A/N: That's right, still alive.
Sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter. It's a little longer than normal, but I hope you guys like it.
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A few days had passed since McKenzie had arrived and even though there were some minor hiccups, the Maple had seemingly settled into his new role just fine.
His first week had een spent touring the base and familiarizing himself with some of the more notable ship girls. He listened to Langley's concerns about the Academy and her fears that it could become short staffed. He attended tea parties with Queen Elizabeth and some of the more senior members of her court, all the while discussing recent Siren Activity.
He worked with Master Mikasa to crate new modules for up coming training exercises/live fire drills and prior to her departure, attended a tea ceremony with Nagato. But of course, there were also mountains of paper work which needed to be done. As well as reporting to his superiors on the mainland about the status of the base. Ever since the Orochi incident, the normally autonomous Azur Lane had many keeping a closer eye on the organization and there were those who wanted more "regulation" and Oversight on the organization.
But all through this, Prince of Wales had been at McKenzie's side helping him settle into his position, as well as guiding him as he familiarized himself with the base and its residents. To a casual observer, it would seem that the KGV Battleship was just carrying out her duties as his secretary and they would not be wrong. As she did carry out said duties both diligently and professionally. But to those who knew the Battleship, they could clearly tell that Wales had been acting rather strangely ever since McKenzie arrived. Nothing overly obvious, but the Royal Knight seemed a bit... off.
But even though McKenzie had managed to accomplish alot in his first week, there was still one matter he still needed to deal with. One he was still at a loss for.
No one outside of the Sakura Dorms had seen the infamous pair that was Kaga and Akagi since their initial arriva. As the two Fox Sisters had made no attempts to leave their assigned quarters, nor had anyone made an attempt to interact with the pair. As Many of the Sakura ship girls had opted to avoid the infamous sisters, a task made easier since the pair now resided in a small Sakura style house. Which was located about one hundred meters away from the main dormitory building, thus isolating the pair from the rest of their home fleet.
Their betrayal during the Orochi Incident was still fresh in the minds of many within the Sakura fleet and many believed this isolation now was for the best. No one, apart from Mikasa, had made any attempts to interact with the "banished" pair. As she would usually bring them food, a task which was shared with the resident Manjuu. But other than that, both Kaga and Akagi had made no attempts to interact with the outside world.
Within the home itself the former flagships of the Empire's fleet, did what they could to pass the time. As well as keep their minds off the fact that they had basically been exiled to the base by Nagato herself. Or at least, that is what they believed.
Kaga herself, had gotten into the habit of passing a broom thought the house and washing both her and her sister's clothes by hand. All the while making sure what ever trash they created was thrown out before it could cause an issue. Akagi, for her part, just stayed out of her sister's way. Though she too would help out with the daily chores if Kaga asked. Usually, she would just remain locked in her room alone. Something which did not go unnoticed by her sibling.
Kaga knew that at the end of the day, both she and Akagi were to blame for the situation they were in. They had both willingly agreed to ally themselves with the Sirens and ultimately betray the very same Empire they had sought to protect. Actions which had very nearly caused them to be retired, only narrowly avoiding being sent to the Breakers. But now they were in exile with no idea just when they would be able to return home, or if their fellow ship mates would welcome them back.
A sudden knock at the door broke Kaga out of her self imposed trance. She had been cleaning up as per usual when she heard the knock, and upon opening the door, she saw a pair of Manjuu holding up a large wooden box. Sighing heavily, the White Fox girl took the box inside and rested it on the table.
"Beef Ramen." Kaga groaned, she began to take out her and her sister's dinner for that evening. This delivery had also become part of their daily routine, as they were still more or less confined to their house. As a result they had been reviving food deliveries via the Manjuu for the last week and unfortunately, dinner for that entire week had been Beef Flavored Ramen.
It wasn't that it was bad Ramen, but would it have killed them to send something else?
Shaking her head, Kaga took one of the sealed Ramen bowls to her Sister's room. Sliding the door open, Kaga was pleased to see that her sister had continued to keep her room clean, but the air was thick with incense. In the center of the room, laying on a futon and completely covered by a blanket, was the inert form of Akagi. The woman was not dead, as Kaga had seen her helping out around the home. But the White Fox had indeed noticed a change in her sister since leaving the Sakura Empire.
It was not noticable from the outside, but Kaga knew her sister well enough to know just when something was wrong with her. Unfortunately, Kaga also knew that Akagi was not the type to let anyone know if something was indeed troubling her and would not open up so easily.
"Akagi, dinner is here."
"Leave it there, I'll eat it when I'm ready." Akagi replied, not making any attempt to face her sister.
With a defeated sigh, Kaga just left the Beef Ramen at the side of her sister, before exiting her room.
Kaga just shook her head sadly as she slid the door shut. It really did pain her to see Akagi that that. But what made things worse, was the fact that it had been almost a week since their arrival and the new Commander had yet to call upon them. It some ways Kaga was glad that they were being left alone, but it also made her anxious as well.
Just what did the Shikkikan have planned for her and Akagi? Would they remain inactive or would he deploy them when he was ready? There were so many questions, but no answered.
All Kaga could do at this point, was make her way back to her room to enjoy her bowl of Ramen. Unfortunately for her, she would just have to wait to see what the future held.
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Sundays at the Base were no more different that every where else in the world. It was a day when most ship girls, who were not deployed on Patrols or other activities, would spend their time relaxing with their fellow fleet members. Most notably the Vanguard Academy would be closed on this day, thus allowing both faculty and students alike to relax.
On one of the beaches located on the far side of the base, a small beach party was being held by some of the Eagle Union and Royal Navy ship girls. A fire pit had been dug out in the sand for the BBQ that would take place later that day, while a volley ball game was taking place not to far away between some cruisers and destroyers.
But not everyone used this time to socialize with their fellow shipmates, or in this case, subordinates. As there was one individual who had other plans on his first day off as Commander.
Pulling into a small clearing and switching off the engine, McKenzie got out of his car with back pack in hand. Now dressed in a pair of fire hose pants, a green Tee-Shirt and a base ball cap, McKenzie was gonna spend his day hiking on one of the many trails that criss crossed the interior of the main island.
McKenzie would have invited Wales to come along with him, but the KGV Battleship had been such a help to him this past week he decided to let her enjoy her day off. Besides, he doubted the Royal Navy Battleship would like to spend her day off following him in the woods.
Taking a sip of water from his back pack, he began his trek with the intent on returning in a few hours. His first week as Commander had been more taxing than he had originally thought it would be. Apart form meeting with the other "Senior" members of the combined Azur Lane/Red Axis fleets, McKenzie also had mountains of paperwork to sort through. Numerous reacquisition forms, reports from recent patrols, even trying to create new fleets and assigning them to areas to patrol... All of which had to be done to ensure smooth operations at the base.
It also did not help that a certain Sakura Empire Aircraft Carrier had taken an apparent interest in him. Resulting in him trying his very best to avoid interacting with her for the last few days. Fortunately, Wales had helped him with his Taihou Problem and it was no longer a issue ...
{ Meanwhile, somewhere in the base, a very frightened Taihou was trying he very best to flee a certain Eagle Union Submarine that was shooting her with a water gun}
After this first week, McKenzie knew he need this break and a trip into the hills was what the doctor ordered. The fresh air and being surrounded by nature was what he needed to clear his head after his first week.
Eventually, he came upon a clearing which had several Deer grazing within it. Seeing an opportunity, the Commander took out his DSLR Camera from back pack, just as one if the larger Bucks came closer to his position.
It was too perfect... surrounded by nature in the hills and a Wild but seemingly friendly Deer was just a few meters away. Raising his camera to his face, McKenzie took a moment to focus in on his target before...
~Click Click~
"Perfect." he said quietly, happy that he was able to get the images he wanted. But no sooner had he lowered his camera, A large arrow struck the deer in it's head and the poor feel to the ground dead. The other Deer quickly ran back into the forest while a now stunned McKenzie stood there with him mouth agape. His right eye starting to twitch as he looked on at the dead creature before him, the arrow still embedded in it's skull as a pool of blood began to form under it.
"Got him!" a female voice said triumphantly, "Thought you could get away, didn't you?"
This broke McKenzie out of his stupor, as he soon saw a woman with dark skin, holding a large bow and was wearing attire that reminded him of those worn by First Nation women back in the Monarchy... but more revealing
"Oh, Commander!" Minneapolis gasped in surprise, as she had not noticed him until now. "I'm sorry if I startled you."
"Uh... yea ..." McKenzie stuttered out, as he watched the Heavy Cruiser rip her arrow out of the now dead animal. "Um... what are you doing?"
"Oh, just hunting." She replied casually. as she began to skin the dead animal with her hunting Knife. "I've been tracking this guy for a few days now, he thought he could get away from me, but he thought wrong!"
"Oh ... okay..." McKenzie replied. "So... you hunt while not on Patrol?"
"Yep! This area is actually apart of my hunting grounds." Minneapolis replied, as she continued to skin her latest trophy. "What are you doing up here?"
"Oh I was just trying to enjoy nature." McKenzie muttered out, trying not to gag at the sight before him.
"Oh well... then you should head over to the Secondary Ridge" Minneapolis replied, pointing in it's direction. "It's not apart of my hunting grounds and and you can see the whole island from the top. Besides, it's not safe to hike here alone since I have many traps set around the area."
"Oh... okay. Duly noted, thanks." And with that, McKenzie turned around and went back the way he came. Though at this point he had lost his interest in hiking that day and decided to head back home instead.
Leaving Minneapolis alone to finish cleaning her latest kill for that day.
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Night had once again fallen over the Base, as a lone figure left her room and made her way out of the home she shared with her sister.
Kaga had long since gone to sleep, making it easy for Akagi to sneak out without her sister catching her. It was something Akagi had done many times before back in the Empire, but this would time she would be doing so since her apparent exile. In fact, it would be the first time she would be leaving her and her sister's quarters since their arrival.
During her time, the Fox woman had spent most of her time in her room lost in her own thoughts. Only coming out to help her sister with the daily chores, which only occured when Kaga asked for her help.
Seeing that there was no one around, Akagi left her house and with a sudden burst of speed, ran into the near by forest. The cold night air biting at her exposed skin, as the former member of the First Carrier Division made her way through the wooded area. The lights of the Sakura Dorms slowly fading away, as Akagi continued her run.
For Akagi, it was like she was a cub all over again with Kaga. As the pair would occasionally sneak out of their rooms at night, just to play in one of the many ponds and/or streams that were near their home base. Sure they would sometimes get in trouble for it and Amagi was not always so forgiving in her punishments. But for Akagi, it was always worth the risk.
Risk... For Akagi, taking risks was what kept her going. She loved the thrill it gave her, taking risks and the rewards afterwards were almost always worth it. It was no wonder that during the war, both herself and Kaga willingly took on missions that were considered to be dangerous.
They took risks with every deployment and everytime victory was theirs. Victories with earned them the moniker of "The Unrivaled Ones" within their own ranks and the other factions.
Maybe it was no surprise that the pair ultimately decided to do what they did. Actively calling for the use of Siren Technology to finally defeat the invaders, all the while pushing for a conflict with both the Royal Navy and Eagle Union. It was another Risk, with the reward being the ultimate destruction of the Siren threat, as well as making the Empire thee ultimate power in the world... but that did not happen.
In the end, the pair would betray their nation by working with the very same enemy they swore to destroy. The risk they had taken had not worked in their favor, resulting in the disbandment of the First Carrier Division and their exile. Despite wanting to lash out at the Sirens for her current situation, Akagi had to accept the fact that in the end... it was all her fault.
Pushing for a war with Azur Lane, the use of Siren Technology... even serving the very Enemy they hated... it was all her fault. Amagi would have been so disappointed in her, if she were still here.
Eventually Akagi made it one of the many points that overlooked the harbour. The lights of the many ships illuminating their super structures and hulls, as the vessels sat quietly in port.
As her eyes gazed upon the vessels in port, Akagi eventually caught sight of two aircraft carriers that were just sitting just outside the port entrance and were completely cloaked in darkness. They sat alone and far away from the rest of the ships, as their anchors prevented the from being carried off by the ocean currents.
Despite her face not showing any emotions, Akagi could feel the shame and guilt eating her alive. The sight of her and her sister's ships being kept away from the rest of the fleet, was a harsh reminder of her new standing amongst the other Ship Girls.
For a moment, the Silhouette of what looked like a Battle Cruiser came out of the darkness and came along side Akagi's ship. As the sent of perfume, one she has not smelled in a very long time and brought back memories from her youth. For a moment, she felt as if someone was standing right behind her but when she looked, Akagi saw that she was still quite alone and when she turned back, the "Battle Cruiser" was gone.
The wind soon began to pick up and the cold night air began to bite at her skin one again. Losing her desire to remain out, Akagi slowly turned around and made her way back into the tree line.
It was time to return to her Exile.