AN: Sorry for the AN at the top. I have been out of the fic writing game for a while, and this is the first chapter of what I plan to be a long fic. If you have any complaints/see any errors/just want to yell at me, please feel free to review. These types of comments are very helpful in improving the author's writing. That being said, please enjoy.


The airplane shook with turbulence as they began descending toward the airstrip. It was bumpy, but flying on military cargo craft always was. Nanami looked over to the man beside her and smiled at how tight he was holding the seat.

"For someone who has flown like this hundreds of times, one would think you should be used to it by now Admiral Taylor," she commented. The man, wearing the dress uniform of an Eagle Union Admiral, gave a weak smile before responding.

"I hate these damn things. Give me a good ship across the ocean any day. At least I know I have a chance of surviving if those go down," he managed to get out before being interrupted by another bump.

"And Nanami? Drop the Admiral. You know you don't have to use rank unless we are at a formal function. Otherwise I'm always going to have to refer to you as Commander Winters," he teased. She shook her head, but knew there was nothing she could say to dissuade him. Instead, she settled in to prepare for the landing. If the pilot was any good, it would only be a little rough.


Fifteen minutes later they were on the ground with their luggage. Nanami had a single seabag on her back, and the Admiral simply had a wheeled travel suitcase.

"Not planning on staying long Uncle Frank?" she asked, motioning to the suitcase.

"Afraid not Nanami. The damn Admiralty wants me back ASAP. Once you're settled in, I'm supposed to catch the first flight out," he explained with a grimace.

"You won't need me anyways. You will have some very capable assistants to get you up to speed. There is one of them in particular that I think you'll get along with famously. She's the same type of workaholic you are," the Admiral teased his subordinate. Though Nanami returned his joke with a stare, ultimately she cracked a small smile. She could not possibly get riled up by this man.

Just being able to talk with him, one of the only people she had left, was calming. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do when he was gone, but she trusted his judgment.

"Then, what is the plan when we get to the port?" she inquired as they got into a waiting car.

After he closed the door, Nanami continued, "If you are going ahead to talk to the leaders of the factions, I may take a stroll. That way I know my way around the base without help."

Frank nodded, "I'll be briefing them on your arrival, so your trip around the port might be a good idea. First we will stop at your residence so you don't have to carry that damned heavy bag around." Satisfied with the answer, Nanami settled back in her seat for the short drive to the port.


When the car stopped, they were in front of a walled Sakuran style home. The familiarity of the architecture gave Nanami a pang of nostalgia and longing for her long ago home in the Empire. She turned to the Admiral who was smiling at her.

"I thought you would appreciate the house. It brought back a lot of memories for me when I first saw it too. Come on, let's go in," he remarked as he tossed her the keys.

After getting in and putting her back down on a sofa, Nanami took a short tour with Frank. The house was a hybrid of Eagle Union and Sakuran homes. The things that caught her eye most though were the bath and the Sakuran garden out the back sliding doors. Maybe she would be able to find some peace here between missions.

"Well, with that done, I'm expected at the Administration Building. I'll call your phone when we are ready for you. Enjoy your walk, and don't forget to keep an open mind. I imagine you will have many questions for me when we meet again," the Admiral conceded as he stepped back into the car.

Nanami sighed as the car drove off before turning to lock the door. However she was met with a growl from her stomach. Pausing to remember the last time she ate, she realized it must have been more than 18 hours before. There had just been so much to do to prepare for the flight that she had not even thought about eating.

Luckily she had managed to snag something for exactly this situation before she left the Union. Heading back inside she opened the bag and pulled a plastic package off the top.

Eagle Union Military Rations – D Type

She pulled a bar out of the bag, it was essentially chocolate with a high caloric content and nutritional value. One bar was enough to sustain you for a while, but they were not meant to be permanent rations. They were not kind to your digestive system. However, Nanami had never had such issues with them, so she was frequently able to get them to facilitate long working hours.

Thinking for a second, she grabbed a bottle of water and then second bar that she slipped into her pocket before leaving and locking the door. Enjoying her chocolate, she decided to wander toward the waterfront first. She was amazed at the mix of architecture she saw, and though there was construction in the city and farther off portions of the base, this area was relatively peaceful.

When she finally reached the waterfront, she stopped at the fence that lined the wall along the water. There she simply closed her eyes and basked in the breeze. The smell of brine and the sounds of the waves were calming.

This was what she knew. What she grew up with. Not some stuffy classroom with a professor who had never even served breathing down her neck.

Just as she was starting to relax, she heard a child crying nearby. Looking around, she noticed a young girl sobbing. Her adorably pink hair flowed out from under her yellow hat and halfway down her back. But the most shocking thing about the girl was that she had what looked like cat ears and a tail the same color as her hair.

Though the animal features made her pause, Nanami still approached the girl to see if she could help.

"Hello-," Nanami had only just begun speaking when the girl panicked.

"Ahhhh! Please don't eat me," she cried out in Sakuran.

Eat you? What am I, the Big Bad Wolf? Nanami mused before realizing the girl had spoke in Sakuran. Shifting gears, Nanami crouched down before speaking to her.

"It is okay. I will not hurt you. My name is Nanami, what is yours?" she softly inquired in Sakuran. Hearing her native language, the young girl managed to calm down somewhat.

She was still sniffling a bit when she replied, "I-I'm Kisaragi. I got l-l-lost!" The tears that still remained on the girl's face broke Nanami's heart.

"Okay Kisaragi-chan, do you want help finding them?" she asked the girl. Her goal was to make the girl as comfortable as possible so that they could get her back to her family.

Nanami noted that when the little girl nodded, the cat tail uncurled from around her body a bit. Almost exactly like a cat relaxing, she mused.

Shaking the through from her head, she continued, "Can you walk or do you want me to carry you? And are you hungry?"

"I...can walk. And...I'm hungry," Kisaragi softly said. Without another word, Nanami took out the last square of chocolate from her ration and handed it to the girl. Her eyes lit up as she realized it was chocolate.

With the hunger problem dealt with, Nanami held her hand out. After a moment of trepidation, Kisaragi held on to one of her fingers and they set off. However, it was not long before they heard a chorus of voices calling for Kisaragi.

Hearing the voices the girl's ears twitched and her eyes widened. Kisaragi let go of Nanami's finger and began running toward the voices. In the interest of making sure she didn't somehow get lost again, Nanami followed close behind.

Rounding a corner of a building they nearly ran right into a gaggle of little girls being chaperoned by a single woman. Though the woman and all the girls had various animal features, the thing that caught Nanami's eyes the most was the outfit the woman was wearing. It was a full Sakuran Empire Officer's uniform, complete with sword.

Nanami could not see a rank, but based on the amount of pipping on the uniform, she was clearly outranked here.

In the interest of good relations, she greeted the officer, "Good afternoon ma'am! I am Commander Nanami Winters of the Eagle Union, recently reported to the base. I apologize for bothering you, but I came across young Kisaragi here. I had to try to help her find her way back to her group." A soft smile played across the mouth of the woman as she raised her hand to get Nanami to relax.

"Thank you for finding our little lost destroyer Commander. I am Mikasa, a Shikishima-class battleship, former flagship of the Combined Sakura Empire Fleet. These are the Mutsuki-class destroyers of the Sakura Empire."

"I'm Nagatsuki!" "I'm Fumizuki!" "Uzuki!" "Mikazuki!" "I'm Minazuki!" "And I'm Mutsuki! Thanks for finding Kisaragi!" The girls all introduced themselves in turn. Nanami took a deep breath and set about sorting her thoughts before she replied.

Battleship? Destroyers? They're people...with tails and animal ears...oh gods, Nanami came to the conclusion that maybe they were not completely crazy. She had heard the allied nations had come up with a weapon that worked against the Sirens, but nothing had ever come out about what it was. There was also something deep down that she didn't understand that told her to believe it.

Then she remembered what the Admiral had warned her before heading to the Administration building.

That bastard knew! I am going to give him a-

"-mander. Commander, are you okay?" the voice of Mikasa cut through her thoughts. Clearly she had been quiet for far too long. Shaking her head slightly to focus, she looked at the group of girls who all looked up at her in varying degrees of concern.

"My apologies Miss Mikasa, I am new to base, so that was a lot to take in all at once," she explained rather vaguely.

With a relieved smile Mikasa responded, "I am glad you are well." Before she could continue the destroyer girls cut in.

"Nanami! Nanami! We didn't see any new ships," Mutsuki called enthusiastically.

"I came by plane, not ship," Nanami explained after realizing what they were asking. However, clearly they misunderstood.

"You're a carrier like Miss Akagi!?" The group asked excitedly. Taken aback for the second time in only a few minutes, Nanami began to respond when Mikasa did for her.

"The Commander is not a ship. She is a human," she corrected the little destroyers. They all cocked their heads in confusion.

"Sh-she feels like...one of us," Kisaragi spoke, shocking everyone. Nanami was about to correct her when her phone began to ring. Excusing herself, Nanami went a short distance away as she picked it up.

"We're ready for you Commander."