Akitsu Maru slowly opened the doors to the warehouse, making sure to be as quiet as possible as she did. It had only been a matter of days since her escape from the capitol, but she had to get her equipment back since the equipment that appeared for her that day disappeared shortly after.
Slowly walking through the warehouse in the darkness, Akitsu Maru made her way to the back corner that had been her own. She could barely make out some tape and fencing around it, but it was understandable that it would be cordoned off.
Sneaking past the fencing Akitsu Maru looked over her desk and the area around it, but nothing was there, not even the tiny stub of a pencil she had been keeping out of not wanting to waste it. Nothing was left, not her equipment, the box she kept them in, or anything.
With a dejected sigh Akitsu Maru carefully walked over to and climbed up the ladder to her loft, hoping that her futon and chest were still there. She wouldn't be able to take her futon with her, but she was hoping her clothing would be there.
Her loft looked like it had been through a hurricane. Her futon was literally in multiple pieces lying all over, and her chest of clothing was busted open. Her clothing was all over the place in no order, and even her undergarments were strewn everywhere, telling her that even they had been looked through. She understood why they would be, but from the way they were all over she could tell it hadn't been a girl that had gone through her clothing, making her feel rather invaded.
Sighing to herself quietly Akitsu Maru grabbed her clothes and folded as many sets as she could, carefully stuffing them into the bag she had brought with her that had been tied around her waist. Quickly tying the string threw it down off the loft, and climbed down.
She hadn't worried about the noise her bag could make, her clothes had no metal on them after all, and cloth hardly made noise when it fell even from a height, but she soon regretted it as she turned away from the ladder, and saw the silhouette of a person standing there.
"A little late isn't it, Akitsu Maru?" The familiar voice said happily as he lifted a small lamp and lit it, revealing the supervisors face.
"Ah, supervisor . . . this, isn't what it looks like I-"
The supervisor raised his free hand, silencing Akitsu Maru as he waved for her to follow as he turned and began walking toward the back of the warehouse. Following him Akitsu Maru soon found the two of them down the side of the warehouse where the bulk Bauxite was kept, and noticed a crate with a label on it, spelling bauxite completely wrong. Before she could say anything the supervisor placed the lamp on the floor and picked up a crowbar that sat beside the crate, using it to quickly wrench the front off of it with practiced skill. As the crates front fell with a heavy but dulled thud he took up the lamp and lifted it towards the crate illuminating its insides, and Akitsu Maru's equipment that sat inside of the crate.
"A few hours after you left some officials appeared demanding to see where you kept your own personal effects. I felt that it would have been best to keep them busy and did so by having them wait while the warehouse calmed down. We couldn't move all of your stuff, but I figured your equipment would be the one of the few things you would never want to misplace, so we hid them here where the officials would not look." The supervisor said with a smile, though it was hard to make out in the lamplight.
"But, why?" Akitsu Maru asked after a moment, small tears forming around the corners of her eyes.
The supervisor smiled and set the lamp on top of the crate as he turned to Akitsu Maru, "because all of us know what kind of person you are. You would never betray anyone, and everything you do is for everyone's good. We couldn't possible believe the official story of you being a spy, just the idea was ridiculous."
"I, thank you, thank you so much!" Akitsu Maru said as she began sobbing the tears sliding off her face and onto the floor.
"I can tell you've been through a lot, and I can guess as to what is really going on. Just promise me one thing, okay? Stick to your values, and don't let anyone tell you they are wrong, okay?"
Akitsu Maru wiped her eyes and nodded, "Of course."
"Good. I need to head home before my wife kills me. Keep yourself safe, alright?" The supervisor called, as he walked away, leaving Akitsu Maru alone in the lamplight with her equipment. Her supervisor always believed in her, everyone at the warehouse district had always believed her.
Taking her equipment out of the crate and donning it Akitsu Maru carefully reorganized her old area and left the warehouse, making sure it was the way she had found it. If anything was found out of place it would come back to the warehouses staff, and that would be no good.
Once she was sure of placement, Akitsu Maru leapt down off the docks with her bag of clothing and sped off out to the seas horizon.
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Leo Yomi was led down the halls of the Naval Headquarters with his hands chained behind his back. He was quickly led into a room where he found all of the admiralty board sitting before him, all of their faces grim and hallowed.
"Admiral Leo Yomi, you are here today to hear the charges held against you. These charges are, Dereliction of duty, Engaging in illegal and unapproved weapons development, Framing members of the IJN, and finally, manipulating information and protocol within the Navy. How do you plead before the emperor's name?"
Leo Yomi looked up at the admiralty board and took a deep breath before speaking, "I am guilty of nothing. Everything I have done has been for the inhabitants of Japan!"
The room was quiet for many moments as the one admiral sat down; glancing around at his fellows he sat beside. They all knew what had to be done.
An admiral near an end of the table stood up and tapped a small pile of papers on the table, looking toward Leo with nothing short of complete disproval. "Admiral Leo Yomi, I would ask you questions relating to the charge of you developing illegal weapons. You will answer honestly, do you understand?"
"Of course." Leo Said with a smile, "but I have done nothing out of bounds!"
"We shall see. After the events of last week R&D was looked into for security reasons. It was then found that R&D had been developing weapons to use against the abyssal fleets. Normally this would fall under R&D's regular operations and would not be a problem. However, it was further discovered, that one type of shell that was being developed was a shell akin to a weapon of mass destruction and such research endeavours are banned by international law. Is this true, Leo Yomi?"
Leo nodded his head slowly, never averting his eyes from the admiralty board. "Yes. My people were preparing to test the weapon in question as well. Any weapon that could destroy the Abyssals quickly would be a welcome addition to our power. This war needs to end."
"While we will agree with your final statement, that does not amend the fact that you were in the process of creating and testing weapons of mass destruction, weapons that R&D had been forbidden from doing research into regardless of the circumstance. What do you say?"
"I felt it was necessary to skirt the rules. If the shells I have been developing were to be successful, it would turn the tide of the war in our favour, we would absolutely destroy the abyssal, as we should. Rules that limit such endeavours are what has brought Japan to it's current situation!"
The admiralty board looked at each other with serious scowls; they clearly did not share Leo's thoughts on the matter, but could not speak up immediately.
"This is not directly related, but it is related so I will ask anyway." A young admiral near the table's edge suddenly said as he stood up. "When you went to test the said shells, it is stated in the R&D reports that the testing was cut shot due to abyssal readings in the area, yet it was also stated that three of those shells were somehow left behind. Why?"
"Those useless ships of mine dropped them in a panic, but the shells were later retrieved, so I fail to see the problem here." Leo replied, a smirk never leaving his lips.
"Yes, we read your report on that, but it does not coincide with a different report we have on that matter." An admiral near the table's center said calmly
"What? What other reports are there on the matter but my own?" Leo asked loudly, his tone tinged with surprise.
"That actually brings us to the other charges laid against you. The charges of framing a member of the IJN, and manipulating information and protocol. The LSC Ship girl Akitsu Maru gave a very different story when she was in captivity, captivity that was un-allowed I shall add."
"Un-allowed? I found proof that she was working with the abyss!" Leo screamed, his breathing starting to seem irregular and far quicker than it was before.
"So you say. However the report we acquired from Akitsu Maru before the attack on the Headquarters last week says otherwise. Your report states that the shells were found safety, hers however stats that you sent her, a supply ship, into enemy held territory to retrieve them. Did you not?"
Leo Yomi seemed to growl under his breath before speaking, "Yes, I sent her to retrieve them, and doing so was what allowed me to find out the truth, that she was working with the Abyssals!"
"Yes, with some more in depth searching we found your research documents stating such. However, we do not believe mere tiny reading on the shells would constitute her being with the abyss, especially when her own report was so much different than your own."
"And you would believe that scums words over my own?!" Leo demanded to know, his voice reverberating off the walls of the room as he roared.
Waiting a moment for Leo to calm down the an admiral spoke up, "Tell us Admiral Yomi, your report merely state that you found proof, then confirmed it and captured her for interrogation. What did you find to supposedly confirm your theory?"
Leo averted his gaze from the admirals before him as he spoke, an action that all of them noticed but said nothing about. "After I found the shells I knew I needed proof, so I sent her on a mission where the only way she would survive would be if she was an abyssal. I sent her out to watch enemy patrol routes, and sent a plane to watch her from high altitude. It witnessed her fall below the water's surface, and then hours later, she came back up, accompanied by an abyssal Hime! What other proof could be needed!?"
"So you willingly tried to sacrifice a high level, and highly needed member of the IJN that helps keep all of our bases functional. Correct?"
"Yes, such sacrifices must sometimes be made. Besides, weapons can be rebuilt with little difficulty!" Leo exclaimed, sounding very sure of his words.
"Then please tell us, when you questioned her in captivity, what did she say in her defence?"
" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It, it spun a fanciful story about how the abyssal were actually nice and had been under a monsters control. And such a story could only be spun to allow her escape!"
"Yes, we've heard the same story, and while some parts of it do sound, unlikely, the story itself does match up with the events of recent times, including the sudden and drastic change in the enemies tactics. Tell me Admiral Yomi, why did you have only certain admirals interrogate her when we should have been informed of her capture?" The admiralty boards head suddenly asked when he had been silent thus far.
Leo swallowed hard as he looked at the admiralty board head his voice stuttering slightly as he spoke. "T-that, I merely asked those who would not be swayed by false smiles, unlike you who would believe such stupidity!"
"Those admirals have already admitted to being bribed by you, and that you requested them to not write reports if she said differently." The admiralty board head said solemnly.
"W-what? That . . . . . how, how do you know all of this!?" Admiral Yomi roared in demand. "How do you know what that traitorous weapon reported anyway!?"
"We have our ways of finding out. What matters is that you were given information that now needs to be looked into. Even if it is wrong in any way, it will still prove useful."
"Indeed it will, but that brings us back to our first point." another admiral suddenly spoke up. "You have heard the charges against you, and the evidence to your inaction. Do you plead differently, Leo Yomi?"
"O- Of course not! I have done nothing wrong!" Leo yelled his voice shaking as he spoke.
All the admirals looked to each other and nodded one after another. "Very well, then your punishment will be carried out, so that we may work to fix the problems you have created, and look into the information brought to light."
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A soft ocean spray beat against a high cliff outside of Japan's capitol, moistening the rock as cheers reverberated throughout the countryside. Like a resounding roar they were heard throughout the entire country, and everyone knew what it meant.
The war was over. It had ended after decades and generations, and it was over.
Standing on the ocean sprayed cliff were the ones responsible; yet they would never be called heroes or saviors. They would never have statues raised to their deeds, they would never have their names sung in songs of the valiant or oppressed, and their names would never appear in history books to be read and spoken of.
They would never lead the lives of victors or kings, nor would their lives be those of the fallen or failed. Their lives would be those of everyone else, but would not be those of everyone else. Their lives simply, would be.
"It feels a bit strange, doesn't it?" Yamato said as the salt spray wind beat against her clothing, fluttering it's cloth about.
Akitsu Maru nodded, her completely white clothing flapping just as much as Yamato's did. "Yeah, it's been so long since we stood on Japans soil, but we're back, we are home. We're home."
Yamato nodded and shifted her stance, tapping her equipment on the ground with her foot "Yeah, it almost seems unreal. Thing are changing, and I wonder what will become of us, weapons without a war to fight in."
"Yes, we will have to find new places for all of us now. But I look forward to it." Akitsu Maru said with a big smile, larger and more vibrant than any she had ever shown before.
"You're not the only one who look forward to what is to come." Battleship Symbiotic Hime said loudly as she walked up the cliff's slope and stepped up to Akitsu Maru and Yamato's side; her dress was brilliantly white with golden accents, and the beast that she fought with was nowhere to be seen. Her horns were a blinding white as well, making her look almost like some sort of demon angel.
"Well, it would only make sense for you to look forward to it as well, right?" Yamato asked with a smile, "this will be a strange rebirth for you as well after all."
Battleship Symbiotic Hime nodded with a smile and stepped beside them, looking out to the ocean. "Yes, it will be strange to live on land when we had lived in the ocean for so long. And even stranger because we were born there. But I am looking forward to it. We are all looking forward to it."
"That's good. Everything we've worked for has led to this." Akitsu Maru stated strongly as the waved beat below them. "The war is over, and there is finally peace in Japan."
"Yes, but not everywhere. We Hime and Oni are, subjugated, for lack of a better term, but the beast continues to make Abyssals." Battleship Symbiotic Hime stated her tone serious and almost cold.
"True and it will be dealt with when the time comes, together!" Yamato stated with a grin.
"Yes, we'll deal with that problem when it comes to it, as Ship girls, Abyssal ships, and humans together. We'll change the world, together! "
Authors note: and that is the end of white skin, red hearts! I hope everyone has enjoyed it and the ideas it has shown.
I also hope everyone looked forward to my next kancolle fic, the sequel to the coalition fleet. Coalition fleet: fall of darkness, will be appearing in the next week or two, I hope to see you there!