Author's Note: Hello Guys! AgentRip-Off here to give chapter 3. Before we begin I was wondering if you guys would like me to make another story. If you think I should then leave a comment. I don't know which fandom yet but I have a rough idea I can use for a story. Next can someone tell me if cursing is allowed in rating T? Anyways enjoy
Review Corner:
Guest: Yea, max I can do is 20-30 chapters. By that time if i feel like continuing maybe a sequel. I don't see this story stretching far so I hope to finish by 20 chapters.
ZiArtem: Actually that was my plan but I discarded it for a new dynamic. I see you enjoy it? Fluff? You're in luck this chapter will contain a very fluffy scene. Belfast will get a punishment and will redeem herself. Eventually. Maybe next chapter.
Guest #2: Yea, She made an assumption she will eventually regret. The way I portrayed here is probably with a selfish attitude compared to her attitude in the anime
Chapter 3: Stress at its finest
We have finally arrived in the naval base, home of the Sakura Empire. It is quite a nice place. The different architecture is not found in Europe. It has a very homey atmosphere. I won't mind retiring here, but who am I kidding? I just joined service a few months ago. I along with Gangut were greeted by the hospitable japanese ships. I am here right now for a mission by my superiors who really don't care about their navy. I should bring up that point to them soon. I was tasked to form an alliance to fight the sirens near Siberia as the presence of the Northern Parliament is nonexistent. I just hope it won't be that bad.
Is it this bad? Why are the relationship between the Russians and the Japanese so bad. Is it because of World War II? Damn. "Do you have anything in exchange for military presence in Siberia?" the gentleman said. "Ughhh, hmmmmmm. Can you give until the end of the next week to find a suitable trade?" I asked him. "Okay, but no extensions" he said in a serious tone. He then continued, "However till then, enjoy your time in our base. Feel free to use the hot springs but be wary the girls might use it from time to time. I don't want any shenanigans from you, understood?" "Yes Sir" I replied to him.
I was walking around the island till I heard coughing noises. Those are some nasty -koff koff- Anyways I was saying, those are some nasty -koff koff- Ok seriously know who keeps on interrupting my train of thoughts. I went and entered the dorm to see a person/ship lying down on a bed still coughing. I checked to see if she was ok? "Are you ok?" I asked her. She looked at me confused and then pointed at the file in the desk. I read over the files to see the problem. She looks kinda different from the picture here. It seems like she had an accident during her building or manifestation at least. Two week left before scrap. Thats two week from now. No shit Sherlock. Hmmm I wonder? I'll call him later. "No worries Amagi, I will try to help you." I said. Since I was barging in her dorm I promptly left after telling her that.
"Shikikan, are you ok?" asked Gangut. "Yea, I guess" I replied. She tilted her head with confusion. Whoever thought of that needs a raise. She is so cute when she does that. Ughh Oliver please maintain professionalism. "I met someone a while ago. Amagi is her name. She is set for scrap next week." I replied. "Is there any way to save her?" she asked me. "I think there might be a way. I just have to call him." I answered back. She looked at me with a nod of approval. "You know. You looked so cute when doing those expressions." I said to her. She then started to blush after hearing an out of the blue remark. I started laughing because of her red cheeks. Seeing that I was laughing at her, she started to pout. After my laughter dying down a bit, I saw her pouting. What the heck! So cute! Ok, she really is a girl that must be protected at all cost. "No worries Gangut. I'm just teasing you." I said while patting her head. This actually feels good. She looked at me with a vulnerable face which caused me to blush crimson red as well. "Ughhh, Why don't you socialize with other ships here?" I asked, trying to avoid her look. "I might just do that Shikikan." she said. Shortly after that she left the room.
Same thing mentioned above but Gangut P.o.V
"Shikikan, are you ok?" I asked. "Yea, I guess" Shikikan replied. I tilted her head with confusion. What does he mean by that? "I met someone a while ago. Amagi is her name. She is set for scrap next week." he replied, understanding my tilting of head. "Is there any way to save her?" I asked him worried about the said ship. I don't want to get scraped and I bet other ships feel the same way. "I think there might be a way. I just have to call him." he answered mysteriously. Who could this HE, Shikikan is talking about? Maybe a friend of some sort. I looked at him with a nod of approval. "You know. You looked so cute when doing those expressions." He said to me. Where did that come from? Am I really cute? Oh no, I'm being self conscious. I then started to realize blood rising to my cheeks. He then started laughing for some crazy reason. Baka! Shikikan, why are you so mean? I then started to pout. It took him some time for the laughter to die down. "No worries Gangut. I'm just teasing you." he said while patting my head. What is he doing to me? Is he doing the sacred act of head pat? It feels so good. Can I do this all day. Please tell me if I can do this all day. Wait, why is my face so warm and why is Shikikan's face crimson red. The awkward atmosphere that suddenly appeared. Why is it so awkward? "Ughhh, Why don't you socialize with other ships here?" he asked, trying to avoid me. "I might just do that Shikikan." she said. Shortly after that she left the room. I closed the door and held the door. What did I just do?
Back to where it split….
"What? I decide?" I said with disbelief. I was in my room. Talking to the "higher ups" over the telephone. (A/N: Do you guys know the Peanuts? The sound people make when they are insignificant? Just think of it like that.) "If I don't succeed I'll get fired? What the fu" I said before being interrupted by the sound of the line being dropped. Son of a - Suddenly the light went off. Why is it that every time I curse it gets interrupted. It feels like this is a story for kids and curse words aren't allowed. Nevermind I'll just call him. I dialled the phone number of the person I am trying to call. "Hello? Who is this?" the mysterious man asked. I replied stating mg name. "Ohhhhh! Oliver, how are you?" he asked. "I'm fine Brad. Although I do have a theory. Care to hear it." I said.
Well things went well. I then called Gangut and told her what was happening. "We are picking up a friend in Hong Kong." I said to her. She then left the room to prepare. I went ahead and prepared the necessary things for the trip. Which isn't much but we have to build up tension for the story . I then met Gangut in the docks as we were about to depart.
If things are to go well we'll be in Hong Kong in one and a half days. Well time to drink coffee. I then grabbed my coffee after boiling water and putting in an instant coffee mix. Hmmm. Maybe add some more sugar. I then looked in the horizon remembering the fox girl/ship Whatever pronouns make no sense in fiction most of the time anyways.
(A/N: So this kinda sucks I don't know much about ships but in my draft I wrote the travel is 8 hours which it was supposed to be at least 32 hours with the speed of Gangut which is 22 knots (44.5 km/h) considering that the naval base is located in Okinawa. I have to reread everything to make sure my story is consistent. I try to make this fic as realistic as possible although some of my ideas are impractical (i.e russians hiring a brit) but sometimes I feel like making plot holes as little as possible. Just wanted to tell you guys. Back to story.)
Okay, I'm bored now. I can see the sea on my left while on my right I can see the same thing. I got up my seat and went to my suitcase to grab a chess board and went down to the deck. "Hey Gangut, want to play chess." I asked her. "Sure, but Shikikan, how do u play chess?" she responded back. I grinned after hearing her response.
After teaching and playing chess to Gangut we arrived in Hong Kong. The city itself wasn't half bad. It didn't look depressed like London but looked like a mixture of european and asian architecture. A breath of fresh air or so to speak. Brad has been living here for quite a while. After graduating, he told me that he was moving to Hong Kong because his girlfriend lives there and because the navy wanted him to be on reserve because the engineer stationed there was retiring very soon. I went around to find his address and saw a house. It wasn't a shabby house but very different from what we have in Liverpool. I went ahead and rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. "Hello, Brad. How are you?" I asked him. "Better than ever, anyways who is this lovely lady." he asked. "You know all about the ship-girl thing that someone thought was a good idea for a game? Yea, she is the Gangut." I said. She went near Brad and introduced herself. It was safe to say that Brad was impressed with her. He then turned to me with a serious look. We discussed that we have to get back to the navy base and that I have a 2 week deadline. "I'll discuss more our way back to the base and hurry up and say goodbye to your girlfriend." I retorted. Brad gave me a stern glare and ran back to the house to say goodbye to the missus and to pack his things.
We departed on our way back to the base and talked about some possible ideas. The gist was that a wisdom cube is the source of power of the shipgirls. Amagi's wisdom cube was damaged because of an earthquake when they were fitting her wisdom cube thus giving Amagi her weak immune system. If we were to replace her wisdom cube with a brand new one she might be cured. It was like a surgery but more risky. It was never tested and can be lethal. Although it seems like a great idea there are downsides brought by lack of results. One is that it might lead to a personality change making the girl unrecognizable. Two, it can possibly make the girl lose all her memories. Third, it might even lead to her death. I went over my possible options and it wasn't very good. The trip back home was nothing much. We caught up in our two different careers. It really feels special when two friends meet after so long.
I am beat. I am just gonna lie down and sleep. "Hey, Gangut. I'm going to sleep. I have a project to start tomorrow." I said while releasing a yawn. I went back to my room and got into my floor mattress. It was comfortable and fluffy for a guest room. I should buy one of these in my spare time. I then looked at the ceiling remembering all the crazy things I have done this past few months. It all seems like a dream. I closed my eyes preparing to sleep and just like. A person who has been having stress over the months laying down in his bed sleeping peacefully.
I woke up early in the morning because of habits. I went and did my daily routine before finding my breakfast. I discussed with the officer stationed here what we were planning to do to Amagi. We told him our theory and how it can save her. Although he was skeptical at first, he reluctantly agreed because of the sympathy he has for the sick ship. He also gave us a budget so we can buy stuff to fix Amagi. He also gave Brad a guest room as well because he can't sleep in Gangut all week. Today is it. We will start our project. I gathered all my tools and went to the dock to visit Amagi. I looked to see the ship and saw what most engineers and commanders would say is a living nightmare. The ship is in a state of disrepair. No wonder why Amagi suffers so much. Brad and I were talking about how we were gonna solve this only being two people. I then noticed a small yellow like chick walking around in the background. That is something new. Come to think about it, I heard they are called Manjuus and are excellent slaves. -Cough Cough- I meant assistants. I followed the manjuus and asked them if they could help us with the Amagi. At first they didn't want to help but after a bit of bribery I was able to let them help us.
"So Brad, I will take the deck along as I check the guns while you check what is wrong in the boiler room and everything inside. I take half of the Manjuus with me and you take the other half." I said to him. Although I graduated as a commander, I also studied a bit of diplomacy and engineering. "Sounds good to me." He replied.
Montage Time (just play any music you want here. Personally I would choose watashi wa numba wan by San Diego but go ahead for the memes.)
We started by cleaning the deck first as it was a mess. The plywoods needed replacing so I asked the Manjuus to get their plywood from their magical pocket (supplier). I also started to check the turrets and how it has been jammed because who knows why. It is probably because of the low maintenance. Don't they have repair ships like Eagle Union's Vestal? After maybe a day we finished the front deck. Time to go to the back.
The back seems decent and not as damaged as the front. It only took a decent amount of hours. The whole ship from the outside seems brand new aside from the deteriorating paint. I asked the manjuus again to buy some grease and metal primer paint from the shop. (A/N: For those of you who don't know metal primer paint. It is a paint that prevents rust. Red oxide and grey are common colors used for metal primer. If I am correct they use that often in boats to prevent hull deterioration.)
After returning with the supplies I asked to buy, Brad went on his break after working about 12 hours straight . For now that is enough because we need the Amagi to be in a dry deck to do the painting.
One week was already done and we are nearly finished with fixing her. Her hull is now back to its former glory along with her deck. Meanwhile Brad replaced all the equipment that was not safe for use. After one whole week of non stop work aside from sleep and lunch breaks, we started to feel tired. I hope this will work.
(A/N: I know this is unrealistic but because of time restraints but I have a genius excuse. The Manjuus work more efficiently than humans but need guidance so they were able to finish it in under a week. They are also just doing a quick maintenance before they test their theory.)
End of Montage
We finished the maintenance with four days left before my deadline. Shit! I actually forgot that I was here because of diplomacy purposes. I'm screwed.
"This idiot seemed to forget that he was there because his job was on the line nevertheless he (being the main character) will pull through." whispered the Author.
"Who's there?" I asked. I was greeted with silence. Seemed strange. I heard some strange noises. Since I must be hallucinating, I just shrugged it off. Maybe I should just come clean. I hope the Royal Navy might accept me if ever I get fired. Who am I kidding, my next job will probably be a neet.
I walked to the captain's room shaking with anxiety. As I opened the door, I hoped that my luck wouldn't be too bad. I knocked twice waiting for a reply hearing a response telling me to come in. I went inside and told him what I was pondering about. How I forgot the deadline and the mission in general. "No need" he said. I looked at him with a puzzled look and asked why.
He looked at me and sighed. He stood up and started walking near the window. "Come here and what do you see?" he asked me. I went to where he was standing and saw the magnificent view of the base. "I see ship-girls sir." I replied. "Exactly, you are different. You see these ships as more than ships." he commented. "Every now and then I check your progress in the restoration of Amagi and I see your iron will and your strong determination. I see that you care for these ships like how you care for your family. The ship you brought with you proves it." he added. Is he talking about Gangut? I pondered after the facts the captain had mentioned.
He then spoke again, "You know there is one thing I need from you and it would suffice for your proposed alliance. If this alliance does go through I want you to lead the joint fleet and show how effective working together is." What does he mean? He wants me to lead this joint force but I'm just a regular officer. I'm not special. "But sir, I don't think I fit the job…." I said getting interrupted. "You don't see what others see in you. You shouldn't doubt yourself, instead believe in yourself." He turned around and faced the door. "I believe it's time to give it to you."
We were walking for a couple of minutes now nearing a big warehouse. I wonder what this is about? As we approached the door, the captain started to rummage his pocket to find his keys. After quite a while, he was able to find it in his third pocket. He twisted the know and opened the door. He was walking and suddenly stopped in a very dark aisle. He told me to stay in where I was as he left me.
It has been quite some time before he returned, with him he brought a glowing blue cube. "This is the wisdom cube that you will use." he gestured towards the box. "It is quite a government secret so please don't tell this to anyone not in the navy. He handed over the cube to me and started walking back to the exit. "Oliver, I bid you good luck in your project." he said as he left the warehouse. I stared into the cube in my hand for a while looking at it. It kinda is scary. What if this doesn't work? I headed back outside and went to the dormitory of Amagi.
I opened the door to see the fox girl lying in bed. She is looking worse than she did last week. "Hi there, my name is Oliver. I have something to discuss with you." i said to her and thus our long discussion began before the operation was to commence.
Line Break?
I walked up to Amagi and saw Brad tweaking something in the turrets. "Morning" I said. He responded with a nod. "It is time." I told him. "So it is, but doesn't she look majestic." he asked me. "Sure, indeed it is." I replied. I told him what has transpired yesterday and how I got the cube along with other things. Today is it. The day we make history or the day I get fired and probably go home. I checked the damaged cube and thought of ways to remove it. In the end, we settled with letting the Manjuu remove it with a wrench. The reason? It is so we won't die today. As it removed the cube it started to lose its color slowly until the cube lost all its glow. For the first time since we've been on this ship, it felt so cold and sad. We were in a ship and just a ship.
I started to get the new one and slowly placed it in the cube holder. As I placed it in the cube started to emit a bright light that closely resembled a girl. Did it work? Did we succeed? Many questions filled my head as I heard a feminine voice that finally snapped me back to reality. "Are you seeing this Brad?" I said to him, who was also looking pretty pale. "We did it, Oliver. We succeeded." he said with joy.
A few minutes before the two replaced the cube. Amagi P.o.V
I had been feeling sick for a long time now. The longer the time has passed the pain grows stronger. Today, the pain is just unbearable. I feel like I'm about to disappear and vanish to the abyss. I opened my eyes one last time to see my home that I had spent all my time in. After all this time it is finally gonna end. I wish you will remember me Akagi. I closed my eyes finally ready to go to sleep never to be awoken.
I appeared in what seems to be a dark place full of sadness. It felt cold and extremely terrifying to me that I might spend my eternity here. I remembered what Oliver told me and how I might be revived. All though the chances are slim, I accepted anyway so I can guide my sister through the hardships I onced fought alone. Time flies fairly quickly in where I am. I can tell it has been a couple of hours. I was starting to lose hope about this revival thing. Maybe they failed. Sigh. I shouldn't have let my hopes so high.
I waited for quite some time after drifting in the abyss which got boring quickly. I then suddenly feel myself disappearing. What is happening again? It felt different from the previous feeling. The previous one felt cold and sad while this one felt warm and happy. What could this mean? I slowly felt myself back in the real world staring at two men looking at me like I am some sort of ghost.
"Hello Master, why are you looking at me like that?" I said to the person. I felt compelled to say it to him. It felt like he had played a part in making me be here right now. It feels weird because I only remember certain things before I got back to the real world. I looked back at the two gentlemen finally snapping out of their daze. "My name is Amagi and thank you for bringing me to life master." I said. They looked at each other, seeming like they had finally lost their minds. They looked at me and smiled brightly. I smiled back at them to return the gesture.
Back to Regular P.o.V
I looked at her with pure happiness. It seems that we were successful. In front of me is a well endowed girl wearing traditional Japanese clothes. Her purple eyes are much more visible than before. Her pale complexion was no longer there. Overall she looks like she has recovered from a life threatening disease. "Do you remember anything before this whole fiasco?" I asked her. She pondered for a while trying to remember anything. "It feels strange, I feel like I have some memories despite being created a few moments ago" she told me. "What are these memories?" I asked again. "I think spending some time with a few certain girls. The names though I can't recall." she responded. It seems that she does remember her previous version but seems to need a recall or something. Brad and I, feeling tired, went out of Amagi along with the girl to rest.
"Sister! Do you remember me" said Akagi while sobbing. The now mentioned Akagi looked similar to Amagi. Maybe they are sister ships. "I am sorry but who are you?" Amagi responded. Upon hearing her sister's comment, Akagi broke down in tears. "She doesn't remember me" she kept on saying like a broken record. "However, you do look familiar. Is your name Akagi?" Amagi continued. Akagi then started talking about how she is Amagi's sister. After a few minutes they both started to laugh because of the sheepish moments of Akagi.
Oh boy, this is very sweet. I miss you, father and mother. I hope you are proud of me. I thought while lamenting and looking in the sky. Welp, time to go take a rest. I heard the hot springs here are good. I started walking back to my room to rest a bit before going to the hot springs.
I woke up after quite some time. It was a refreshing nap. A heavy feeling feels like it was lifted off my shoulders. I started to get off my bed and walked to get a towel. I proceeded to walk around the base to find the hot springs. I got there after walking about 10 minutes. I took a quick shower before stepping in to take a dip when I heard a voice. "Eh? Shikikan!" she said. "How are you Gangut?" I asked. "Why are you here?" she asked. "This is a mixed bath." I responded. She then stared for a while before blushing like a red tomato. "Mind if I join in?" she said meekly. I looked up to her and just gave her a nod. She joined me in the hot springs shortly after taking a shower as well. This is quite relaxing. I feel kinda sleepy. My eyelids started to feel heavy then my body fell sidewards, This feels extremely soft. What is it? I opened my eyes to see something round. I slowly lifted my eyes to see a blushing Gangut. Wait, was I sleeping on her….. I raised my head back and started blushing. "I am so sorry." I said profusely. "It's ok. Was it a nice nap?" she said, whispering the second part. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear the second part." I said. "Ughhhh, see you tomorrow Shikikan" she said, while starting to stand. She left quickly and was gone in a blink of an eye. Time to go as well. Tomorrow is a big day. I can't wait to see what awaits me tomorrow.
Life is truly an amazing thing if you don't mind the odd things in my life.
Final Remarks: And I am finally done. I am really sorry for the two week delay. Next installment will be in January but I have one last surprise this year coming out this Christmas (I hope). I am sorry for the many authors notes in the story. I am finding my writing style and how I want to write it. I also want to know how betas work if you guys know please leave a comment on how it works or just pm me. Oh boy I feel tired writing this already. Imma take this month to find my inspiration again. I bid you farewell and enjoy your day.