Chapter 11: Memories of Sakura, Part 1
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Iris Orthodoxy
July 12th, 2020, 2000 hours
En route to Toulon, the Combined Fleet and their Iris Army escorts made a quick stop in the city of Lyon to restock on supplies. Afterwards, the military forces camped out the following night, allowing everyone to rest and make final preparations for their future construction and oceanic departure.
"Wait, you're telling us Tabitha isn't the woman in your dreams? Then who was she?!" demanded Warspite, nearly dropping the stack of ammo boxes she was carrying.
"Umm, Miss Warspite? Could you keep your voice down? It's already getting late and we don't want to disturb anyone," Helena gently reminded the Royal battleship as she fiddled with a lighter, hoping to ignite the campfire in front of her.
"Sorry." Warspite finished carefully putting down the supplies before she walked up to Signas and looked him in the eye. "But who is this lady, whom only you can see for some reason, that's been helping us, then?" she asked quietly.
"I'm still not sure, but some of their physical characteristics didn't match up." Signas reviewed every difference he could recall. "Tabitha had very short hair, while the lady's hair was longer, just past her shoulders. Their voices didn't sound the same, either: Tabitha had a deeper voice, while hers was slightly higher-pitched. Even their clothes are different, since I don't recall Tabitha wearing any black clothing on her."
"Well, isn't that just swell. We're back to square one on discovering this mysterious person's identity." Warspite threw up her hands in exasperation.
"Look, I understand you're frustrated, Warspite," acknowledged Signas, "but at least she's proven to be a help rather than a hindrance. If I receive any more premonitions from her or make further discoveries about who she is, I'll be sure to let you know."
Warspite tapped her foot before letting out a long sigh. "I suppose that's all you can do, isn't it? No point in complaining any further." She stretched her arms and yawned loudly. "I think… I'll retire early. Good night." Her fleetmates waved goodbye as she returned the gesture, ducking into one of the tents set up for the KANSENs.
While the rest of the shipgirls went about their camping duties, Kaine approached Signas' group, a troubled expression on his face.
"Zeta, Hanazuki, Hood, lemme know if you need anything, alright?" he called back to his fleet, waving to them. His girls waved goodnight back to him as he came closer. "Hey, Sig."
"Is there something wrong, Kaine?"
"Nah, my girls and I are fine. But I got a request from Fujin's lady friend. You know, the one with the horns?"
"You mean Lady Mikasa?" deduced Signas.
"Yeah, her. She wanted to talk to us specifically now that she has some free time on her hands. Are you up for it, or are you going to sleep, too?"
Signas stood up and nodded. "I should be fine with sparing a few hours. Let's go."
The pair of commanders strode across the grassy plain, carefully navigating between the crowded campsites. Kaine led them to a particularly large tent with a modified Sakura Empire logo on the sides, the three central magatama swirls replaced by a solid sphere. Light flooded out of the open entrance, revealing the seated Mikasa stowing away her paperwork in a small desk and organizing her writing tools. She looked up as they lifted the entrance flap and waited for her invitation.
"Please, come in! I'm glad to see you both could make it." She gave them a formal, pleasant smile as she waved for them to take two of the three vacant seats in front of her desk.
"Huh? Who's the third seat for?" asked Kaine as he and Signas took the central and leftmost seats, respectively.
"That would be for… her." Mikasa waved to welcome the third invitee. Shoukaku curiously glanced over at the two commanders before settling into the rightmost seat, her attention now focused on Mikasa.
"May I ask why you have invited me, Lady Mikasa? Are we here to secretly enjoy a pleasant drink together?" asked Shoukaku hopefully, glancing around for any sign of refreshments.
Mikasa shook her head and clasped her hands together. "I'm afraid there's no alcohol here, Shoukaku, unless you want some bottled water. You know why I've invited you here: we need to talk about your commander, Fujin."
Shoukaku's face immediately turned from feigned obliviousness to obvious irritation. "Of course, of course! It's always about him, isn't it? It's bad enough that I'm separated from Zuikaku, but now you want to talk to me about the most worthless piece of trash to ever breathe the same oxygen as us?" She took a moment to take a deep breath and regain her composure. "You truly have the most amazing sense of humor I've ever witnessed, Lady Mikasa." She barely finished her sentence while maintaining a smile.
Mikasa simply sighed at Shoukaku's outrage. "While I can't say whether this information will change your opinion of him, Shoukaku, I still believe it's important that you listen to what I have to say."
"Is that why you invited us along too, Lady Mikasa?" questioned Signas.
"Indeed. I've noticed both of you meeting and socializing with him regularly, hence why I wanted to make another request of you both and Shoukaku."
"What do you want us to do, exactly?" asked Kaine as Shoukaku huffed and slumped in her seat, clearly trying to not pay attention.
Mikasa leaned forward and whispered. "Convince Fujin to go ahead with the construction, along with any construction opportunities he could be granted in the future. I don't know why he's so reluctant to go along with it, but that's what I want to change: we need as many highly skilled commanders as we can manage, and he's one of the New Sakura Empire's best assets."
She closed her eyes and sighed again, this time with more dejection in her voice. "I can't bear to see my dear friend suffering like this, and if he doesn't change his ways then his shipgirls will suffer for it, too. And none of us want that." She glanced at Shoukaku again, and while the carrier KANSEN didn't return her gaze, she shamefully cast her eyes downwards, indicating that Mikasa's words had gotten through to her.
"We can try, but I doubt our words alone will get through to him," noted Signas. "You seem to know him longer than we have, and yet that did nothing to dissuade him at the basilica. How should we go about this, assuming he isn't listening in on us right now?"
"I know that he is currently preoccupied with running an inventory count and maintenance on our equipment storage, so he shouldn't interrupt us for a while," answered Mikasa. "In the meantime, I shall arm you. Namely, I will arm you with knowledge of my time with him, and what I've learned from watching him and his previous fleet."
"His… previous fleet?" asked Signas, the curiosity in his voice rising. "He had another fleet of shipgirls before his current one?"
Meanwhile, Shoukaku's eyes shot wide open and she couldn't help looking over at Mikasa, her attention now focused on the conversation. "Wait, you mean Zuikaku and I weren't his first shipgirls?" she added.
Mikasa nodded somberly. "He was tasked with handling a fleet…. Well, they weren't quite up to the standard of KANSENs you know today, but they were indeed shipgirls. It all started with our first fateful meeting…."
5 years ago
Yokosuka Naval Base, Sakura Empire
May 25th, 2015, 0900 hours
Mikasa cast her steely gaze over the room full of fresh commander graduates, tuning out the usual droning graduation speech given by the Marshal Admiral as she observed the newbies' reactions. Some shifted nervously in place, while others maintained glassy-eyed stares to pretend they were listening, just like herself.
"...always remember to serve your Emperor and the Sakura Empire to the utmost of your capabilities," spoke the Marshal Admiral in a deep, hoarse voice. "You are the next generation of leaders and commanders for the Yokosuka Naval Base, so your performance will be carefully observed by your superiors. Carry out your duties successfully, and you will bring great honor to yourself and your family. Once again, congratulations to all of you, and may you continue to strive for the betterment of our great nation. Banzai!"
"Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!" shouted the graduates, raising their arms. With the induction ceremony now completed, the Marshal Admiral hobbled towards the exit, his age showing in every unsteady step he took. Once the doors to the conference room had shut behind him, the room erupted into cheering, whistling, and excited conversations.
"We did it! We're full-fledged commanders now!" proclaimed a young woman with a short ponytail.
"Now we're really gonna show those Sirens what happens when they mess with the Sakura Empire!" yelled a young man with a bowl haircut and a scarred face, pumping his arm in the air again.
"Fame, fortune, and more gorgeous ladies than we could ever imagine! I'm going to woo them all with my charms and dashing good looks, then take my pick of the most beautiful ones to create the perfect fleet." The pompous man slicked back his hair and popped his collar, all while flashing a confident smile.
"Oh, please. Like any girl would go out with a sleazeball like you, Daiichi." A young, fair-skinned woman with long, straight bangs shook her head and groaned at her friend's display of arrogance. "If anyone has the best chance of winning over any shipgirls, it would be Fujin, wouldn't it?"
"What, him?" Daiichi glanced over incredulously at a young man in glasses, who had his eyes closed in thought. "Fujin has all the charisma of wet rice paper, Minako; that is to say, none at all. I wouldn't be surprised to see any girls under him leave for someone more handsome, like yours truly," he said, pointing at himself.
"You really think that? I wouldn't want to take any bets against him, considering he's estimated to have one of the highest wisdom cube affinities in the entirety of the Sakura Empire, and scored top marks in our class on top of that." Minako began walking over towards Fujin.
"Ugh. It's not like affinity means anything, Minako. The real way to win over a shipgirl's heart is through perseverance!" yelled Daiichi, catching up to his friends.
"Hey, Fujin. Don't mind Daiichi, he's just being a clown again." Minako shook Fujin's shoulder to get his attention. "By the way, isn't it great that we all graduated?"
"Huh?!" Fujin startled at Minako's touch. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about-"
"About what to do next, now that we're all commanders?" finished Minako.
"No, not that. I was just reviewing the most recent battle simulations in my head. I still feel I could have done something differently in the fifth scenario…." he trailed off, closing his eyes again.
"Wait, that's what you're preoccupied with?" Minako balked at his skewed priorities. "You still aced that one! Three enemy fleets wiped out, only one enemy in the fourth fleet escaped with heavy damage, and you only had one sunk casualty from that battle."
"True, but I feel I could have spread out the damage a little better amongst my fleet and avoided that unnecessary loss. I need to make the most of the resources at my disposal, or else I won't be able to fulfill my duties." Fujin seemed agitated now, as evidenced by his folded arms.
"Sheesh, you're such a nerd, Fujin." Daiichi clapped Fujin's shoulder and guided him towards the exit as everyone else departed. "Come on, we've got some celebrating to do. Minako will treat us to the finest teppanyaki restaurant in town!"
Minako glared at Daiichi's unwelcome proposal. "Why are you making me pay for it?! Aren't you the one who's rich, considering your father's the Marshal Admiral?"
Daiichi laughed nervously. "Well, Dad decided to cut my allowance, saying I needed to work for my pay. Kind of uncalled for, if you ask me. Anyways, if you could cover the payment this time, I'll pay for our next outing!"
"Don't worry, Minako. I'll help you cover the tab this time," reassured Fujin.
"Thanks, Fujin. Next time, I'm picking the place, and it's going to be way more expensive than teppanyaki. Got it, Daiichi?" declared Minako aggressively.
Daiichi shuddered at Minako's promise. Fujin chuckled at his friends' shenanigans as the other two headed for the exit. However, before he could follow, Mikasa stood between them, preventing him from leaving. She urged his friends to depart before returning her attention to the lone commander graduate.
"Well, well. I would assume you're Fujin Sakamoto, then?" Mikasa addressed him with the utmost seriousness.
Fujin shrank back as his body trembled, clearly intimidated by the imposing authority in front of him. "Um, y-yes ma'am. M-My name is Fujin. Uh, Sakamoto. Did you need something from me?"
"My name is Mikasa, official KANSEN representative of the Sakura Empire Navy," she continued. "Congratulations on your outstanding results in classroom training and combat simulation. Sakura High Command has taken notice of your affinity and performance, and has decided to enlist you in a special operation."
"A-A special operation?" Fujin's eyes darted every which way as he began sweating. "Uh-oh, did I do something wrong? Why would I get singled out like this?" he began murmuring, paranoia overtaking his vocalized thoughts.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Commander Fujin." Her calling him a commander seemed to bring him back to attention. "Rather, High Command needs someone of your caliber to tackle the project, as it has proven unfruitful with prior candidates."
"O-Oh…" Fujin returned to his thoughtful stance. "Am I required to participate, then?"
Mikasa shook her head. "Negative. You are free to turn down this opportunity if you wish. However, should you succeed where all others have failed, you will garner unrivaled respect and recognition from High Command, and the honors bestowed upon your family will even include public acknowledgment from the Emperor himself. Truly, every Sakuran commander and admiral would wish to be in your place."
"I could restore my family's honor. Even Grandpa Shinnosuke's shame would be absolved…!" murmured Fujin, the light of endless possibilities flooding his eyes as he understood Mikasa's words. "I'll do whatever it takes, Lady Mikasa!" he answered, his confidence returning to him.
"Good answer. Then follow me." She walked out of the exit with the anxious new commander in tow. They departed Yokosuka HQ and walked a considerable distance, passing by the canteen and armory on the way. Eventually, they stopped in front of a rotting, dilapidated old dormitory.
"Are we going to repair this building, Lady Mikasa?" asked Fujin, trying to figure out his new purpose.
"Not quite. Nobody lives in this building; at least, that's what's stated on the official records." Mikasa yanked open the creaky entrance doors and walked in while Fujin glanced around curiously as he entered, straining to shut the doors behind him.
The abandoned living room was covered in a thick layer of dust, and most of the furniture was broken or missing important parts. Mikasa led them into the kitchen area, holding her hand over her mouth to avoid breathing in too much dust as she heard Fujin loudly coughing behind her.
"While Yokosuka HQ did consider fixing up this place, they decided that it wouldn't be worth the cost since we wouldn't be able to fill up all of the rooms. Instead, they decided to label the building off-limits and moved secret projects into secure areas within this facility," explained Mikasa. "You will be put in charge of one such project."
She pulled out an unremarkable silver keyring and fiddled with the numerous padlocks covering a set of cellar doors. Once she unlocked and removed all of them, she tapped a passcode into a number pad on the metal doors behind it. After the device's light lit green, the metal swung open, nearly breaking off their rusty hinges. They headed down a flight of stairs into the darkest, dampest basement imaginable, with mildew growing in the corners and crevices. Mikasa fished in her coat's pockets and pulled out a flashlight, motioning for a frightened Fujin to continue following her before the metal doors slammed shut behind them.
"That's odd," noted Mikasa. "I swear the generator was still working last I checked." She flicked the flashlight on, shining a narrow beam of light down the shadowy corridor. "Stay close, and try not to get lost, rookie."
"U-Understood." Fujin moved so closely to Mikasa that the KANSEN could feel his breath down her neck.
They cautiously traversed down the lengthy hallway, their footsteps echoing on the bare concrete floor. Suddenly, Mikasa held her arm out to stop Fujin from progressing any further. A low growling noise could be heard coming from a nearby open doorway.
Without any advance warning, as Mikasa took another step forward, a flash of blonde hair darted into the hallway before lunging at her. However, the dreadnought caught her assailant by the throat in midair, showing no signs of surprise on her face. In her grip, a snarling young girl snapped her jaws, trying to bite at Mikasa's face as she helplessly scratched at her arm. Mikasa merely tightened her grip, causing the girl to gasp for air.
"W-Wait a minute!" shouted Fujin, who had backed away and fallen over after witnessing the jumpscare. "What exactly is going on here, Mikasa?!"
"You know you're never going to catch me off-guard like that, DD-27." Mikasa slammed the girl against the floor, causing the girl to yelp out in pain.
"This is one of the girls you will be assigned to, Fujin," answered Mikasa bluntly. "They are a set of experimental prototype shipgirls, designed to fulfill one of two conditions: they are supposed to either become a cheaper, more time-efficient alternative to producing KANSENs via prototype cubes, or will eventually grow stronger than the traditional shipgirl archetypes, assuming they ever receive proper upgrades. At least, that was the idea."
Mikasa and Fujin watched DD-27 scamper away while clutching her stomach. "However, neither visible growth nor meaningful results has been observed throughout the lifespan of this project," continued Mikasa. "High Command deems the project too important to properly terminate, despite the lack of progress. That is where you come into the picture, Commander Fujin."
"Uh, should I worry about being attacked like that…?" asked Fujin timidly, referring to the earlier assault on Mikasa.
"Don't worry. I will visit every day to make sure you're still alive. We've had several cases of moderate injuries and loss of consciousness, but no deaths yet." Mikasa took a moment to wipe DD-27's drool off of her cuff.
Fujin's face turned pale as a ghost. "Can I still go back? I'm sure my friends are really worried about me and-"
"Too late." Mikasa cut him off. "You have given your consent and learned sensitive information regarding this project. You will be required to look after these girls for one year, starting from today."
"One year?! Are you serious?" Fujin curled up into a ball and buried his face in his knees. "Oh, this cannot be happening. How did my prospects plummet so quickly…?" His muffled voice mourned his inevitable fate.
Mikasa couldn't stand watching the pitiful commander any longer. She lifted him by the shoulders, gave him a few good shakes, and planted his feet back on the ground. "Pull yourself together! Are you a proud commander of the Sakura Empire, or a spineless maggot unworthy of even eating dirt?"
"Ah… I'm a spineless-"
Fujin didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Mikasa slapped him twice, once on each side of the face. "Wrong answer!"
She sighed before changing her mind. "Look, I'll try to visit more often to keep the girls in check, so stop being a sniveling coward. You've got plenty of duties to attend to, so at least try seeing what you can work with."
Fujin scratched his head, trying to hold back tears. "…I'll try, Lady Mikasa."
"That's all we can ask you to do. Now, let's see if we can find the other girls and get the lights back on. And don't worry, DD-27's the most aggressive of them. The others shouldn't attack you, probably."
"Probably." Fujin repeated her last word ironically. "How many of them are there?"
Mikasa was already moving ahead, forcing Fujin to hurry after her. "There used to be more, as you could probably guess by their designation numbers. However, we've been reduced to four girls for now. You've seen DD-27. The closest thing I can compare her to is a rabid dog. Try to cover your eyes if you see her charging at you. She has a tendency to try blinding her targets and stealing their personal belongings."
"Yikes…" Fujin instinctively reached for his face as Mikasa described the subject.
"Next, we have… ah, there she is right now."
Mikasa peered into the next open doorway. Inside, another young girl with ragged white hair and an even more tattered gray shirt stared at a blank wall. "Hey, DD-26! You've got a new commander, so come and meet him!" called out Mikasa.
"Too much trouble. Go away." The girl didn't even bother to face them properly as she declined Mikasa's request. Instead, she slumped forward some more, her shoulders sagging as she grumbled incoherently.
Mikasa responded by stamping her foot inside the room's entrance, causing DD-26 to twitch involuntarily. "You know what happens when you don't follow orders, DD-26."
"Dammit…" the girl picked herself up before facing them directly. She glared at them with the same ferocity as DD-26, but didn't bother attacking. "I'm… DD-26. Now, go away. Please." She uttered the last word with a hint of pleading. As she turned away, a trickle of tears wetted the floor before she turned back to the wall.
"Oh…" Fujin sounded distressed. "Hey, um, DD-26, was it? Could you help us fix-"
"It's in the last room," she answered quickly, and didn't respond to any further verbal invitations.
"Don't worry, Fujin. I already know where the generator is and how to fix it most of the time without an engineer." Mikasa walked away, as Fujin stared sadly at the forlorn girl before following again.
They made their way further into the dark hallway, with more signs of disrepair showing up in the architecture. Cracks began forming in the walls, and pieces of debris littered the walkway. Suddenly, a ghastly wail echoed down the hallway, causing Fujin to shiver fearfully.
"Wh-what was that?" whispered Fujin, clinging to Mikasa's shoulder for support. The dreadnought pushed him off before responding.
"That should be CL-2."
Sure enough, a teenage girl with horns charged at them, her arms flailing around as she entered the light's beam. Mikasa didn't even bother reacting. However, the same could not be said for Fujin.
"It's too dark, Mikasa! Why aren't the light switches working- Waaaaaaaugh!" screamed CL-2, bumping into the commander.
"Aaaaaaaah!" cried Fujin in surprise.
"Waaaaaah! There's a creepy stranger here! Somebody save me…!"
She ran away just as quickly as she had arrived, her cries vanishing into the darkness.
"Don't mind her. She's a total pushover and a scaredy-cat. It's harder to find something she isn't terrified of," explained Mikasa.
"I don't look that creepy, do I?" Fujin asked himself, scratching his head.
"Never mind that. We're almost at our destination." They reached a dead end with two rooms branching off to the left and right. Mikasa entered the right one, hearing the sounds of clanking metal and fizzling electricity.
"So, you were trying to repair the lights on your own, CA-14…?"
Mikasa shined the light on a young woman, who looked the eldest out of the four girls. Dirt and oil covered most of her dress and long hair. Her head and arms were stuck inside an open panel on the generator's side, and she jumped when Mikasa addressed her, creating a dull thumping sound as she rose.
"Ow…!"
CA-14 extracted herself from the machine, rubbing her head as tears streamed down her face. "S-Sorry, Lady Mikasa. I know CL-2 really doesn't like the dark, and I wasn't sure when you'd be back, so I tried to fix it myself. I'm not sure if I just made it worse." CL-2 was now huddled in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth as she muttered comforting words to herself.
"Let me take a look at it." CA-14 backed off as Mikasa poked the flashlight into the generator's internals. "Looks like nothing was seriously damaged. Just need to reattach a few wires, and…" Mikasa paused as she pulled out a small, deformed rock. "Who left this jammed in the rotor?"
"Ah." CA-14 looked away before answering. "I'm not sure how that got in there."
"I know who did it," CL-2 spoke up irritatedly. "It has to be DD-27! We got into an argument yesterday, and even though I took back the food that was rightfully mine, she knows I hate the dark! She definitely jammed the rock in there just to spite me!"
"CL-2, why would you say that…!" CA-14 sweated nervously at CL-2's accusation. "I just didn't want anyone getting in trouble…."
Mikasa sighed and reattached the generator panel before pressing the activation button. Dim lights flickered on across the entire underground facility like a swarm of dying fireflies.
"Gather everyone in the dorm room. We need to make proper introductions." The girls were already running out of the room as Mikasa barked out her orders. "The dorm is directly across from here. Go wait there while I make sure everyone is accounted for," she said to Fujin.
"U-Understood, Lady Mikasa." Fujin wiped off the sweat running down his cheeks. "I don't know if I'll even last one day here, from the looks of it…."
"Enough of the quitter talk, Fujin. Just go."
Fujin obeyed Mikasa's directions and headed into the adjacent room as Mikasa retraced her steps back down the hallway. He found himself in a drab, cramped room with four small beds, one in each corner. Springs and stuffing were already leaking out of multiple holes in the mattresses, and there weren't even pillows or blankets atop of any of them. Fujin winced as he tested one of the beds, finding he could barely press his hand into the hard material.
"Is… this what their lives are like? It's actually really sad…."
After around ten minutes of silence, Fujin heard vicious shouting and growling outside the room. Mikasa stepped in, DD-26 and DD-27 flailing under each arm, as CL-2 and CA-14 followed after them quietly.
"Let go of me, you… you…!" DD-27 savagely thrashed about, only for Mikasa to drop both her and DD-26 on the ground.
"There. That's what you wanted, right?" Mikasa answered flatly. "These are your new girls, Fujin. Your goal is to whip them into shape and record any changes in their capabilities. Go ahead, introduce yourselves." Mikasa stepped aside, dodging DD-27's attempt to gnaw at her ankle in order to give them room.
"I'm…" the eldest girl spoke first before faltering.
"No need to hesitate," insisted Mikasa. "He's not going to hit you, unlike your previous commanders. In fact, I think he's the meekest commander I've seen so far."
Hearing Mikasa's observations seemed to hearten the young woman. "I'm called CA-14. I'm the oldest, and Lady Mikasa entrusts me to look after the other girls." She took a deep breath as she backed away.
Next, the timid girl with horns took a step forward. "I-I'm CL-2. I d-don't do well w-with scary stuff, so p-please don't make me do anything scary, o-okay?!" She stuttered on almost every other word, ending with a panicked shout. Fujin actually had to cover his ears as she shrieked.
As CL-2 bolted out of the room in terror, Mikasa shrugged exasperatedly and gave chase. That just left the two youngest girls. The white-haired girl simply stared at Fujin without moving a muscle, while the blonde one carefully edged closer to him, the look of a hungry predator in her eyes.
Before he realized what was happening, Fujin found himself sprawled out across the floor, having been tripped up by the agile movements of DD-27.
"W-Wait, DD-27! What are you doing?!" yelled CA-14.
Meanwhile, DD-27 had a sleek black leather wallet in her hands, and was busy strewing paper money across the floor.
"Huh? There's nothing to eat in here!" She flipped the wallet upside-down and emptied the rest of its contents, including a bunch of loose coins and a set of photos.
"H-Hey! Give me my wallet back!" called out Fujin. Before he could reach the thief, she gnawed on the leather for a few moments before spitting in disgust and tossing the now-empty wallet back in his face.
"DD-27, that's enough!" This time, CA-14 belted out her name with extra strictness, causing the previously defiant girl to cower and whimper. "We can't create any more problems. Otherwise, everyone will get punished for it. You don't want to cause more trouble for DD-26, do you?"
DD-27 looked away sheepishly, now hunched over in remorse. "Sorry, CA-14. I… I'm just so hungry." Her stomach growled loudly like a ferocious grizzly bear as she complained weakly.
CA-14 sighed and hugged DD-27. Her shoulders heaved as she barely held back tears. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. The researchers keep cutting back our rations, so I can't blame you for acting out like this. Still…"
"Hey, stop crying. Otherwise, I'm gonna… waaah…" DD-27 couldn't contain herself as she bawled loudly, wrapping her arms tightly around CA-14. DD-26 hobbled over and joined in the depressing group hug in a rare display of emotion.
Fujin tried to approach the girls, only to hear a threatening growl as DD-26 whipped her head in his direction when she heard his footsteps, giving him the same tearful glare she did earlier. He couldn't do anything but watch the pitiful scene unfold, as Mikasa finally brought CL-2 back into the room, the unfortunate girl now slung over her shoulder. "Did something happen while I was gone, Fujin?" asked Mikasa.
"Er… no." Fujin wanted to offer them comfort, but he wasn't certain whether they would even accept him, let alone allow him to get any closer. "Mikasa, why are these girls being treated like this?"
"The researchers in charge of this project decided that these living conditions met the bare minimum requirements for a KANSEN to survive in," Mikasa answered, the first hint of disgust slipping through her words. She dropped CL-2, who ran over to the other girls and joined in the hug. "Speaking of which, you can expect your next shipment of rations at 7 PM tonight," she told the girls.
"So we'll get them at 10 PM, you mean?" asked CA-14. "They never deliver our food on time, and always lie about the amount they'll provide. We didn't even get the sugar and seasoning packets last time."
"Sorry." Mikasa actually sounded apologetic for once. "I try to remind the food shippers, but I'm technically not allowed to interfere in the project any more than I have to." She glanced over at Fujin, who now understood what she wanted him to do.
"R-Right. Allow me to introduce myself." He gathered together any remaining courage he had as he tried to sound authoritative. "I am Commander Fujin Sakamoto, a recent graduate of the Sakura Empire commander candidate program. I will…" he paused, trying to find the right words to say. "I will do my best to look after your needs, if you will allow me to."
The girls, now disbanding their group hug, observing him with varying levels of intensity. DD-26 and DD-27 squinted at him with suspicion and skepticism, while CL-2 seemed to struggle with not instinctively running away again, her entire body trembling as she took a few steps back. However, CA-14's eyes seemed to glaze over as she refused to meet his gaze.
"...They never mean it."
"Huh?" Fujin wasn't certain if he heard her words correctly.
"They never actually help us. They either say they will and then steal what little we have, or they bully and punish us when we don't perform to their expectations in combat testing. Why should we trust you?" asked CA-14 bitterly.
"Why… should we trust you?!" she asked again, on the verge of shouting.
It was Fujin's turn to step back, shocked by CA-14's sudden outburst. "I…" Now he was truly stumped, without an answer to her question. He bit his lip as Mikasa and the girls watched him, waiting for his disappointing excuse.
"H-He really is no different. All Sakuran commanders are self-entitled gl-glory hogs," said CL-2, anger rising in her voice. "W-We're just another stepping stone in his so-called quest for honor!"
The girls started to file out of the room as Mikasa hurried over to him and whispered in his ear. "Do you really have nothing to say? Just try to get their attention somehow! Even if you have nothing important to say, just man up and speak! Please!"
"W-Wait! Everyone!"
The shipgirls all froze as Fujin shouted desperately. All eyes were on him as he straightened his commander cap and took a deep breath.
"You're right. You shouldn't have to trust me. I've heard and seen enough here to know you're being mistreated by both the researchers and your previous commanders." He approached the girls, who slowly walked back in while waiting for his speech. "I can't say whether I am capable of improving your lives and enacting the changes you deserve. For all I know, perhaps some of your past commanders held the same sentiments I did, but couldn't change anything."
CA-14 pushed through the group towards him, her attention focused on every word leaving his mouth. Her expression said it all: years of abuse leaking out as tears, the agony of betrayal and distrust in her trembling lips, and the bottled resentment and hatred begging for release in her clenched fists. She looked completely ready to punch Fujin for his bold claims.
"You can hold me to this promise, if nothing else: I will do everything in my power to give you the better lives you deserve. If I fail to do this, you are free to take my life," he ended.
Just as the rest of the girls shuffled towards him, Mikasa quickly inserted herself between them and the commander. "Fujin! I'm glad you're taking your duties seriously, but there's no need to put your life on the line! Besides, I already told you nobody died participating in this program!"
"Nobody human died in this program, right?"
"Eh?" Mikasa was caught off-guard by Fujin's question. "I mean-"
"No human commanders or researchers perished. But you told me there were more shipgirls in this project. Where did they go, Lady Mikasa? Where are they now? Were they transferred to another base?" Fujin continued piling on the uncomfortable questions.
"Uh…" Mikasa was hesitant to reveal the answer. "They… they've been dismantled… or killed in action," she admitted.
Fujin shook his head. "A life for a life. If I don't treat these girls with respect and kindness befitting a fellow human, I don't deserve to be called human myself." He gently shoved Mikasa aside and allowed the experimental shipgirls to approach him. DD-27 and DD-26 reached out to grab his sleeves and lock him in place, while CL-2 continued to hang back. CA-14 approached him, observing every inch of him with uncertainty. After an uncomfortably long silence, she confronted him face-to-face, her vivid golden-amber eyes piercing his own black ones.
"Please, let him go." The young girls released his arms as CA-14 gave them orders. "We will see if you truly mean what you're saying. We do not enjoy killing, but if you break your promise… well, I can't guarantee your safety."
Fujin broke out into a relieved smile, realizing he had finally obtained a little of their trust. "I shall give you only my best efforts. This much, I swear."
"Huh." Mikasa watched the tense exchange from the sidelines while making curious sounds. "Nice save, Fujin. Perhaps you do actually have a spine." She folded her arms, her face revealing a rare satisfied smile.
"Wait, so Fujin didn't just immediately win them over with his high affinity?"
Shoukaku tapped her fingers against Mikasa's desk, trying to make sense of Mikasa's story.
Mikasa shook her head. "The experimental girls interacted with high affinity commanders regularly, as per the project's instructions. With each successive commander letting them down or betraying them, their trust in humans continued to lessen. By the time Fujin arrived, they were ready to chase him away as soon as possible."
"But why not switch things up and try a low affinity commander? Since they didn't like high affinity commanders, maybe that would have worked?" asked Kaine, which caused Signas to stroke his chin while wondering the same thing.
"The researchers did try to recruit the lowest affinity commander they could find once, just like you proposed," answered Mikasa, her expression souring. "One of the destroyer girls' sisters, DD-30, tore up his face so badly he needed to be taken to the hospital for stitches within an hour of entering the project. He never showed up again, and DD-30 was dismantled."
"Holy crap." Kaine swore quietly as Signas nearly fell out of his chair, shocked at hearing the vicious results.
"Why would the Sakura Empire run experiments that were so… so inhumane?!" Shoukaku's frustration nearly boiled over as her voice struggled to stay calm.
"Because shipgirls aren't humans. High Command doesn't see them as people. As far as the Sakura Empire cared, there were only two types of KANSENs. The first type was celebrities and idols, shown off to the civilian population to garner public adoration. You had no chance of meeting them privately unless they wanted to meet you, for whatever reason. The other type was used as tools for violence and experimentation." Mikasa shook her head sadly.
"Speaking of finding favor with KANSEN celebrities, I suppose we did have several run-ins with one of the most prominent ones…."
5 years ago
Yokosuka Naval Base, Sakura Empire
May 26th, 2015, 1100 hours
On the day following their introductions with the experimental girls, Fujin hefted a large, nondescript cardboard box in his arms as he and Mikasa strolled across the base towards the familiar abandoned building.
"So you said this experiment is called Project Kaientai?" asked Fujin as he finally managed to stabilize the load he was carrying.
"Yes, that's the official name for those in the know," answered Mikasa.
"Kaientai… that's the name of the Sakura Empire's historical Maritime Support Fleet." Fujin trailed off as he tried to peek over the top of the box to see where he was going.
"High Command chose that name on purpose," continued Mikasa. "The optimists among them believed that if these girls could be constructed more cheaply, they could act as support to the Sakura Empire's main combat fleets by fulfilling peacetime duties or performing secondary operations, such as escorting transport ships. If they were of the prototype variety, they could still perform the same non-vital operations until they were ready for their full upgrades to surpass current combat units."
"They really had all of this planned out, huh? It sounds good on paper, but-"
"Indeed. No plan survives contact with reality." Mikasa finished his thoughts. "By the way, do you need help with that box? It looks rather heavy."
"I-I think I've got a firmer grasp on it, so I should be-" Fujin began to tip forward again, so he tried to kneel and arch his back to steady himself. Unfortunately, he bumped into someone at that exact moment and nearly fell backwards before a pair of strong, slender arms caught him, hauling him upright.
"Whoa! I'm terribly sorry!" Fujin lowered the box so he could apologize properly. "I couldn't see where I was going, and-"
"Oh, my. Who do we have here?" interrupted a seductive voice.
Fujin was cut off by a refined, shapely lady, who looked him over with surprise and curiosity. He barely had time to notice the brown fox-shaped ears atop her head and the fluffy, billowing tails behind her before she pressed her face close to his, giving him a close-up of her bright crimson eye shadows.
"Ooh, you're a handsome one, aren't you?" She licked her lips as her eyes lit up like growing scarlet fires. She gracefully took the box from his hands and gently lowered it to the ground in one smooth motion before returning her attention to him. "I can sense it, too… you have an exceptional affinity to attract shipgirls. It almost makes me jealous that someone else might try to woo you, but I doubt they could compete with me."
A white-haired shipgirl with a similar pair of fox ears and abundance of tails tried to get their attention. "Sister, I believe you're making him uncomfortable. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves first?"
The brown-haired fox woman took a moment to glance at her companion before letting go of the embarrassed Fujin and stepping back. "Ahaha, my apologies. I simply didn't expect to find someone so… perfect." She whispered the last word with extra sweetness. "I am Akagi of the First Carrier Division, under Admiral Yoshitsugu, and this is my sister and division mate, Kaga," she added, gesturing towards her bowing companion.
"Admiral Yoshitsugu's personal fleet…!" Mikasa tensed up as she bowed. "It's an honor to meet you in person. I am Mikasa, Yokosuka Naval Base's KANSEN representative, and this young man is Fujin. But I must ask: why are you both here, in Yokosuka?"
Akagi waved her hand dismissively as she explained. "Admiral Yoshitsugu is here on important business regarding recent movements in the Pacific Ocean. His personal fleet accompanied him here as his escorts, but he usually just lets us wander around as we please and enjoy ourselves." She glanced back at Fujin, who was still bowing just like Mikasa, and lifted his head with a single finger as she stared lovingly into his eyes. "I certainly would enjoy spending quality time with Yokosuka's finest new commander."
Fujin blushed as he realized what she was implying. "I wouldn't really call myself the finest… Wait. Y-You knew that I just graduated?"
"But of course. As the Sakura Empire's top shipgirl superstar and a KANSEN under the Navy's second-in-command, I make sure to keep tabs on the commander candidacy program, just in case something unfortunate ever happens to Admiral Yoshitsugu and I need to request a transfer." She giggled quietly as she took Fujin's hands in her own again, pressing him against her bosom and forcing him to remain in her overbearing presence. "However… I could always request a special transfer right now, just for you, Commander Fujin."
"You know that wouldn't work, Sister. Admiral Yoshitsugu can't afford to let any of us transfer to another fleet during this crucial wartime period. He needs everyone ready to sortie at a moment's notice." Kaga quickly shot down Akagi's proposal like a flak cannon ripping a plane to pieces.
"Tch." Akagi clicked her tongue as her visage briefly turned to one of hideous disgust. She released Fujin and jogged to catch up to Kaga, who was already leaving. "Feel free to visit me whenever you want! I can always set aside time for you, Commander Fujin!" Akagi called out to the flustered commander as she blew him a kiss.
"...Did you want to keep Lady Akagi company today, Fujin? I can take this box down to the Kaientai girls on my own, if you want me to." Mikasa waited to see Fujin's reaction, and whether he would abandon his duties.
Fujin shook his head vigorously, trying to shake away his daydreams from interacting with Akagi. "No, no. I'll be fine. After all, it's still my job to look after these Kaientai girls for as long as necessary." He picked up the box again, but began to teeter dangerously before Mikasa offered her support. The pair carried their cargo into the building and down the stairs, where nobody came out to greet them in the long, lonely hallway.
"By the way, what did you put in this box?" asked Mikasa. "Even if it's no trouble for me to carry, it does seem unusually heavy."
They carefully placed down the box in the room where DD-26 usually loitered around. Just like before, she was staring at the wall, but the wing-shaped ears on her head twitched when she heard the noise. When they opened the flaps, Mikasa finally saw the contents.
"Aha! So this is what you're bringing them."
Inside, a neat stack of bentos lined half of the box. In the other half, a set of old yet well-preserved books leaned against the food, threatening to fall over and crush it. Fujin took out the books first before removing the food.
"I tried a bit of their rations last night," answered Fujin, "and it was disgusting. Horrible stuff, really. They looked like old rations from the Second Great War."
"That's because they are. The higher-ups decided it would be an easy way to get their money's worth out of the leftover unused rations after the war ended," answered Mikasa. Fujin mimicked a vomiting motion to the side before he got back to the bentos.
"So, I arranged a deal with the canteen. In exchange for paying them, albeit at a cheaper price, they let me do several orders of takeout on whatever meals they're serving that day. That's what these bentos are. Could you help me gather everyone here?"
It took several minutes, but soon all four girls plus Mikasa were standing in the room. DD-26, who had already sneaked looks over her shoulder while Fujin was busy unpacking, was now salivating at the sight of the food.
"Sorry to bother everyone, but I wanted to show you the first sign of keeping my promise," spoke Fujin, trying to sound brave. "I've brought you meals from the canteen for lunch, and I will try to do the same for dinnertime as well. Even if it's only a scarce offering, I hope you enjoy it." He performed a formal bow as the girls all eyed the bentos with ravenous curiosity.
DD-27 immediately rushed over and grabbed a container, sniffing its contents eagerly. "I-It smells so good…." She plopped down and was about to bury her face in the meal before Fujin offered her a fork, which she forced out of his hand. He was about to provide the tonkatsu sauce for her meal, but by then she was already shoveling food into her mouth at a breakneck speed.
"Wh-What exactly did you get us?" CA-14 approached the bentos with the two remaining girls peeking out from behind her. Each bento held a large bed of white rice with a smattering of chopped green onions, and a thick golden line of chicken katsu running the entire length of the container.
"They're serving chicken katsu at the canteen today. If you don't like it, I could head back and see if they have anything else," began Fujin apologetically, but by now all the girls were quickly grabbing their own bentos.
"Wow, this is real food…!" DD-26 hummed in approval as she stuffed an entire strip of katsu in her mouth.
"I-Is this really okay? Are we sure it isn't p-poisoned or something?" CL-2 glanced around nervously, but eventually relented when she saw the destroyer girls stuffing their faces silly. She nibbled at a corner of the meat before deciding to dip it in tonkatsu sauce. After that, she began savoring the meal at a leisurely pace.
"So… you really did keep your promise." CA-14 whispered, thinking nobody could hear her, before opening her bento and partaking in the meal. She stole a worried glance at Fujin before quickly looking away.
"I know I shouldn't have expected any gratitude," wondered Fujin quietly, "but at least it looks like they're enjoying it."
Mikasa smiled as she patted the commander's shoulder. "Cheer up. A little kindness goes a long way. Even if they seem withdrawn for now, it all starts with a single selfless act."
"I have Grandpa Shinnosuke to thank for teaching me that. My parents were very strict, but he reminded me to always be humble and caring towards others. He also gave me pocket money whenever I visited him." Fujin pulled one last bento out of the box. "You should go ahead and eat too, Mikasa. I wanted to make sure there was enough for the girls, but it looks like I bought more than was necessary."
Mikasa shook her head and thumped Fujin on the back. "No, I think that honor should go to you. Besides, what better time to learn more about your girls than while enjoying a hot meal together?" She walked away and leaned against the wall, quietly observing the girls as they ate.
Fujin glanced down at the bento, then at the girls, hesitant on whether he should join them. Since the destroyer girls were preoccupied with the containers shoved in their faces, he decided to sit down next to CL-2 and CA-14.
"So…" he began while coughing awkwardly to get their attention. "How are the bentos?"
"I-It's good," CL-2 stuttered as she scooted away from him. "I've never eaten anything this delicious before, to be honest…."
"Oh. That's great to hear," continued Fujin as a spot of silence followed the abrupt break in their conversation. "Uh… what about you, CA-14? Is it to your liking?"
"Um, well…" CA-14 looked away as she stammered more than CL-2 usually did. "I-It's fine. And I just wanted to say… thank you."
"Thank you? For what?" asked Fujin. "All I did was bring some canteen food over."
"Thank you for feeding the other girls," was all she said before she also moved away from him.
Fujin didn't know what to do next, but he noticed Mikasa nudging her head and pointing her thumb in the direction of CA-14. He wasn't sure what she meant, but he decided to try something anyway. "Hey, CA-14. Can I ask-"
As he placed his hand on her shoulder, she jumped to her feet with alarming quickness and dropped her food all over the floor. Everyone's heads turned towards the sound of the clattering bento box as Fujin withdrew his arm, immediately regretting his reckless decision.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you!" began Fujin, noticing the tears running down CA-14's cheeks.
"Please don't touch me again. I-I don't like being touched." CA-14 folded her shaking arms, withdrawing a considerable distance from her commander.
The girls all paused their eating, watching Fujin with concern and renewed suspicion. Mikasa was about to step forward and intervene when Fujin made the first move again.
"...Then, please accept my bento as an apology," he said, kneeling down and placing his untouched bento on the floor before backing away. "I will try to be more mindful of your preferences in the future."
CA-14 continued to glower at him, but she sat back down and soon tucked into the bento he had left for her. Everyone else seemed to drop their guard as they returned to their food. Fujin stood back up and walked over to Mikasa so he could watch over the girls from a distance.
"Sorry. I guess I really screwed that one up," muttered Fujin, scratching his head.
"No, I'm the one at fault this time for not explaining things," responded Mikasa. "She seemed slightly more talkative than usual, so I thought she just needed a little push to open up." She lowered her voice to a whisper as she continued speaking. "Since she's the eldest and usually maintains the most well-kept appearance, one of their previous commanders considered her the prettiest one of the group and tried to do… unspeakable things to her. Luckily, her fleetmates managed to repel him."
Fujin cringed at the description of her mistreatment. "So that's why she hates being touched, huh?"
Mikasa nodded, walking over to clean up the spilled mess. "Just try and take things slowly, alright? Let them know out loud if you need to do something that might make them uncomfortable. That way, they can voice their objections or leave the room if necessary."
"I understand. I'll try to do just that." Fujin was about to head over to the pile of books when he noticed CA-14 staring at him, having dropped the hostility in her expression. She glanced away before patting the floor, indicating she wanted him to sit down again. He seated himself a few feet away but didn't try to get any closer to her.
"I'm sorry if I overreacted," she began. "You must really think I'm a freak or something, right?"
"Not at all." Fujin turned towards her and tried to put on the friendliest smile he could manage. "You've been through a lot of unfair hardships together, more than anyone should have to deal with. If you need me to do anything for you, feel free to let me know. After all, that's supposed to be the commander's job, right? We should serve you shipgirls just as much as you serve us. It's a two-way street."
CA-14 looked up at him as he said that, a flicker of hope hiding behind her uncertain expression. "Um… alright, then." She returned to her meal without another word.
He stood up and shifted the pile of books to the center of the room. "So, if everyone could gather around, I brought another gift for you, even if it's not much." He brushed some dust off the top book and began disassembling the stack.
"Th-These are books, right?" asked CL-2, picking up a hardcover and accidentally dropping it, jumping back as she caused it to fall wide open. "Where did all of these come from?"
"Well, there's a lot of books in my parents' house that they don't read anymore, so I offered to take them to free up some space." Fujin quickly flipped through the pages of several books to ensure they were still in readable condition. "I noticed there isn't really much to do here, so I thought maybe some reading material would provide you some entertainment when you're bored."
DD-26 and DD-27 found a picture book filled with cute artwork of baby animals and read it together, each gripping one side of the book. CL-2 continued to quietly peruse the book she had picked first, a thick volume full of both ancient and modern poetry, as well as short biographies of the poets who wrote them. Meanwhile, CA-14 picked up a book with an old-fashioned painting of Sakuran court officials on the front cover. "...The Tale of Genji?" she asked.
"Huh, I didn't realize my parents kept a copy of that. Yes, that would be the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu," answered Fujin. "It's a story about the Emperor's son, Genji, as well as his various love affairs and political maneuverings throughout his lifetime."
"L-Love affairs?" CA-14 seemed to hesitate as she cautiously held the book at arm's length. "I… don't know if I want to read it anymore."
"Well, it's actually a very poetic book with plenty of stylistic writing, and offers a great deal of insight into ancient court customs. Plus, most of the book's intrigue comes from seeing what Genji can or can't get away with, as well as what happens to him throughout the plot," offered Fujin, trying to defend the book. "Still, you don't have to read it if you don't want to."
CA-14 pondered for a few moments before putting the book back down. "...Maybe I'll look for something else." She poked around in the pile some more, searching for a less immodest story.
Having finished distributing his gifts, Fujin strode over to the doorway. Mikasa joined him and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't feel bad, you did fine for your second day. Sorry if it wasn't quite what you were expecting."
"I do think these girls deserve better, after what they've been through," Fujin sighed, letting his body slouch. "Still, I am feeling pretty exhausted after today. I think I'll take a break before I go pick up their dinner."
Mikasa raised her eyebrows. "So you're going to visit Lady Akagi, then?"
Fujin looked conflicted as he tapped his foot. "I… don't think I will. For now, I'll try to focus on my work. If things don't turn out well here, maybe I'll take her up on her offer in my free time."
Mikasa shook her head, clicking her tongue. "I would say I'm disappointed that you're losing hope so easily, but… I suppose this project will always be an uphill battle for whoever chooses to tackle it, all because of your careless predecessors. I can't blame you for feeling that way."
"Well, I'm stuck with you and the girls for another year, so I might as well see what I can do. I think I'll go rest on the stairs for now." He waved farewell to the girls, who didn't bother responding, and Mikasa, who simply sighed.
"Even if there's no righting the wrongs of the past, all we can do is aim to make the right choices in the present to create a better future, even if the right choice is the difficult one. Fujin… if you truly care about these girls, please keep treating them with the kindness and respect you have shown them today," she muttered quietly, even if the commander could no longer hear her.
"Eww. He got approached by Akagi, of all people?" Shoukaku gritted her teeth as she scowled ferociously. She tried to calm her voice before continuing. "So did he accept her invitation? She seems like the perfect woman for him," she added ironically.
"Surprisingly, he ended up never visiting her or reciprocating her feelings," replied Mikasa. "Even though we worked together every day, I never saw Fujin willingly accept Akagi's invitations during her visits to Yokosuka, only making time to hang out with his human friends on occasion. He still put his shipgirls as his top priority, and if he didn't have an opportunity to bring their meals on time, he would store extra meals in their meeting room in advance so they wouldn't go hungry."
"It's still crazy to imagine Fujin had trouble getting any shipgirls to like him, seeing as he managed to help us calm down Jean Bart," noted Kaine.
"Shipgirls are complicated beings, Commander Kaine." Mikasa took a moment to grab a water bottle and drain half of it. "We're just as complex as humans, and we act similar to you in many ways, even with some of our physical differences. That also means we can build up or tear down trust with others, and we don't always get along with everyone. Still, Fujin eventually got the Kaientai girls to open up to him, and they became fast friends once they dropped their guard. He brought them fresh clothes, clean furniture, and whatever else he could find or afford. It was a period of bliss that the girls had never experienced before."
"I appreciate the insight on Fujin's past, but I'm not sure yet how we could convince him to move forward with christening a new shipgirl," worried Signas.
"That's because you won't." Everyone jumped and turned to find Fujin standing in the entryway, slowly and deliberately shaking his head in disappointment.