"1st Carrier Division, Akagi, sortie!"
Akagi launched an arrow from her bow, firing it towards the Fallen Angel. Frantically, the Fallen Angel, Raynare, conjured a spear of light and used it to block the incoming arrow. The moment the arrow made contact with her spear, spear, it released a bright flash that momentarily blinded her.
"Gah!" Raynare stumbled back. "D-damn you!" The moment when she began to recover, she saw another incoming arrow, which she barely blocked with her spear. "Don't underestimate me, you bitch!" Raynare yelled before she hurled her spear at Akagi.
"I don't underestimate you, Fallen Angel," Akagi said simply as she let her barrier block the incoming spear. It fell onto the ground before dissipating. "I see you as a threat. Please kindly remove yourself from here immediately, or else I will have to do something more drastic for a threat like you…" She nocked another arrow and drew the bowstring back. "I won't allow you to harm Issei Hyoudou, no matter what…"
Raynare scrunched up her face and spat, "Don't tell me what to do! I'll finish what I started, and soon, Azazel-sama will shower me with his love and praises! I won't let you stand in my way, bitch!"
"Well, I'm sorry that I have to keep standing in your way, then…" Akagi said. Then she released her arrow.
Raynare braced herself for the incoming arrow, but she was surprised when the arrow went up instead of going straight to her. Then, it exploded and was replaced by four miniature aircrafts. They zoomed over to Raynare before dropping something. When Raynare realized that they were dropping bombs, she brought both her arms up, covering her face when they landed near her. The explosions that happened caused her to scream in both frustration and pain.
"Issei-kun, let's get away from here while she's distracted," Akagi said to Issei as she grabbed his hand.
"A-alright!" Issei nodded and followed after the girl. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Raynare, who was trying to recover her bearing after having those bombs dropped around her. She did not realize that both of them were running away from her while she was distracted.
With Akagi tugging him along, both of them escaped the area and went to a place which seemed safer. They began to see a few people, so Raynare wouldn't be able to mindlessly attack them if she were able to track them down.
"This should be far enough…" Akagi said, still holding Issei's hand. "Are you hurt, Issei-kun?"
"N-no, I'm not…" Issei shook his head. He felt that Akagi's hand was soft and warm when he touched it.
"Well, now that we're safe, let's take a walk," Akagi said. In a flash, her white gi and short red hakama reverted back into the pink dress that she wore earlier. For some reasons, the other passers-by didn't pay any attention to the shift. "You don't mind if I continue holding your hand, do you?" She held Issei's arm with both hands, and Issei could feel his arm squished between her breasts.
It was such a euphoric feeling to have his arm wedged between Akagi's breasts, and Issei couldn't help but have a big grin plastered on his face.
"Oh my, do you like having your arm squeezed between my breasts, Issei-kun?" Akagi giggled. "You're such a perv, you know~?"
"I-it feels nice! Your boobs are the best, Akagi-san!" Issei exclaimed.
Akagi chuckled. "I'm not sure how to respond to that, but I suppose I'm grateful to hear such a praise…" Then, she let go of his arm. "Now, I'm sure that you have a lot of questions to ask, Issei-kun."
"Questions? Oh, uh…" Issei looked down. "A-Akagi-san, are you… uh…"
"A Kanmusu?" Akagi guessed. "Is that what you wanted to know?" She waited for Issei's response and smiled when he nodded. "Well, the answer is yes, I am a Kanmusu, just like both Yamato-san and Kaga-san."
"Y-you know about them?" Issei asked.
"Well, considering that their names are the names of the Japanese warships during the WWII era, with one of them being the famous Japanese battleship Yamato, it's hard not to make a connection," Akagi shrugged. "Also, while Yamato-san and Kaga-san might never mention this to you, we Kanmusu are able to sense each other's presence," she tapped the side of her head. "Radar, you see? We may seem like humans to you, but ultimately, we are simply the humanized ships…"
"I-I see…" Issei mused. "B-but… why did you save me?" He asked.
"Because if I did not save you, both Yamato-san and Kaga-san would be sad…" Akagi answered. "C'mon, Issei-kun. Let's pretend that we're a couple. If we blend in, that Fallen Angel won't be able to find us," she showed Issei a cheeky grin. "And as my pretend boyfriend, you need to buy me, your pretend girlfriend, some foods. I can see a lot of food stalls around the park…" She looked at one particular stall that was selling crepe. "You don't mind, right?"
"A-a date?" Issei was too surprised to even say anything coherent. A while ago, he was threatened by his ex-girlfriend, and then he was saved by a girl who was actually a Kanmusu. Then, in order to hide themselves from his ex-girlfriend, they had to blend in by pretending to be a couple. And Issei noted that despite her rather whimsical attitude, this Akagi was actually fairly attractive, and like Yamato and Kaga, she was quite beautiful.
"Also, this is my first date, so from now on until it's over, please treat me kindly," Akagi said as she tugged Issei to the stall that she was looking earlier. "Let's buy some food!"
This was quite a fast development for Issei, but he couldn't find it in himself to actually complain. He got to hang out with a pretty girl like Akagi, even if it's only a pretend so that they could escape Raynare. Well, he's not going to let such a tiny detail hindering him from enjoying this date. And with Akagi with him, he wouldn't have to worry about getting himself ambushed by his ex-girlfriend.
Still, if only he could protect himself…
If only he could be stronger…
Unnoticed by him, his left hand that was held by Akagi glowed a bit. The green glow disappeared before any of them could notice it.
Kantai DxD
Kantai Collection and High School DxD Crossover
Chapter 06: Memories of Midway
"Ah, this is heaven!" Akagi exclaimed after taking a bite of her banana crepe. Issei bought it for her, and he also bought one for himself. Both of them looked like a couple as they walked alongside each other. Granted, it's only a pretend, but it's so that they could blend in with other couples in order to avoid being detected by Raynare, Issei's psychotic ex-girlfriend who happened to be a Fallen Angel.
Issei smiled after munching on his crepe as he looked at Akagi. He knew that they were just pretending in order to stay safe, but it didn't stop him from being delighted. After all, Akagi was a beautiful girl, her eccentricity notwithstanding. In fact, her eccentricity made her look more appealing.
"Akagi-chan, thanks for coming to my rescue…" Issei expressed his gratitude to Akagi as they walked. "If you weren't there, I might have died already…"
"Don't mention it, Issei-kun," Akagi said, smiling at him. "I was there, so it's only natural for me to help you out. And both Kaga-san and Yamato-san would be sad if I were to leave you to die."
"Uh, still… thanks," Issei said. Then, he sighed. "Still… it's kinda frustrating, you know?" He looked on his palm. "If only I have enough power to defend myself… then you'd never have to risk yourself to rescue me…"
Akagi frowned. "What do you mean, Issei-kun?"
"I'm weak…" Issei said. "I already swore to save every single Kanmusu I can find, and yet… I don't have enough strength to even protect myself…" He balled his fist. He was angry at himself for being such a weakling. If only he could do something to defend himself, he wouldn't have to rely on others.
While it's true that he was grateful for being saved, he couldn't help but feel bitter when he's the one who's often being rescued while having the shipgirls risking their lives for his sake.
"…Are you going back on your words?" Akagi asked.
"Hmm?" Issei looked at his pretend girlfriend. "What do you mean?"
"The things you told me last night…" Akagi said. "Didn't you promise that you will save the Kanmusu from their suffering? Didn't you swear that you will pull them out of the abyss of despair?" Somehow, there was a flash of red in Akagi's dark brown eyes. "Are you going to give them up?"
"I…" Issei stared into Akagi's eyes before he closed his eyes. Then, after taking a deep breath, he reopened them and said, "No… I will not give up…"
Akagi smiled.
"I know that I'm weak right now, but… I'll find some ways to improve myself," Issei said. "Both Kaga-chan and Yamato-chan have great faith in me, and I won't let them down by giving up." He brought up his right hand, thumping it on his chest. "I swear I will rescue them from their watery graves!" He grinned. "It's probably going to be difficult, but I will not give up!"
"I'm glad to hear that…" Akagi said, nodding her head a few times. "You will make a very great Admiral, Issei-kun."
Issei laughed sheepishly as he heard that.
"Now, this should be far enough…" Akagi said after observing their surroundings. "Let's get out of this place while we still have our chance. That Fallen Angel won't be able to track us down at this rate, so we should be fine. It was fun hanging out with you, Issei-kun," she smiled at him.
"Y-yeah, I'm glad t-to hear that," Issei said. He was a little disappointed that their date was almost over, but at least he was glad that Akagi was having fun with him. He still remembered Raynare's words when she revealed herself as a Fallen Angel who wanted to kill him, and it sure did a number to his confidence and self-esteem.
As both of them walked down the street, Issei noticed something strange. Other people were nowhere to be seen as they continued walking further down the street. He could feel Akagi's hand tensing. It seemed that she also noticed that something weird was going on.
"Akagi-chan…" Issei spoke to the Kanmusu.
"I made a severe miscalculation…" Akagi said grimly. "I led you here under the impression that the Fallen Angel was on her own." She let Issei's hand go. "I did not consider the possibility of her bringing her companions along."
"T-then…" Issei gulped before he heard the sounds of footsteps. Then, a figure revealed itself. It was a young girl clad in frilly Gothic Lolita dress. Despite her cute look, there was definitely something wrong with her.
"Got you," the young girl said, sticking her tongue out. A pair of black wings then emerged from her back.
Before both Issei and Akagi could step back, they heard more footsteps before an adult woman showed up. Clad in a rather provocative outfit, she smiled as she licked her lips sensually. With the young girl standing in front of them and the adult woman standing behind them, they had nowhere to escape.
"Took you long enough to show up," then, a voice spoke before a middle-aged man clad in dark trenchcoat over a white dress shirt showed up. He adjusted his black fedora and said, "Well, I guess convincing Raynare to let us be stationed here was worth the effort." He held out his left hand, conjuring a spear of light. "Kid, you better not take this personally. You're going to die here."
And shortly after that, a figure dropped from above, landing in a crouching position, feet wide apart. It was Raynare, a little singed due to Akagi's attack earlier but otherwise uninjured. One hand was on the ground, supporting her weight before she picked herself up. "Don't think you can escape us." She expanded her black wings and held out both hands, conjuring two spears of light. Then, she glared at Akagi. "You will pay for humiliating me, bitch. I'll make your death as painful as possible…"
As for Akagi, she was no longer in her pink dress. Clad in a white gi and red hakama, with a black muneate covering her chest, she held out her hand, and her archery bow appeared. She then conjured an arrow. They were surrounded by four enemies, and because Issei was unable to do anything, she was on her own.
As an aircraft carrier, she needed to have escorts while sailing. Despite her prowess in archery, she knew that ultimately, she's no match against all these murderous Fallen Angels.
"Issei-kun, I'll make an opening for you…" Akagi told Issei as they stood back-to-back. "Once I give you a signal, run as fast as you can." Despite the situation, she still managed to smile. "Truth be told, I'm no match against them. I'm an aircraft carrier, remember? I cannot fight alone, but if I distract them, I'm sure you'll be able to escape."
"W-what? No! You can't do that!" Issei protested. "You'll die!"
"That's unfortunate, but that's how it goes…" Akagi sighed. "Well, it's been a good time, living as a girl…" She nocked the arrow on the bowstring and prepared to launch it. All the Fallen Angels surrounding them had already conjured their spears of light.
Then, she launched the arrow. Instead of firing it at one of the enemies, she launched the arrow to the sky. That alone was enough to distract the Fallen Angels, and Akagi immediately shouted to Issei.
"Go!"
Having no choice, Issei obliged and ran as fast as he could. He ran past the young girl, shoving her, causing her to let out a yelp of pain. He mustered his strength into his legs as he ran. He gritted his teeth as he did so, cursing his weakness and inability to do anything in this kind of situation.
Raynare, who realized that Issei managed to run away, shouted to the others, "Chase him!" Then, she barreled over to Akagi, closing the distance between the two of them. Both her spears were primed at the Kanmusu and she intended to skewer her with both.
As for Akagi, she conjured two arrows in one hand. Instead of using her bow, she threw the arrows like darts at both the middle-aged man and the adult woman, who were about to chase after the fleeing Issei. Both of them were distracted by the arrows as they dodged them, which allowed Issei to run away even further. But that exposed Akagi to Raynare as she closed in with both spears in hands.
"Got you!" Raynare shouted, skewering Akagi right on her back. The Kanmusu let out a pained scream when the spears of light protruded out of her chest, piercing through her muneate. With a sadistic grin on her face, Raynare twisted the spear, and the Kanmusu cried out in pain before the Fallen Angel pulled the spears out.
Hearing Akagi's scream, Issei immediately stopped and looked behind. He was far enough, but he was able to see Akagi being stabbed by Raynare.
"AKAGI!" Without thinking, he spun on his heel and rushed back to where he came from. Akagi was hurt, and he needed to do something.
Despite having two holes on her body, Akagi remained standing. Instead of blood, some kind of black liquid leaked out of those two holes. The Kanmusu also coughed up the same liquid. Still, she remained standing.
But Raynare wasn't done. She grabbed a fistful of Akagi's hair before she slammed her head against the ground. Due to her strength as a Fallen Angel, it was enough to break the ground when she slammed Akagi's head against it.
As for Issei, before he could reach them, the young girl that he shoved aside earlier slammed her body against his. The force of her tackle was enough to send him back flying. When he was on the ground, the young girl landed on him, straddling him. Somehow, he was unable to get up when she was sitting on top of him.
"Now… this is what you get for standing in my way…" Raynare stepped on Akagi's wound, causing her to scream some more. Akagi was lying face down when Raynare did that. "How do you like it, hmm? You like it, don't you? Here, have some more!" She stomped on the wound again, and the downed Akagi let out an agonized scream.
"N-no… no… NO! L-leave her alone!" Issei cried out. Due to the young girl sitting on top of him, he was unable to see Akagi being tortured by Raynare, but he was able to hear her screams.
"Be a good boy and stay quiet, Issei-kun," Raynare purred as she spoke to Issei in sweet voice. "Your turn will be next, so stay put for a while, 'kay?" Then, she looked down on the one she was currently torturing. "Now, let's end this…" Holding a spear of light in one hand, she lifted the spear, aiming to stab Akagi right in on the back of her head.
Issei was unable to do anything when he heard the sound of the spear piercing through Akagi's head. He couldn't see it, but the sound alone was enough for him to know what happened to the Kanmusu.
"N-no… not her…" Issei muttered. "W-why…?"
Chuckling, Raynare left the spear that pinned Akagi's head on the ground as she approached Issei. "Now… what should I do to you?" The young girl got up before she forced him to his knees. The middle-aged man and the adult woman restrained him as he did so. In that position, Issei was able to see Akagi's prone form lying on the ground, with a spear sticking out the back of her head.
"Y-you…" Issei glared at Raynare. "Y-you killed her!"
"Duh," Raynare said, shrugging. "What did you think I'd do to her? Befriend her?" Then, she stroked Issei's cheek in loving manner before she giggled. "Now, Issei-kun, you've been quite a problematic child to us. If only you could just accept your death, then this sort of thing might have never happened…"
"Y-you'll pay for this…" Issei growled. "I swear I'll make you pay…"
Raynare laughed. "And how will you do that? You're weak! You're worthless! But… with your death, Azazel-sama will notice my accomplishment, and he will shower me with praises that I deserve." After stroking Issei's face, Raynare conjured a spear in one hand. "Now… let me repeat my question…" Smiling sweetly, she said, "Will you die for me?"
Before Issei could respond to that, a voice spoke.
"Dying is usually inconvenient, so I figure he may refuse."
"Huh?" Raynare glanced over her shoulder, and gasped when she saw Akagi, standing on her feet. Her spear was still pierced through Akagi's head before the Kanmusu grabbed the shaft of the spear with her hand. In one fluid motion, she pulled it out and tossed it aside.
"H-how?" Raynare stared at Akagi in disbelief. Despite being stabbed through her head, Akagi was still alive. "How are you still alive?!"
Smiling, Akagi replied, "It takes more than a spear in the head to sink a ship, you know?" She brought her hand to the gaping wound on her head. "Still, it's giving me a headache. I think I'm starting to hallucinate now."
Turning to face Akagi, Raynare shouted, "S-still, you can't hope to match me!"
"Are you sure?" Akagi tilted her head. "Well, you better start minding your head now…"
"Huh? What the hell are you talking abo-" before she could finish, she was hit by an exploding arrow on the side of her head. While the arrow didn't stab her through her head, the explosion that occurred when it collided against the side of her head was enough to send the Fallen Angel reeling.
The other Fallen Angels looked at where the arrow came from, and they saw a girl holding a bow. Like Akagi, she also wore a white gi with a black muneate covering her chest. She wore a blue hakama instead of the red one like Akagi's. Standing beside her was another girl with massive cannons, and all of them were aimed at the Fallen Angels.
"Kaga-chan… Yamato-chan…" Issei was relieved to see them both. Then he suddenly was whisked away by Akagi, who then ran over to both Kaga and Yamato. Despite her grievous injuries, she was still able to move, though there was a noticeable gait when she moved.
"Gkh…" Groaning, Raynare shook her head. Her head was covered in soot due to the explosion earlier.
"Give it up," Yamato said as she looked at the Fallen Angels sternly. "If you wish to keep your bodies whole and intact, please kindly remove yourself from this place. If you refuse to comply, I, Yamato, shall personally have every single one of you destroyed."
'Grr…" Throwing the shipgirls one last glare, Raynare shouted to her fellow Fallen Angels. "Dohnaseek! Kalawarner! Mittelt! We're leaving!" And with that, she flew away, leaving her black feathers scattered. The others followed after her, leaving the area.
Seeing that the Fallen Angels had left, Kaga immediately dropped her bow and rushed to Akagi's side. "Akagi-san!" She gasped when she saw how severe Akagi's wounds were. "This is bad! She needs to get herself docked immediately!"
"K-Kaga-san?" Akagi looked at Kaga. "Haha… are you worried about me?" Then, she fell on her knees. "Ngh!"
Akagi's body trembled as she brought her hands to her head.
"I-it's… it's coming!" Akagi cried out as she clutched on her head.
"W-what's wrong?!" Panicking, Issei shouted.
"N-no… no! No!" Akagi cried as she fell to the ground. "Keep them away from me!"
"Akagi-san…" Kaga tried her best to calm the Kanmusu down.
"G-Grey… Grey Ghost…" Akagi muttered. "She's here… n-no… she's here… I can see her... she wants to kill me… just like she did to others…"
"She's recalling some past events… I assume it's the Battle of Midway…" Yamato said, also trying her best to calm Akagi down. "Grey Ghost?"
Kaga's expression hardened. "USS Enterprise…" She spat out the name in distaste. Issei, being a warship otaku, recognized that name. USS Enterprise was one of the most decorated US warship of WWII. Due to her exploits during the war, she was infamously nicknamed the 'Grey Ghost' by the Japanese. "Akagi-san…" Kaga spoke to the trembling Akagi. "Calm down… she's not here anymore…" She said as she rubbed Akagi's back tenderly.
"S-scuttled…" Akagi muttered some more. "I-I'm going to be scuttled… n-no… p-put the torpedo launchers away, Maikaze, Hagikaze!" She began to sob. "P-please don't scuttle me! No! No! P-please… I don't want to die!"
"What should we do?" Yamato asked. "We can't just leave her like this…"
"It seems that we have no choice…" Kaga sighed. "We need to come into contact with her Admiral."
"Her Admiral?" Issei blinked in bemusement.
"Yes, her commanding officer," Kaga nodded to Issei. "Just like us who have you as our Admiral, Akagi-san also has her own Admiral. We need to bring her there."
"Still, we don't know who her Admiral is…" Yamato said.
"But that's the only choice we have…" Kaga reasoned as she glanced at Akagi, who's mumbling incoherently while trembling on the ground. "She will break down completely if left unattended."
Then, Yamato perked her head up. "I sense a presence!"
"Fallen Angel?" Kaga immediately picked up her bow.
"No, it's not a Fallen Angel…" Yamato closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the presence she detected via her radar. "It's… a horse?"
"Horse?" Kaga frowned. Then they heard the sounds of a horse whinnying before they saw a black horse coming to their way. Three of them blinked, not expecting to see a horse at that moment. Luckily, no people were around them when the horse appeared.
There were two people on the horse. One of them was an armored figure who was somehow lacking a head. The other one was a schoolgirl who immediately dismounted and rushed over to Akagi.
"Akagi-chan!" The schoolgirl exclaimed. "Oh gosh, this is bad!" She took out something from her pocket. It was a talisman that was almost exactly like the one Issei wore around his neck. "Here, hold this!"
When Akagi held the talisman, her body suddenly glowed before she disappeared.
"W-what happened to her?" Issei asked.
"She's returning to her true body, which is this…" The schoolgirl showed Issei the talisman. "This talisman contains the shard of aircraft carrier Akagi. Let's just say she's currently in hibernation mode? She'll be fine, I tell you that."
"Uh, okay?" Issei then looked at the schoolgirl's face. "By the way, who are you?" He asked. He noted that she was quite busty and her curly hair was brown in color.
"I'm glad you ask," the schoolgirl beamed happily. "By the way, it's my pleasure to finally meet you, battleship Yamato, aircraft carrier Kaga," she said to the shipgirls who were with them.
"Umm… I, Yamato, am glad to m-meet you as well," Yamato replied to her awkwardly.
"L-likewise," Kaga bowed her head. "But who might you be?"
"Ah, sorry that I forgot to introduce myself," the schoolgirl said apologetically. "My name is Kiyome Abe, and I am Akagi's Admiral. Nice to meet you!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Finally, it's finished. I'm sorry for the long delay, but here it is. A rather action-oriented chapter, I hope you guys like this one. And about Issei being useless, don't worry about it. Soon, he's gonna take many levels of badass, and considering that he's still a vanilla human in this fic, I'll find a way for him to reach the levels of badassness later. Also, at first I wanted to name this chapter Fallen Angel Raynare, but then, after I'm done writing this chapter, I instead named this chapter Memories of Midway.
Special thanks for lojzek91 for beta-reading this chapter. It's nice working with you, my friend. So, I hope you guys read and review this chapter, since this author needs some motivations to write the next chapter. Tune in for the next chapter, Chapter 07: Gathering Clouds. Until then, farewell.
Prince Arjuna (2016)