"Takao!" I shouted as I ran towards the smoldering wreck, hoping against hope I hadn't just seen the woman who'd repeatedly saved my life crushed by falling debris. Holstering my pistol as I reached the wreckage, I reached out to try and pry part of it up, but as soon as my hands got close, I felt the heat from the metal already starting to scorch the skin. I drew back for a half-second before I grabbed my rifle and tried to leverage part of the fuselage off.
"Takao, can you hear me?!" I screamed, still trying in vain to move the wreckage off of her. I could smell the metal burning the wooden stock and I could hear it starting to splinter, but I didn't care. I'd rather lose the rifle than the woman I was growing quite fond of.
Fortunately, Atago was right behind me, and she gently nudged me aside before she effortlessly lifted the wreckage and tossed it aside. My breath caught in my chest as I saw Takao laying there unconscious, her rigging in front of her like a shield. I knelt beside her head, lightly tapping her on the cheek to try and wake her up.
"Takao?" I asked, my voice catching in my throat. When she didn't answer, I reached out with trembling fingers to try and find a pulse. I let out a shuddering sigh of relief when I felt one, fast and strong, and I grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her more vigorously. "Takao, we gotta go!"
That did the trick. Her eyes snapped open and with a deep gasp, she awakened, immediately looking around. "What…what happened?"
Atago and I both let out a huge sigh of relief as I helped her sit up. "You were awesome, is what," I said. "But we're running short on time. Can you move?"
Takao nodded as she gathered her legs under her. "I…I think so, but I may need some help."
We got her up on her feet, with both of us on either side of her, her arms draped across our shoulders. No sooner than we had gotten into a relatively comfortable position, we heard the sound of the guns firing again. "...oh, hell," I muttered to myself before I glanced over at the two sisters. "Run!"
Behind us, I could hear the shells hitting their mark again with a deafening roar, the rumble of their passing staying around longer than the previous volleys had. And then I realized, that wasn't the echo of the explosions, it was the mountain. I spared a look over my shoulder to see the massive edifice beginning to crumble and cave in on itself. The base was imploding, and if we weren't careful, it could very well take us with it. Almost as if it were reading my thoughts, a massive cloud of debris billowed out from the base of the mountain as it fell, headed straight for us.
We ran as fast as we could while carrying Takao, all of us trying to ignore the wall of destruction that was rumbling behind us, getting ever closer and closer. As we raced through the final patch of jungle before we came across the ocean, we could hear trees being uprooted and knocked down by the force of the shockwave, pushing us to go harder and faster than we thought possible. Finally, however, we exploded out of the trees and onto white, sandy beaches, where we found an unexpected rescuer. Dace stood on the deck of her submarine, which was anchored as close to shore as she could possibly get without beaching herself.
"Commander, this way!" Dace shouted as she waved us over. With the last of our strength, we waded out into the shallows towards the sub. Thoughtfully, Dace had already thrown a cargo net over the side, and Atago and I helped Takao climb up onto it. Once we were sure she was making headway on her own, we started to clamber up it ourselves. Almost as soon as we began to climb up, Dace shouted "Hang on!" and began backing the submarine off the beach.
As it turned out, that warning wasn't just for Dace getting underway, but for the debris cloud as well. With a thunderous roar, it engulfed us, a hot, dusty wind that blotted out everything except whatever was in front of us. I shut my eyes and pressed my face into the crook of my arm to try and avoid breathing in as much particulate matter as possible while holding on as tightly as I could to the cargo netting. I hoped Atago and Takao were doing okay, but until this passed, there would be no way to check. As the wind died down and the dust began to settle, I finally opened my eyes and looked around. For a second, I thought we'd re-entered the fog when I saw the thick grey clouds surrounding us again. Then I realized it was just the dust from the mountain suspended in midair.
I glanced to my left to see Takao looking around, and I caught her attention and shot her a concerned look. She smiled softly in return and shook her head, giving me a thumbs-up before she resumed making her way up the cargo netting. Atago was nowhere to be seen at first, nearly giving me a heart attack until I heard footfalls on the deck above, and saw she'd climbed the netting before the rest of us and was now helping her sister aboard. I waited for Takao to climb up before following suit, and as I hauled myself onto the deck, I saw Atago gently easing her sister down against the conning tower.
Summoning the last bit of my waning strength, I made my way over to them, looking down at Takao, then to Atago. "She okay?"
Takao gave me another thin smile and waved her hand dismissively. "I just need to catch my breath, Commander. I'll be fine."
"You just fought a one-on-one duel with a Siren then took an airplane to the face, Takao," Atago scolded her, "You need to get checked out by a repair ship."
"I'll have Vestal take a look at her when we get back to base," I offered. They both shot me a look of surprise, and I shrugged self-consciously. "What? I would be remiss if I just let you go back to the Sakura Empire in your state. Besides, I thought we discussed this."
Takao's cheeks flushed and she looked away as a broad smile spread across Atago's face. "Takao-chan, you didn't tell me you were planning on running away with the Commander! You weren't thinking of eloping, were you?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" she protested, her entire face now beet-red. "Even if we have feelings for one another, eloping would be entirely improper!" She calmed down slightly, her indignation fading to a mere mild embarrassment. "…he just…offered it and I said I would think about it."
I made a mental note to plan for a big wedding if it ever came to that as my cheeks began to grow hot. "Yeah…well…I'd feel bad if this is where we left things off, with the two of you out here and with you in your injured state and all…and I figured since you gals were out here fishing for information about me, I could give you that while you rested up." I glanced around and made sure Dace wasn't within earshot before I leaned in and added in a lower tone. "Besides, you two are also the only ones I can trust right now and I'd rather not be left on my own out here."
"You don't trust your own ships?" Takao asked with more than a hint of disbelief.
I sighed and shrugged. "I do, but if you asked me two hours ago I would've told you I trusted Naval HQ with my life, too. I just…I don't know how far they've gotten their tendrils into my base, and until I can find out, I need to keep this to as few people as possible. Which, right now, is you two. You're also the only two who can corroborate my story so I need to keep you safe, and I can do that a lot easier if you're at the base instead of off in a country I can't even approach." When they continued to peer at me, I felt my blush intensify. "Alright, and I want to spend more time with you," I admitted.
Takao again looked at Atago, who gave her sister a thin smile and nodded once. The elder sibling nodded back and looked to me. "Very well, Commander. We will return with you. Although I don't know how this will be received back home…"
I furrowed my brows as I shot them a confused glance. "I thought your mission was to find out information about me, wouldn't they be happy that I'm voluntarily giving you exactly what you asked for?"
She and Atago shared another nervous glance as she answered. "To begin with, it was always implied that we would get the information and get back within a few days, maybe a few weeks at most. This our absence wasn't planned to be long term." She took a deep breath and slowly added, "...and it was something that wasn't exactly done with the full knowledge of the entirety of some of our leaders…"
That shocked me to my core. What on earth was going on in the Sakura Empire? "How do they not know? Why don't they know? And if I report back that you two are my guests recovering from your injuries, how are they going to take it?"
Takao fidgeted slightly and shrugged as best she could as the dust cloud around us began to lighten, the rays of sunlight peeking through in places. "This wasn't an official assignment from the Combined Fleet HQ, this was more of a…request placed by Shinano and Chikuma. You've been an…interesting contradiction so far, Commander, and the various factions of the Empire have each taken an interest in you. I believe Akagi was looking for you while simultaneously exploring the Atlantic ocean for Siren technology."
That sent a shiver up my spine. I'd encountered her twice in combat thus far, and she'd proven to be a terrifying opponent each time. I'd rather not run into her again if I could avoid it. "So…do you think they'll ask for you back when we tell them?"
She looked uncertain, but Atago quickly came up with a potential solution. "I think I can work something out with Chikuma," she interjected. "And she can convince Shinano to convince the others. Our people put great stock in her words, so that should be enough to at least temporarily mollify any objectors. At best, they'll completely back off. At worst, it'll buy us time."
I slowly nod as if I even begin to understand the politics of the Sakura Empire. "Alright then. So it's all settled?"
Takao nodded, but Atago held up her hand. "Wait. What about getting our story straight?"
"What story?" I asked, unsure of where this was going.
"The one we're going to tell Naval HQ."
"We're going to tell them the truth," I said with a smile, much to their confusion. "We're just going to leave out the part where we found out one or all of them is a traitor."
The dust cloud was beginning to completely dissipate, and we were able to make out the imposing silhouette of Washington in the distance. "And what if they ask us if we found anything of value in there?"
"Tell them no, and if they press us, note who's doing the pressing and tell them no again." I reached down and helped Takao unsteadily get back on her feet. "But in all honesty, it'll probably be just me they talk to. I'll keep you in the loop, though. I hate lying and I'll need someone to talk to."
"We've come this far with you, Thomas," Takao declared, her hand squeezing mine, "We will stand with you until the end."
I smiled softly at her and nodded my thanks. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her, but I knew she wasn't ready for that, and I don't think Washington and South Dakota would take it well if I disappeared for a few days only to come back lip-locked with the enemy. Definitely not Washington.
Speaking of Washington, she called out from the deck of her ship as she waved at us. "Commander! Thank god you're back! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I called back. "But Takao's been injured! Any communications with the outside yet?"
"Not yet, sir!" She answered as she and South Dakota prepped the gangplank as Dace came alongside. "You think we're still in the Mirror Sea?"
"I do! I'll give orders as soon as I'm aboard!"
As soon as the gangplank was down and secure, Atago went first, with Takao in the middle and me bringing up the rear just in case Takao needed a hand. Fortunately, she didn't, and we all made it aboard Washington safely. Washington herself, however, looked less than pleased that a Sakura ship, let alone two, were now on her deck. While South Dakota kept her stoic, impassive gaze that she always had, Washington was practically shooting daggers from her eyes at the two cruisers. Their shared history probably didn't help matters.
"Washington," I greeted her with a bit of extra steel in my voice to subtly get the point across. "I'll get these two seen to, but I want you and South Dakota to continue the bombardment of those coordinates."
The white-haired kansen continued to glare at Atago and Takao for another two seconds before she tore her eyes away from them and looked at me. "Yes, sir." She nodded to South Dakota, who nodded back before she leaped off the ship and sailed away to a safe firing position. "I'll be up on the bridge when you're finished with them, sir."
"Duly noted, Washington," I coolly replied as I ushered the two sisters past her. "Good hunting."
"Uh-huh," she sardonically replied as she strode off, her turrets already beginning to stir.
"She seems somewhat perturbed that we're on her ship," Takao noted as Atago and I escorted her back to the infirmary.
"It takes her a while to warm up to people," I explained. "And I'm sure it hasn't been a picnic out here for her, either, trapped on her own ship for days on end, then ordered to fire on her own CO. But she'll come around." I hope.
Takao nodded, then faltered as she began to fall forward. Both Atago and I reached out to steady her, but she managed to catch herself before she completely toppled over. Her eyes shut for a moment as she took a deep breath, paused for a moment to regain her bearings, and then straightened up. "I'm okay," she softly announced.
I smiled reassuringly at her as I kept my hand on her shoulder, just in case she started to pitch forward again. "If it's all the same to me, I'd like you to rest up until we get back to port, okay?"
She eyed me up, and when she saw the determination in my eyes, slowly nodded. "As you wish," she sighed, her hand going to her waist. When she didn't find what she was looking for, her eyes went wide, and she began to look around frantically for something.
Atago, ever the vigilant sister, must have known exactly what she was looking for, as smiled and held out her sword. "I've got it here, Takao-chan," she said soothingly. When Takao gave her a puzzled expression, she continued. "I grabbed it while the Commander was trying to rescue you."
Takao continued to stare down at the scabbarded blade for a moment before her hand slowly closed around it and she brought it up to her chest. Her eyes closed and she let out a contented sigh. A sense of calm and peace passed over her, then her eyes opened again and focused on me. "Thomas," she addressed, her voice solemn.
The air around us had changed, and I felt as though something important was about to happen. "Yes?" I answered as I straightened up, almost coming to attention.
"While I must recover from my injuries, I cannot guard you as I swore. I would instead ask that you take my blade, that it may protect you in your stead." Slowly, with great reverence, she held her sword out to me.
Even though I knew next to nothing about the Sakura Empire's warrior culture, I had to assume this wasn't something she did lightly. And judging by the awestruck expression on Atago's face, I believe I was correct in that assumption. With equal reverence, I reached out and grasped the scabbard, holding it tightly as I looked into Takao's eyes. "I promise you, I do not take this lightly, and with the utmost respect. I solemnly swear I will care for this and return this to you the second you're back on your feet."
Takao smiled softly and nodded as she finally relinquished her grip on her katana. I pulled my hand back as well, and glanced around, unsure of what to do next. "Uh…so…is it okay if I wear this or do I just hold it or…?"
"Here," she volunteered as she stepped forward, "Allow me." Her gloved hands guided mine as she slid the katana through my ammo belt with the curved side up. I watched as she diligently assisted me, suddenly feeling very self-conscious when I realized just how close the two of us were. I tried to focus on her hands, but my eyes kept darting to her face, admiring her steadfast expression and beautiful hair.
The spell was broken as she stepped back, snapping me back into the present as I glanced down again at the sword. "I wear it curved side up?" I asked as I placed my hand gently on the hilt.
"It is easier to draw the blade curved side up," she answer matter-of-factly. "Unless you plan on wearing armor."
"Wasn't planning on it," I shrugged. "Don't have a lot of samurai armor back home. Or any, really." Suddenly, I found myself picturing Takao wearing samurai garb, clad in the lacquered armor of her homeland that was painted a striking red, black, and gold, and I had to admit, it was a rather pleasing image.
Atago must've seen it written on my face as she giggled. "You're picturing her wearing it right now, aren't you?"
My cheeks burned as I sputtered like a fish out of water for a good minute before I shrugged and sheepishly muttered, "...maybe."
It prompted more giggles from Atago, and Takao had now turned a deep shade of crimson as well. "Maybe if you play your cards right, one day, Commander…" Atago teased.
"Atago!" Takao huffed, "This is hardly the proper time or place…!"
A warning klaxon sounded a few times, alerting us that the guns will begin to fire soon. "Washington's going to start bombardment in a few here, so you two better get inside. The infirmary is just down the hatch and to the left there, if you don't mind getting Takao settled in, please Atago."
Her teasing grin faded, replaced by a warmer, friendlier smile. "Of course, Commander. She's in good hands."
"I didn't have any doubts," I said with a nod before giving Takao a reassuring smile. "I'll be back down to check on you once we're out of this Mirror Sea and safely headed back to port."
Takao hesitated, then smiled softly back as she gave me a single nod. "I will hold you to that, Thomas."
"I know you will," I grinned. "See you later."
As Atago ushered her sister into the ship, I took off in the other direction, towards Washington and the awkward conversation that was going to ensue…
A/N-Takao samurai skin WHEN, Yostar? WHEN? Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
