A/N: So, for those who care, I wrote an apology out for disappearing on Empress of the Seven Seas. Life hit hard, and I had to take care of my mental health. Now I'm back, and I wanted to rewrite the story to make it more in line with my original vision for it. I hope you enjoy. As always, please review, it helps me with feedback!
Nanami's eyes snapped open as the military transport plane hit a pocket of turbulence, shaking even more violently than was normal for the rickety craft. She glanced to her left and smiled at the sight of the man beside her gripping his seat with white knuckles.
"One would think you would be used to this by now Admiral Taylor. You've flown in the craft hundreds of times by now," she commented. The man, wearing the dress uniform of an Eagle Union Admiral, gave a weak smile.
"I've hated these damn things since the very first flight out of boot. Give me a good ship over a plane any day. At least I have a slim chance of surviving if those go down," he managed before the turbulence interrupted him.
Once it had settled again, he added, "And Nanami? Drop the Admiral crap. You know we don't use rank unless we're at a formal function. That's an order by the way. Otherwise I"m going to have to refer to you as Commander Winters." Nanami shook her head at his teasing. He'd always been like this, there was nothing she could say that would change it.
Instead she peered out the window and saw they were descending. She settled in to prepare for the landing, if the pilot was decent, it would only be a little rough.
Fifteen minutes later the pair of officers were on the ground with their luggage. Nanami slung a seabag across her shoulders, and the admiral wheeled a travel suitcase behind him as they crossed the tarmac.
"You're not staying long Uncle Frank?" she asked, motioning to his suitcase with her head.
Frank grimaced, "Afraid not Nanami. The damn Admiralty wants me back ASAP. Once you're settled in, they want me in the air." Nanami frowned, she had thought she'd get to see him for more than a couple days. It felt like the Admiralty was purposefully isolating her.
Seeing her frown, the Admiral reassured, "You won't need me anyways. You'll have the help of very capable assistants. They'll bring you up to speed. One in particular will get along with you famously. She's the same kind of workaholic you are."
Nanami's frown gave way to a small smile. He always seemed to know just what to say, just when she needed it. Just talking to him, one of the only people she had left, was calming. When he was gone, how would she perform? No, she had to trust his judgment, after all, she had gotten here on her own merits.
A sailor and an officer were waiting for them with a car just off the airfield.
As they got in, Nanami inquired, "What is the plan when we get to port?" Before she could elaborate, he smiled.
"I'll be briefing the representatives of the factions present, though that may likely only be Eagle Union at the moment. We'll stop at your residence, why don't you leave that damned heavy bag there and then take a walk. Learn your way around the base, unwind before meeting your new subordinates." Nanami nodded, it was amazing how well this man knew her. Though considering he'd practically raised her, it wasn't that much of a surprise. Satisfied with the answer, she settled back for the short drive.
When the car stopped, they got out in front of a walled Sakuran style home. Nanami felt a pang of nostalgia and longing for her long lost home in the Empire. The Admiral smiled when she turned to him.
"I hoped this surprise would be nice. Seems I was right. It sure brought back memories when I first saw it too," he trailed off wistfully, then added, "Come on, let's go in." He tossed her the keys and she opened the front gate then the door.
Inside she put her bag down on a sofa and took a short tour with Frank. Inside, the house was a hybrid of Eagle Union and Sakuran style homes. Through sliding doors, the backyard housed a Sakuran garden, and the bathroom housed a large bath. The kitchen was huge, with a combined dining room.
"Maybe I will be able to find some peace here, even in a war," she softly spoke to herself.
"Well, with the tour over, I'm expected at the Administration Building. Enjoy your stroll, I'll call your phone when we are ready for you," he explained as returned to the car.
Before driving off he added, "Keep an open mind. I imagine you'll have many questions for me later." Nanami sighed and turned to lock the door. Before she could, her stomach growled.
She paused and thought back on the last time she ate. The answer surprised her. It was easily 18 hours since she had last had any sort of meal. Preparing for the flight had so fully held her attention that she had simply forgotten to eat.
She smiled and headed inside. Walking over to her bag, she pulled out something she had prepared for just this situation. A plastic wrapped package came off the top of the bag.
Eagle Union Military Rations – D Type
She pulled a single bar from the bag. D Type rations were chocolate packed with calories and nutritional value. One was all you needed to sustain you for quite some time, but they definitely were not meant to be used for an extended period. The human digestive system and the D-rat usually did not get along.
Nanami though had such an issue, frequently managing to acquire them for long working hour days.
Before she headed out she grabbed a second bar and a bottle of water. Once the door was locked, she began walking toward the waterfront and munching on her ration bar. As she walked, she stared at all the buildings. The sheer variety of architecture represented here was incredible. This area was peacefully quiet, an usual commodity in a military port.
After another couple of minutes, she arrived at the waterfront and leaned up against a railing. She closed her eyes and relished the breeze that softly blew in off the water.
The smell of brine, the sounds of the waves, this was where she belonged, this was what she knew. Not some stuff classroom where a civilian professor breathed down her neck.
Just as she was starting to relax, the sound of a crying child caught her attention. She glanced towards the sound and noticed a young girl sobbing. Her adorably pink hair flowed out from under her yellow hat and halfway down her back. Despite the eye-catching color of her hair, the most shocking thing about the girl were a pair of cat ears and a matching tail. Both were covered in fur the same color as her hair.
Is this what he meant by keep an open mind? Nanami paused to think for only a second before she approached the girl.
"Hello-" she began, but the girl panicked.
"Ahhhh! Please don't eat me," she cried in Sakuran.
Eat you? Am I the Big Bad Wolf? Nanami mused before it finally registered that the girl had spoken Sakuran. Nanami took a second to shift gears, then crouched down to the girl's level before speaking.
"I promise I won't hurt you. My name is Nanami, what's yours?"she asked softly, this time in Sakuran. When she heard her native language, the young girl calmed down slightly.
Still sniffling, she replied, "I-I'm Kisaragi. I-I got l-l-lost!" The remaining tears on the girl's face tugged a little at Nanami's heart.
"Alright Kisaragi-chan, do you want help finding them?" she offered her help. Nanami wanted her to be as comfortable as possible so they could return her to her family quicker.
When the girl nodded, her tail uncurled from around her waist a bit. Impressively catlike Nanami noted.
Before she could think on it too hard, she shook the thought away and continued, "Do you need me to carry you, or can you walk? And are you hungry?"
"I...can walk. And...I'm hungry," Kisaragi mumbled. With a gentle smile, Nanami took the last square of chocolate from the wrapper and handed it to the girl. Seeing the chocolate, Kisaragi's eyes lit up.
Now that the hunger was dealt with, Nanami held out her hand. The young girl hesitated for a moment before reaching out to hold onto one of Nanami's fingers. The pair set off, and it wasn't long before a chorus of voices calling for Kisaragi came into earshot.
Kisaragi's ears twitched and she let go of Nanami's finger. As she rushed toward the voiced, Nanami followed close behind, making sure the little one didn't get lost again.
As they rounded the corner of a building they nearly ran right into a gaggle of little girls being chaperoned by a single short-haired woman. The first thing that caught Nanami's eye was the outfit the she was wearing, a full Sakuran Empire Officer's uniform, complete with a sword.
Though a rank wasn't immediately visible, the amount of pipping on the uniform told Nanami she was dangerously outranked here.
In the interest of establishing good relations, she greeted the officer, "Good afternoon ma'am! Commander Nanami Winters of the Eagle Union, at your service. I apologize for bothering you, but I happened upon young Kisaragi here. We were looking for her group when we heard your voices." The officer smiled softly and raised a hand, indicating that Nanami should relax.
"Thank you for finding our wayward destroyer Shikikan. I am the Shikishima-class battleship Mikasa, former flagship of the Combined Sakura Empire Fleet. These are the Sakura Empire destroyers of the Mutsuki-class."
"I"m Nagatsuki!" "I'm Fumizuki!" "Uzuki" "Mikazuki" "Minazuki here!" "And I'm Mutsuki! Thanks for finding Kisaragi!" The avalanche of introductions and revelations overwhelmed Nanami for a moment. She took a deep breath to sort out her thoughts before replying.
Battleship? Destroyers? They're people...people with tails and animal ears, and oh gods...I recognize the names. Nanami realized they probably weren't completely crazy. Frank had told her to keep an open mind, that bastard knew!
There had been rumors that the allied nations had come up with a weapon that worked agains the Sirens. Nothing had ever come to light about it in the public eye at least. On top of all of that, there was a deep-seated feeling that told her to believe it.
"-kikan. Shikikan, are you okay?" Mikasa's voice shattered her reverie. Nanami quickly realized she had been quiet far longer than was socially acceptable. She nodded, and looked to the girls who all stared at her in varying degrees of concern.
"My apologies Miss Mikasa, I have only just arrived on base, so that was quite a lot to take in all at once," Nanami explained, hoping Mikasa would forgive her rudeness.
A relieve smile graced Mikasa's face as she responded, "I am glad you are well." Before she could finish, the destroyers cut in.
"Nanami! Nanami! We didn't see any new ships in port," Mutsuki enthusiastically exclaimed.
"Ah, that's because I arrived via plane, not by ship," Nanami explained after realizing what their question was. It seemed there was a misunderstanding though.
"You're a carrier like Miss Akagi!?" the group asked excitedly. Nanami was too confused to respond, but luckily Mikasa handled it.
"This Shikikan is not a ship. She is a human, " she corrected the squadron of destroyers. Simultaneously seven heads cocked to the side in confusion.
"Sh-she feels like...one of us," Kisaragi asserted, shocking the entire group. Nanami recovered enough to correct her when her phone began to ring. Excusing herself, she walked a short distance away and picked it up.
"We're ready for you Commander."