Chapter 34: The Two Dreamers
Whispered commotion was the first thing Alt noticed when she stepped out of the Sakura Inn that morning. A week had gone by since their bracelets now glowed green, meaning that they were now able to part ways. Enterprise had left the Sakura Empire shortly after that and Alt felt liberated by that outcome.
Enterprise had remarkably agreed on something similar to the lines of her letting her be for the time being. It wasn't a pure disregard of her existence like Alt wanted but it was a start.
The battle-worn carrier made her way toward Nagato's residence which was nestled on top of a hill. As she made her way past the street district, she continued to hear more whisper yet excited comments.
"The one that sleeps is finally awake!"
"Lady Shinano is here!"
"They say her beauty is on par with her amazing strength."
"Could she be stronger than..." The random Sakura shipgirl that had said that particular line to her companion froze up when she noticed Alt nearby.
The shipgirl soon ran off with her friend but not before giving Alt a friendly smile. There had been a lot of that going around lately. Friendly waves, smiles, and even invites to activities toward the carrier brightened her disposition, despite what her perpetual stern gaze would tell you. At best, she would look like a woman wearily smiling.
"What was that about?" She asked herself rhetorically. It sounded like the shipgirl was comparing this mysterious Lady Shinano to her. Realizing this, she grew intrigued and felt compelled to chase after them for answers. Alas, they were gone without any hope of being able to track them down among the other shipgirls.
She continued her path and figured that if there was anyone around to satiate her curiosity on the topic then Nagato would be the one.
(Some time later)
A small fox girl skipped merrily through the garden adjacent to Nagato's residence. "And here we have the garden that's one of my favorite places to hide and relax." The giggles from the dark-haired girl with straight bangs who acted like a tour guide filled the air and set in motion a series of light chuckles from the carrier.
"That's... very nice," said Alt with restrained joy. She wondered which route she took that ended her up in this predicament in which she was in the back garden of Lady Nagato's residence. Her tour guide was none other than the little sister of the fox girl she'd grown closer with.
This younger shipgirl was Mutsu who was full of energy, kindness, and joy. When Alt arrived at the doorstep, she knocked on the door and instead of Nagato, her little sister answered. They hadn't formally met before and despite that, Mutsu had greeted her with open arms. To her, she was the hero that saved many Shipgirls, and all the other rumors, as well as the incident in the warehouse, became an afterthought.
Upon first look the small yellow-eyed and dark-haired girl immediately caused her to excitedly squeal. "It's you!"
Alt's reputation had grown overwhelmingly positive after the other shipgirls finally came around to accept her. The fact that she helped to repel the scourge truly made her a hero around the Sakura Empire.
They both sat down on a stone bench after fatigue from all the running had set in for Mutsu. The young girl pulled out a juice box and excitedly drank to regain her voice from dryness. "Ahh… I've been wanting to meet you but sis told me that you've been busy," she said with a pout and blow to a piece of hair that tickled her eyebrow.
"She's... not wrong," affirmed Alt. Helping out Akagi with more data, and even running errands around the Sakura Empire had kept her busy. However, it was ultimately busy work for the sake of busy work and could have spared a few hours to meet Mutsu.
The Sirens have remained quiet and elusive after the events of the scourge and while most could feel peaceful days, those like Alt, Akagi, and Nagato were anxious about what the coming future held.
"Mutsu! So you were the one that took her away!?" Nagato emerged from the back door of the main building and strolled along the garden walkway until she stood before the other two.
Mutsu dropped her empty juice box and squirmed fearfully behind a taken-aback Alt. This was a first for Alt as she never had someone depend on her like a shield in a literal sense. Mutsu popped her head to the side. "You told me you were busy wrapping things up with a current guest and you didn't want to be disturbed."
Nagato recoiled in surprise and didn't like the way her younger sister painted the situation. "I... well, that's true I was with another guest but it's someone that is also waiting for Alt."
"Me?"
Nagato held her tongue back, realizing that she hadn't meant to let that slip. "I rather not say much on this matter. Alt, could you walk with me...? And Mutsu, behave please."
The archer curiously agreed and turned to the younger sister. "Well… Miss... I hope we play again some other time." Odd, she hadn't meant to word it like that but she wanted to send her off with the hope that they would interact again.
Mutsu liked the sound of that and happily waved to Alt. Nagato and Alt had then retreated to the main building and were walking down a wooden hallway on the second floor.
"Sorry about my little sister," said Nagato with a weary sigh.
"That's alright. First time meeting her and it felt strange that we didn't meet before," she said with hints of enthusiasm.
Nagato chuckled lightly. "Mutsu is always off on childhood adventures and rarely takes in adult situations going around her. The scourge incident had been the only one in recent memory that she was forced out of her happy days of childhood bliss."
Alt halted and frowned disapprovingly. "Jeez, Nagato. I find it unnatural that you talk about childhood life with such detachment when you should be out there enjoying it with Mutsu."
Nagato did a sideways pout. "You and Akagi are relentless when that topic springs up. Do you forget that I'm the Sakura Empire's leader and can't afford to drown myself in childhood adventures?"
Alt said nothing more of the topic and silently grieved at the loss of childhood innocence. "What's going on with this guest of yours then?" They continued along the hallway until another door grew closer into view.
Nagato stopped her pace through the hallway right when they arrived at the door. She looked up to see the silver-haired carrier. "I'm sure that some news of a strong shipgirl has been circulating."
Alt grew sharp, finding out that the time for answers was approaching. "Yeah. Heard most of the girls eagerly talking about an elegant woman who has the strength to match her beauty—which confuses me as to why she was never here in the first place if she's one of the top warriors. Would have been nice to have her around when we assaulted the fortress during the scourge incident," she said with clear and genuine emotions.
"Her name is Lady Shinano, one of our best carriers and a member of the Yamato class. She recently arrived in the harbor and I'm sure she would have been very helpful if she could. Sadly, up until now, her will was not her own."
Alt showed a pained face along with a raised eyebrow, trying to make sense of what she heard. "Huh? Nagato, enough. You're way too young to act all cryptic like some sage."
The young shipgirl blushed mildly annoyed yet continued. "She tends to fall into brief but deep periods of sleep sporadically. A few months ago, she went into a unique sleep that had lasted up until now. Nothing could have awoken her up unless time demanded it."
Alt scoffed heavily, finding it amazing that someone was getting their fair share of sleep and then some. "So she's a narcoleptic shipgirl then. I doubt she and I will have much to talk about. I'm guessing she's heard of my unusual existence?"
Nagato nodded and chose her next words carefully. "She was the one to bring it up first and none of the escort members had told her about you when they escorted her here."
"What?"
The Sakura fleet leader smiled understandably. "She's inside. Sorry, if the details are sparse. She requested that you know very little of her so that you wouldn't judge her before speaking to her." She opened the door, revealing a veil of light exuding out almost majestically. Nagato ushered her in, yet did not go inside with her. Truthfully, she didn't know much of the situation as to why Lady Shinano wished to speak to Alt. The only thing she knew for certain was that it must be important coming from someone who holds such a mystical power.
Going into the veil of light, Alt's eyes adjusted to the lighting in the room that was due to a wide open window stretching across the back wall. The natural sunlight had been the culprit to the dramatic nature of the doorway. Alt's violet eyes adjusted and bore witness to a graceful shipgirl that lay on top of a pillow next to a low table. Her back was to Alt, looking at the scenic majesty that Nagato's residence provided.
Silver and silky long silver hair assaulted her eyes. But that wasn't all as just like Akagi, this shipgirl had a series of tails that came from within her blue dress. Also, she had fluffy animal ears that could be seen from far away.
The mysterious shipgirl turned her head sideways and let out an excited yelp. "Alt..." She stood up, her face and body language high with barely contained excitement. As if being self-aware, she quickly blushed shyly before she conducted herself accordingly and stood properly before the carrier. "Alt, it's good to see you." She beamed at the carrier as if gazing upon a long friend and this was their reunion. Her elegant-like presence radiated with the traditions and glory of the Sakura Empire which left no doubt that she was a strong Kansen.
Alt stood uneasy against the presence that more fundamentally exuded a friendly warmth behind the rays of the radiance of old. "H-Have we met before? Your response earlier was like... someone seeing an old friend..." She didn't know if she had chosen the right words, but Shinano didn't seem to appear bothered by it.
"F-Forgive me, this one has known nothing but dreams for some time now," she said as if it was a fact.
"Why do you refer to yourself like that?" Said Alt, trying to hide her frustrations that felt too childish to even bother with.
Shinano grew anxious and held a hand over her blushing cheeks. "Oops, I did it again. Forgive this one— I mean me. This is the preference that this one is usually used to speaking. Although... I did have someone helping me out with that habit." A tone of melancholy slipped out of her mouth, and one could guess that whoever this person helped her had meant a great deal.
Alt sighed and scratched her head in disbelief. "So you have some kind of verbal tick? You're a weird one for sure. Hmm, speak in whatever way you're comfortable and tell me how you know me. I've heard that you asked those that escorted you my name before they even said anything about my existence. How can someone who's been sleeping for months on end possibly know me?"
The silvered-haired kitsune smiled radiantly to match the glow of light bleeding from the window. "This one is glad that Lady Nagato kept her promise. Alt, we've met before. In a dream that painted itself as the future."
The archer stood motionless and completely caught off guard by the dramatic reveal. "Y-You're able to see into the future while dreaming?!"
"Yes. This one has been able to float through different dreams of multiple futures. In order for you to understand... I ask you... please sit and have tea with me." She gestured to the small table containing a tea set. On the other side of the table, another pillow stood ready.
Alt cautiously approached her, only feeling a friendly warmth from the kitsune. It was hard for her to contain her intrigue, especially when this Shipgirl claimed she knew her from the future. She needed to know more. If what she said was true, then was she able to become her own person and be free from the shackles of Enterprise?
They sat in a tranquil position, overlooking the Sakura trees and heavenly horizon from out the window.
The chirping of birds and sounds of a distant waterfall admittedly brought Alt into a calm state of tranquility. The aroma of the nearby teapot residing on the table floated to her nose. Soon, the clear sound of liquid pouring was enough to make her head turn.
"Isn't the view lovely?" Said Shinano as she passed a cup to Alt. A glimmer of fondness radiated in her eyes as if what they were doing was nothing more than a happy routine for her. The cautious archer accepted it reluctantly.
"I suppose..." The archer said half-heartedly and nervously rubbed her thumb across the warm cup. She sipped it gently and her eyes widened in pleasant disbelief. The tea she had been given was elegantly and richly brewed with an infusion of sweetness that favorably called upon her tastebuds. It was like finding out something new about herself that she didn't even know. That, in itself, upped her curiosity and tension toward the kitsune.
Her claims to know the future along with this tea that boldly expressed that they knew each other to the point that Shinano would know that Alt would be fond of this kind of tea left no room for skepticism.
The kitsune smiled jovially, feeling like she was reliving a good memory. She meekly raised her own cup close to her lips. "This one can tell that you're on the edge of your seat. Then I shall make you wait no more." She sipped lightly on her tea to wet her mouth before speaking. My..." She paused again, fighting to speak in the first person. "... name is Shinano, one of the Yamato-class ships with a unique power. Unfortunately, the unique power this one wields threw her into an endless chasm of dreams that link me to different futures. This one has seen many different futures yet there was only ever one that showed itself as an absolutely peaceful world." She lowered her cup and smiled at Alt with an adorably soft-cheeked face.
Alt blushed along with her shoulders tensing. "How long has it been for you then?" She thought about a dream with absolute peace which to her was one that existed no war or Sirens. Ironically, that reality could only be a dream, she thought.
The kitsune nodded with affirmation. "You are very insightful and you understand how things like this work. Yes, time for this one is different while dreaming and those futures, this one found herself in, varied in terms of length. However… the bad ones would always be longer than the good ones. There came a day when the aimless and long dreams suddenly came to an end. The world I was currently in turned black and after being ripped out of that gloomy future, this one found herself washed up on the shores of the Sakura Empire. For a second, I thought I had awakened from my dreams but I quickly found out that it was another dream. Except, this one was unique above all else. That dream was the one that kept me asleep for a few months but for me, it was a couple of wonderful years," she said with a melancholy smile.
"How so?" Inquired Alt, sipping from her tea again.
Shinano was happy that Alt was entertaining her conversation and appeared to be accepting of what she was hearing. She was excited to speak yet she composed herself nervously. "This one, sadly, cannot reveal the full details out of fear of altering course into... unknown futures. This one can say that one of the key differences was you. Out of all my futures, I've observed, you were only in the last true dream I lived in."
"You keep saying you know me from the future. So, I'm alive in the future?" Her heart jumped for joy, yet she felt a crushing grip on her heart if she only existed in one future. Was it one possible future or was it the now-destined future?
Shinano tilted her head worriedly. She hadn't been there for the events that unfolded with Enterprise and Alt almost merging. From her expression, she didn't know those events regardless of her ability to experience the future. "You are one of my greatest friends... Alt. Although, you're different than how I remember you," she admitted.
"In what ways?" Demanded the carrier.
Shinano relaxed and gave her a smile. "Well, you do go by Alt but you've taken another name, too. That name is known throughout the world with those closest to you still calling you Alt. You are also wearing a mask like you usually do, and a very scary one at that." Regardless of her words, she still kept her happy face.
Alt swallowed nervously and furrowed her brow. "I... wear a mask? So this is the first time you're seeing me without this mask you speak of?"
"No. You've taken it off once around me to prove a point. You mostly take it off only for one." She produced a sly smile, despite her best efforts to hide it, and that further irritated the archer.
"And who's that, huh?" Demanded Alt while leaning closer in her seat.
Shinano apologetically frowned. "This one cannot say. Please forgive this one..."
"Why the hell not!" Roared Alt.
The kitsune locked eyes with the other carrier and expressed her stern resolve. "It would put too much strain on the future if you had this forbidden knowledge, and it will cause it to deviate. You would ultimately know how things would play out and a part of you would feel reluctant to stay on course."
"Bullshit, you're changing it right now for even interacting with me. I bet we didn't meet this way in the future, did we? And you already told me how I wear a mask and use a different name! What if I don't decide to do any of that!?"
"You're right. We didn't meet the same way and that was unfortunately something that needed to give. However, the details I wish to withhold are details that you've yet to fully comprehend. Thus you will still naturally come to a fork in the road where those details will make more sense to you. Ultimately, this one is going with her gut instincts on what is appropriate to reveal and will provide minimal changes. You contemplating aesthetic choice is significantly less important than the key individuals that will shape your life. This one is already aware that the future this one came from can no longer be recreated. Maybe the perfect peaceful future has slipped beyond our grasp yet I still believe that staying on course can still grant a fragment of it. So, this one is aiming to reach a new future with the closest percentage reminiscent of the old future that I came from!" There was no doubt about her resolve. She was a woman on a mission, a woman that held an undying love for those she wished to see once again.
Alt let out hot air. "Hmm... you come in with claims of the future and a tea that feels perfectly tailored for me... grr… sorry… this is my stubborn nature showing, but I find it hard to fully accept this. Sorry if this might offend you but this atmosphere feels sickly sweet to that of a Siren toying with me," she said with a heavy sigh.
"Then would you like to hear a story from a day in this blissful future?" Said Shinano with a determined gaze.
Alt raised her head in attention and eagerly awaited what she had to say. The duality inside her was evenly matched and in the end, she wanted to gasp a semblance of hope and belief.
Shinano admired Alt's tolerance of her outlandish words that were hard for someone outside the Sakura Empire to believe. She knew it in her heart that she spoke the truth of a possible incoming future. That gave her strength to relive a moment that only existed in her mind now. Smiling woefully, she began to speak. "I have a warm memory of the two of us, sitting in a room similar to this while overlooking the cherry blossom trees. Hehe, it starts off with you catching me dozing off..."
(Shinano- Flashback)
The silver-haired kitsune snored peacefully underneath the warm rays of the sun that penetrated the window. Her location looked similar to that of the current day setting with her talking to Alt.
It was then that she was awoken by a dry tea bag hitting her across the face. She scrunched up her nose and jolted from her warm slumber.
"Dozing off again? Must be nice to dream all the time," joked another voice beside her.
Shinano fluttered her eyes, eliminating the remnants of drowsiness that had plagued her. She then gazed across from the table to see her silver-haired companion with her usual red ornamental mask depicting a fearsome Hannya. The horns and teeth, along with two eye holes reflected a set of violet eyes. The kitsune smiled lightly, given that it had been some time now that she'd grown comfortable around her companion's character and seemed past the intimidating layer she imposed. "Sorry, this is being too relaxed while we are having our tea time. I have the warm rays of the sun and good company I feel comfortable with to thank for that. Although, my naps don't offer much in the way of dreams while in this dream future. It's not like I will wake up from the dream future if I began to dream," she said with a happy yawn. She chuckled lightly in combination with her sleepy state. The idea of dreaming while in the dream future was too hilarious for her.
Despite the mask her companion donned, she provided a head tilt to show her confusion and intrigue to Shinano. "This is new. What are you on about when saying future dream?"
The kitsune carrier blushed at her absent-minded and verbal hiccup. Her sleepiness had been partly to blame for letting it flow out of her like water. She had one golden rule and that rule was to never reveal to anyone in her dream state that everything around them was nothing but a mere dream of a possible future.
It brought her great sadness that her best friend was someone that she had yet to meet in the real world. Feeling a sense of defenselessness, she gave the other woman a set of intense eyes. Her anxiety diminished once she could see the concerned eyes of her companion through her mask. "Alt, you are one of my best friends and someone who I've come to rely on for advice. Would you... would you believe me if I said that this was all a dream?"
A silence permeated the air and Shinano deflated. She was unsure of her friend's reaction given the stoic body language her friend had taken. Like a combined roar of thunder and lightning; both loud and quick, the woman behind the mask exploded with sudden laughter.
The friend laughed with reckless abandonment coupled with an almost rude manner if Shinano had taken it like that.
The Kitsune pouted her cheeks determinedly and with strong conviction, listed out all the wonderful things that their life provided.
A few minutes rolled by and the laughter had become a distant memory. The carrier who laughed now held a hand to her chin and her eyes were closed in contemplation.
Shinano's words had conquered the air around them and she was relentless in her goal. "... War is a distant memory. When was the last time a Kansen was called to battle with the intent to harm others? You and I... and those we have connected with..." She paused, sucking in breaths due to her long-winded speech to make her friend understand. Red painted her face both from lack of air and her determination. Mercifully, she didn't need to go on as the weight of her facts had reached the other woman.
The woman behind the mask raised her hand, conveying that she made her point. She then nodded slowly, taking in the information seriously. "Hmm... how bothersome. When you put it like that... Honestly, I would rather have stayed in ignorant bliss but I now know that wouldn't be ideal." The information was an overload for her and she went up to her mask to detach the jaw section, showing that the mask was composed of two pieces.
Shinano watched silently as her friend's mouth and cheeks became visible. It was nothing new to see her do this action especially when it came to eating and drinking. Some would say that she should take off the mask completely yet her friend would never entertain that thought. And not many would pressure her into doing it as they respected her just as much they respected Nagato, Takao, or even herself.
The masked carrier's mouth held no aggression or discontent on her lips as she picked up her tea and sipped on the soothing flavor that was a much-needed stress reliever. She placed her cup down and her violet eyes behind the mask darted toward Shinano. "I have always felt that something was off—with this world and the nature of things. Always felt that things were too good to be true but those around me always put me back into being at ease with myself. I chopped it off as me being my old pessimistic self." She sounded defeated, wishing she could have ignored this feeling, this feeling that was now a truth for her. In the end, she believed her friend as she knew she was good and wasn't one to lie.
Shinano didn't expect her friend to take what she said remarkably well. Still, she felt a massive relief that she had finally told another soul of the huge weight that she carried.
The masked woman lightly shook her head, conveying that there was still a small struggle that wished to believe it was all a joke. The burdensome weight was understood by Shinano as she wished she and Alt could both be ignorant of the true reality.
"Hmph... you got me second-guessing everything now." Her cup went back to her lips and she took another sip from her tea. Once done, she placed it back and that was when she noticed the mouth section she had placed beside the tea. Her visibly calm eyes then went to the kitsune. The red-masked woman leaned forward with a bright idea radiating within her eyes. "Shino, If this is truly a dream of yours then what is behind this mask?"
Shinano let her mouth hang and she lost her train of thought for a mere second. Swallowing, she spoke. "I don't know."
The other woman sounded pleased and reached from behind her mask to remove it.
Shinano stood at the edge of her seat and her eyes refused to blink out of fear that she would miss a detail to finally see how her friend looked. This was Alt's conviction to prove her wrong and she was unable to say anything to negate her friend's resolve.
The mask came off, silver hair falling back in place to frame the face that she was seeing for the first time. The reveal lasted for all of ten seconds until the completed mask returned to the face of its owner who looked satisfied behind it. "Looks like this is real life then and not a dream you cooked up."
Shinano wished what she said was a lie and it could have ended simply as Alt showing her face. "Alt... I'm sorry but that doesn't garner any credit. I'm not omnipotent in the dream future. I'm not able to know everything going on even if I'm the source of this dream and this dream is considered mine in the basic sense. My dreams echo the possible future and this dream simulates those who can exist without my input. You and I, we have never met in the real world yet here you are... existing."
Alt sighed, feeling that her efforts to disprove her friend's claims went up in smoke. "Okay, fine. This is a dream. Then I owe you more than ever now. For you have given me a dream that I can look forward to when I'm forced to close my eyes and endure the nightmares from my past that claw toward me."
Shinano gasped and widened her eyes in both shock and confusion. This was new to her. Her friend had never talked anything about nightmares and it made sense how she would always give her a hard time when she would go for a quick nap. It was a mixture of both jealousy and fondness toward Shinano who was able to close her eyes so easily.
"Shinano, you are the vessel of dreams and I am the vessel of nightmares. Thank you for this perfect dream that you've given me."
This was beyond acceptance. What she heard was so pure and gentle that she shed a tear for her friend who never knew what a pleasant dream was. "Alt... I… didn't know the depths of your pain… I'm a terrible friend."
"How could you possibly know? I wear this mask after all for many reasons. I'm a closed book, as they say, so think nothing of it. Pfft, to think that this tea time would get this emotional," she said dryly.
The kitsune giggled and dried her tears. "There... might be a day when I may wake up from this dream. Especially now that I'm only dreaming a single dream— this dream. It's unnerving in nature as that can only mean that for the first time, there is no other future aside from this one. I feel that a dark force is at play here." There was more she wanted to say but her heart ached to tell her friend more. She turned away in shame at her inability to convey it all with a strong will.
The other carrier hardly looked bothered by the ominous predictions and unsettling information about the kitsune shipgirl only dreaming one dream. The silver-haired archer shook her head tiredly. "Goodness gracious... the bad news doesn't stop. Well, it's alright. If your instincts tell you that this perfect world is unnatural and brought upon from the effects of something else, then... I'll let the me that's awake figure things out. I'm sure together, we can all reach this future once again."
Shinano stood mesmerized at her friend's positive demeanor that radiated like a beacon for her.
The masked woman leaned forward, more light-hearted in her tone. "I'm more worried about what she will think of all this considering that I'm the only one you've told, right?"
The kitsune blushed and shamefully looked down, understanding who she was referring to. "Please, don't tell her."
"I won't. I rather not have heard it myself but at least I know that my intuition wasn't leading me on. So... What will happen to this world... after you awake?" She said seriously with somber tones.
A pained face full of regret manifested upon the kitsune carrier. "I don't know. The possibility for this future still existing even after I'm gone is outside my scope."
In hindsight, the masked woman felt terrible for even bringing up that question that was rather rhetorical. "Right... since you will be gone and such. In my opinion, a world without you isn't a perfect world anymore and I'm sure she will agree too. Heck... we will all agree. So, looks like it's settled."
"Huh?" The Kitsune looked confused and dried her tears with her sleeve.
"Shino, if you ever have to wake up come find me then. You owe me, her, and the others this dream. I mean… you got to take responsibility for showing us this perfect world," she gleefully said behind the mask.
"I will." Shinano smiled and held her friend's comforting hand. She was the best of all of them. Even though they weren't sister ships, the Kitsune saw the Hannya as one of her true sisters.
(End Flashback)
Alt remained quiet during the whole retelling and visibly showed a white face full of dismay. "You know of my nightmares?" The Kitsune had gone on to reveal more about Alt's character after that, even how self-conscious she was when it came to her hair.
"Enough," she blurted out, her face showing a tint of red. It was up in the air if it was a blush or sheer irritation. "I believe you then. You're from the future... one possible future," she said with quiet acceptance. "Then tell me. What made you wake up from your wonderland?" She said with a demanding tone fueled by an ounce of frustration.
Shinano's eyes flashed with sadness at remembering that day. "The sky turned black and for the first time in a long time, I began to drift into another dream—a nightmare. The world was engulfed in fire and destruction. No one could stop it and that's when I knew that this was a warning to wake up."
"The future changed then?"
"Yes, which means that nothing is set in stone anymore and I must make efforts to align the future with the dream future we all desire."
Alt filled her in on the recent events that happened. She explained the scourge, and how Purifier brought another version of herself from another timeline.
Of course, she left out the critical part of how she came to be and what she was, but that shouldn't have mattered for the Sakura shipgirl. Besides, holding that information back held merit as she wanted to verify something.
Shinano remained visibly disturbed and silent during the recap. "... I see. Then this Purifier is undoubtedly the one who's behind the altering of the future. Thank you for bringing me up to speed and for listening to my story."
Alt crossed her arms and scoffed. "I'm surprised you didn't already know since you're from the future. Did the other me never tell you about how she came to be?"
Shinano deflated and looked unsure. "What do you mean?"
Despite her being the one to breach that question, she wavered, wondering that maybe her future self had good reasons. "Forget it then…"
"—No! I can't." Shinano slammed her hands on the table and lifted from her seating position. "You are… were… my best friend. While I would like to rekindle that friendship, Alt struggled to talk much about herself. I think our genuine talk about the reality of our situation perhaps sparked her to be more open with me about herself but then the world went dark, and… I would never know for sure now. She would always gloat that she could read me like an open book while she was the exact opposite—a closed book. I know that she wasn't originally a Sakura shipgirl similar to Miss Kongou, and accepted our customs and teachings regardless. But, the way you said it seems like she was born in an uncongenial way compared to a wisdom cube."
Alt could see that Shinano's heart held a great sadness that was born from never truly knowing the core things that made her friend who she was. "She… had her reasons. If I'm her then you should take my words at face value. Trust me, none of that matters and I'm sorry for bringing it up." She understood her woes in the truest sense of the word, but she was still a stranger to her and didn't wish to go in deep about herself to a stranger as hard as that might come off if spoken.
Shinano's animal ears lowered slightly along with her tense shoulders, then she dropped down on her seat and sighed in defeat. While her defeat plagued her at this time, she was determined to reconnect with her friend and maybe this version of Alt would come around to being more open with her. "Anyway… in the history of the future I was in, the Sirens were defeated before I arrived there, so I'm unfamiliar with Purifier. I've fought against girls calling themselves Tester and Observer both in our timestream and in the other dream futures. Embarrassing to say, but I've only fought a few times while awake... since… I have a habit of falling asleep a lot."
Alt powered through the revealment that her older form had clashed with this shipgirl. That was another can of drama she rather not deal with. Instead, she smiled at the idea of Shinano using her most powerful move only to fall asleep while in mid-charge of said move. "I guess you'll be sleeping soon then since it's out of your control?"
The kitsune beamed proudly. "No, I've finally managed to control my habit of future dreaming and separated it from my normal dreams when I sleep. I can guarantee you that I have no plans of going anywhere else. If that bleak future is all there is, then being here is where I'm needed."
"Good to hear. Having a carrier like you will come in handy against Purifier and the Sirens she now controls."
Shinano hiddenly fiddled with her thumbs and anxiously calmed her breath, appearing to calm whatever she had been thinking.
Alt sipped her tea, never picking up on this tale from the other carrier. "Anyway, who were you referring to when you said she? That kept coming up in your story a fair bit. Was that the one that I show my face to?" She asked with fearful curiosity.
The kitsune smiled faintly, liking that the conversation had returned to a lighter tone. "Oh, you are one for not letting the smallest details go. No, that one is separate from the one who I called her. Her... was referring to my wife, or the wife I will one day meet... If the gods smile upon me."
Alt nearly spitted her tea out once that bomb of information had gone off. "You're married— I mean... uh, will be?!"
Shinano giggled like a schoolgirl. She gazed at her fingers to see that the ring she had grown fondly of no longer existed. The pain stung yet she held herself in a positive light. "Fingers crossed. But I'm not worried. I do miss her but I will see her again. You are the one that introduces me to her after all."
That time, Alt actually spitted out her tea as the meteor of information crushed her definitively.
(Nighttime)
Some time later, and outside the main area where the central shopping district was located, Alt walked over a red bridge in the dead of night.
The lights from the stores, home structures, and lamps no longer reached her location. This quiet seclusion was muchly needed by her to collect her thoughts on what happened today. The earth-shaking reveal by Shinano was only trumped by the time Tester revealed that she was a fragment of Observer.
It was suffocating to breathe around and she found herself covering her face just in case any tears would leak out of her eyes. She couldn't pin down why she was wanting the urge to cry as all her emotions were coming from different sources and crashing into her.
While darkness mainly surrounded her, there was a lone lamp candle that offered a level of light for those traveling the bridge at night. Also, fireflies circled her that provided luminance to her surrounding. With these two light sources, she was able to steer her emotions back in line and slowly appreciate the luminance around her. Her weary eyes gazed toward the surface of the water and she began to reflect on her thoughts while staring back at the woman that she was.
She touched her face, wondering why her possible future self would wear a mask. It was no secret that she hated how she looked and her reflection was the angry wound that would never allow her to heal. Perhaps it was something else entirely. Something like a fate that her future self couldn't accept. Her eyes lowered to the green glow of her bracelet and as she traced her fingers over the orb that hummed with energy, she wondered if that future self was a version of her that had become one with Enterprise.
The urge to cry and the urge to yell battled within herself. She huffed angrily along with a flaring glare toward her reflection. Her head started to spin from the fear of the harsh reality that the bracelets could fail— that Akagi's main plan would fail. Sweat poured from her forehead and she gripped the side of the wooden bridge railing briefly. Deep breaths helped her brave this rush of dread that her mind instilled.
After her heart began to slow down, the respite didn't last long when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle. With trembling eyes akin to someone sensing the supernatural crossing her path, her eyes moved to her sides toward a chilling and dark presence that reached out to her with a desperate hand.
Nearly struck frozen with fear yet forcing herself to turn, Alt twirled around and came face to face with Tester.
The mechanical Siren sister that kidnapped Hornet and forced her into remembering her real self appeared before the battle-worn archer within the Sakura Empire. An abnormality such as this resonated only with one singular answer—she wasn't truly here in the corporeal form.
Just like before, Tester reached out to her via the connection they shared. Horror turned to anger as Alt sidestepped, gaining distance from the Siren elite that had fallen from her infamous rank. "Get out of my head, Tester. What the hell are you even doing here?!" A million things raced yet that question was all that mattered. She forced herself to end the connection, to end the hijacking of her perception, but whatever Tester did to make this happen ultimately won. This was Tester's resolve and Alt was forced to endure it.
Tester appeared haggard and weak. To see this wicked and humanoid machine that looked ready to drop on the floor sparked a plethora of mysteries. "Stop... with the... small questions. None of that matters right now. We have bigger issues to tackle. Besides... my reaching out to you is less than my ideal strategy. You're my last hope. My failsafe to keep that nut program Purifier from getting her way. Please…" Her eyes took on human-like fear that was deeply uncanny for Alt.
"I'm not your ally!" Alt shouted venomously.
Tester reached out to her and gripped her by the shoulders. "K-keep your voice... down. Your verbal outburst is being fed through our shared connection and it's going to be like an echo that they can hear if you're too loud. For the sake of both of us, it would be better that they didn't catch wind of what's going on behind their backs."
Alt quickly understood that she meant the two Purifiers. The way they had talked last time, they seem to be the last chain of command within the Sirens. "Do you really believe that they aren't aware of this?"
Tester flinched nervously for a second before the logical side of her mind comforted her. "Knowing Purifier, that rogue bitch would have already fried my brain if she found out that I was contacting you."
"Is that so?" Whispered Alt. Realizing that Tester was still holding onto her and that she could feel her hands, she brushed her aside on impulse with a distasteful grunt.
Tempered rage flashed across Tester. "Damn it— believe me. They already control my body like a puppet on strings but my mind still has corners that they have yet to reach— that's how I'm able to talk to you right now. Our connection from last time is still active."
"Why should I care what even happens to you? The Siren elites deserve what they got when they created something ambitiously independent like Purifier to fill in their ranks. The way I see it, if she and her other twin are the only ones calling the shots then it makes it more simple than dealing with a whole brood of you lot."
"You can think however you like about the situation. Sure... it's thanks to the Purifier that merged with Orochi and managed to inherit an unforeseen power that allowed her to close off the paths this world has with the others, but she's effectively turned this world into an island while banishing the others from interfering with this timeline. My support from the system and the others are gone and while that might sound nice for you and the Kansen, we are all locked in here with two unstable psycho bitches that are getting ready to…" She stopped, appearing as if something had caught her throat.
"To what, huh? Desmentle this world and use its properties for their own twisted gains?" She remembered the speech that those two had revealed after Tester went defiant and stealthily laid out their grand plan.
"Y-Yes. Observant as ever—"
"Drown in an endless chasm of salt water you bitch," angrily declared Alt in response to what had seemed like a blatant joke. She composed herself and inched closer menacingly. "You better start talking for the sake of both of us as you so richly proclaim."
Tester dejectedly looked down and showed remorse. "I... I... can't go into too much detail. While my connection with you is secured… the longer we talk the higher the chance of them finding out rises. Purifier even has keywords monitored that will instantly bring our secured wall down. I'll have to skirt around the main words so here goes. It has to do with what I was forced to hand her the last time you saw me."
"The towers that she mentioned…" Said Alt as she remembered Tester submitting to them when she handed over a key fragment.
The Siren nodded. "Four of them. Scattered near the major Kansen factions."
"How is that even possible for them to have built structures without the factions catching wind of it?"
"We… can move unseen when we want to. Their inception… has always been there. A failsafe from the system itself," said Tester.
"For their world to be born, they will use the corpse of this planet…" Said Alt to herself once again, trying to think of any solution to the situation. Unlike the others Sirens that wish to conquer this world, Purifier was dead set on making her own world. In hindsight, both situations provided ruination for humanity. She thought about Humanity. No place in her heart felt any attachment to humanity. However, the shipgirls valued humanity and she valued the shipgirls. If she was going to save the world, it would not be for humanity but for those she considered her friends.
Tester inched closer, sensing the despair and desperation from the carrier. She couldn't hold back a manipulative and pitiful grin that painted her as someone who never missed out on a chance to get her way. "There is only one way to stop her, and to postpone the destruction of this world."
Alt frowned, shooting her a glare and stepping back.
"Regain your sense of self and stop being this broken reflection of Enterprise. You are Observer. You have the means to remotely disable her if you only become your true self." Her expression became more animated and fearful, realizing that she had uttered a few words that she shouldn't have. In the heat of the moment, she didn't care as long as she got her point across.
If there was another word stronger than abhor then Tester would be the prime example of that word. "I refuse. I will never succumb to Observer or Enterprise. What I am now... I might be broken but at least this is me. At least this is someone I choose to be."
The Siren's world came crashing down and she took on an unhinged nature. She laughed in pure delusional sorrow. "How sad to see you fall this far!"
"Speak for yourself. At least I have no strings on me," fired Alt.
Tester had lost it. She already uttered words she shouldn't have and she was already pushing her luck by raising her voice. Realizing that she had nothing else left, she couldn't hide the anger she oozed out of her evil smirk. "Hehe, we all have strings, Observer. Some are more visible than others. Whether you like it or not, we all have our own parts to play in all this. I guess it doesn't matter what happens to me anymore!" She lunged at the archer with the unbridled rage of a wild beast.
Alt, once again, stood terrified by the realization that Tester could touch her. She desperately fired rapidly for an answer but only found a confusing void.
"If I'm destined to be a puppet for that fool, then I'm damn well going to make sure my last ounce of free will has meaning!"
From the sickening resolve of the Siren, Alt could understand that she was trying to impose her will onto her. "You're insane as her!"
Tester smiled evilly. "Nothing matters anymore except reconnecting this world back to the others. I don't care if those psycho twins feel my rebellion across the mainframe of theirs. You will be connected back to the Siren network even if it kills me! Only then will you come back as Observer and eradicate them!"
"I... won't!" It quickly became apparent that despite their physical exertion toward the other, this struggle ultimately relied more on willpower. Tester's gambit to mentally overpower her would have never worked. Alt was an independent pseudo-program no longer connected with the other Sirens. If she was a fragment of Observer, then a program such as Tester could never overpower anything akin to Observer. A curse such as that at least had its small benefits.
"As if I avoided merging with Enterprise only to merge with you. Don't make me laugh!" Defiantly mocked Alt.
Tester's eyes glowed red, her entire being vibrating with a neural warning that she had been discovered. Fear and despair no longer mattered to her anymore. She had no time left for that now. The next second that followed brought only an overheat of pain through her digital sense of self as Purifier's wrath came down upon her and turned her body rigid. The Siren screamed in agony from the interference, and her image started to flicker out of reality like static on a television.
Alt's body oddly started to feel a pressure of resistance all around her. Trained on the Siren, the only logical sense for this feeling resided toward the Siren. Alt took this opportunity and pinned the Siren down. Her hands then went up to Tester's neck and she began to squeeze with all her might while still feeling the pushback as if Tester was emitting a force field against her.
She could touch her because this was all in her head. Her senses were being led to that conclusion and she refused to play this game more than it needed to. She was going to grant the swift release of death on the Siren, a death that she promised her if they ever saw each other again. The voices in her mind were silent, and she hardly cared if they agreed or disagreed with her actions. Tester needed to die—as a mercy kill and a personal matter for herself. No one deserved to be controlled like a puppet, even her enemies. A quick death was much better than Tester's consciousness returning to Purifier where she would be further used as a tool.
She didn't know what she had expected to see as Tester's final expression. Fear? Anger? Stoicness? Of all that she had imagined, she didn't foresee that the Siren would be smiling at her along with that intense evil light radiating from her eyes.
Reality began to distort as Tester's wicked hold on her perception weakened. The faint frantic cries of two female voices caused Alt's strength to falter and her eyes to widen. They were yelling for her to stop—begging.
Alt tried to shut them out, thinking it was Enterprise and the other entity within her mind that finally broke their silence and were communicating with her. The resistance around herself increased dramatically and she was pushed off of Tester—only this time, it wasn't Tester anymore.
In the blink of an eye, Tester's reality alteration ended and revealed that the person she had been strangling had been Zuikaku.
The crane gasped, filling her lungs with the rich air that tormentingly evaded her. Her hair had become undone and her white crane coat hung off her shoulders unkemptly. Her chest raised and lowered as her frightened eyes weakly turned to look at her.
Alt widened her eyes in horror, which glowed yellow this whole time without her knowing it. Only now did they finally return to their violet shade. The force field that she thought was holding her back was shockingly the sisters, Takao and Atago, who each held an arm as they pinned Alt on the ground.
"Stop! Alt… please, don't do this." Takao's worry and tears poured out in volumes.
"I… I…" Shame and fear flashed across Alt who emotionally shut down and couldn't respond in defense of her horrible actions.
Atago, whose determination and composure hadn't weakened that much compared to her sister spoke. "You weren't seeing things correctly. You were clutching your head and shouting in pain the name Tester. The three of us heard it and Zuikaku rushed to you before my sister and I could."
The crane exchanged a silent stare at the archer as she continued to massage her throat which showed visible red marks. All Alt could do was stare in horror and dread at her actions that almost killed the brown-haired swordswoman.
Personally, I like this chapter, and adding Shinano to it had been something that I wanted to do for a while. I believe I have about three chapters or maybe four left to go before I can wrap up this story to where I envision it would conclude. Hope to do it justice and I'll see you all at the next one.