Chapter 9: Land of the Rising Sun
The lone carrier's world was a wretched reality composed of a dark sea filled with nothing but endless fighting. Like every other battle, she stood victorious once again over her enemies that lay floating all around her in a wasteland of scrap and fire. Her wounds scattered all over her body to show the level of strife she had endured. They were not fatal, yet they did succeed in slowing her down.
Her wounds eventually made her succumb to a random rock stationed in the middle of her dark sea. It was at that moment that she released her breath that she had been trying her hardest to control as well as the pain flowing through her. Her head hanged low to observe that a bloody wound that she disregarded as nothing had produced a dangerous amount of blood. Her head raised with a heaviness to her neck as the reality began to sink in.
Her battle that she had concluded was a hard-fought one as her enemies discarded their honor and respect to challenge the mad archer. Just like her, they had seen that fighting without restraint was the path to victory, however, unlike her, they were engulfed in their fiery hatred before they could carry out the savage fruits of their maddened state that made the archer woman into a deadly force.
A crazed chuckle broke the silence of the air that came from the wild-haired woman. She lifted her head high to mock the cruel reality of their struggle. She wondered what had triggered her enemies to desperate measures such as the savage nature of a berserker.
The thought of pushing them to their breaking point was a good guess to explain their actions in the battle. Although, she felt that wasn't the answer as they would have had no regrets dying in battle from a worthy enemy.
No, it would have had to be something grander, and bigger than their desires for a final fight. Something opposite of selfish that she lacked an understanding of.
Her smile faltered as a unique smell filled her nostrils. It was something that she had a hard time describing that didn't belong in her dark sea where only pain and sorrow resided. It all didn't make sense. If she had to be smelling something, then it would have to be the metallic smell of her blood, but this smelled too sweet.
The dark sea was then illuminated via iridescent small light sources that floated without a care across the water.
Her unfocused eyes stood transfixed at the glowing light sources that turned out to be petals with a luminescent quality to them. A few turned to countless that approached her with an intimidating feel to their numbers.
They passed her on the rock that had almost covered her dark sea with a pink aura that stemmed from the glowing petals.
"Cherry Blossoms?" Her mind had managed to form the name as to what she had been smelling and seeing. The darkness in front of her parted away, to reveal a glowing homeland of lanterns and Sakura Empire aesthetic architecture.
It all made sense now as to why her enemies had fought to the point of insanity against her. All their struggles were the result of them wanting to keep her away from their homeland.
Her expression was speechless that she ended up at the doorstep of her enemies' homeland. Her face wanted to split itself between a sadistic laugh and a disgusted one.
Her bow found itself being raised, packed with enough force to level something worthy of being destroyed.
This is what she wanted. If the enemy was eradicated at its core, then her endless war would start to show signs of waning. Her arrow was released toward the homeland of the Sakura Empire, causing a chain reaction of explosions until the homeland was no more.
Her held breath released as she experienced the warm glow of heat off in the distance that did not comfort her in the slightest. She found out that she couldn't justify her sadistic laugh anymore as she weighed her action on a scale that she never measured before.
In the Sakura Empire, they were her enemies, but the death of the kids and innocent ones that never assaulted her was like a stain on her soul that would forever keep her as the harbinger of death.
In the end, her true enemy was the warriors of their homeland which forced her to fight for her life. A single tear fell from her face and her bow dropped from her hand.
"What's this? Compassion? Empathy? No… sympathy, yes. Oh, little one, don't you know that makes you weak?" A disembodied voice rang throughout the dark sea. The white-haired archer widened her eyes in shock, and she searched around for the new threat.
"Hmm, I don't like this sudden emotion from her. Begin immediate expungement of this scenario. Erase... everything until she's back to zero."
The cold computerized voice sent a chill down her spine that put into words, would be as if death had placed a hand on her. Her ears started to hurt to the point of bleeding when a familiar alien-like sound originated from the corners of the dark sea.
The massive warship that hid its identity was once again in her sights.
"Why? Why does this keep happening to me?!" She yelled at the top of her lungs to no one.
The ship aimed its cannon toward her and destructively fired as it always did.
This time, the white-haired woman closed her eyes to peacefully accept her unchangeable fate.
The disembodied voice spoke one last time as she drowned in the darkest depth of the sea. "Hmm, she didn't fight back... even though she should have. Perform a deeper analysis to find out the cause of this irregularity. Continue with reset and observe future actions closely. Little toy... are you perhaps... remembering things?"
The sweat-inducing lucid dream or memory faded as she sunk deeper into the abyss. Darkness engulfed her senses until it changed tones from harsh darkness to indifferent darkness.
She opened her eyes to find herself looking at the ceiling. Sweat drenched her face and her breath was rapid. For that brief second of opening her eyes, she held no immediate glare or frown. Instead, a fearful one filled with uneasy confusion painted her face.
"Looks like you're finally awake," spoke a sickeningly sweet voice that was the complete opposite of the voice she heard in her dream-like state.
The injured archer backed away to the corner wall where her bed ended to gain as much distance from the voice. She then locked gazes toward the Sakura Empire woman known as Atago.
"Don't be scared, my sweet. It looks like you were having a bad nightmare… your shirt looks drenched in sweat. Well, not to worry. A bath can be drawn for you when we get home."
"S-shut up, you're so annoying," spoke the white-haired woman with her good hand covering one of her ears. She was still rattled by the dream that she had, and Atago talking to her was not making her transition to being awake any easier.
Atago puffed her cheek. She then swallowed her intense distaste for the woman's sharp tongue. "It must get tiring pushing people away like this. The hurt in your eyes tells me that a hug could do great wonders," she said with her arms held out.
"What is it with you and hugs? Get out!" Yelled the injured woman.
"Now, I can't possibly do that. My sister tasked me with the job of fetching you out of the room. We're nearing home, and it's unavoidable that someone is going to have to do the dirty work."
The counterpart of Enterprise lowered her good arm that had been placed on the side of her head to drown out the irritating noises in the room. Her frustrated breaths changed to a scoff exhaled. "And what? Are you the one who they deemed as expendable? Only in your dreams would you possibly be able to take me out of this room," she said with a small delirious smirk.
It was hard for her to transition between dreams and reality as in her dreams, she was a force to be reckoned with as she should be, however, the reality could be quite rude at times.
Atago pretended to look hurt at the bashing of her physical prowess. "Your words do have a sharp edge to them. Well… we won't know until we try, right?" She moved forward with her sunny smile never changing.
The injured woman refused to be overpowered, regardless of her current state. She grabbed the drenched pillow and threw it at the Sakura woman.
Atago shifted her body quickly to avoid the horrible encounter. Her eyes landed on the white-haired woman right as she witnessed a foot coming her way. The Sakura Empire woman dodged that, too, and held a firm grip on the foot. "Oh, my…" She giggled at the attempt and pulled the foot that caused the injured woman to slide away from the bed.
The pseudo-Eagle Union braced for the impact of the hard floor until she found herself being lifted bridal style.
"You must still be weak from the shot that repair ship gave you, and I can understand how your overall condition could still cause you to be sluggish in your movement," she giggled with a joyful bounce to her action that even caused her chest to bounce double the effort that she put in.
"Let… me go!" Yelled the injured woman. She tried to hit her with her good elbow, but she was too slow. Her struggles were in vain, and she found herself dropped onto the wheelchair used before. The straps then snapped in place, sealing her future struggles.
"Please don't look at me like that, my sweet. If you were cooperative, I wouldn't need to use those straps. This is also to keep you from hurting yourself too."
"—the only one that's going to be hurting is you!"
Atago frowned at the response. "You won't get the chance to fulfill that remark as you are very injured. In fact, why don't you save those words for my sister? She seems to have a soft spot for challenging words like those." She ended her words with a follow-up smile at the injured woman.
They both made their way past the wooden flooring hallway, and out through a metal door that brought them into the light.
The injured woman winched from the radiating flares of the sun.
"Oops, I guess I should have covered your eyes like my sister did—silly me." The humorful tone of voice was not lost on the white-haired woman.
She turned her head to the right and her heart almost turned inside out at the sight of the Sakura Empire homeland. A fleeting pain of guilt, grief, and confusion filled her, especially after having the dangerously real nightmare that she had.
"I hope your sleep was enjoyable." Another voice pulled her out of her drowning emotions, and the one that did it was the other sister, Takao. She walked up to them with a hopeful smile that irritated the injured woman.
"Dear sister, her having an enjoyable sleep could be the understatement of the year. With all the thrashing she put that poor bed through, I'm surprised that she didn't hurt herself."
Takao placed a hand on her chin, pondering the statement. "Bad dreams? Hmm, very interesting to be showing such a human emotion from someone who is being painted as a Siren."
A murderous glare ignited in the eyes of the injured woman. "Shut up! Don't lump me together with those pale-faced ship crashers." She had fired back dangerously fast to the point that it sounded like she was shouting at herself to believe her statement.
Takao smiled at the response. "There really is more to you than just the Siren label that hangs over you—perfect."
"—But dear sister, I thought she wanted to get rid of Enterprise. Wouldn't that make her a ship crasher regardless?" Said Atago, the teasing voice made clear.
Takao laughed which made the doppelganger and heavy cruiser stop in their tracks. "Not necessarily. With such a broad statement as a ship crasher, that would identify everyone and everything that navigates these seas. Back then, we were all at war, but things are different now. A new age of peace is approaching with the Sirens standing guard against that peace. With your disdain for the Sirens, it looks like we do have some common ground. So, what do you say? The enemy of my enemy…" She extended her hand close to the injured woman's strapped hand with enough closeness to be accepted by her.
The pseudo-Eagle Union never looked away from her. "The enemy of my enemy is also my enemy. Keep whatever delusions you have of friendship to yourself, Sakura."
Takao wavered and hid the shadow of hurt that flashed briefly in her eyes with her bangs. "Well then… I hope you enjoy your continued stay here, prisoner E-2."
Atago removed the stupefied face she had after her sister walked away. "Hmph, do you backhand everyone that tries to treat you like a decent human being?"
The wild-haired woman didn't respond as her mind flashed to an image of Hornet that fit exactly what those words had held.
As they both reached the exit ramp that connected land and ship, the injured woman spotted someone bizarre standing near a wall from the corner of her eye.
The mad archer darted her eyes toward the direction, but the only thing that she saw before they vanished around the corner was glowing yellow eyes. The white-haired carrier's heart elevated with anxiousness and an itching desire to level the entire area of that wall. Her flared emotions did not last long. At the end of the ramp, the crane sisters were joined with Hornet.
The pseudo-Eagle Union could feel her throbbing pain start to set in, so she closed her eyes to ignore the world around her. The wheels of her chair moved against the surface that felt like cobblestone, and the air hit her with a scent that smelled of cherry blossoms. The sweetness of the scent almost made her want to gag.
(Elsewhere)
Among the structures of the Sakura Empire, there stood a gazebo-like, four-pillar outdoor roof structure that connected with other structures. This particular red structure stood high and was built on a small mountain to give it a better elevation that oversaw most of the land of the rising sun. The only one that could challenge its height was the home of the leader of the Sakura Empire which stood as the overlord of height among all structures in the land.
Back to the second tallest red structure. Underneath its roof, a silver-haired woman with a red strand of hair had her arms folded. Her look focused on the far-off distance that was the docks. "Oh, looks like the popular and mysterious invader has finally shown up." Her eyes never moved from their direction and her words were directed to the other occupant in the gazebo. The silver-haired woman that wore a black, gray, and red uniform that was synonymous with the Iron Blood turned her head to see if her companion had reacted to the news. Her companion did not and continued to focus on a mobile bed with an occupant that resided in it.
"Did you hear me?" Asked the Iron Blood.
Her companion, who was dressed in red and black Sakura Empire clothing with a white blouse turned her head to acknowledge her. The Sakura shipgirl had long brown hair, red eyes, pointy ears that sat above her hair, various fluffy tails that extended from behind her like a wind fan, and red eyeliner near her eyes. "How does she look?"
"Hmmm, well it would work out if I had binoculars for this, but from this distance… she looks like a very unscrupulous Grey Ghost. Aside from that, she doesn't look like a Siren if you ask me, and more like a caged animal."
"Eugen… none of that matters. I trust my junior's intel about her being a Siren and even Nagato wants to see her for herself. At this point, any fleeting hope that could help me bring Kaga back I will accept with open arms." The grave and despondent tone filled the room.
Prinz Eugen observed her with a held-back expression of pity. She learned fast that her companion did not tolerate people looking at her with a sorrowful expression from the recent events that her sister Kaga had endured. "Akagi… even if she's a Siren, how do you suppose she will come to cooperate with us?" Asked the Iron Blood with skepticism.
Akagi turned her head back to gaze at the mobile bed next to her.
The sleeping form of her sister laid on the bed, unmoving, and with only gentle sounds of breaths coming and going. "It's not like she will have any say on this matter," she spoke with seriousness.
(Unknown)
Back to where the injured woman and the others were at.
Hornet kept her distance as she walked behind everyone else. She had her duffel bag behind her back and her eyes scanned the environment around them. The cherry blossom trees no longer appeared, and the floor took on the smoothness of concrete. A few small warehouses, around four or so, laid scattered to form a compound of sorts with one warehouse being at the center.
Hornet noticed that a grassy hill resided near, and beyond that, were the cherry blossom trees and other aesthetics that were unique to the land of the rising sun. "Kinda far removed from all the other locations, huh?"
Zuikaku turned her head to respond to the Eagle Union. "Yes, it is. This place is perfect to keep her secluded and to have a watchful eye on her. The standard holding cell we have for prisoners wouldn't be suitable for her since she isn't a standard prisoner. That grassy hill you see over there is where Atago and Takao reside, so they will be just beyond the hill to respond to anything that might arise. Shoukaku and I live more to the left of where they live."
Takao overheard the explanation and joined in on the conversation. "When Vestal said that she wanted for E-2 to be treated properly we took it very seriously. This warehouse place has been reorganized inside to act as a holding cell with everything that someone needs to not make them go insane. Atago and I are going to make sure that she gets her meals, is maintained hygiene-wise, and patch any new injuries she might sustain."
"E-2?" Asked Hornet.
"Why yes. That's her designated prisoner name since she wants to be treated as such with all the perks that go with it. Of course, that's the only perk she will get. It would defeat the purpose of all this if we treated her like the scum of the earth garbage and neglected her wellbeing."
"You… sound… very frustrated there, Takao."
Hornet's words had made the swordswoman relax a bit after being called out. Zuikaku had exited the conversation at the right time when she ran back to her sister, and with it only being Hornet, she felt more at ease to speak her mind. "I guess she got under my skin. I know that she has a sharp tongue but after finding some common ground with her hating Sirens, I thought that a friendship could bloom from that. Maybe… it was wrong of me to think of her as a friend."
"You see her as a friend?"
"I know that might sound odd to hear and I don't know how to quite explain it only that I can sense someone good buried inside that cold shell of hers."
"You're not the only one," replied Hornet truthfully.
Takao smiled warmly at the Eagle Union. "I can understand your side since she's a carbon copy of your sister. Your feelings might seem confusing to you as you want to help her out in any way."
"It's just not that. She… she saved me during the mirror sea incident when I was separated from the others and a Siren enemy almost did me in. I confronted her about it, but it didn't end as warmly as I thought it would. She was filled with so much pain, anger, and rejection that still leaves me running in circles in my head about what it all meant."
"She saved… you? I see… thank you, Hornet. You've restored a determination in my heart."
"I did?"
Takao allowed herself a childish laugh that expressed a fantasy of hers that she held close. "Yeah, a dream of mine is to hopefully fight her one on one, and that's my personal motivation in wanting to break this fatal bond that she shares with your sister. After that, I'll have no reservations in going all out, and what better way to sweeten that moment than as friends?"
"Huh? Fight her?!"
"I'm confusing—I admit it. That's just my nature so pay no mind to it, Hornet. Some would give a handshake, but I would test my blade and skills upon a worthy soul like that of a handshake. That's my way of building a bond of friendship," she said with a wide smile.
"You must be popular with the other girls around here," said Hornet with a light smile to go with her added sarcasm.
Takao laughed and wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.
"It's moments like these that I understand why Atago and I are sisters. She has her own controversial ways of greeting people with her odd hugs and I tend to secretly want to draw my sword for my introduction."
"Makes sense. Just don't let that overly obsessive competitive swordplay cast a shadow on your reasoning," stated Hornet.
They ended up being scolded by Shoukaku for slacking behind shortly after that. All five of them, including the injured doppelganger, made their way to the central warehouse. The metal doors opened to reveal a glass chamber with a bed. Aside from the bed, there wasn't much to go by aside from a shelf with random books and a desk.
Takao walked in front of the doppelganger who looked unfazed by her living accommodations. "It might not look like much, but that bed is very comfortable, E-2." She said the name wondering if she could get a rise from the doppelganger, however, she didn't. "I'll be blunt with you. You're here to be researched to break this mirrored force that causes Enterprise and you to share a vast array of pain and sensations. However, that doesn't mean we are going to treat you like an animal—"
"—I would." Blurted the doppelganger with dangerous tones in her voice.
All the others remained quiet as they gazed at Takao who twitched her left eyebrow at the response.
"I don't doubt that. Whatever upbringing you experienced that has turned that heart of yours black, I hope that in time you come to see things differently."
The injured archer narrowed her eyes and looked past Takao with indifference. "Upbringing. That's something I've been thinking about, too. In the end, all that I am is because of Enterprise. Her death is what's right." She wasn't one to talk about her past. Her past was clouded in heavy fog with memories pouring in during her dreams. Those memories might not even be memories as they didn't make sense at all. The only coherent drive for her was that her foggy background screamed out to her that Enterprise was the source of all her pain.
"Why don't you shut up, you Siren? Stop blaming Enty for your so-called pain!" Zuikaku looked dangerously furious after hearing the death threat to the woman she loved from this imitation.
Atago and Shoukaku sprang into action to hold her back in time before the Sakura Empire carrier did something she would have regretted.
"We should put you in before heads start rolling," said Takao with a held-back weary chuckle. This stemmed from the fact that they were more alike when it came to forming bonds with people and how they went about forming those bonds.
(Zuikaku)
They waited until nighttime descended on the land of the rising sun to avoid the general public seeing the prisoner that they housed. Everyone from the prisoner escort had brought the doppelganger to a bathhouse that Nagato had instructed them to use.
In there, the pseudo-Eagle Union had been thrown out of her comfort zone as she had been stripped down with a protective cast placed on her injured arm.
"H-hey, are you sure that this won't cause her arm to get worse?" Asked Hornet who stood close to the entrance door with a towel folded in her hands.
Atago had taken the honor of doing most of the hard work of stripping the doppelganger's clothing, which wasn't hard. She used a remote control that disabled the limiter rig from the torso of the white-haired carrier, and then she did short work of removing all the layers. "Oh, this is all dandy! Your repair ship had informed us that her first treatment had repaired a good portion of her nerves meaning that she's able to move her fingers, hand, and arm if only slightly. Most of it is charred like a bad batch of burnt meat on a grill if you asked me, however, this cast will keep her arm in one position and will prevent water and heat from tampering with the healing process," sweetly spoke the overly cheerful heavy cruiser.
"This is shameful! You won't get away with this—let go of me!" Cried the injured carrier. Due to her current condition, she couldn't fight at full force and repel the long black-haired woman with the unmistakable mole on her cheek.
"You're so squirmy, E-2! Would it make you feel better if I told you that the steam in this room is covering all the shameful bits that you so loudly are advertising?" Atago winked at the injured woman and the injured woman could do nothing but blush for the first time in her life.
The doppelganger covered her chest with her left arm. The sight of her stripped-down had not set well with her. Not only was she incredibly embarrassed from her vulnerable state, but her overall body had made her feel disgusted as she knew full well that this was the exact body of the woman, she hated the most.
"I'm technically the only one with the front row seat to this show thanks to this steam, so relax. I promise you that this bath is going to put that frown upside down." She playfully pushed the carrier woman, making her lose her balance and fall into the water.
A good distance away, Shoukaku, Takao, and Zuikaku were merely standing there with nothing to do but wait until Atago had her fill with the injured woman. To them, this was a much-needed payback from the hardship and trouble that the Siren had caused to Enterprise and all of them.
"Maybe having Atago on bathing duty was a bad idea. This is a punishment that I wouldn't even give to my worst enemy considering that my sister can be destructive with those conniving hands of hers." Takao sighed deeply as she wondered if she was burning the friendship boat that she still held hope for.
"Oh, nonsense. Better her than us and I rather not get my clothes all wet," stated Shoukaku. She turned her head to see her sister turned the opposite way. "Huh, Zui… what are you looking at?"
Zuikaku wasn't looking at anything in particular and was, in fact, shying away from getting a peek of the doppelganger naked. She mutedly mumbled to herself while a crimson blush painted her face. "I can't see this—I can't see this… I'll be cheating on Enty in so many ways not counting the fact that this is an indirect violation of her privacy." She shut her eyes which made Shoukaku confused.
Back to the bath activity, Atago submerged the white-haired woman's head into the water once she took off her gloves and raised her sleeves higher. "Now, let's get all split ends taken care of," she grabbed a nearby shampoo bottle and began setting her efforts into motion.
About half an hour went by and during that whole time, E-2 had continued her desperate attempts to escape from the iron clutches of the Sakura Empire woman.
Atago no longer had a smile on her face as she looked more agitated with each passing minute and the strands of her hair started to show worn. "I give up."
"What's going on, sister?" Asked Takao.
"Her hair does not want to cooperate with me in the slightest. No matter how much I scrub and shampoo, her hair remains wild." She directed her hands toward the carrier that was neck-deep in the water, making her look at her. "I'm sorry, honey, your hair is more brutal than you are, unfortunately. It even pains me that I couldn't get the smell of the ocean sea from your hair. Hornet, be sweet and bring me the towel!"
E-2 grunted from the insult of her hair as she was submerged once again.
An hour later, she was back in her glass chamber cell with fresh clothes on and the limiter rig placed back again.
Everyone looked interested to hear the struggle that Atago had with E-2's hair.
"Are you saying that you couldn't get her hair to be neat?" Said Zuikaku with a hand on her chin.
"That's the summary of things. The oddest part of it all was that her hair smelled of the ocean sea even after I washed it brutally with strawberry-scented shampoo."
"It wasn't a total waste—her skin smells of strawberries, so she is clean. Could her hair smell be a Siren thing?" Asked Hornet.
Takao shook her head. "Unlikely. If you ever got close to a Siren to smell her hair, then you would know that they tend to smell of metal and rock; some choose to not smell of nothing at all."
"Yeah, Sirens can pretty much dictate if they choose to be affected by their environment. Heck, the thought of bathing is probably a trivial thing to them unlike us who need to wash up regularly," said Atago.
"Of all the smells, why an ocean smell?" Said Hornet.
"It might not be a simulated choice for her. The scent of her hair tells a story. A story of a wandering ship who never docks and continues to sail the seas without rest," said Takao.
They all looked at the white-haired carrier with a new deep interest.
"Story? She was born from a mental cube days ago—she doesn't have a story to tell and for all we know, this could be a sick joke that she gets pleasure out of," said Zuikaku with a scoff. She disregarded her curiosity about the injured woman's hair and grabbed a chair that resided not far away from her. "I'll take this night's shift," she said flatly.
"Are you sure?" Asked Takao.
"Yeah, I don't mind after all since I'm doing this for Enty. Rest up everyone and I'll see you all tomorrow."
Everyone except Shoukaku had accepted the night shift decision without any reservations. Shoukaku, personally, didn't want her sister staying the night with the woman that would have killed them both without so much of a second thought if it wasn't for the assistance of Enterprise. She walked up to her sister and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Please don't let her get under your skin, Zui."
The brown-haired woman looked stunned for a second until she responded to her sister's wishes with a nod.
"I'll be taking guard first thing in the morning, so that I may take her to do her business," replied Takao.
"Pfft, you almost made her sound like a dog. Fine, it sounds good. You might as well show Hornet where she will be staying tonight," said Zuikaku with a revitalized smile toward her senior.
Takao showed Hornet the way to their home with a sulking Atago behind them when it dawned on her that their place would get crowded with the extra person.
Everyone was gone and that just left Zuikaku and the mad archer in the warehouse. As the night progressed, she leaned forward on her chair as her intense gaze never broke away.
The doppelganger had placed herself in a seating position on the floor next to the bed with her head low.
"You know, there's a bed right there—just saying," said the brown-haired carrier.
The doppelganger ignored her. It wasn't until a sickening laugh that caught her attention. She looked in the direction of the still-open doorway; the direction where the swordswoman was sitting. Past her, a woman was standing near the doorway with an insulting smirk on her face. She had white hair, pale skin, a black-style vest, paired with black shorts, and very outlandish leg greaves with blades ending where her feet should have been. It was fifty-fifty if she had feet behind those greaves or if she discarded that human aspect to the trash. She did appear to gain some height from the blades meaning that her feet could very much be where the blade part started.
Zuikaku noticed the alerted and frightened look from the doppelganger which was a rare sight. "What's with that face? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Behind you..." she said with hesitation. She wondered which one she would love to see die first and, in the end, she'd rather give the one with the lock and key to her cell a fighting chance.
Zuikaku turned around and relaxed her face when she saw nothing but the moon and night sky. "What... scared of the moon? Or you have a habit of turning into a wereship?"
"Why are you joking around?! Can't you see that she's standing right there?!" Yelled the doppelganger. She locked eyes with the mysterious shadowy intruder's radiating yellow eyes.
The mysterious Siren standing idly laughed softly and swung her arms with carefreeness. She then disappeared to the right side of the entrance.
"She was laughing at us—can't you hear her?!"
Zuikaku raised a confused eyebrow. "You really are insane. It's dead silent out there with no one." She stood up from her chair and made her way to the door. "If you're that crazy about it, then I'll close the door. And just to let you know, there isn't anyone out there. No Siren would be suicidal enough to infiltrate the Sakura Empire's defenses," she said sternly. The door closed harshly afterward.
I deeply apologize for the long wait. With all the real-world issues going around, I had to remove myself from my writing for a bit. I'm doing fine if most of you are wondering and I did feel like it was time to get some writing done. Thanks for the patience and see you all next time.