grin on her face as she tossed her broom to me. "Alright, then! Let's get to work!" she ordered, hands on her hips as she struck a heroic pose. "The fate of this model museum rests on the outcome of this cleanup and salvage operation, let everyone do their utmost!"

"Aye aye!" I shouted as I snapped to attention and saluted smartly before I began to sweep in earnest.

And while the work was hard and long, every now and again, we would glance over at each other to see the other smiling from ear to ear...

A/N-And we're back! Gonna be a bit of a slow burn on this one, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!