Drake turned the knob on the door to his private office and frowned when he was met with resistance. It was just after lunchtime, and his late start was thanks to the fact that he didn't get much sleep over the past couple days. He groggily searched through his pockets for the key to the private office. Technically he could just go to the main office back down the hall, but he really didn't feel like being around anyone else. The main office was occupied by Miiro and Genji and a bunch of other IJN officers who were trying to coordinate the handful of ships and foreign sailors still remaining at Tokyo Bay. Unfortunately, Fleet Admiral Umi had perished during the battle, leaving much of the coordination of the aftermath to the remaining IJN admirals. Fleet Admiral Kaigan had gone to Sasebo with Admiral Hayama, who was deemed too young and inexperienced to run a whole base by himself.

Coming up empty, Drake scowled at the door as if it would relent and open under his glare. That didn't work, and he angrily kicked the door in his frustration. He then heard someone squeal in fright, and he quickly turned around to catch a flurry of purple hair duck behind the corridor. Wondering what the hell that was, Drake turned the corner to find two girls huddling together in fright, and they shrieked when they saw that he followed them.

"Nooo! I told you this was a bad idea, Akatsuki!" the brown-haired one cried in Japanese.

"W-What are you talking about! I'm not scared!" the purple-haired one, Akatsuki shot back in a trembling voice. She stood up to face Drake, though her eyes betrayed more than a hint of fear.

"Y-Y-You d-don't scare me! I'm a real lady!" Akatsuki shouted in English at Drake.

What does being a lady have to do with this? "Right… So did you need something from me or what?"

"Oi, he's glaring at us," the brown-haired girl whispered in Japanese.

"Shut up, Ikazuchi!" Akatsuki hushedly replied, then turned back to Drake. "W-We just came to observe you. There's nothing wrong with that, r-right?"

"May I ask why you were observing me, then?" By now Drake had deduced that these two were Japanese ship girls, probably destroyers.

"Wait, you can speak Japanese!" Ikazuchi cried out in shock.

"Yes. Now are you going to answer my question, or…?"

"Uh, we, uh… We heard there was an American officer stationed at this base," Ikazuchi started, averting her gaze.

"They said that you're Davy Jones in disguise and that you kidnap annoying destroyers and scrap them at night!" Akatsuki burst in.

"Oh? And who said that?" Drake asked, amused. He had to admit that these two were really cute.

"It was Kiso! She told us before the mission!" Akatsuki answered fervently.

"Uh huh. And you're sure that she's not just playing a prank on you?"

Akatsuki looked stunned at that. "T-There's no way she would be able to trick a sophisticated lady like me!"

"I think she did, though," Drake said with a smirk. "I haven't scrapped you yet, have I?"

"Don't fall for it, Akatsuki! He's trying to get our guard down!" Ikazuchi insisted.

"... So you figured it out, huh? Well, then, guess I'll have to silence you."

Drake stepped towards the destroyers menacingly, causing them both to scream and sprint away at full speed. The rear admiral grinned as they fled; he never got tired of teasing kids, though both of them were way older than he was…

"What was that screaming about, sir?"

Drake turned to see Bismarck standing by his office door. "Uh… Nothing, really. What are you doing here?"

The blonde pulled out a key from her jacket's pocket. "I happened to be walking by when I saw you enter the building. Also, I found this dropped outside your office door yesterday."

Shit, I must have dropped it after locking the door and then forgot to pick it up. "Oh. Thanks."

She gave him the key and then stood behind him as he finally opened the door. Drake was about to enter the room but noticed Bismarck was still there.

"Did you need something else?"

"I thought you could use some help today with the paperwork," Bismarck said.

"I told you yesterday that I didn't need any help."

"But maybe you changed your mind since then, sir."

"... You're quite persistent. Fine."

Drake sat down at his desk where a mess of paperwork was strewn about, waiting for him. Bismarck sat down on the chair to his right, and Drake casually flipped on the television as well.

"What is the TV for?" Bismarck asked as the screen flared to life.

"Nothing really. I just like to have something on in the background while I work."

The battleship took a look at the news program. "... They're talking about the battle."

"Obviously. That's probably all anyone is talking about right now," Drake replied. "Anyway, I guess I have to teach you how to fill out these forms."

"It's just some forms, sir. No need for that," Bismarck declared confidently.

Drake gave her a blank look. "Somehow I doubt that. You're telling me you know how to log resource consumption according to INFCOM regulations already? And do you know the proper format for writing an after-action report? Do you know how to allocate funding between salaries, resource purchase requests, repairs, and other things and do it all through the proper channels?"

"Er… Well… Maybe you should teach me after all," she blushed in embarrassment.

Drake then spent the next hour or so teaching Bismarck how to do the paperwork that was unfortunately required of an officer in the Kancolle program. Like Kaga and Shoukaku, she was a quick learner, and she was soon able to start helping him get through the work that had piled up. Though Drake had initially not wanted to waste time teaching her, perhaps it was a good investment after all because Shoukaku was in the hospital and Kaga wouldn't be by his side anymore.

The thought of Kaga put Drake in a melancholy mood yet again. He never realized how comforting her quiet presence was during those long hours where they silently sat together filling out paperwork. Sometimes Shoukaku would help as well and sometimes the venue changed from the main office to the private office, but the one thing that remained the same every time was Kaga. And now, she was gone.

"Admiral?"

Drake was snapped out of his thoughts by Bismarck's voice. "What?"

She regarded him with her pretty blue eyes. "Nothing. You just stopped writing for a while. Do you want to take a break? A change of pace is also a good thing, you know."

"I'm fine."

The program on the television was currently playing a clip from an American news station during an interview with a harried-looking congressman.

"We've been working for a while now," Bismarck added.

"If you want to take a break, then go ahead. Nobody's forcing you to be here," Drake gruffly dismissed her.

"Only if you take one too, sir," she insisted.

Sighing, Drake relented. "Fine. We can take a break for a bit."

The pair exited the Administrative Building, and Drake was surprised to see that the sun was already beginning to set.

"Where are we going, sir?" Bismarck asked.

"Uh…" He didn't actually have a destination in mind.

"... Where do you usually go on your breaks?" the German then questioned after Drake couldn't come up with a response.

"Hm… I don't usually take breaks. Most of the time if I felt like stopping, I just went home," he admitted. That ended up leaving Kaga and Shoukaku with the rest of the work, which he doubted they were very happy about.

"How about Houshou's bar, then? Let's go have a beer or three," Bismarck suggested.

"Right now? Really?"

"Yes. What's the problem?"

"Nothing, I guess…"

Somewhat reluctantly, he began following as Bismarck led the way to Houshou's bar.

She looks nice even from behind, Drake mused, watching her long, blonde hair sway as she walked. Damn, I think the stress is finally getting to me…

They arrived at the entrance to the bar, but Drake stopped Bismarck before she could go in.

"Is it even open? You know, uh, Houshou might not be wanting to work right now…"

Bismarck gave him a look. "Admiral, have you ever even been here before? There are other waitresses besides Houshou, and sometimes a few of the destroyers and light cruisers help out too for some extra wages."

"I know, but…"

"And how do you know Houshou isn't here, sir? Some people like to avoid their sorrows by doing more work. Sounds like someone I know, actually," she smirked.

Before Drake could say anything else, Bismarck went inside, so he had no choice but to follow. Once he entered, he was surprised to see that Houshou was in fact there, just like Bismarck had said. Houshou smiled softly at them when they entered.

"Welcome. It's been some time, hasn't it, Rear Admiral Drake?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Drake suddenly felt very guilty. He knew about Houshou's relationship with the other carriers, and so many of them had been hurt or killed under his watch.

Bismarck evidently did not notice and simply sat down at the bar.

"Two beers, please," she ordered, handing Houshou the payment for both up front.

"Coming right up," Houshou said.

With some apprehension, Drake sat down beside Bismarck. The battleship noticed his rigidity and nudged him.

"You look sick, sir. Should we go back…?"

"I'm fine," he brushed her off. "You didn't need to pay for me."

"It's not that much."

Drake then took a moment to study Bismarck. He felt like she was being unusually nice to him ever since the Battle of Okinawa ended. There were two obvious reasons for that: one, she wanted to thank him for helping her defeat the European Princess, or two, she felt bad for him. He hoped it was the former, because being pitied was one of the feelings he hated most, and it was a big reason why he never told anyone about his issues, including his family. However, Kaga was different; instead of pitying him or treating him like some sort of damaged object, she just quietly supported him.

"Ah!" Bismarck suddenly cried out. "It's Graf!"

Drake turned to see that Graf Zeppelin had indeed entered the bar. He did not even know that she was still here, to be honest. I didn't see her at the hospital. What's she still doing on base if she wasn't receiving treatment?

"I'll be right back, sir," Bismarck told him before hurrying off to talk to her German comrade.

Drake sat at the bar silently. Houshou's pub was normally a jovial place, but tonight it seemed more subdued than usual. That made sense, of course, but he still felt it. It seemed as if the realities of war had reared their ugly heads once again, and Drake had been trying to forget their horrible faces ever since that day at Tangier. With how comfortable and optimistic the atmosphere had been before this last operation, he had almost been successful. He could still remember the night of the ball at London, and how he had sat so carefree with Fleet Admiral Umi and Yamato, and how the war had felt so distant. Now, they were both gone, casualties of that very same war.

Houshou arrived with the drinks. "Hm? Where did Bismarck go?"

"Over there," Drake jerked his thumb towards where Bismarck and Graf were talking at one of the tables.

"Oh, I see. So your date left you alone, sir?"

Drake didn't have the strength to laugh at that, so he just grunted.

Houshou sat down across the bar from him. "… How are Shoukaku and Zuikaku? I visited Akagi myself and she's making a remarkably quick recovery, but I couldn't see those two because they were being operated on when I went in."

"Shoukaku was awake when I saw her, but Zuikaku is still unconscious. They should both be out before this week ends," he answered, looking down at his mug.

"That's good," Houshou smiled. Then her expression grew more serious. "And… How are you doing, sir?"

Drake looked up at her. Why are you asking me that? Shouldn't I be the one asking you?

"I'm fine." He gave his token response.

"It's obvious that you are not," Houshou firmly refused to accept that answer. "Nobody has ever been good enough to successfully hide their emotions from me, sir. I have some experience in these matters."

Drake frowned. She sounded like his mother, and he really didn't feel like talking about this stuff. "I don't know what you want me to say. Aren't you the one who isn't all right?"

"Do I look not all right to you?" Houshou parried.

"Hmph. Then I guess you're just better at hiding your emotions than I am, apparently," Drake replied sourly.

"Well… You would be right, actually," Houshou said. "You see, sir, this isn't my first time having to deal with this. I know it is easy to forget, but all us ship girls have fought in a war before. I have received the news of my carriers sinking in battle so many times before."

"So, what? You're saying you've gotten used to it?"

Houshou shook her head. "Is it really something you can get used to, Rear Admiral?"

Drake gripped his mug of beer tightly. Then how can she be so calm? Doesn't she feel like I do? Am I the only one who is weak?

"Don't you blame me, then?" Drake asked in quiet frustration. "I'm the commander who led them in that battle. My strategy caused their deaths."

"Do you really think I should blame you? Or would it just be easier for you that way because then you won't have to blame yourself?" Houshou countered his question. "Admiral Drake… We ship girls are weapons of war. We were the same way back when we were warships too, but what has changed this time is that we have human emotions and feelings, and we can choose who to fight under. Yes, we have our orders, but… I could tell that Kaga trusted you and was happy to fight by your side. And let me tell you, as a soldier, there is no greater pride than giving your all fighting for something or someone that you believe in. I am sad that she is gone, and I wish it did not have to be that way, but I am also happy that she got to live the life that she did as a ship girl. I am happy that she found you, Admiral Drake."

Drake didn't respond and just looked down into the golden-brown hue of the beer. His throat tightened and his eyes felt hot.

About a minute passed before Houshou spoke again. "If you are not busy tonight, then please come to the carrier dorms at ten; there is something I would like to give you. But remember, Admiral Drake, it is not worth it to poison yourself with sadness and despair. Would she really want you to feel only negative emotions every time you thought of her?"

"Y-Yeah. You're right. I'm sorry," Drake managed.

Houshou smiled. "Good. Then I will see you at ten."

Houshou then left to serve other customers, and Drake took a breath before finally tasting some of that beer. He remembered when he came here with Kaga a few times, and though he still felt that pang of regret in his heart, he tried to focus on the good things. Her golden eyes, her reassuring look, and her barely-noticeable but beautiful smile all painted his memories with a comforting glow, and he just needed to warm himself around it.

A few minutes later, Bismarck returned. Without even bothering to sit back down, she picked up her mug and downed its contents in a matter of seconds. Drake looked on, weirded out but slightly impressed as well.

"Ah! Not bad!" Bismarck declared, slamming her empty mug down on the bar. "Hm? Admiral, you haven't even drunk half of it yet! If you're going to waste it, this is the last time I pay for you!"

"Sorry. We can't all drink like a German, I guess…"

"Eh? It doesn't matter, we're out of time. We can't leave that work to pile up you know?" she said.

"Break's over, huh? All right," Drake stood up.

The two of them went back out onto the streets of the naval base, and the sun had mostly set by now.

"Did the alcohol help you feel any better, sir?" Bismarck asked him with a slight smirk.

Drake glanced at her. Heh. This bitch set me up.

He put his hands in his pocket as he walked. "I guess so. Or maybe it was the company of a beautiful battleship."

"Hah?! How can you say such things so brazenly!" Bismarck blushed.

Drake grinned as Bismarck hid her face under her hat. "Not so fun when you're the one being teased?"

"Dummkopf!"

The moonlight bathed the night sky in a faint, ethereal white glow when Akagi stepped out of the hospital doors and re-entered the world of the living. Her body had to be patched up and almost entirely replaced in certain places, and so she still felt a bit stiff. Her throat also remained coarse, and of course there were those phantom pains that wouldn't go away for a very long time, if ever…

Akagi began walking in the direction of the carrier dorms. She saw Shoukaku and Zuikaku in the hospital before she left, but both of them were asleep. She asked about them and was told that they would also be released soon, but as for now, it seemed like she was the only carrier in her fleet left standing. With every sandaled step she took towards her home, reluctance seeped into her. Would it still be the same with so many missing, some of whom would never return? Was she ready to face reality?

She shook her head, clearing her mind of those thoughts. She was alive; she had to keep on living.

Akagi arrived at the carrier dorms. Unlike the other dorms, the carrier residence was connected to the archery range and was built mostly in the style of a traditional Japanese home. When she got to the front door, Akagi hesitated. She almost felt like knocking, but she decided against it and just entered. It was still her house, after all.

"I'm home," she muttered to the dark interior, but there was no one to welcome her back.

With a sigh, she took off her sandals and began walking towards her room, her white socks making no noise against the wooden floor. However, almost as she soon as she left the main entrance way, she was met by Houshou.

"Akagi, you're back," Houshou greeted.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Intuition, maybe?" Houshou smiled. "Sorry, I forgot to leave the lights on. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine. I think I'm just going to go back to bed…"

"Oh, before you do, why don't you say hello to some of the carriers who are still up? They've been waiting for you all to get out of the hospital," Houshou suggested. "They are in the main room in case you want to drop by."

Akagi went to the main room and slid the door open to see a group of carriers all sitting around a table on the floor, playing some sort of card game. They looked up when she entered.

"So yer finally back, eh?" Ryuujou greeted with a grin.

"Yeah. I made it somehow," Akagi gave them a small smile. "You're still here, Graf?"

"Ja. My two admirals are still here too, so I will be departing with them later," the German said.

"Akagi! Ya wanna drink!?" Junyou slurred to Akagi as she held up a bottle of sake that was already empty. Hiyou rubbed her forehead in frustration at her sister's actions.

I guess some things don't change, Akagi thought as she sat down at the table beside Graf. "So has anything interesting happened while I was gone?"

"Nah. It's been kinda slow around these parts lately," Ryuujou answered. She didn't need to go into detail about why that was.

"I see…"

The carriers sat around the table in silence for a bit. The somber mood was only broken when Junyou finally passed out and slid down onto the table, drooling on its wood finish.

"Oh my god… Unbelievable," Hiyou muttered as she picked up the pink-haired carrier's slumped over figure. "I'll put her to bed. Good night, everyone."

The carriers bid her good night as Ryuujou shook her head. "How is her liver not destroyed by now? She's always drinkin'."

"I suppose ship girls have a stronger tolerance for alcohol," Graf Zeppelin said.

"Eh? Have you seen Ryuujou when she drinks? She is drunk after one cup and then starts getting angry about her breast size," Akagi told her with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't go spoutin' nonsense like that!" Ryuujou denied.

"Oh? This sounds like would be interesting to see. We should go for some beers sometimes, Ryuujou," Graf Zeppelin said.

"I'm tellin' ya, she's lyin'!" Ryuujou cried. "Ah, forget this. I'm going to bed. See ya in the mornin'."

Once Ryuujou left, Graf Zeppelin stood up too. "Perhaps I should go to sleep as well. What about you, Akagi?"

"I already rested at the hospital, but since everyone else is going to bed, there's not much for me to do. I guess I'll just turn in too."

The pair walked out of the main room and towards the hallway containing the bedrooms. "How much longer are you going to be here, Graf?"

"Hm… I am not sure. I will have to ask my admirals," the blonde carrier answered. "There is unrest in Germany as well, so I believe the Kaiser wants the German ship girls to return soon."

"That doesn't sound good," Akagi noted. "There were no Abyssal attacks while I was in the hospital, were there?"

"No. But the people fear they could strike at any time," Graf pointed out.

"I guess that's true… Good night, then," Akagi waved to Graf as she reached her room.

"Guten nacht," Graf Zeppelin tipped her hat before heading into her own room.

Akagi entered the familiar bedroom where she had lived her entire life as a ship girl. Closing the door and flipping on the lights, the carrier sat down on her bed, her golden eyes fixed on the other empty bed across the room from her.

It was a feeling of emptiness she had never known before. During the Battle of Midway, Akagi had been mangled so hard that she was barely aware of the world around her and did not even get to reminisce much about the sinking of her comrades. Her life as a warship ended for good not too long after Kaga's, and she fell on the same battlefield that her adopted sister did. Now, however, no such thing had happened. Kaga was dead, and Akagi was still here, alone in the room they used to share with nothing but her own thoughts.

She would never again see Kaga's sleeping form when she rolled over during the night. She would never again get to laugh at the groggy look on the normally-stoic carrier's face in the early mornings. She would never again have someone to walk her home and steady her after she had a bit too much to eat or drink.

Suddenly, Akagi couldn't bear to be in that room anymore. She quickly walked out and shut the door behind her, taking a deep breath to collect herself. The archery range always makes me feel calm… I'll go there.

Akagi made her way over to the connected archery range. There was no way that she could fall asleep right now, so she decided to take up some time through archery practice. Putting her focus into something else would hopefully allow her to take her mind off things.

She went over to where the bows and quivers were hanging on the wall, and she was surprised to see a fully-repaired bow in her usual spot. Did Houshou have one made for me again?

But as she reached out for it, she couldn't help but notice the empty slot next to hers. No bow hung on that spot on the wall anymore. Even the blue ribbon that Kaga sometimes tied around her skirt and bow was gone.

Akagi's hand trembled, and she withdrew it.

She had finally been released from the hospital, but she realized now that the real pain was only just beginning to set in. And it's all because of me… If I weren't so weak, I could have sunk that Abyssal and she would have never killed Kaga. Kaga had to fight two Princesses because of me. How pathetic am I? I failed at Midway, and I failed here too. I can't protect anybody. I'm not fit to be a flagship of a carrier task force. It was a mistake for the Admiral to choose me.

Akagi's watery eyes then turned hard. The Admiral… That's right. It's the job of the commander to make sure that his ships can win. Why am I putting all the blame on myself? Isn't Admiral Drake the one who deserves to be punished? After all the trust Kaga put in him, this is how he repays her? That American bastard… How could he do this! It's his fault, not mine!

"Yeah…" Akagi decided in a soft voice. "I-It isn't my fault… I didn't cause her death…"

Akagi grit her teeth and clenched her fists. An intense feeling of frustration welled up inside her, and almost unconsciously, she began storming towards the Administrative Building. It was late at night and she knew Drake wouldn't be there, but she was powered by anger and helplessness. If she didn't at least start moving, she felt like she would just blow up on the spot.

When Akagi approached the Administrative Building, she saw from the back that the window to the Admiral's private office actually did have light emanating from it.

He's still here? Akagi blinked in surprise. Well. All the better, then.

The carrier stomped through the front doors, causing the lone, sleeping receptionist to jump up in shock. Akagi continued her march up the stairs, growing more and more heated with every step. Someone has to pay for this! I'll make him pay if I have to!

Akagi approached his door, and a bit of nervousness sprang up in the pit of her stomach. Rear Admiral Drake was a bit of a scary figure, with his tall frame, his stocky build, and his dark look, and he seemed like the type of person who could be quite fearsome when pissed off. Still, Akagi needed someone who could take some heat and dish some out too, and if she had to get into a shouting match in order to get Kaga's sinking off her mind, then she would.

With a glare and a scowl all prepared, Akagi pushed open the door to Drake's private office. She opened her mouth to declare war, but her voice died in her throat. Admiral Drake was asleep, slumped over on his desk with his back slowly rising and falling with his breathing. The window was open to the night air, and the television continued to run with a low volume in the background. Clutched tightly in Drake's hand was Kaga's blue ribbon.

A short breeze poured in from the window, and Akagi's anger burnt out almost as quickly as it had come. She turned around and left the office, slowly closing the door behind her.