We had been walking for about fifteen minutes when I decided to break the silence with some light conversation and to ask the question I was going to ask right before we'd come ashore. "So, what do you like to do to relax?"
"Relax?" she repeated as if it were a foreign concept to her.
At first, I thought it might have been a language issue, that she somehow missed the word when learning English. "Yeah, relax. Unwind, cut loose, release some stress, something to do when you aren't training, that sort of thing."
"I am familiar with the word, yes," she said, a faint hint of annoyance in her tone. "But it is something I do not partake in. I am simply too busy training."
I came to a dead stop and turned to give her an incredulous look. "You train all day?"
"Of course not, Commander," she said with a soft smile as if I'd just asked her a supremely silly question.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Oh, okay."
"I have to take breaks to eat and sleep."
That sigh of relief became one of frustration. "You don't have any hobbies or interests outside of combat?"
"Of course I do!" she protested, "But I train for those as well. Do you not do the same for your own hobbies?"
"Well…no," I said, somewhat confused by her line of thought. "Why would I?"
Takao sighed softly and scowled slightly. "What do you do to relax?"
I shrugged and fidgeted slightly under her hard gaze as I answered. "Read, take a walk around the base, target practice."
Her eyebrow raised slightly and she asked, "And when you do these things, are you just doing them haphazardly, with no real effort, or are you doing them to improve yourself in those aspects?"
"I-" I stopped short as I realized where she was going with this. "I'm trying to improve, or at least, maintain, my current skill level in those things."
She nodded once and declared, "So you are training."
"Yeah, I guess," I sighed. I saw her logic, although I didn't quite agree with it. "It just doesn't feel like training, though. I am working to improve myself, but it's at my own pace. When I'm training, I'm working towards a specific goal and I've got to hit that goal. Fleet readiness at seventy-five percent, reaction times below three minutes, that sort of thing. If I don't make three bullseyes when I'm out on the range, well, I'll do better next time. It's more about clearing my head, shutting out the distractions and noise of the outside world, and centering myself."
"I see," Takao said slowly, and I could see the understanding beginning to blossom in those beautiful golden-brown eyes of hers. "I know the feeling of which you speak. When I train with my blade, I get the same sense of peace. We call it zen, a sort of…calm attentiveness where we let our hearts guide ourselves rather than our conscious minds."
"Now I get it," I replied with more enthusiasm this time. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. So aside from swordplay, what else gives you that that sort of zen calm?"
"Calligraphy."
I arched an eyebrow at her, not sure I heard her correctly. "Calligraphy?" I repeated. "With the fancy pens and everything?"
She laughed softly and slowly shook her head. "That's western calligraphy. I practice Sakura calligraphy, which uses brushes and fresh ink we make ourselves."
While I should have realized that Takao would have been the type to make her ink from scratch, I was still surprised by it. "You guys make your own ink for calligraphy? That's impressive. How do you even make it?"
"To begin-" Her instruction is cut off by the sound of high-powered cannons firing, and we both hit the deck. Yellow bolts of energy crackled over our heads and struck the ground only a few yards behind us, gouging out huge craters and showering us with dirt and burnt plant matter.
"Sirens!" I unhelpfully announced as I dared to poke my head up, looking around for the distinctive glow of the enemy. It didn't take long to spot it. A single unit, a humanoid Tester hovered above the ground at the edge of a wooded grove, her guns already powering up for another salvo. "Three o'clock, two hundred yards," I called out to Takao.
"I don't think we'll be able to take her with what we've got, not with her rigging on," she shouted back as she gathered her legs beneath her, ready to leap into action.
"Only one way to find out!" I said as I unslung my rifle and took aim. As I sighted down the barrel, I slowed my breathing as best I could, slowly exhaling. Time seemed to slow for a moment as I aimed directly for the Tester's head, right between those crazed yellow eyes.
The crack of the rifle shot echoed across the field as the weapon bucked in my hand, and Tester's head snapped back, the ominous glow of her cannons faded. My heart leaped into my throat and I held my breath as I waited to see if she would drop from the sky. It promptly sank into my stomach when her head slowly rose back up, the bullet held just millimeters in front of her forehead by a shimmering blue shield. The Siren reached up, plucked the bullet from the air, examined it for a moment, and tossed it aside with a wicked grin as her guns began charging up again.
"Crap," I swore as I looked around the battlefield for something, anything that would give us an advantage. I saw a small outcropping of rocks off to our left and got an idea. I ducked back down and turned to Takao. "I'm going to create a distraction. When I give the signal, you strike. We've got only one chance at this, so be ready."
Takao nodded, a determined look in her eyes as she clenched her sword tightly in her hands. "Good luck, Commander."
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded to her. "Thanks." With that, I scrambled to my feet, taking a single shot at Tester as I ran. While I had no expectation of damaging or even hitting her, I did want her full attention. And I got it. The Siren slowly rotated towards me as her guns began to reach full power. I quit looking at her and shouldered my weapon as I sprinted towards the rocks. Sounds became muted, the world around me greying out as I focused solely on those rocks. I could hear the blood thundering in my ears, the ragged breaths leaving my lungs as my legs pumped as fast as they could carry me. Was this the end? Would I even feel it, or would it all go blank?
I was vaguely aware of something thundering behind me, and my legs faltered for a moment as I struggled to maintain my balance. But I managed to stay upright and moving, so I didn't worry about what injuries I may have sustained for now. With only a few feet left, I slid into cover, digging up a massive chunk of earth with my boot heel as I went. Now safely behind the rocks, I cycled the bolt of the rifle and popped back up to fire another shot. When I popped up from behind cover, however, it was clear my goal had been achieved. Gliding down towards me like an angel descending from heaven, Tester closed the range with me, her gun barrels silent, and her hands free of their controls. I continued to play my part defiantly, emptying the clip, one shot at a time, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off of her shields. She glided over the rock outcropping to tower over me.
My weapon now empty, I charged at her, swinging the rifle like a club. With effortless ease, she batted it aside with one hand while her other grabbed my throat. With agonizing slowness, she began to squeeze the life out of me, and it was all I could do to keep from blacking out. My hands wrapped around her arm as my feet kicked at the empty air as she lifted me from the ground. I knew I had seconds left to live as I felt my eyes bulging out, my lungs burning for air.
Tester knew it, too, as she fixed me with a triumphant smile. "Any last words, Mister Lee?"
Her grip lessened just enough for me to get in a final word. I needed her to ease her grip further, to get in just enough air to last long enough for Takao to do her part. I had one chance, and in a desperate attempt to throw her off, I gasped out, "Harder mommy."
Her reaction was immediate and exactly as I expected. She faltered, her grasp weakening as she tried to make sense of what I said. "What?"
I took the opportunity to suck in another lungful of much-needed air before I replied. "What?" I groaned back, trying to act innocent. Tester snarled as she realized I was just playing for time, and if she had another second, she probably would have snapped my neck. But she didn't.
From behind her came a cry of "Aku Soku Zan!" and I saw Takao leap up onto Tester's manta ray rigging, her blade flashing in the light. Before anyone could react, she brought her blade down hard, plunging into the Siren's clavicle and deep into her chest. Sparks flew from the wound, and Tester slowly turned her head to look at the sword embedded into her.
"Bastaaaaaaa…" her voice crackled and broke up like a fading radio station as the light left her eyes and she collapsed into a heap on the grass. I fell to my knees, gasping and coughing as I fought to catch my breath and blink the stars from my eyes.
Takao quickly scrambled over the now haphazardly strewn rigging and rushed to my side, helping me to my feet. "Commander! Commander, are you okay?"
I nodded as I tried to suck in as much air as I could, still coughing occasionally. I grabbed onto her shoulder as she got me back on my feet and coughed one last time to clear my throat before was able to answer her. "Yeah," I gasped. "But let's not do that again."
Satisfied that I was out of any imminent danger, Takao promptly took me to task. "Are you out of your mind, Commander? What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed!"
"Comes with the job," I half-joked with a wry smile. "Besides, you needed an opening and I wasn't going to do anything to her with my rifle, so I did what I could. Got her to pay attention to me so you could get in position for a killing blow. Which, by the way, was really impressive. What did you say as you jumped on her? 'Ack sock zen'?"
"Aku Soku Zan," she repeated, emphasizing each word so I could hear and repeat it more clearly this time. "It means 'swift death to evil.'"
I smiled softly at her zealous choice of battle cry. "Short, sweet, sounds impressive, in both Japanese and English. I like it."
Her stern expression vanished, replaced by an awkward, embarrassed look as her eyes darted away, her cheeks flushed. "Y-yes, w-well…thank you." There was an awkward pause before she tried to change the subject. "I…I should go and collect my pack. Although I have to say, it was impressive to see you move so fast while still wearing yours."
For a second, I didn't understand what she meant until I realized the weight I felt wasn't just from the lack of oxygen, it was the pack I'd forgotten to take off! "Oh! Uh…I, uh…sort of forgot it was there," I admitted sheepishly. "Must've been all the adrenaline."
She smirked, then the smirk became a grin, and the grin became a smile as she chuckled, then giggled, and then finally laughed, tears in her eyes as she laughed so hard. I found myself laughing with her, unable to help myself as the tension was broken. After a minute or two, we managed to compose ourselves, and Takao ran back to grab her gear and I went to pick up the rifle. Once she had reclaimed her pack and I made sure the rifle was still in good working order, we set out once more towards the mountain.
But we didn't get far.
We hadn't gone more than a few feet before Takao's ears perked up and she put her hand on my forearm. I quickly came to a dead stop and unslung my rifle, ready to take aim at whatever this new threat may be. "What is it?" I whispered to her.
"Movement in the trees," she tersely answered. "Headed this way. Doesn't sound like a lot, but they're trying to stay quiet."
"More Sirens?" I asked as I took a knee, still staring intently at the treeline.
She shrugged. "We'll know soon enough."
Not long after, I heard the rustling myself and the underbrush parted to reveal a figure in a white uniform that looked very similar to Takao's. The figure stopped when she saw us, then waved eagerly.
"Takao!" she called out as she began to break into a run towards us. "Takao-chan!"
I glanced up at Takao, whose face was currently warring between relief and anger, suddenly barked "Halt!" The figure came to a sudden stop and put her hands on her hips in what appeared to be a playful manner. Now that she was closer, I could see dog ears atop her head and a sword clutched in her left hand. One of Takao's sister ships? Atago, perhaps? But if it was, why the sudden hostility? "Identify yourself!"
"It's me, silly!" came the light-hearted reply. "Who else would it be?"
"How do we know you aren't a Siren pawn?" Takao countered. I was impressed, I hadn't considered that possibility out here. "Tell me something about myself!"
"Your favorite drink is lemonade!" Again, I glanced up at Takao, surprised at this revelation.
"Everyone knows that!" she countered. "Tell me something only the real Atago would know." Ah, so it was Atago. Or at least, something that looked like her.
There was a pause, and then Atago called back, "Remember when you started training in the morning? I went out there to make sure you stayed hydrated and refused to take even a single sip of water while yelling something like 'my burning spirit shall sustain me!' until you finally passed out in the middle of a combat drill."
At first, I thought it was completely made up until I looked back up at Takao and saw her slowly turning beet red. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask "Seriously?"
"I…I…it's nothing!" she stammered. "I was…rash and inexperienced, that's all!" She let out a long-suffering sigh as she waved Atago over. "I should have realized that's the story she would have gone with…"
I chuckled as I got to my feet and slung my rifle over my shoulder. "At least you know it's her though. Also, I may be overstepping my bounds here a bit, but that story about you is kinda cute."
Her face flushed crimson again, and she stared intently at the ground as she brushed aside an errant lock of hair. "Th-thank you, Commander…" she murmured.
Atago trotted up to us, her warm smile growing brighter as she looked between us. "So good to finally see you again, sister, and it looks like you've even found help. It's…" Her voice trailed off as she recognized me, and I took an unconscious half-step back as her eyes locked onto me, then flashed with recognition. "Oh, you found the Commander! Thank you for keeping my sister safe."
I fidgeted slightly and took another unconscious step, this time to Takao. "Ah, it's been more of the other way around, actually," I nervously demurred.
Atago's grin became bigger and she strode towards me, her arms outstretched. "Oh dear," she cooed, "Let big sister Atago reward you for your troubles, then."
"No, I'm really-mmmf!" Whatever objections I had were muffled as she wrapped her arms around me in a tender embrace, pushing my face into her shoulder.
"There, there," she soothed softly, her gloved hands gently stroking my hair. "You're safe now…big sister is here…"
While I had to admit it did feel soothing, being smashed into her shoulder made it hard to breathe, and I was in no hurry to repeat the previous experience of having my oxygen supply cut off again. I gently tapped on her shoulder, and when that didn't work, I anxiously gestured towards Takao with my hand.
Fortunately, she got the gist of my subdued flailing and stepped forward to gently pry Atago's arms off of me and give me some much-needed breathing space. I nodded my thanks to Takao, and she nodded in return, a look of empathy and understanding in her eyes.
"Thank you for the gratitude, Atago," Takao said, quickly distracting her sibling before she could embrace me again, "It's good to see you. Have you encountered anyone else on the island?"
Atago shook her head before she answered. "No, but I've only been here a few days and-"
"A few days?!" I exclaimed, cutting off Atago and startling both cruisers. I grimaced and held up my hands to apologize. "Sorry, sorry. Just…we've only been up…what, a few hours at most?" I looked over at Takao, who confirmed with a curt nod.
Concern crossed Atago's face as she glanced over her shoulder, presumably to where her ship was anchored. "A few hours? I wonder what else was different. Was your ship not working, Takao?"
"Correct," she nodded. "We had power, but we had nothing else. Nothing seemed to function, and all of my sensors were just…blank."
Atago nodded thoughtfully and turned to me. "And what about you, Commander?"
I quickly realized how Atago was going to interpret my answer and I felt a blush creep across my cheeks as I stammered. "I-I, uh, I woke up on, ah, Takao."
"Ara ara," she purred as she grinned mischievously, "Commander, I was unaware you were so…intimately acquainted with my sister…"
Both Takao and I repeatedly and vociferously voiced our protests, although it come out as a mishmash of sounds and vocalizations rather than anything close to a rational explanation. Atago giggled at our embarrassment and shook her head. "It's alright, I know what you meant. You're both awfully cute when flustered, you know…"
"Atago…" Takao warned, and her sibling held up her hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright," she grinned before looking back at me. "So, how did you come to find yourself on Takao's ship?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "One minute I was on patrol with Washington, South Dakota, and Dace, the next I found myself on the floor of one of Takao's offices. Started looking around, ran into Takao, and after a…brief misunderstanding…we started trying to find our way out of this mess. You didn't happen to run into any of my girls on the Atago when you woke up, did you?"
"I'm afraid not," Atago said with a sympathetic look. "But…why would you wake up on a Sakura Empire vessel? Why not one of your own ships?"
Takao and I shared a look, and I took a deep breath before answering. "We think it was meant to be a setup."
"What do you mean?" Atago asked as she looked between us.
When Takao looked my way, I nodded and began to explain what had happened. "When I woke up, I began to search the ship. Eventually, I found my way to the bridge, and when I did, I found this waiting for me…" I pulled the 1911 from its holster and held it out for Atago to examine.
She leaned in and looked at it closely, her brows furrowing together. "That's not one of ours. It looks more like a sidearm for the Eagle Union…"
"It is," I confirmed as I returned the weapon to its holster. "But I wasn't wearing one when I was on patrol." When she shot me a curious look, I shrugged. "No point," I elaborated. "A pistol won't do anything to a Siren, mass-produced or otherwise. So this one wasn't mine, but it was left somewhere I'd find it. And given I was on an unknown vessel, presumably against my will, I was prepared to fight my way out if the need arose."
Atago's face fell and she placed a hand over her chest. "Oh, no, Commander…did you…?"
"I didn't shoot!" I quickly volunteered. "But I…did pull the gun on Takao when she came onto the bridge."
She fixed me with what I can only describe as a scolding pout and placed her hands on her hips. "Commander, Commander, Commander," she tutted, "I hope Takao showed you the error of your ways."
I nodded and cast a glance over my shoulder at the cruiser, who gave me a slight smile. "She very much did. Almost took my head off for it, too."
"Takao!" Atago chided. "You knew we were looking for him!"
"I hadn't seen his face until I'd disarmed him," Takao said defensively. "And he's perfectly fine!"
"But if one of us hadn't been quite so disciplined," I interjected, "This would have looked very bad once we got out of here. With blood shed between the Sakura Empire and the Eagle Union, the cease-fire would stop and we'd be back in a shooting war."
"Which would delight the Sirens to no end..." Atago said thoughtfully. "In any case, I'm glad you two managed to work things out! Although…if you two worked out your differences on the ship, what was all the shooting I heard?"
Takao and I both stepped aside to give her sister a clear view of the dead Siren still laying in a heap a hundred feet back. Her eyes went wide and she let out an amazed gasp. "You both managed to take down a Siren without rigging! I am so proud of both of you! I knew your training would pay off, Takao, and you, Commander, have lived up to the reputation we've all heard about…"
"Takao was the one who did all the work," I said, deferring the credit to the one who actually slew the Siren.
"Nonsense!" Atago declared as she looked over to Takao. "Did he help?"
I glanced over at Takao and saw a look of surprise on her face, like a deer caught in headlights. Eventually, she slowly nodded. "He…lured the Siren into a position where I could take it out."
Atago looked back to me with that merciless, proud gaze. "See? Now, you two have earned yourselves a special treat, and I know just what it's going to be…"
As Takao and I both protested, she took both of our hands and began dragging us off to her camp and I began to realize that I was about to get a lot more than I'd bargained for…
A/N-Fun fact about Takao: she had a lemonade stand when she was built in 1932(The blueprints were translated as "lemonade factory" and "lemonade stores"). Shout to Sopkanam for bringing up the resulting headcanon that lemonade is Takao's favorite drink. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
