Mediate

Daisuke winces as the door to his office slams hard enough that he wouldn't be surprised if it was heard halfway across the base. He is immensely thankful for the lateness of the hour and that he sent Nagato and Mutsu out to pick up some notes for some communiques he was going to have to deal with later, because Akagi's stomping as she flees the building isn't the end of the issue. With her sister in arms no longer present, Kaga then lets loose with both barrels.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Are the two of you insane! Leaving aside who she is, you want to make a kanmusu as new as her Mobile Unit Five's flagship."

Beside him Kongou bristles, though thankfully holds her tongue even as Daisuke does his best to quash his own disbelief and frustration at the situation. For all that Kaga is normally cool, calm and collected, when her emotions run, they have an unfortunate tendency to run hot.

"Yes actually, I am."

"Why?"

"Because apparently she's the only one who can keep things functioning for more than five minutes!"

Daisuke sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and cursing his own momentary loss of his temper as he paces behind his desk.

"I never expected her to lead. Damnit, I figured you or Kongou would pick up the position. Aside from the odd Rapid Response mission, Mobile Unit Five is supposed to be a vacation posting in all but name, while Truk builds up and the fleets rotate through shore-leaves and prepare for the next phase of operations."

"It is not my fault Zuikaku refuses to follow orders."

Kongou rolls her eyes, and Daisuke prepares for the inevitable exchange of fire, seeing as the battleship appears to be taking the kids-gloves off for this.

"Maybe she would if you didn't look down on them all the time."

"I do not look down on them. They simply have room to improve."

"It's hard to improve when all you hear is cutting critique and declarations of superiority. Would it kill you to give them a "good job" for once?"

"They do not need to be babied. Zuikaku, for all her faults-"

"Is now in the same unit as us instead of Akagi, and "because reasons" we can't tell her why, or who we're supposed to actually be looking after."

"Well maybe that would be easier if you had remembered there is a time and a place for acting the fool earlier-"

"Alright you two, that's enough!"

Leaving his position behind the desk, Daisuke thumbs at a screen on the wall showing UAV footage and fairy observation plane captured pictures of the battle.

"Playing the blame game isn't going to change the fact that Fubuki legitimately made the grade and generally called all the right shots."

Seeing Kaga about to protest, he sighs and holds up a hand to quieten her.

"Look, I can't not in good faith just step back for a moment and examine my options with just, and only just, the admiral's cap on. While the two of you may be more experienced and have the credentials, unless you can get Mobile Unit Five to work as a cohesive whole under either of your commands, I have no official reason to strip Fubuki of the position as long as her judgment and leadership remain sound in the field, or until you can somehow prove you can do better despite the leadership issue."

Daisuke grimaces and glances at the abused door Akagi previously fled through.

"Nor can I just sideline her or leave the Unit in port doing nothing. The two of you and Zuikaku are too important to hold in reserve for very long, and Fubuki is improving so rapidly and has been on so many missions now that her capabilities as a Special Type are finally beginning to show through. With no real excuses as to why I should hold her back, my hands are tied!"

A feeling like defeat almost begins to creep up on him as he sinks into his chair.

"At this point, experience and doctrine suggests that the best option now might actually be to start getting her into more battles, or at least lots of little skirmishes she can actually win, in the hopes that she can eventually gain a remodel and get stronger."

Kaga stares for a moment, before the fire ignites once more in her eyes.

"Really?! That it? That's your plan. "Sink or swim," and pray what doesn't kill her makes her stronger!"

"Kaga-"

"No! Do you expect me to tell Akagi that this is your plan!"

"Yes, I expect you to tell her that that is the best I can come up with at this immediate moment."

"You could be dropping her in way over her head for all you know!"

"Considering my job, I'd like to think I have a damn good idea what I'm dropping you girls into every time I send someone out."

"That someone is Akagi's daughter!"

"And her daughter is my niece as well remember! The only connection I have left to not just Haruki, but any sort of blood-family at all!"

A touch on his arm suddenly makes Daisuke realize he has somehow ended up out of his chair and on his feet as something ugly coils in his chest. Looking at Kongou and seeing the mix of concerned emotions in her eyes, the anger fades, and is instead replaced by a heaviness that makes him feel twenty years older.

He lost his temper. He let his emotions get the better of him.

He fucked up.

Letting out a tired sigh, and sinking back into his chair, he notes that Kaga looks equally disappointed in herself. The two of them probably look like deflated balloons now that their respective angers have run their course and been vented.

"I... I'm sorry Admiral... that... I was out of line Daisuke."

Feeling Kongou's comforting grip on his shoulder, Daisuke can only look back at Kaga and shakes his own head tiredly.

"No. You are right, and I shouldn't have blown up like that either, I just..."

Sighing and racking his brain for a solution other than the one he has already come up with for the 'nth time in a row, finally he admits an at least temporary defeat.

"Look, it's getting late anyway and maybe by the time morning-" a glance at the clock tells him it actually already is morning. "By the time some slightly more reasonable hour rolls around, something about the situation might change enough to provide a new solution less likely to worry Akagi out of her mind."

He doesn't miss the quiet scoff Kongou gives at the obvious implication of continued secrecy, but thankfully it's an argument the three of them have all had more than enough of, and are especially not eager to restart so close on the heels of a preceding shouting match set around the heart of the same issue.

"I shall turn in then, and tell Akagi that you will hopefully have a different solution by morning."

As Kaga turns on her heel, Daisuke can't help but tiredly admit "I hope so too". Kaga pauses for a moment, before then closing the door behind her.

Then it's just Kongou and himself.

"Any particular reason you let her become flagship on purpose? And please don't tell me it's not because you thought it would give her confidence in her abilities or something."

The British-returnee gives a rather unladylike snort but thankfully remains in "serious-mode", even as she somehow procures a thermos of tea from somewhere.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it, but honestly, if I wanted to only do that, it would be a heck of a lot safer for her if I was flagship."

Daisuke sighs and sips at his drink as Kongou pours her own.

"So then that begs the question of what other reason could you possibly think flaking out of the job was a good idea."

Kongou grins, though it is also one tinged slightly with saddened empathy.

"The real reason is that Akagi needs to see that Fubuki can handle herself. Yes, she's still got a way to go and may make the odd mistake every now and again, but I think Akagi needs to realize that Fubuki is made of sterner stuff than she thinks, especially when she has her friends to help, comrades to rely on, and a goal in mind."

Daisuke nods in sad resignation at the fact that he actually sort of agrees with that logic.

"Unfortunately that goal currently happens to be to find her parents and 'get sempai' to notice her."

"Yeah..."

Daisuke gazes out the window silently, imagination, uncertainty and fear proving to be as interesting a combo as always.

"...At this point it's going to be a trainwreck when she finally finds out."

Downing the last of her tea, Kongou smiles slightly.

"Not if I can help it."

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.