A/N Thank you all so much for the response to the rewrite. It has been incredibly heartening seeing you all again!
As always, please review and tell me what you think! The story will diverge more as it gets further in, please trust me!
Nanami confirmed the location of the Admin building and then returned to the girls.
"My presence has been requested at the Administration offices. I'm afraid I must beg your forgiveness for the sudden need to depart, " Nanami apologized, bowing her head in contrition.
Mikasa shook her head, "It's no trouble at all Shikikan. We were headed that way before we lost Kisaragi. We could accompany you there if you are so inclined."
"That would be wonderful. However, I do have to stop at my residence to change into my uniform," Nanami admitted. Mikasa held up a hand, reassuring her it was fine. With that, they set off for Nanami's home.
As they walked, Nanami watched the destroyers play, noting that Kisaragi and Mutsuki never left each others' side.
To have that kind of friendship, she sighed internally, again feeling a strange pang in her chest.
"Shikikan, if we are headed to the Administration building, does that mean we are meeting with the representatives?" Mikasa asked, jolting Nanami from her thoughts as they approached her house.
"Yes actually. Is something the matter?" Nanami answered, asking a question of her own in return. She began unlocking the door as Mikasa replied.
"Not particularly. Luckily Akagi and Kaga weren't brought along with the Evaluation fleet," she explained, only bringing up more questions for Nanami.
"Would meeting Miss Akagi and Miss Kaga be bad?" Nanami inquired as she opened the door. Mikasa raised her eyebrows when she realized which home they were entering.
"Not bad...just troublesome. Akagi has a difficult personality, and Kaga follows Akagi without question," the battleship explained.
Nanami paused in the entryway to remove her shoes and said, "Thank you for the advance warning, however I am fully confident in my ability to handle intense personalities." Looking around at the girls, she realized something and continued, "I must apologize for not having any guest house slippers. I only just arrived, and have not had the time to buy anything. Please feel free to come in with shoes or socks. I can always clean if I must."
"We are fine, socks are not a problem, right girls?" Mikasa waved off the officer's concern. The Mutsuki class destroyers all agreed and began removing their shoes. Reassured, Nanami headed further in, grabbed her dress uniform, and headed into the bathroom.
Though she wasn't shy about undressing in front of others, she didn't want to have to answer the questions that would come up if Mikasa and the destroyers saw her bare skin. And the sheer number and severity of her scars always led to questions.
Once dressed, she returned to the front rooms and smoothed down her skirt with a frown.
This thing is useless. It's so restricting, she complained to herself. It wasn't any skirt, just the uniform skirt, it never sat right. Convinced she was as presentable as possible, Nanami grabbed a trio of black boxes from her bag and turned to Mikasa.
"Shall we be off?" she asked the battleship. Without hesitation, Mikasa approached, straightened Nanami's collar, then nodded.
"Now we are ready Shikikan," she chimed. While Mikasa ushered the destroyers to the door, Nanami stood stunned for a moment.
When was the last time someone did something like that for me? Though she thought back, she couldn't remember it happening. Though that was more than likely her fault. She had been rather meticulous in how she dressed, especially in uniform.
Once she recovered, she slipped on her dress shoes and locked the door. Mikasa led the way to the Admin offices. The building was right on the shore, a short distance form the docks, and it was covered in large windows.
It's pretty, but not particularly safe, Nanami thought with a second glance. Their group looked like a small tour group as they entered the building. Mikasa guided them up to the second floor and down a hall. Near the end of the hall was an open break area where two women were standing.
They both wore nearly identical white kimonos with flowing gold designs, and long billowing sleeves tipped in black to look like feathers. One had long white hair, and the other long brown hair done up in a ponytail. Both of them were easily a few inches over 6' tall. Paired with Mikasa's 6' height, Nanami, who on a good day pushed 5'9", couldn't help but feel horribly short.
They both turned toward the group as they approached, revealing the white-haired one had teal eyes and the brown-haired one had golden eyes. After a moment, Nanami's eyes drifted down and she suddenly felt inadequate somewhere else too.
"Oh, a Shikikan? Is this the Shikikan that was so highly spoken of?" the white haired one asked in surprise. Her question was in Sakuran, and directed to Mikasa.
However, before Mikasa could reply, Nanami stepped forward and answered in Sakuran, "This Shikikan has a name miss. I am Nanami Winters, an Eagle Union Commander. May I have the honor of learning your name?" The woman's eyes sparkled at the reply.
"Oh? How impressive, fluent in Sakuran! Given your name though, it is understandable. Please excuse my rudeness. I am Shoukaku, namesake of the Shoukaku-class aircraft carriers, and flagship of the Sakura Empire's Fifth Carrier Division," she introduced herself with a graceful giggle.
The brown-haired girl beside her smiled with confidence and added, "And I am Zuikaku, Shoukaku's sister."
"A pair of the famous carriers of the Kidou Butai, it's a pleasure to meet you," Nanami replied cordially. Then she added, "Now, I hate to end our meeting here, but I really must attend to business in the office. Would you all care to join me?"
Mikasa shook her head, "We will have to decline Shikikan. It is nearly time for the destroyers to return to the dorms." The destroyers all said goodbye, but Kisaragi lingered a little longer than the rest. After Nanami reassured the girl she would see her tomorrow, the group finally departed, and all that remained were the two carriers.
"We were planning on leaving once we met you, but if it's at your invitation Shikikan, I'm sure that the representatives will let us sit in on the meeting," Shoukaku agreed to join her. Zuikaku agreed energetically, and the three entered the office together.
Once in the office the carriers split off as Nanami greeted the Admiral, "Good evening Admiral. Commander Nanami Winters reporting as ordered." She snapped a clean salute, and after a return salute, Frank gestured to the open seat in the sitting area. Nanami took her seat and placed the small boxes on the coffee table before looking at the others seated there.
Apart from Nanami, the admiral, and the sisters, there were currently two other woman in the office. IN the chair to her left sat a woman dressed in traditional Sakura garb. Arrayed behind here were a number of fluffy brown fox tails, and on her head sat a pair of fox ears. Her tails were so large and fluffy they nearly reached Nanami's seat. The woman gave off a calm, refined air, and her eyes were a striking yet serene purple.
The first thing Nanami noticed about the woman to her right was that she had a very real bald eagle sleeping on her shoulder. Once she moved on from that, she realized the woman had long white hair. She wore a heavily customized officer's uniform from the Eagle Union, but it was well kept. Finally, the woman's eyes were a calming lavender that was almost completely offset by the intensity of her gaze. She could even give Nanami's icy blue stare a run for its money.
"I'm glad you managed to find the way here Commander. I see you've already been introduced to the carriers Shoukaku and Zuikaku. To your left is Amagi, representative and Auditor from the Sakura Empire forces. She is here to determine if the Sakura fleet should join the program by evaluating you. To your right is the Eagle Union's representative, Enterprise," the Admiral proceeded to introduce the others. Nanami's eyes widened slightly before she brought them back under control, unfortunately the Admiral had already noticed.
"Yes, that Enterprise. I'm sure you've realized by now that these women are the embodiment of the ships that fought in that terrible war. I'm sorry I wasn't fully honest with you coming into this assignment. The admiralty placed restrictions on what I could divulge," Frank explained further. Nanami nodded, she wasn't upset, but there was a bit of frustration.
Frank went on to explain how the girls came to be, and while it was fascinating, Nanami thought she could get a better understanding of them by seeing them in action. She also had one other major concern.
"Admiral, you realize how rough the spot the admiralty has placed me in right? How am I to prove that I can lead these women? Even further, I'm being evaluated at the same time on my ability to lead a fleet I've never been even briefed on? How can they go into battle without complete trust in my orders? May I speak candidly sir?" She asked a barrage of questions, causing Amagi to smile.
Admiral Taylor laughed and nodded, "You're going to speak your mind either way. Might as well let you say it plainly."
"Thank you Admiral. Frankly sir, this smells like political bullshit. I don't care how top-secret a program is, as their soon-to-be Commander I should have been briefed," she flatly stated.
Frank grimaced and agreed, "You're right Commander, but my opinion doesn't have as much pull as it used to it seems. This was one thing I could not sway them on."
Before Nanami could reply, Amagi spoke up, "Admiral, if I may, I have a way to resolve some of these problems. I agree with the Shikikan that we cannot simply accept her without understanding her abilities as a leader and tactician. That goes doubly so for my fleet since we are evaluating whether or not to tie ourselves to your program." Admiral Taylor nodded for her to continue.
"I propose a mock battle between Sakura Empire and Eagle Union forces," she coughed lightly into a handkerchief before continuing, "It would be in two weeks, so the Shikikan could have time to acclimate herself to the fleet. I would Command the Sakura forces; Shikikan would take charge of the Eagle Union forces."
Her proposal seemed solid to Nanami, but she continued to sell the idea, "We can further discuss the details at a later time, but I believe this would give the girls confidence in her, as well as foster closer ties between nations." Nanami nodded in agreement, but she turned to Enterprise before accepting the proposal.
"Miss Enterprise, is this agreeable to you?" Nanami asked for her approval.
Quiet up until this point, Enterprise agreed, "It seems a good idea, as expected of Amagi. If the Commander can lead us to victory over the Sakura Empire's greatest strategist, there isn't a single girl in the Union who won't follow her." She paused for a moment, opened her mouth, then closed it again, keeping whatever additional thought she had to herself.
"Wonderful, with that decided, I need to leave as soon as possible. And you have quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on Commander," the Admiral smiled. His gaze then fell on to the boxes on the table and he added, "Are those..?"
"Yes," Nanami answered the hanging question, staring at her adoptive uncle. His smile turned sad, and he stared at the boxes, before clearing his throat.
"Good. Give them a place of honor," he nodded. With his part said, the Admiral stood and they all followed. However, Nanami couldn't let him leave yet. She wanted just a little more time.
She turned to the shipgirls and asked, "Ladies, would you kindly give the Admiral and I a moment to speak in private?" Enterprise stood without a word and left. Amagi bowed and followed with the 5th Carrier Division on her heels.
When the door finally closed the Admiral took a moment to stare at the boxes, then he turned and wrapped her in a hug.
"I miss them too kid. Don't worry, you'll make them proud. I know you will, " he reassured her. Thought it was Frank who was supposed to be comforting her, Nanami didn't shed a tear, nor feel more than a pang of sorrow. She knew this was more for him than her, but she wasn't going to send him away without saying goodbye properly.
Nanami softly guaranteed, "I will end this war uncle." She could see a tear on his face briefly when they separated, but it wouldn't be considerate to mention it.
"Stay safe uncle, give the Admiralty an earful for me," she told him with a forced smile.
"I will. You stay safe out there, and remember why we fight." With a final reply he left the room, and Nanami was left alone with a moment of silence before the other women returned.
"What do you mean remember? I can't forget," she muttered to herself as she picked up the boxes from the table. She removed the cover from each revealing lines of medals. While she stared at the medals, the other women entered. Knowing that she couldn't let them stand there without addressing them for long, she quickly found a place for the boxes, a shelf near her desk, right at eye level.
When she placed them there, she felt the gaze of the men who earned those medals watching over her, reminding her of the cost of this war. She let her fingers linger a moment longer before she turned to see only Amagi and Enterprise.
"Where did Miss Shoukaku and Miss Zuikaku go?" Nanami asked Amagi.
The kitsune woman smiled softly as she replied, "I sent them back to the dorms. They were only here because they heard the new Shikikan was coming and wanted to get a good look at him. She giggled a moment, adding, "I think they were quite surprised to see a woman. The human personnel are so often heavily skewed towards the masculine that it wasn't a bad guess on their part."
Nanami nodded and tried to recall the history of the ship Amagi as best she could. However she couldn't come up with much apart from the Great Kanto Earthquake was important.
Realizing this, she spoke up, "Thank you for the explanation Miss Amagi. In any case, though we were introduced, I do believe that more in-depth introductions are in order for the three of us. I imagine that you two will be my lifelines for your respective fleets, and I would like for us to reach a better understanding."
"That is quite a reasonable assumption. Even before we are fated to meet in our exercise, I will be making a nuisance of myself in the office. I ask your forgiveness in advance Shikikan, " Amagi teased Nanami before continuing her introduction.
"As for a better introduction, I am Amagi, just Amagi by the way. Namesake of the Amagi-class of Battlecruisers. In my past life I was scrapped after suffering critical damage from a devastating earthquake in dry dock. Akagi, my little sister, though a carrier now, was originally commissioned as an Amagi-class Battlecruiser. I have long been the chief strategist of the Sakura Empire Fleet." Nanami nodded politely at the finish of Amagi's introduction.
Enterprise offered her introduction when Amagi finished, "I will be here often as well Commander. I have the most experience running the Eagle Union fleet, though one of my sisters, Yorktown, has plenty of experience as well. As such I can assist in the day to day administration of the organization. In more detail, I am the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier Enterprise. My history is stained in blood, each medal bought with many lives. This is Grim." Her last sentence directed Nanami's attention to the eagle sleeping on her shoulder. She paused for a moment before adding, "I'm also just Enterprise."
Nanami felt that Enterprise didn't really need an introduction, her own reputation definitely preceded her. After all, she had grown up with her father's war stories.
Well, not everyone grows up the daughter of an eventual admiral and the adopted niece of another, she admitted.
With the shipgirls' introductions over, Nanami took a deep breath and began, "I thank you both for your assistance, and apologize for the amount I will be troubling you in the near future. A Commander is only as good as those she can rely upon. As for myself, I am Commander Nanami, half-Sakuran daughter of the late Admiral Dean Winters, sister to the late Captain Simon Winters, and the late Commander Frank Winters."
Despite already offering a lot, Nanami felt it wasn't enough. She didn't have the history these two did after all, she was an unknown. She had to put any reservations about her competence to rest immediately.
"I graduated Salutatorian of my class at the Eagle Union Naval Academy, earning a double major in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. I have native fluency in Sakuran and Royal, learned fluency in Irisian, and Eisenian. My Northernian needs work, but I can be understood. While these do not qualify me to run this fleet on their own, I believe in my ability to lead us to victory over the Siren," she asserted strongly.
Amagi smiled mischievously as Nanami finished and commented, "So that is why you speak Sakuran so well according to Shoukaku. How do you write Nanami?" The question stopped Nanami in her tracks as she realized she hadn't introduced herself in the Sakuran fashion in a long time. A slight blush crept up her face before she responded.
"It is written with the Kanji for seven..and...seas..." she trailed off a bit at the end, sheepishly scratching the side of her face. Amagi did her best to hide her smile. Enterprise meanwhile didn't pick up on the meaning of the name, instead turning slightly red herself.
What was that? Enterprise asked herself, feeling her heart beat faster as she watched her new Commander.
With Enterprise quiet, Amagi seized the chance to tease Nanami again, "One could say you were destined for the role of Shikikan." Nanami's face burned hotter. She couldn't remember the last time someone was able to fluster her this much. In order to calm down, she shifted the topic.
"How do we want to go about introducing me to the fleet? Would all at once be a good idea, or should we split it by faction and have functions where I can get to know the girls better?" she asked the pair while bringing her stray emotions in check.
"Didn't the Admiral tell you?" Amagi asked, concern in her voice.
Nanami's face clouded and she asked, "Tell me what?"
"The admiralty and leadership of each nation's fleets of shipgirls want to meet you. The Shikikan will be traveling to the Sakura Empire to meet our leadership first. We are supposed to head to the home islands in just over 2 weeks' time. It is why I recommended the timeline for the mock battle," Amagi explained.
Nanami took a deep breath before replying, "Well, I'm glad you told me, because the Admiral seems to have forgotten. We'll discuss the specifics at another time." Then she turned to Enterprise and asked, "What about the Eagle Union fleet?"
Enterprise responded quickly that they were going to have a cookout in a few days. The three of them settled in and discussed the details of the next two weeks of activity. By the time they finished, the sun was getting low in the sky.
"Well, it is getting late, so thank you both for your time tonight. I have a few last bits of paperwork to fill out before I retire for the evening," Nanami said as they stood up together. At Nanami's mention of staying longer, Amagi's face scrunched up.
"Shikikan * cough cough* please do not neglect your health in the pursuit of results. You'll end up with neither," Amagi admonished through a coughing fit. Nanami's eyes widened slightly in alarm, but the Sakuran strategist put a hand up to allay her fears.
"I am not in the greatest of health as you see. So I am a reputable source on these matters, " she explained.
Nanami nodded, and replied, "I promise that I will look after my health. After all, my health is no longer only my own concern. But.."
"A friend of mine once taught me that everything before 'but' is a lie Shikikan," Amagi cut in, keeping her tone polite, but firm. Nanami stared at Amagi for a second before sighing.
"I...okay. I guess I won't be faulted for waiting until my first full day at the helm to do the paperwork," Nanami caved to the pressure from the kitsune.
"Good, let's get you home. Are you going to join me in walking the Shikikan home Enterprise?" Amagi asked innocently.
Enterprise nodded, "I'll come with you."
Nanami decided not to fight the two about escorting her home, and the three left the office together. As they walked, Nanami noticed that both Amagi and Enterprise were exceptionally tall. Having one on either side left her feeling short again. A brief, peaceful walk later and they were in front of her home.
"Well Shikikan, this is where we must leave you. We shall see you in the morning," Amagi bid Nanami farewell.
Enterprise followed up with, "Sleep well Commander. We have work to do starting tomorrow."
"Thank you both for walking me home, I appreciate it. Goodnight you two, I'll see you in the morning," Nanami gave them both a genuine smile.
Nanami went inside, and quickly started a bath. When she sank into the bath, the tension that had filled her muscles all day bled out, and she relaxed. After she put on a t shirt and got into the master bed. It was massive, easily capable of fitting the 4 tallest women she'd met today. But most importantly, it was soft.
Nanami quickly floated off to sleep.