"Woah. Take it easy," Drake cautioned as Zuikaku stumbled and grabbed onto him, leaning against his chest. "I told you, put your arm around me as you walk. It's easier that way."

"No way. Do you know how weird that would look?" Zuikaku complained.

"And this doesn't look weird right now?" Drake pointed out, causing Zuikaku to blush and pull away from him.

"Jeez! This wouldn't have happened if those medics just did their job properly!" Zuikaku whined, looking away from him as the heat slowly left her face.

"Yeah. It seems like they ran out of material since some of the girls were so badly injured, so you're just going to have to wait for your Fairies to slowly heal you back to full health," Drake said.

The pair continued onwards, with Zuikaku now reluctantly slinging her arm around her admiral's shoulder as he placed a steadying hand on her waist.

"Are you all right? Your breathing seems really heavy," Drake noticed.

Zuikaku shot him a glare. "I can handle walking, sir."

"Okay, calm down. Christ…"

"So how is my sister?" Zuikaku then asked.

"She's fine, at least I think she is. I haven't seen her in the past couple days."

"Huh? Doesn't she work with you at the office?"

"Yeah, but I told her to take a few days off until she's fully recovered," Drake explained.

"Really? I'm surprised she agreed to that. Normally Shoukaku would want to make up for all the work that she missed," Zuikaku said.

Drake frowned at that. "Well, she didn't say anything. Maybe she just doesn't want to be around me anymore."

"What? Why not?" the twintailed carrier asked in a puzzled tone.

"Oh, uh… Well, uh… The last battle didn't go too well," was all Drake managed, looking away from Zuikaku. He knew that Zuikaku already knew about Hiryuu, Souryuu, and Kaga at this point, but it still did not feel good to say that directly.

"I mean, yeah, but… Is she really mad at you for that?" Zuikaku questioned.

"I don't know. You're her sister, so you know her better than I do."

Zuikaku shook her head. "It's your relationship with her we're talking about, sir. You would know that better than I would."

Drake sighed. "Thanks for all your help."

"Hey, don't be getting sarcastic with me," Zuikaku said disapprovingly. "Why didn't you just ask her yourself?"

"How could I possibly ask something like that?" Drake replied incredulously.

"Just like you would ask any other question," Zuikaku grinned cheekily. "Not that hard, sir."

"Okay, then. What about you, Zuikaku? Are you mad at me?"

Zuikaku blinked, not expecting the question. "M-Me? Of course not."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'Why not'?" Zuikaku asked with a scowl. "Do you want me to be angry at your something?"

"Obviously not," Drake denied. "But I… I just…"

Zuikaku's voice grew quieter. "I assume you've read the after action report from one of the Allied carriers, sir? It's clear that we all made mistakes during that battle. I also think that if I did things differently, then maybe all this wouldn't have happened. If I'm going to be mad at you, then you also need to be mad at me."

"But I'm the admiral. I have more responsibility than you do, and I deserve more of the blame," Drake pointed out.

Zuikaku just smirked at that. "Look at you, being all mature. Don't forget that all of us ship girls are way older than you, sir. There's no need for you to try and be the only adult among us, because considering our age, it's ridiculous."

"Okay, grandma. I'll keep that in mind," Drake smirked back at her.

That response earned him a prompt jab in the side. "… But seriously, it's pointless for us to sit around and try to figure out who to assign the most blame to. Does that really sound like a good use of our time when what we should be doing is figuring out a way to beat the Abyssals?"

"I agree, actually. I just didn't know if you all felt the same way," Drake said.

"Yeah…" Zuikaku trailed off. "How is Akagi doing?"

"She seems fine to me. She was acting fairly normally, but I haven't really spoken to her by myself yet," Drake told her.

"Really? I thought that maybe… You know, losing Kaga would be hard on her…"

"Hm. Yeah, I thought the same, but she didn't seem angry or depressed at all," the rear admiral stated. "Maybe she's just keeping it to herself, I don't know."

"I see. And you, sir?"

"What about me?" Drake looked away guiltily.

"Nothing. I just thought you and Kaga were pretty close to each other," Zuikaku said. "I never knew how to read Kaga, even though I've already fought one war with her. But when you came along, you seemed to understand her almost immediately. I still don't get how, but you're the one who made me see Kaga in a different light, and after you became our admiral, she became easier to understand as time went on. One thing's for sure: I know she really liked you, sir."

"Yeah, I… Yeah. I know," Drake managed in a low voice.

Zuikaku glanced at him. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to make you -"

"Nah, it's all right," Drake interrupted, collecting himself.

Zuikaku gave him a sad smile. "It's hard for me too. I mean, I know me and Kaga fought lot, but I never disliked her, I guess. She was always the type of carrier I wanted to be, and I really admired her strength, if I'm being honest. I never thought that she would lose to anyone, but…"

"If she had a better commander, maybe she wouldn't have," Drake replied in a tortured tone, but then yelped as Zuikaku jabbed him in the side again. "W-What was that for?!"

"What did we just talk about, sir?" Zuikaku frowned at him.

"Right. My bad."

"Listen up, Admiral Drake," Zuikaku started, her voice and countenance serious. "I'm going to find and kill that bitch of an Abyssal who sunk Kaga, and I'm going to find all her friends and kill them too. I won't rest until every Abyssal in that carrier fleet is sitting at the bottom of the ocean, and I want you to help me."

Drake's brown eyes flashed with intensity. "Now that is something I can definitely agree to."

The pair reached the carrier dorms, where they found Shoukaku waiting for them outside. The white-haired carrier's face lit up when she saw Zuikaku, but she quickly recovered her professional air and saluted her admiral.

"Good morning, sir. Thank you for bringing my sister here. I hope we didn't burden you too much."

"Like I said to Houshou, I was heading to the hospital anyway, so it wasn't a big deal," Drake said.

"Thank you. I will take her off your hands," Shoukaku offered, reaching over to Zuikaku.

"That isn't necessary, jeez," Zuikaku complained again, shaking free of Drake's grip and avoiding Shoukaku's arms as well. "I'm not some sort of cripple, you know."

"Really? Then why were you saying, "It hurts so much, Admiral! Please carry me in your big, strong arms!" back in front of the hospital?" Drake teased.

"That's not how it went!" Zuikaku blushed.

"Oh, my. Zuikaku, how bold…" Shoukaku covered her mouth with her hands in mock shock.

"Not you too!" Zuikaku shouted in despair. "That's it! I'm going inside!"

"Wait! Don't hurt yourself, Zuikaku!" Shoukaku worried after her sister, briefly bowing to Drake before following Zuikaku.

However, Zuikaku turned around and stopped Shoukaku. "Wait a second. The Admiral came all this way and you're not even going to talk to him? I'm fine on my own, Shoukaku."

Both Drake and Shoukaku were confused as Zuikaku went inside.

Is she trolling me or something? Drake wondered.

"Ah, um, forgive my rudeness, sir! I didn't know you wanted to speak to me," Shoukaku said.

"I didn't, though," Drake replied, but he then remembered that he and Zuikaku did talk about Shoukaku on their walk back. That must be why Zuikaku had her sister stay. "Oh, wait. There was something. Is there a reason why you haven't been coming in to the office?"

Shoukaku looked confused. "But… I thought you gave me some days off, sir. Did I take too much time? I'm sorry!"

"It's not that. Is there something bothering you?" Drake decided to just outright ask her.

"W-What do you mean, sir?"

"I think the question was pretty clear," Drake pressed. "I know I gave you a few days off, and it's fine if you want a break from work, but I can't help but get the feeling that you're avoiding me. Why?"

Shoukaku looked down. "I… I don't know what you mean…"

"That's not a very convincing answer," Drake noted. "Just tell me your reasons, and that's an order. I promise that I won't get angry."

"... Okay. I didn't want to see you," Shoukaku admitted, a bit reluctantly. "It just felt bad everytime I looked at you. I'm sorry."

Drake was sort of expecting this, but it was still painful to hear it. "I see…"

"It made me feel guilty," Shoukaku continued, surprising Drake. "When you came to visit me in the hospital, I already knew that Kaga had sunk. But when you told me yourself, your eyes looked so sad. I'm sorry, but I don't want to see that look anymore. After everything that's happened, seeing my admiral's face of despair… Maybe it was just 'the straw that broke the camel's back,' as they say, but…"

Shoukaku then began sniffling, and she reached up to wipe a few stray tears from her eyes. Drake just stood there, wondering how he could have misinterpreted the situation so badly. That's right. I'm still the commander, and I can't go around looking like a kicked dog. This fleet has already lost their secretary ship, and they don't need to lose their admiral as well.

Drake walked over to Shoukaku, who was trying but failing to keep her tears in check. Though he was terrible at comforting people and always felt awkward in situations like this, Drake decided that he had caused enough damage and pulled Shoukaku into a hug. The white-haired carrier sobbed into his chest, staining his uniform with her tears.

They stood like that for a few minutes before Shoukaku's sniffling finally died down.

"Urgh… I'm sorry, sir," Shoukaku apologized as she wiped the wetness from her eyes.

"It's all right," Drake assured her, then put his hands on her shoulders. "No matter what happens, I won't ever give up the fight, Shoukaku. I hope I can count on you to stay by my side."

She smiled. "Yes, sir!"

"Aw, isn't that sweet," Zuikaku called out as she suddenly opened the door to the dorms, causing Shoukaku and Drake to jump in surprise. The green-haired carrier wore a satisfied, smug smirk on her face.

"Z-Zuikaku! Were you there the whole time?" Shoukaku asked, blushing furiously.

Zuikaku laughed. "Yep! And I had a wonderful view too!"

Drake decided that it was time he took his leave. The blushing admiral nodded to Shoukaku and then quickly turned away, but not before shooting one last glare at Zuikaku, who only laughed harder at that.

"I'm telling you, it's true!" Ikazuchi said animatedly to her sister Hibiki, who was lazily dangling her legs from where she sat at the edge of the docks. Inazuma was also seated beside Hibiki, but she looked more nervous than the white-haired destroyer.

"It's true, really!" Akatsuki nodded fervently. "The American tried to grab us, but me and Ikazuchi were too fast for him! We barely escaped with our lives!"

"N-No way, that can't be true, nanodesu!" Inazuma cried. "Right, Hibiki? They're making it up! They h-have to be!"

"Hm… Rear Admiral Drake? He didn't do anything to me the last time I saw him," Hibiki replied off-handedly.

"Then you were lucky," Ikazuchi pouted. "He tried to trick us by speaking Japanese and acting friendly, but then he attacked! He was truly fearsome!"

"Is that so…?"

"Don't make light of it, Hibiki!" Akatsuki waved her arms.

"Oh…"

"Hmph. She won't understand," Ikazuchi frowned as she sat down. "Just hope you don't run into him for the remainder of our time on this base. He'll probably try and hold you hostage so he can drag us out and finish us off for good."

"S-Scary!" Inazuma muttered.

Hibiki cast a sidelong glance at Inazuma. "Don't tell me you believe them."

"Um, I…"

Hibiki sighed. "How about this. I will go to his office right now, and the three of you can watch me. I guarantee I won't be caught and scrapped."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Akatsuki and Ikazuchi yelled at the same time.

"You do realize he has Japanese destroyers under his command, right?" Hibiki pointed out. "Why haven't they been scrapped yet?"

"He needs to keep a few of us alive as brainwashed pawns," Akatsuki explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ikazuchi nodded. "Yeah! Who's gonna do his dirty work?"

Hibiki didn't have the energy to argue with them anymore. "Fine, if that's what you want to believe…"

"Wait, nanodesu!" Inazuma then shouted, springing to her feet. "I-Is that…!"

The other three destroyers looked over to where Inazuma was pointing and saw a figure heading their way. It was a tall, burly man with long, gray sideburns and piercing blue eyes, and he wore a dark blue admiral's uniform but with a long military coat. On his head was a military-style ushanka fur hat instead of a traditional officer's cap.

"Oh no! He's coming this way! It's the American, isn't it!" Inazuma panicked.

"Wait, no, that's not him," Ikazuchi shook her head. "This is some other weirdo. Look at how he's dressed, haha!"

The uniform looked vaguely familiar to Hibiki. "Perhaps he is from the Russian navy?"

The man got closer and saluted the destroyers. "Privyet, ship girls. I am Admiral Borodin of the Second Soviet Russian Navy."

The destroyers saluted back, almost on reflex. They looked confused as to why the Russian was talking to them, though.

"You," Borodin pointed to Hibiki. "You are Verniy, are you not?"

Hibiki nodded slowly. "Da. I was Hibiki of the Imperial Japanese Navy before I entered into service of the Motherland."

"Yes, I am aware. Regardless, your skills would be best put to use in the Russian navy, don't you agree?" Borodin smiled, though his icy eyes held no warmth. "Perhaps it is time you rejoined our forces, Verniy."

"Wait! What are you talking about?" Akatsuki interjected.

"Perhaps you do not know of your sister's remodel, my loudmouthed, purple-haired friend?" Borodin said.

"Of course we know about that," Ikazuchi cut in, "what we're saying is that you can't just come in here and impress Hibiki into your service."

"Yeah! Japan needs her, nanodesu!" Inazuma also added bravely.

Borodin scowled. "You three are quite small, but quite troublesome as well. Here."

The Russian reached into his coat pocket and handed Akatsuki a rolled up document. Akatsuki unfurled it as her sisters gathered around her, and they silently read over the paper.

"No way! This is a forgery!" Ikazuchi cried out after she finished reading.

Borodin frowned. "Don't be a brat. It is a real document signed by your government. Hibiki is to be handed over to Russia for the next five months at minimum."

"Y-You can't do this!" Akatsuki stomped her feet.

"Are you not warships? Why must you act like children!" Borodin thundered in frustration. "Regardless, your wishes will not be taken into account. This is what will happen no matter what any of you want."

"This is unfair!" Ikazuchi continued. "Right, Hibiki? Tell him!"

Hibiki smiled at her sisters. "Well… At the very least, it's under better circumstances than last time…"

"See? True Russians don't kick and scream," Borodin declared proudly upon Hibiki's answer.

"Khorosho!" a new voice suddenly spoke.

While the Akatsuki-class had been distracted in their argument, a woman with messy silver hair had arrived on the scene. She grinned heartily and had a pipe in between her teeth, and she crossed her arms and eyed the Japanese destroyers.

"You see! Verniy has made her choice," the woman said.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Ikazuchi demanded.

"It's Miss Gangut, a battleship from Russia," Inazuma informed them. "I remember she and Hibiki were talking together before the operation."

"You must be the one spoiling Hibiki's mind with Red propaganda!" Akatsuki accused, causing Gangut to chuckle.

"Nobody is spreading any propaganda," Hibiki quickly said before the argument could escalate. "And I'm not making any sort of choice either. Japan signed that document, didn't they? There's nothing we can do."

"So you're just giving up!?" Akatsuki cried incredulously.

Hibiki shook her head. "They said five months; it's not as if I will be gone forever. Besides, the last time I went to Russia was after all three of you had already sunk and Japan had been defeated. But now, you are all still alive, and if I know that, then even the Russian winter won't be so cold."

"Waaah!" Ikazuchi latched onto Hibiki as she cried. "I d-don't want you to leave!"

"I will be back. I promise," Hibiki smiled as she patted her sister's back.

"Something going on here? I heard screaming," a second masculine voice entered the conversation.

Akatsuki froze as Rear Admiral Richard Drake walked over. He also had the battleship Bismarck with him, but she didn't really care about that.

"He's here! It's over!" Akatsuki wailed.

"Wait, what?" Drake said, taken aback.

Admiral Borodin looked over Drake briefly. "That uniform… An American. Do you have business here?"

"Not really, but it's my base so I'm free to go where I please," Drake shot back.

"Noooo!" Inazuma shouted. "I won't let you scrap them!"

The small destroyer rushed at Drake, who was too shocked to do anything. However, before Inazuma could reach him, Gangut stuck out her foot, tripping Inazuma and causing the destroyer to faceplant.

"Ack -!" Inazuma cried out, and Hibiki sighed as she went over to help her sister up.

"Khorosho. Now we are even for that bottle of alcohol, Cub," Gangut grinned at Drake.

"Right…" was all Drake could say, as he was still confused as to why Inazuma even charged him in the first place.

Borodin then noticed Bismarck. "My God! Are they actually letting Nazis walk around in the open now?"

"Excuse me?" Bismarck glared at him.

"Your outfit," Borodin said. "It is a disgrace. All traces of the Nazis should remain buried in the ground, just as the Soviets intended when we rolled over Berlin with our tanks."

"The only things that should be buried in the ground are the slavic, communist trash that go around posing as humans!" Bismarck retorted viciously.

"Woah, let's not get genocidal here," Drake interrupted. "Can't you see there are destroyers here? The two of you should learn some decency."

Borodin only smirked at that. "Well, well, if the Nazis have now been reduced to licking the boots of their American masters, perhaps that is a better fate for them after all."

Bismarck stepped forward, only to be restrained by Drake's firm hand on her shoulder. Gangut also moved in front of her admiral, amused by the proceedings as she puffed smoke from her pipe.

"Can we try and act like adults here?" Drake sighed. He was definitely the youngest one present, but he felt like he was dealing with a bunch of unruly elementary schoolers.

"Hmph. I am done here," Admiral Borodin decided. "Verniy. Report to the docks at 1500 tomorrow. Come, Gangut."

"Ah, I have business here for a bit," Gangut said.

"Fine. Do not take too long."

"Well, that was eventful," Drake frowned as the Russian officer left.

"You must excuse my admiral. In Russia, you only gain power by beating down others," Gangut said, removing her pipe from her mouth. "Not that I disagree with anything he said, but…"

"Do you want to die, schwein?" Bismarck narrowed her eyes.

"Ahaha, look how that pretty face contorts in anger!" Gangut smiled devlishly. "I'd love to see if you can make that face again after spending a few months in a Soviet prison!"

"Okay, you two can try and kill each other if you want, but leave me out of this. Bye," Drake turned around.

"Wait!" Ikazuchi called out to the American. "Aren't you gonna try and scrap us?"

Akatsuki elbowed her. "Why'd you remind him!"

Drake turned back to them. "Why would I -"

It was then that he remembered how he had scared Akatsuki and Ikazuchi off the other day.

"Oh. You guys do realize that I was just messing with you, right?" Drake told them.

"See. I told you," Hibiki said flatly.

The other three destroyers glanced at each other after Drake made no further moves to assault them.

"Hm. I might scrap Kiso since she's the one who spread the rumors, though," Drake added as he held his chin in his hand in a thinking pose.

All the destroyers except Hibiki shrieked at that, and the white-haired ship girl just sighed in defeat.

"Sir, please… You are not the one who has to deal with their screaming later," Hibiki said.

Drake smirked. "Yeah, sorry. Okay, I'm done joking now. I won't be scrapping anybody… Not that I really have the authority to even do so in the first place, but whatever."

"Thank you, sir. Also, I believe they may be getting out of hand," Hibiki nodded towards Bismarck and Gangut.

The two battleships had their hands locked together as they grappled with each other. Bismarck had an angry look on her face as she gritted her teeth, and Gangut, though she was rapidly losing ground, still wore an amused expression even as Bismarck pushed her back.

"All right, that's enough," Drake said as he lightly slapped Bismarck on the ass on top of her coat, immediately making the German let go of Gangut.

"Admiral?! What are you doing!" Bismarck shouted as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Bad girls get punished," Drake wagged his finger mockingly as he grinned.

"Khorosho! Let me try too!" Gangut declared gleefully as she reached out and grabbed a handful of Bismarck's breasts.

"Kyaaa!" Bismarck screeched as she shoved Gangut to the ground and covered her breasts with her hands.

"Ah, they have a nice firmness to them," Gangut nodded in appreciation. "You can feel mine as well, Fascist. Come to Gangut!"

"I will pass," Bismarck glared at her.

"Oh? A shame. How about you, Cub?"

"Sure, why not?"

"No, you can't!" Bismarck yelled. "You are both uncouth savages! The people of Berlin must have endured such horror when the city fell to your armies!"

"Come now. It is just some wartime stress relief," Gangut justified, enjoying seeing Bismarck's discomfort. "The Cub and I have already gone much further than that back at London, so it is no big deal for us. Right, Rear Admiral?"

"Of course, I remember it well," Drake nodded, unable to stop teasing Bismarck too.

"Y-You're lying!" Bismarck's face went pale.

Bismarck's horrified look was too much for Drake to take, and he burst out laughing.

"Haha! You ruined it, Cub!" Gangut stood up and dusted herself off.

"S-Sorry! Her face, though!" Drake tried to recover his calm as the destroyers watched him curiously. "Hehe…. Oh shit, it's already this late! I have an email to send, so I gotta go! Don't get into anymore fights, Bismarck!"

The rear admiral then rushed off back towards the Administrative Building, leaving the ship girls alone. The Japanese girls decided it was time to go as well, and Hibiki bid Gangut farewell as she and her sisters made their exit.

Gangut watched them leave as she lit her pipe once again. "So, Fascist, are you going to murder me now that the witnesses are gone?"

"Thank you."

"... What?" Gangut looked at Bismarck with a bewildered expression.

"N-Nothing," Bismarck blushed again, pulling her hat down a bit to hide her face. "It's just that lately the Admiral… Never mind, okay! Forget I said anything!"

Before Gangut could reply, Bismarck speed-walked away. Gangut just chuckled to herself as her pipe trailed smoke into the calm evening air.