Chapter 25: A Silent Sea
The sun beamed down on the Sakura Empire and the ocean moved with a steady motion. A white-haired fox woman quickened her paces, a destination in her mind calling to her.
"Kaga..." A worried and sisterly voice floated through the air toward the white-haired fox.
The white-haired carrier turned around and acknowledged her older sister who had caught up with her. They both stood outside the medical wing on a sunny morning. It was the day after she awoke and the day after Alt had lost her vision.
"Where are you off to this early? I thought the scrumptious dinner last night would have kept you laid out." Akagi radiated a jubilant smile that never faded even until now.
The white-haired carrier noticed that her older sister had two bento boxes wrapped beautifully and hanging underneath one hand. A light blush formed on her face. Ever since she awoke from her long slumber, her sister had been… affectionate. She helped her get back into the swing of walking after an extended—leisurely—stroll around the Sakura Empire. She helped bathe her last night and even slept by her side when it was time. Sleep was awkward after being asleep for a long time. As far as that one day went, Akagi tended to her every need as if she was on a mission.
Now for the matter of food, truth be told, she was still quite full due to last night's meal. "Sister, I'm off to see… her. The one that saved me," she spoke with steadfast conviction.
Akagi acted concerned, putting her sister on edge. She then broke a full-blown smile. "Of course. Then let us go together."
"Huh?! Right!" Acknowledged Kaga, feeling a bit caught off guard by her sister's directness.
They walked in silence until the white fox woman cleared her throat. "Akagi, what is she? If that doesn't sound rude enough already. I must know."
The dark-haired carrier made a pained face as she thought about what to say. A soft smile of content shined through. "Her name is Alt, and she is, in all sense of the word, my friend."
Kaga stood speechless, hearing such wonderful praise that came from her sister, who usually had kind comments of that caliber reserved.
(Alt)
Darkness clouded her vision. When she was pulled out of Kaga's mind, her vision had deteriorated, causing blood to pour profusely. What happened after that was a hectic mess of jumbled-up memories as they raced to the medical wing.
The news of Kaga's awakening had flooded the whole Sakura Empire and rumors spread that the shadow of the Grey Ghost had played a part in it. These rumors were ephemeral and without evidence. Some had ventured deep into conspiracy territory when they connected her involvement with Kaga's event because of the oddity that Takao, the one who had been brutalized by the doppelganger, and Prinz Eugen were seen bringing her in. The ironic part was that they were on the right path.
That was yesterday, and she found herself resting in a medical bed in their facilities. The sounds of a machine monitor for her heart filled her ears along with the TV on a random channel.
She remained inert, not because she had nothing to do, but because she was aware that someone else had secretly invaded her room. Most likely, it was during the last visit from that green-haired catgirl. The catgirl had sounded tensed and fearful, but Alt pretended she was asleep, letting her do her check-up. It was when she heard the door open and a delay in it fully shutting caused her to tilt her head.
She finally decided on acknowledging the person in the room with her. "Do they know you are here?"
A young fright filled the room.
Alt had to acknowledge the girl's confidence as she didn't hear her run out of the room immediately.
The young girl's voice then filled the room. "They... wouldn't approve unless I had an escort. A matter like this is something I would be more comfortable with just as a one on one. Plus, we've already tried it with more people."
"You're gutsy, I'll give you that much." She remembered what Akagi had told her in the bath, and she found herself at her pivotal junction toward how she viewed the girl. "Fine, I don't mind you hanging around. I'll even talk if you do me a favor?"
An excited gasp filled the room. No doubt those words were like candy to the young girl. "Hmm... let me hear this favor first," she said, reducing her excitement. The last thing she wanted was to be tricked by this interesting woman.
A frown formed on Alt's mouth as she grew serious. "Change the channel. Hearing humans making fools of themselves doesn't sit well with me."
The young girl let out a tensed breath. "That's all? Very well. Not much of a reality TV show person or is it people that don't sit well with you?" Her words came out slow and deliberate, trying to probe all she could from the doppelganger.
A scoff filled the room. "You came here with more questions, and you decide to ask the tiniest of them. Are you really trying to die on that hill by asking that when other more questions are important?" Her tone sounded a mixture of harsh and fair, like a stern mother.
An embarrassed blush grew from the girl's face. "H-How else can I get a read on your character? You really do act like what Yukikaze calls a Tsundere."
Alt's mouth closed from the spontaneous sentence she heard. "A what...?"
"It's someone who shows a cold side to her, but once you get past that hardened exterior, you find them to be sweet and warm."
"When have I ever been warm?" She grew silent, finding how false her words felt to her now. It used to be like that until she had accepted her sister. That thought, made her heart race with anxiety and she cursed the machine for beeping louder.
"Are you okay?!" A genuine fright resonated from the girl that made Alt blankly gaze even if she was blinded. Akagi was right when she mentioned that at times the girl was truly a child and couldn't infer the reason as to why the doppelganger's heartbeat spiked.
"I'm fine. This thing is busted," she lied to save herself.
The young girl looked skeptical. "If you say so. Where was I, oh—I see examples. Shining examples that follow you like a shadow. When you rescued Hornet, and when you recently saved Kaga."
Alt grew rigid and her defenses came back up. "Who?" Her heart monitor started to annoy her, and she reached under her bedsheet and pulled the connections off from her chest much to the surprise of the girl. "Ouch... you're delusional. I have nothing to gain from saving some random woman—and screw this heart monitor."
A puzzled expression painted the girl's face yet refuse to get distracted from what she wanted to say. "You know her. You told me that yourself when you shouted at me in the warehouse about wanting to be treated like an animal. You said there were people here who wanted to be your friend and others who wanted you to save their sister."
Alt grew silent, remembering that she said something like that and how she had just screwed up that lie. "You're putting thoughts into your head. I have nothing to do with that fox woman's sister."
A satisfied smile grew on the girl's face. "So, it was Akagi. I figured as much since there isn't anyone else, I know who's been trying to awake their sister. That is what you said back then." One didn't need sight to know that the one who said those words was radiating with victory over her clever wordplay.
Alt buried her face on the pillow. "Leave me alone, I need to be recovering and you're making my head hurt," she venomously spat.
"Tsundere! Tsundere!" Chanted the girl, a monotone voice resonating. "I'll have to thank Yukikaze next time I see her! You're pushing me away when all I'm trying to do is understand you!" Her tone returned to a more serious and challenging one. Her boldness had caused her to advance on the injured carrier until she was planted on the bed, her knees on the soft mattress.
Alt shot up from the pillow and closely faced the girl. "Enough! Why? Why are you so interested in me! Especially now that my eyesight is gone. I'm useless to you as a future asset."
The girl's heart dropped, seeing the anguish expression from the wild-haired woman. "I would never call anyone an asset. Maybe Sirens like throwing that word around to their companions but you won't find that here. But I can understand why you would choose that word; it promotes detachment and loss of value to anything that's living."
Alt remained silent, not even finding the conviction to pretend and argue with her. She admired what she heard from her, even if she refused to say it.
The girl politely sat on the bed, watching the doppelganger hang her head in disappointment. "It's clear as day to me that you rescued Kaga. Your sudden injury has been the talk along with Kaga waking up. Such two interesting events happening at the same time must be connected. Your injury is an odd one, too, since Lady Enterprise still has her eyesight."
That sparked the doppelganger to lift her head and watch where the voice of the girl was coming from. "And your point is?" She mocked with a hard swallow.
"You did something. Something that goes beyond Lady Enterprise's pain comprehension. Something Siren related."
The injured carrier had reached her terminus. Not only did the strength she had for pushing people away was in danger, but the revealment that Akagi had been working with her would soon be brought into the light. "Cat's out of the bag. Yes... I tried to escape using a method that cost me my eyes. In honesty, that woman waking up was a comical coincidence. I don't care what you think—that's the truth." She ultimately chose to lie, finding it easier for some reason.
The girl puffed her cheeks out in frustration while her ears grew sad. "Is that really the hill you want to die on?" She asked her. Her yellow eyes gazed upon the Sakura Empire symbol on the wild-haired woman's clothing. A detail that had been hidden by the bedsheet that the injured carrier had over her until she had lifted her upper body to challenge her.
"Yes…" replied Alt.
The door swung open, and a loud gasp was heard.
"Lady Nagato? W-What are you doing here? This isn't a safe place to be in!" Akagi cried out, making her voice sound genuinely concerned. Her reflexes kicked in, and she hid the bento boxes behind her.
When the dark brown-haired carrier's voice filled the room, Alt swallowed hard at the horrible timing.
"Akagi, do not treat me as a child. Where I go is up to me and this girl is hardly that cold-blooded. If she was, she would already be strangling me with how close I am."
Alt blushed, feeling dismantled and forced to feel vulnerable suddenly. She felt her hands, wondering if she had the strength to do it. It would hurt her because of her wounds but it was doable, yet that thought hadn't crossed her mind.
She gave Alt a pitying look and a dispirited one toward Akagi who swallowed. Her eyes then met Kaga. "Why are you two here?" She asked indomitably.
Akagi tensed when all eyes landed on her, waiting to see what she would say. "W-Well... I need to check up on her to reevaluate my method of research going forward."
Nagato gave her an incredulous face. "I see..." She hopped off the bed and past them, harboring the truth in her mind, even if they refused to admit it.
Alt sighed, feeling her head heavy.
The two fox sisters made their way inside, finding a place to sit near Alt's bed.
"Alt, what did she say?" Spoke the dark brown-haired carrier.
"A lot of… nerve-inducing things. I had to rip that heart monitor away from me because of her. That little pipsqueak… she's sharp when it comes to details but not with people's emotions. Heads up, she suspects you."
The ears of the carrier seemed to lower gloomily. "I... am aware of that. I accounted for everything except your unexpected injury."
"I told her that it was a coincidence my eyes were injured and your sister waking around the same time. That it was from some obscure Siren plan that backfired. Maybe she bought it."
Her red eyes landed on the same outfit she gave her. While it wasn't concrete proof of her involvement with the doppelganger, it was one of many pieces that formed a bread trail. "No... I'm sure she didn't," she sighed and stiffly smiled at Alt. "Don't stress yourself by helping cover my tracks. I don't personally take joy from lying to her and I'll have to face her eventually. Regardless, I know I made the right choice." She turned around to face her sister, who looked wide-eyed from being looked at. Akagi sweetly chuckled. "Go ahead and talk to her. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."
"Yes, thank you, sister."
Alt grew interested and her head moved toward them. "Kaga... how does it feel to be back with real people?"
"It feels like a dream that I'm still trying to tell myself it isn't. Thank you. You gave up your sight so you could rescue me."
"Well... I didn't know it was going to go like that. Honestly, don't worry about it too much. Right, Akagi?"
Kaga looked confused and turned her head to her sister.
"Right. I've spoken to Akashi about using an experimental tool to help heal her eyes, similar to what Vestal is using with Enterprise's arm, however... that might not be necessary."
"Yeah, shocking right?" Said Alt dryly.
Akagi drew her sister's attention. "Kaga, her eyes are healing on their own, at an accelerated rate."
The younger carrier's eyes expressed a deep fascination to the woman that continued to get increasingly mysterious. "No way! You have a healing trait?"
There was a grumble from the wild-haired carrier. "Something like that. It's only exclusive to my eyes and seems like a useless passive skill. It's more of a curse really if I ever desired to rid myself of these eyes... I guess that's no longer an option."
Angered disapproval shot toward Alt. "Why would you say that?! Do you hate yourself that much?" Shouted Kaga, unable to understand such an insane notion. A hand reached out to touch the white-haired fox carrier. She turned her head to see an unsmiling Akagi.
"Kaga, let us not create drama right now. We should celebrate the safety of Alt after what you told me about that destructive sun-like bomb. We can berate her later," she said with a reignited giggle.
The pseudo Eagle Union slightly let her mouth hang, dreading that moment that would come. A smell then invaded her nose that made her unintentionally lick her lips.
Sounds of disapproval from Kaga didn't go unnoticed. "Fine." She paused for a moment. "Alt..." That name filled the room and the blinded woman once again looked toward the source. Kaga's face looked deadly serious. "Know that I'm eternally grateful for what you did. I forfeit my life to you, and I swear that if you ever need an ally. I'll be there."
"Huh?!" Both Akagi and Alt stood speechless from Kaga's declaration.
"My dear sister... such passionate devotion," she said gloomily while her face had turned scarlet.
A blush appeared on Kaga and she shut her eyes to help her realign her emotions. "Sister, in that prison I was in… years went by. The only reason I felt the passage of days was when a new type of torture would be upon me. Again and again, without stop. It became too much that I started to let myself go, thinking it would all end sooner if I did. My sanity feels wobbly and if it wasn't for her, I would be gone."
A depressing cloud hung above the injured carrier's head, knowing a dark truth that she wasn't ready to tell them or at least not ready to tell the older sister.
Akagi held a hand to her mouth, turning away to not let them see her tears. She stood like that for a minute until finding the strength to face them again. "Yes... if that's how you feel sister, then your loyalty truly is beautiful."
Alt's body language suddenly grew heavy, and her left wounded hand restlessly flex. "Both of you, stop saying crappy stuff like that. I was only holding my end of the deal. We're even now, so drop it. You don't need to owe me anything especially your life."
Akagi sniffled and gained a smile. "There she goes again trying to push everyone away. You have such a hot and cold attitude with you."
The younger fox carrier didn't relent. "I don't care. You and Akagi are even, but it's my word that I'll uphold. My pride won't have no for an answer. If nothing else, my friendship is the least I can give you."
The doppelganger gave ground and pretended to sound annoyed. "You're so persistent... fine."
Kaga smiled victoriously and snatched the makeshift bento bag from her sister. "As Akagi said, let us celebrate this moment. Alt, you look rather thin compared to how I saw you in my mind. Have some of this Umeboshi."
"Ume—what?!" Too late, as her mouth was open, Kaga expertly passed the pickled plum into her mouth.
The blinded woman tensed from the sour overload that invaded her taste buds. "Ugh... damn you! I've could've choked!"
"My bad, here... I have Tamagoyaki, a sweet rolled omelette."
Alt moved her head away as part of the egg brushed against her cheek.
Akagi expressed an amused sound. "Alt, last time I checked, you weren't a little kid who would give my sister such a hard time. Plus, I worked hard on this meal for you."
"You did?" Asked Kaga.
"Yep, did you think one of those was for me?" She grinned, having the foresight that her sister would naturally want to visit Alt first thing in the morning.
"This is embarrassing," groaned the doppelganger.
"Feeding you is more effective than allowing you to act like a coal miner in the dark," said Akagi.
Alt's stomach started to growl. "Khh... if there ever was a situation where I didn't miss eating, now would be the best time for that..."
The perplexed expression from her younger sister wasn't lost on the older fox carrier. All she gave Kaga was an understanding look, saying that they would talk about it later.
"Hey… give me the food, but no funny business like with that sour nightmare," said the blinded woman.
Internally, Akagi expressed these words by watching the interaction between the other two, her smile never faltering. "Alt... you've formed an everlasting bond with the both of us. Don't think you'll get rid of us that easy. Such a friendship is your responsibility." She continued to watch them converse over random things while the injured carrier was fed to her heart's content.
(Nighttime/Akagi)
"Sister, it's as you said. Should we be worried?" Kaga frowned, her nerves tense.
They stood in the home living room of the flagship of the Sakura Empire. Earlier on, they received a message through their phones from Nagato personally. What made it strange was that she desired to talk to them at nighttime.
"This is very off for her to be summoning us this late." Said Akagi, looking acceptingly at the odd situation. "Let your big sister do most of the talking. This isn't your fault, Kaga, as all I did was to bring you back." Her smile was unstained from any doubts or sins, knowing that she had walked the right path.
"Right..." The younger fox carrier said with uneasiness to the situation.
"Hello, you two."
Both of their fox ears perked up in alert when the sound of a sliding door made them look to the left.
"Lady Nagato!" They both hurriedly bowed their heads.
Nagato puffed her cheeks, sliding the door back. "Quiet. Mutsu is sleeping."
Akagi expressed embarrassment and showed a sweat drop on her cheek. "Apologies. How is she?"
The young girl hummed happily. "Playing and enjoying her time with friends. She is completely oblivious to the adult issues going around."
The dark brown-haired woman disapprovingly narrowed her eyes. "Tsk, I don't feel right hearing you talk like that, Lady Nagato."
"Akagi, I'm not a child." Her tone grew heated as she wondered how many more times, they would have this discussion that revolved around her mental age.
Akagi puffed a suppressed laugh from her lips. "If you say so, Lady Nagato. I won't bring up the topic again."
She acted doubtful to that claim. The girl sat across from where a table resided. "Come, let's enjoy a nightly meal. Kaga, you look thin. Have you been eating properly since you awoke?" She smiled toward both, putting the sisters into a confused state.
"Y-Yes! Akagi has been stuffing me like a piggy bank. Last night I had a very fulfilling meal."
"You haven't had dinner yet?" She asked the white-haired carrier.
Kaga touched her stomach. "I'm still full though." She didn't want to say more since telling her that she had a meal with the blinded archer, once again that same day, wouldn't help them. She thought back to the morning and was glad that her sister had hidden the bento boxes from Nagato's sight.
"You need all your nutrients after being asleep for so long," leisurely lectured the young girl.
"I would agree, let's eat," encouraged her dark brown-haired sister.
Shortly after that, there was a tense atmosphere around the table as only the sounds of silverware and cups being lifted could be heard.
The food was delicious, no doubt prepared by someone else for Nagato and her sister. However, Akagi was incredibly nervous that the details of the food were a blur to her. All she could focus on is where she would be waking up come morning.
"Akagi, I'm sure you know why I summoned you both here." Nagato cut the silence with a stare that could almost be considered adorable if it wasn't so menacingly.
Akagi put her fork down, Kaga also mimicked the motion. "Well, considering we weren't ambushed with Mikasa, Souryuu, or the others cuffing us, then I would assume I'm not under arrest," she said hesitantly and hopefully.
A discerning eyeshot at Akagi who grew tense. "Why would you think that?"
She forced a giggle, a habit of hers to help deal with her tense emotions. "Nagato... you're a bright girl, and I will no longer hide from my actions. Yes, I assisted the prisoner. She and I made a deal that if I helped her escape to rescue her sister, she would grant me her assistance in saving mine."
Comical frustration showed instead of pure anger. "Akagi... humph, you sure take the fun out of everything. Here, I had a solid counter to anything you would say." She made a pout that changed into concern. "Takao… did your plan involve her getting hurt?"
"No. We agreed in our deal that she wouldn't pursue casualties. It was supposed to be a quick invade and rescue before anyone had time to react. In her defense, Takao sought her out that night and the prisoner used… improvised methods to keep her alive from the explosive attack."
Nagato's stern eyes never let up toward the woman who she respected. "Akagi, you created so many problems for us and the Eagle Union. Even Enterprise showed up despite her current injuries."
Akagi remained steadfast. "I understand. You can lecture me all you want, it's only fair since I do it to you all the time. However, I don't regret what I did. What's a bit of panic and property damage compared to the life of someone else?" She gave an empty smile that reflected a careless destructiveness to her mindset.
Nagato stood up and placed her hands on the table. "And if she didn't hold her deal?!" She fired hazardously, quickly holding her hand to her mouth, hoping she didn't wake her sister.
Akagi humbly gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Then your swift and divine punishment wouldn't be enough for my soul."
Kaga lowered her eyes, understanding the weight of an outcome like that. "Lady Nagato, let's not dwell on what could have happened," she voiced her thoughts, hoping to be a mediator.
The girl's yellow eyes darted to the blue-eyed fox woman. "Hmm, Kaga... do you remember anything while you were under the influence of the Sirens?"
A pained expression flashed across her face. "I remember it all. Every second of that horrendous ordeal. Even now, with how little time I've been awake, it feels like this is merely a dream and I'll soon be waking up to another nightmare. That woman... she saved me from my tortured mind and showed me clarity to my life. I have a life debt to her now."
"Oh... and If she asked you to inflict or receive pain? To betray?"
Kaga balled up her fists and glared at the girl. "She won't. I see only good in her."
Nagato relaxed her demeanor and smiled at what she heard. "Hmm... I see. Only good… that's good to hear." It was obvious that she didn't mean what she said and had merely said it to test the resolve of the white-haired woman.
Kaga also relaxed her fingers, feeling deep shame after her thoughts traversing to such darkness, relating to Nagato. "May I ask... is she a Siren?" She waited for the others to respond while they looked deep in thought. "She knew how to control the inner workings of my mind, her eyes glowed yellow, and was saying a lot of things that no random person would know," added Kaga.
It had been a long pause until the older sister forced her lips to move. "She's a unique Siren, completely organic as far as we're aware."
"A human... Siren?" Such an odd pair of words both fascinated and haunted the white-haired carrier.
"She has ghostly yellow eyes, meaning something inside her must be mechanical. Of course, I haven't told her this nugget of information," explained Akagi.
"And her affiliation?" Said Kaga.
"She has none, and I don't think she even sees that for herself either. Only to her sister—Hornet. Lady Nagato, I'm sure that you're interested to hear that they have grown close."
"Hmmm... that is... good." Internally, she had hope for that to be the case ever since she had returned Hornet to them.
Akagi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Good? Your face is showing hope that you might be able to grow closer. I'm left wondering what is motivating you to want to understand her."
"I don't need a reason to help a lonely soul like her. When I first saw her, I could tell she was lost even though she rudely tried to push me away."
Akagi had no way to spin that response into any form of a joke. "You're absolutely right. Your leadership and grace never falter."
Nagato looked away, showing that her pure-hearted goal wasn't entirely without self-gain. "However, there's been an ominous omen that's been troubling me. I tried not to pair it with wanting to understand the prisoner, but it might be unavoidable for me at this point."
"Omen?!" They both said, alertness growing.
"Yes, I awoke feeling it again today and it's only been getting stronger. Akagi, have you noticed the emotions of the waves lately?"
"Can't say that I have. Then again, I haven't been on water much," she said with a frown.
"I took a stroll today and could feel them tense."
"Tense, huh?" Kaga glanced at her sister who even looked confused as well.
Nagato stood straight and gazed at them for their honest response, in the hopes that they might ease her. "When was the last Siren encounter? Besides the one involving Lady Hornet?" The question from the small girl made the other two widen their eyes, the unease nature of it being understood.
"Well... hmmm. I guess it's been a while. Maybe some small Siren ships that were too mindless to even be called a formidable foe," said Akagi.
"So, their lack of presence has been known with only silence… huh?" Muttered Kaga.
"I wish I could say that it's nothing but good fortune for us but for the Sirens, they have always bid their time before striking," said the dark brown-haired carrier.
Nagato remained unchanged. "It's different. The waves are tense along with this silence."
Kaga leaned forward. "Maybe it's one of those days. Perhaps tomorrow the nature of the waves will tell a different story and no longer be tense."
"Hmm... we will see. If there is a sinister omen approaching, having that girl as an ally would help us. That's my only greedy gain for her trust in me. Everything else, I do it for her sake."
Akagi hopefully perked up. "Then..."
Nagato flashed them a small smile. "She's no longer a prisoner. As far as the records go, she is but she'll be given the freedom to move around and... to converse. She can't leave land though."
"Is that wise? What would the Eagle Union and Enterprise think?" Said Akagi, making sure that Nagato had thought this through.
"When Ayanami was taken in as a prisoner by the Eagle Union, she was given special care."
The red fox woman had a counter for that argument. "The situation was different. Ayanami did not injure anyone, and they respected the Sakura Empire even though we were enemies."
"She's a nomad and isn't affiliated with us at all. Could you be suggesting that you are willing to shoulder that burden?" Asked Kaga with a stoic face.
Nagato shifted her gaze, blushing slightly. "I wouldn't be opposed to her joining us. She can't wonder like a drifter forever."
"Your heart is indeed pure. We'll have to tell the Eagle Union something because her new status will inevitably reach their shores. I'm on board with it regardless," said Akagi.
"As am I!" Expressed Kaga with lively eyes.
Akagi held a hand to her cheek, blushing deeply. "Sister, this devotion you have for her, could you be smitten by her? My... you grow up so fast," giggled the older fox carrier.
Kaga stiffened and cocked her head toward her sister. "That's not the reason!"
Nagato gave a weak smile while tilting her head with a sweatdrop.
Akagi composed herself and the atmosphere turned serious once again. "Hmm... the question is, will she be willing to the new change? She's distant and silent. Plus, we should hold off on her interaction with others. It's not because I don't trust her but because she's currently battling a condition."
"Huh?!" The looks from both Kaga and Nagato were equally confused.
Akagi explained what the doppelganger had told her, that she regained her memories of her time in a world called the dark sea, and how she was used as a murder battery to collect energy for the Sirens.
Both Kaga and Nagato were left speechless by the reveal.
"Poor thing... those monsters," sniffled the fox girl.
Kaga smashed the table, her other hand resting and covering one of her eyes. Her visible eye showed great sadness. "Her pain... is even greater than the one I faced." She never fully felt like she had died even though the torture was continuous. To be brought back only to be killed again was a different kind of evil.
Akagi was briefly quiet, letting them ingest the information before continuing. "She's been more open about her feelings but only to a select few. Takao and I are on that shortlist."
"Then I should do something to show my good faith. I got it," replied Nagato with a reignited spark in her eyes. She was now more driven to become close with the injured carrier after finally hearing her origins.
"Really?" Said both sisters.
"Yes, just wait and see. Oh, and please no more secrets. I'll let this one slide. But just know, Akagi, if you ever move away from the center of my palm again, I can't be held responsible for what might happen to you." Her warning exuded an unserious, semi-dark, and playfulness tone. It was mostly created for the girl to have the last word as it held no true meaning or threat.
Kaga held a hand to her mouth, trying to hold herself from laughing at the joke that stunned her older sister.
Akagi politely chuckled once she got her bearings and let out a defeated breath. "I see you've been spending more time with Yukikaze."
(Alt)
She stirred from her sleep, feeling like someone was in her room. Who could have been here this late at night? She asked herself that question.
"Oh, you're awake?!"
Her sister. That answer and hearing her voice was the best way she ever had the privilege of waking up. "Hornet... you're a sight for blind eyes," she said morbidly.
The blonde sighed tiredly at the horrible joke from her sister. "Jeez, Alt... just... wow." Despite the dark intro, there was a lightness to the blonde's words, as they held affection to their meaning. "Takao told me what you did, and... I'm so proud of you."
Alt inhaled sharply, the praise getting to her head like a high. "I... rather you didn't see me in this state." She rolled to her side, blocking her face from her sister's view.
"Hey, don't be like that," pouted the blonde.
"Hmm... it's embarrassing. I was only doing it to repay my debt," groaned the injured carrier.
Hornet, who had stood slightly up, dropped back to the chair. "Yeah, Takao brought me up to speed on your deal with Akagi. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about it." Her proud smirk was blatantly predictable that Alt could sense when her lips had formed it.
"I see," replied the blind carrier, moving her head toward the other carrier.
"How are your eyes?" Hornet's words were soft and concerned.
"I'm not sure. I tried removing my bandages earlier but the light in the room is too bright. I doubt even dimming the lights would help."
"Too bright?"
Alt nodded. "Yeah, everything's all white when I try to see. It's dark now because of these bandages." Her voice sounded depressed, and one could only imagine the agony of being alone with nothing to see. She then felt a hand rest on her forehead.
"Alt, It's only temporary. I guess that's what makes you so amazing, my little sister," she said with a grin. She placed her other hand over Alt's hand, causing the doppelganger to tense.
Alt, without thinking, moved her hand away, regretting it instantly. "Is she still here? Enterprise, I mean. At least she doesn't have to worry about this blindness." She spoke carelessly, partly to help bury the critical error she made with her hand.
Hurt flashed across Hornet's face. "I... well, Ent left this morning... before I could talk to her again. She left her ship here to be repaired and took a transport ship back to base."
"What…? That… doesn't make sense. Why would she do that?" She hated to maddeningly search her own mind to find the answer to that question, but it was illogical, completely a reversal from Enterprise's state of mind.
"As I said, I couldn't get the chance to talk to her. Hmm…" When she had the time, she promised herself to go and check up on her sister. However, the sister in front of her was here and she needed to confront the available family member.
Alt grunted and cursed under her breath when she couldn't find the reasons why Enterprise abandoned her ship. "Pfft… how the mighty have fallen." Through her anger, she found a sense of peace, imagining Enterprise moving across the sea not under her own power. She could imagine Enterprise losing all hope, but that was only a whimsical dream and not the conclusion she accepted.
"Hey! Knock it off!" The blonde's anger and hurt feelings reached her and she grew shameful of herself.
"S-Sorry, it just came out." Alt looked sad and ready to remain quiet.
Hornet berated herself, not wanting things to end on a shouting match or swept under the proverbial rug. Her desire for the future she yearned for hadn't escaped her mind. She steeled her nerves and decided to open that old discussion they had at the ocean. "Alt... both of you are in so much pain. Why can't you both try to understand each other?!"
If Hornet could see through cloth, she could tell the eyes of the doppelganger sharply moved toward the source of her words.
"Hornet, let it go. I don't want to argue about this with you again," she said sternly. Her response was fierce, yet something had changed inside her, or something had been lost. It was the passion to kill Enterprise. Yes, it still burned, but she now stood confused, not knowing how to tend to its flames.
The blonde bit her lip, hating the barrier that her sister was putting up. "No! I said I would drop it for later—it's later now! Alt... I love both of you as my sisters, please... give it a chance. Let's find a way for all of us to be happy. Please, no good came from you both exchanging blows."
The heavy bandages on Alt's face did a great job to hide the bruises left in the wake of the fight the day before yesterday. However, near her cheeks and mouth, the blonde could see slowly fading bruises.
The injured carrier felt the strain from the words of the blonde. Regardless, she desired to be honest with herself. "You don't get it; you just don't get it." She thought back to the logic bomb, and how she had a chance to end it on a high note, even if she didn't get to kill Enterprise with her own hands. She was still here because she couldn't allow her sister to fall into that state of despair. What options did she have now? Killing Enterprise had become more complicated, and that infuriated her.
"Make me understand then. Tell me why and I want to truly know why you want her gone." Her tone was serious, and Alt knew that she had no choice. In honesty, venturing into Kaga's mind had brought her clarity between her and her insecurities toward Enterprise.
A shakiness filled Alt's voice. "It's because we understand each other, that's the reason for our pain... for my hatred. It's not a lack of understanding, sister."
Hornet tensed and let her sister continue.
"See it from my eyes, from my perspective." She paused, and the blonde could see Alt's lips quiver as if searching the deepest parts of herself. "Food, places, people, and memories... all of them are a lie. Do I like chili dogs and pizza? No... the answer is no, but my mind screams that it's yes. I never had them in this life or my other lives, yet I can remember their taste. The memory of you, the memory of the Eagle Union girls that I'm supposed to have some semblance of attachment is all a lie. Azur Lane... the place where I was reaching toward and where I knew in my heart you would be was nothing but a carrot on a stick! Every memory that isn't the dark sea is all a lie!" Her frantic mood eased a bit with her deep breaths, appearing to sound like she just ran a marathon.
Hornet suddenly felt hollow. Yes, she was aware of all of this when they talked after she was captured, yet hearing it listed with heart-wrenching reasons like never tasting foods and friends that she never knew made her realize that she didn't fully grasp the impact back then. "Alt, the Sirens are to blame for all that. Ent didn't have any say in that matter. Her data was stolen and used to make you... the one good thing that those bitches ever did!"
Alt gritted her teeth. "Good thing...? I'm an accident. I am nothing but a battery for their dumb toys."
Tears started to flow from the blonde, partly from feeling shallow and not fully understanding her sister's inner turmoil. "I know that… and screw them for that. You're not some energy source to me, you're my sister."
A calm and serious presence washed over the injured carrier. "And that's why you love me. Because I'm in the shape of her. Would you love me if I was in the shape of Observer?" She thought back to what Kaga's state of mind had said, how she was a fake that could never replace the real sister.
The Eagle Union carrier's breath sharply cut, and she looked away. "Why are you being so difficult right now?!" Whined Hornet.
Alt gritted her teeth when she didn't receive an acceptable answer. "It's the truth! Hornet, you mean everything to me, but it's not the same for you. You share your heart with both of us. I understand that now. But at the end of the day, I'm just a copy of her... a damaged mindset she discarded and snatched by the Sirens to be repurposed into something else… into someone else!" She angrily moved away from her sister, desiring to punch the pillow she had.
"Do you hate her for discarding you?" The blonde hesitantly asked.
Something sharp cut through her within her heart. It was jealousy. She felt that emotion clearly. "As if... as if..." Her words grew quieter and shaky, for her heart did not believe those words she spoke. She lifted her hand, unable to see it and merely know it was there. Her mind lingered on the feeling of being discarded, on being rejected. This feeling resonated from the Enterprise within her.
Alt made a fist and exhaled softly. "Hornet. There are two people inside me. One is Enterprise who I'm forced to understand, and the other is… the one that isn't Enterprise. That formless entity is the one that grants me distance from Enterprise's mind. They are my light in the darkness that shows me the freedom to be my own person. However, Enterprise's mind tells me it's an illusion and no freedom resides in following that person who isn't Enterprise."
Her mind thought back to two instances. When she had a look of melancholy sadness when inspecting the tentacles that were attached to Kaga, and when her right hand reached out to the Fox Siren, a sickening desire to understand it and become one. Both of those times, she and the Enterprise within agreed on something.
The doppelganger dropped her hand upon the bed and despondently sighed. "I'm… I bet I'm creeping you out right now. My mind is nothing but an eternal tug of war, and I'm the rope," she said grimly. She grew startled when two hands held her left hand. Tears started to fall, and she could feel them fall onto her fingers.
"Alt… it takes a lot to creep me out," she said with a strained voice.
The injured carrier smiled softly, knowing that she was lying yet finding it endearing, nonetheless.
"Nothing you say will push me away from you. You don't have to be pulled by those two—be pulled toward me instead."
The white-haired woman let out a soft breath, feeling the love ooze from those words.
Hornet continued. "I will not tear down bridges for you, but I'll walk across them with you. Into new possibilities."
"W-What?!" Her heart grew warm from the unrivaled conviction she felt from the blonde. She still had her deeply seeded insecurities about herself, but it was hard to listen to those voices when her sister's feelings were being felt not seen.
"You're right. I've been blinded by your cries of agony. You, living a lie must be a soulless and depressing existence one that I wish I could ease from you instantly. Will have to settle it with time. To not have anything to call your own… well, not anymore. Let's make memories—starting now! Memories that you can call your own. Heck, we've got a good one when we hugged."
"Hornet... that's right." She didn't know when, but she lost sight of that memory they had at sea. She was acting self-deprecating, ignoring that she had made memories she could call her own. Memories of Hornet, Takao, Akagi, and Kaga. She was slowly becoming her own person.
"Let's start with food, tomorrow you and I will hit the town for some good-old Eagle Union dishes. Screw the Azur Lane... you don't need to find that place to see me—I'm right here. A-And... well, the Eagle Union girls are pretty amazing but will leave that for another time," she gave off a delighted sound of happiness.
Laughing joyfully became impossible to resist from feeling Hornet's spunky energy bounce all over the place. "Pfft… sister slow down. I can't go anywhere, remember?" A smile shattered through her depressing and dark thoughts. Hornet's love was true without rival, and she allowed herself to be washed by it.
A gasp of surprise was heard from Hornet.
The doppelganger grew concerned. "What's wrong—ah!" She answered her question as her yellow eyes burned bright through the blindfolds she wore. At the core of her emotions, she was happy at that moment, which activated her eyes. The first time she ever activated them with happiness. Not anger, sadness, fear, or even lust.
A picture formed in her mind; one where she was being pushed through a hallway with white walls. A set of three footsteps filled her audio awareness.
"Sis, what's going on?" The blonde accepted the glowing eyes of her sister and compassionately held her hand to express that she was here.
It didn't go unnoticed by Alt, feeling accepted in so many ways. She dulled her elated emotions to address her sister. "Someone's at the door," she said shakily.
They both turned to the door, and it opened, revealing three people.
"Oh, Hornet? What are you doing here after hours?" A playful and concerned voice reached them and they saw Akagi with her sister.
"Akagi, stop messing around. We also shouldn't be here as well." A third voice fired out and both fox sisters moved aside to reveal Nagato. She held a cage that looked cumbersome for her to carry. At one point, Akagi and Kaga asked to carry the cage, but Nagato would not accept.
Alt's eyes glowed, and her vision saw Hornet and herself on the bed.
"I guess we all should keep this a secret then," stoically said Kaga.
"Please don't be mad but I told Nagato everything, it was a forgone conclusion after all," said Akagi with a head bow.
Nagato expressed an energetic head shake that Alt could see when her borrowed vision looked up. "Don't blame her. I already figured it out. Ise and Hyuuga told me that Akagi had taken you for study but stopped to take you a bath. Hmm, I'm sure they meant well but I don't know why they fled after that. Your bloody eyes were also too suspicious to not think about how they reached that condition. Lastly, I want to tell you how good you look in those old workout clothes. I guess that's more proof that you were with Akagi yesterday." Her friendly giggles could be heard, and Alt remained silent, partly because she was at a loss for words.
Alt closed her eyes and calmed her glowing eyes. "Why did I even bother?" She said coldly.
The young girl sadly smiled. "Because you wanted to protect, Akagi. I'm sorry for probing you this morning." The best outcome she wished from their last conversation would have been for Alt to trust in her and tell her the truth. In the end, she wasn't going to hold it over her head. "I brought you a friend."
"My eagle..." Alt already connected the dots from the very beginning when her eyes activated.
Nagato stood happily mystified. "Hehe, yes. That's so sweet and you two must be best friends to jump to that conclusion."
Alt scoffed slightly, knowing that her wild guess wasn't so wild. "S-Something like that. Though I have to say, I do look pathetic." She moved her head left and right so her bird could inspect her appearance in her place.
The young girl blinked a few times and cocked her head. "Excuse me?"
Akagi laughed to herself, finding it amusing that Alt was using her eagle like a mirror. "Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that."
Alt didn't have the energy to explain so for now, she didn't mind letting the girl spin around for a bit from that info. "Nothing... thank you." She mentally stumbled upon those words. She had thanked her without giving it much thought.
"Hey there, buddy!" Cried Hornet, earning her a wicked screech from the winged beast. "Eh!?" She stumbled back onto Alt's bed. "Someone's hard to please," she said with a twitching eyebrow.
Alt tiredly shook her head. "He was worried about me since we were separated for a while after being captured."
"Alt... is it okay If I call you that?" Nagato's words reached the blind white-haired carrier.
"Hmph, might as well now. It's starting to spread like wildfire," she said coldly.
The leader of the Sakura Empire could sense the walls between them were still up. Maybe she was able to take one down with the gift of her eagle, but more walls resided. The challenge before her excited her, and she was ready to tackle them. "Alt... after you leave here, we'll be placing you into a room, one where you can come and go as you please."
Shock resonated from both Hornet and Alt.
Nagato couldn't see, but another wall had come down between them.
"… I won't be fooled," the pseudo eagle union hesitantly spat. Internally, it felt like fate had heard Hornet's wishes to create memories with her, and Nagato's blessing realized that wish. Her heart grew excited about what tomorrow held.
The leader of the Sakura Empire accepted every jagged scrap of coldness from Alt, knowing that she was a good person underneath all those barriers. "I understand. This is the start of a long journey between us, and I hope we can be friends," said Nagato.
"Hmm..." Alt's guard was being tested. This girl was wanting to be her friend, and she felt like the girl had an ulterior motive.
"Hey, is there a place where we can get chili dogs this late at night?" Hornet interrupted the long and challenging stare that both Alt and Nagato had been doing.
(Unknown)
A floating rock out in a void space had a slumped figure that had not moved for a while. This place, where time moved a different speed from the world connected to it, was a proverbial pickup spot for the Sirens among other applications.
The slumped figure came back to life, after a deep suspended period of inactivity. Her one functioning eye scanned the empty and foreboding purplish-dark space. "I'm still here?" Her worried emotion was overwritten by the visualization of the fight that she recently had. "Damn you, Observer. Why didn't you remember?" Her remaining eye flickered and she began to twitch.
The void space stretched and hummed, indicating the presence of another being entering its realm. "Because she's gone, you poor legless fool." A mocking laugh followed as a girl manifested before the wrecked Siren, stepping onto the floating rock.
The slumped figure, that went by Tester, let her mouth open as the image of her ally, Purifier, emerged from the void.
"Purifier? You have a lot of nerve showing up in the in-between," she spat at her with an intense glowing eye. An oddity registered inside herself as she looked at Purifier's undamaged self. "Where did you find the resources to repair yourself? That little stunt you pulled earned you a banishment from the system." Her words held a high and mighty proclamation to that fact.
A sneer formed on the pale girl's face. "System... Pfft. That same system you rebelled against—all for poor Observers' sake? Oh, the hypocrisy is alive in this boring place. Never forget: When the system is done with you, it is done with you." Her words contained an unmatched hatred.
Tester made a frown, finding it annoying that she was forced to hear the exiled Siren. "The system... also allows itself to be proven wrong if a rekindled application for you is found. But don't take those words as the system precisely taking you back. No, you blacklisted yourself hard, former sister." A smirk formed on the damaged Siren, while trying to act sympathetic.
Purifier's hand angrily grabbed onto the broken face of her former ally. "You little goodie punk. Do you think it still has use for you?!"
Tester growled as that was all she could do in her state. "Unlike you... I've always been cooperative. It would listen to my reasons for my temporary betrayal."
Purifier sent a death glare before allowing herself to smile. "Hehe, I guess that theory will forever stay untested. How was your nap by the way? I hope it didn't make your sense of time dull and slow."
A wave of uneasiness washed over Tester. "What are you on about? The others will zero in on this location anytime now. Don't expect any mercy from me, former sister," she said with hate.
The wicked smile on Purifier's face continued to light up, as indicated by her ever-increasing glow in her eyes. "They won't come. At least, not to this in-between. I hate to say... Nah, scratch that—I love saying this next line. It looks like their authority has been revoked! Bye bye admin privileges and all that crap!"
"Huh?" She forced herself to take a fighting stance, yet her body failed her. She connected with her functioning Siren eye, yet it remained as a glorified nightlight.
"Don't you feel it... sister? They're all silent. Why else have you been forced to wait long for extraction after a miserable beatdown from that walking identity crisis?"
Fear, an emotion that she just recently started to understand more after fighting with the current state of Observer, had started to plague her. "What did you do?!" Yelled Tester with visualized panic. When she said that, she felt the void stretch and hum, signaling another presence.
"She didn't do anything."
A third voice made her turn her head when they touched the ground. Tester held a steady flow of energy to the presence she was seeing. "What? I see... how... garish, but you've always been one to lack style. You pulled this double act from another time stream. How?"
Purifier frowned, a murderous intent building up.
The ambiguous third individual slowly started to predate around the defenseless Siren.
Purifier held up her hand and silently gestured for her ally to let her do the talking. "You don't need to know the methods of my rebirth, Tester. That's reserved for that pretend Observer who's playing ship captain."
Tester stared at Purifier with unrivaled discontent. "It was a mistake—you are a mistake! I told Observer and the others that no good would ever come from you, but they didn't listen. Now you've selfishly altered everything!" She turned to the third being. "You could have brought back Observer you traitor!" Tester felt a slap across her broken face that came from Purifier.
"Your insufferable whining is giving me a headache. Pfft, you were always her little lap dog." She sneered and cleared her throat to pretend to be Observer. "Oh, Tester is great. Tester gets results. Tester is way more dependable... blah, blah, blah. I hated her and there is no possible reality where I would ever bring her back. And now, you all no longer have the ability either."
Tester remained undiminished. "How dare you... she gave you chances, and your human greed and superiority complex was the thing that made her not trust you. You have always been nothing but a brat!"
"I was better than her, and she knew that! She would rather observe while I was ready to get my hands dirty—all for the sake of the system!" Shouted the exiled Siren, her eyes showing an unchecked craziness to them.
Tester began to laugh uncontrollably, mocking this force before her. "Haha, I damaged these hands in her name. For her research just as much as you! You're not better—know your place! She had a vision, one that we all lacked!"
"Oh, I have a vision now, dear sister. A vision where I replace the system and begin to impose a new age of Siren superiority. One where we are not merely watching—hoping—that those Kansen try to gut themselves over human conflict. Isn't that right?" She playfully spoke to the third being.
"You took the words right out of me." That was all they said.
The damaged Siren stood quiet, wishing that the system could flex its authority and grant her a mercy killing.
"Now now, Tester. I always did prefer a Smasher, but you do get equally just as violent... there is always a use for a cannon that needs direction. Submit to us and you can have that rematch with that walking identity crisis. Don't you wish to kill her?"
"Your logic is accurate—for a dumb brat. I desired to enlighten her. I'll never join you. Observer will awaken and she'll expunge the both of you like the trash you all are!"
Purifier, stood up, looking unfazed by the rejection. "No worry. There's still a use for you. Just like there is still use for our mass number of lesser sisters that are now hopelessly lost without leadership."
"Grrr..." A seething rage boiled quietly within the wrecked Siren.
"Tester... have you forgotten? The system and the others have been banished from the world that connects to this in-between. As higher Sirens, it's our duty to guide the ones that are stationed in that world."
A cold and harsh eye from Tester gazed at the two. "They are pawns, Purifier. They have no hope if they follow the command of a childish brat. Kill them now, and you'll be doing them a favor. All I care about is the system and Observer."
Purifier playfully cocked her head. "And yet, both parties do not see eye to eye. The system will never accept Observer the way she is. She's too… altered."
"I know..." Spoke Tester with a defeated tone of voice.
Purifier looked skeptical about the genuineness of the broken Siren's words. "Hmm... the others are gone. It's just the four of us now, and we aim to keep trimming the fat, dear sister. It's my sole prime directive to purify unwanted elements, and I deem the system itself to be a failure." She hit Tester with an attack that brought her back into a suspended state. She then turned to the third being. "Did you silently enjoy every second of her despair? I bet you did."
"A rhetorical question. I think you said everything that I wanted to say."
Purifier evilly giggled. "Is that so? When will I be able to meet this... Observer?"
"Soon... you don't need to wait long, compared to the agonizing time I had to spend."
The Siren showed a sour and annoyed expression. "Fine. In the meantime, I guess I should get acquainted with my new playground."
I feel like I could add more before I close this act. Examples like what Belfast, Enterprise, and Zuikaku are feeling come to mind, but that's going to be the setup for the final act. I'm on a mission to deliver a final act that will wrap everything nicely and possibly set up some future things. Thank you all and let's keep on going! Do let me know if you have any questions and see you all in the next one.