Off Azure lane HQ's coastline, next morning.
Enterprise had just completed a patrol, she had fended off several PT boats that were clearly on scouting missions for Commodore Nico, fortunately all she had to do each time was show up and firmly order them to leave and they did. However one captain had the audacity to try and ram her, but she simply side stepped the craft and kicked it, making some of the crew, including the captain, fall overboard and yell insults at her. She had quickly left after that incident.
She was on her way to her favourite islet; to simply watch the rest of the island and relax. She rounded a rock and laid her eyes upon her destination: a small island with a white bell tower on it. She liked it for its peace and serenity, a place for her to attempt to quiet the cacophony of her near exclusively military thoughts and mind. Vestal and Belfast had both suggested she do this, but as often as she wanted and neither of them forced the issue, after all that would defeat its purpose.
However she narrowed her gaze slightly as she looked at the top of the bell tower, its normally empty cavity at the top now had a figure there, a very distinctively fluffy figure, that even from this distance Enterprise could see who it was without her telescopic vision.
"Akagi? What are you doing here?" She thought as she pulled up to the island, She de-manifested her rigging and made her way up the steps to the tower's top. While she never had a good relationship with Akagi, the American carrier had to admit she was impressed with her recent attempt to change for the better, even Vestal had high praises for the kitsune's new personality.
Enterprise made it to the tower's top and found Akagi sitting with her legs over the edge, looking over the strait between their islet and the main island. She looked over her shoulder at Enterprise, a solemn look on her face and barely reacting to her presence. Enterprise could also just see a bandage still wrapped around Akagi's midsection, just beneath her kimono.
"I don't normally see visitors up here, you mind if I join you?" The white haired carrier asked with a small smile. Akagi glanced aside for a moment, as if thinking, then she looked back at Enterprise and tilted her head in approval, but didn't change her expression. The American kansen already saw this as an improvement, she wasn't being immediately scowled at, talked down to or screamed at just for glancing at the Commander.
Enterprise sat down on the ledge next to Akagi, the fox girl looked back over the water with a neutral look. Enterprise looked over at the kitsune with some curiosity, trying to gauge what she might be feeling. She looked over the bandage and sighed.
"I'd ask if you're OK to be wondering outside of Medical with that, but that would be hypocritical of me." Enterprise told her jokingly. Akagi looked back at her before looking down at her bandage.
"Vestal told me to get some fresh air, I came out here since its quiet." Akagi explained to her. Enterprise smiled and nodded with her.
"I like it for that too, how are you feeling?" The American carrier asked. Akagi held the bandage and winced a little as she still felt the wound underneath pulse with pain. With a little annoyance in her voice she replied:
"I...I'm fine...I don't need your..." Akagi trailed off and sighed. "I'm sorry." She then stated softly, much to Enterprise's surprise. "I know I'm hurt and you're just looking out for me, but I'm OK, really." The fox woman added without looking at her. Enterprise nodded in affirmation, she then looked back across the water as she spoke again.
"I didn't see your duel with Wales since I was on patrol. But from what I heard from Vestal and the Commander; you were basically fighting for your life, I can't imagine what that feels like." Enterprise stated. She glanced back at Akagi's bandage, this made her flashback to the moment she and Akagi had a stand off in the mirror sea; when she had almost killed the kitsune while under the influence of her Meta self. Enterprise cringed a little at the memory, catching Akagi's attention.
"Grey gh- Enterprise..." Akagi corrected herself, The American woman gasped a little hearing Akagi say her actual name. Akagi glanced to the side as she spoke, almost embarrassed by what she was about to say. "I know we've kept each other at arms length since the last war, but...I want to... thank you." Enterprise raised an eyebrow at that statement, while appreciative of her kindness, she was confused at the kitsune's words.
Akagi then stood up, holding her injured midsection and wincing a little. Enterprise also stood up and gently grabbed her.
"Take it easy, you're still hur-" Enterprise was cut off by her own yelp as Akagi suddenly hugged her. She was taken completely off guard by the intimate act and almost toppled over. Fortunately Akagi held them both up and had Enterprise enveloped in her tails.
"You saved me from the sirens, you helped me say goodbye to Amagi and now you've got me closer to the Commander, there are no words to express my gratitude to you." Akagi pulled back a little to look into Enterprise's bemused eyes directly, her eyes becoming a little moist as she poured out her feelings. "I'm so sorry, for all those insults...the threats...I have no excuse for my actions..." The kitsune then unwrapped her tails from Enterprise and stepped back sniffling, she was about to turn away and leave, but Enterprise grabbed her hand, taking her by surprise somewhat.
"Its OK, you were a different person." The American carrier told her with a smile. "Everyone is saying good things about you Akagi, whatever it is you're doing its working, that's all the apology I need." Enterprise looked back over the water towards the island as she kept speaking. "When you really think about it, you and I are not so different, we both lost an older sister, many of our camp used to fear us, and we'd both do anything to protect those closest to us."
Akagi followed Enterprise's gaze to the island, thinking about those words. She tightly closed her eyes as she thought about her terrible past and her own actions because of it.
"I've held so much hatred for so long, I just felt so...angry at the Admiralty for forcing us to downsize our forces...Amagi...she didn't need to be scrapped for such a flimsy excuse!" Akagi clenched her free hand into a fist as she spoke through gritted teeth. Enterprise squeezed her hand in reassurance, a non-verbal reminder she wasn't alone. This seemed to be enough to calm the fox girl down, her body relaxed and she let out a long sigh as she opened her eyes.
"I'm OK...I know now I couldn't have done anything...Amagi wouldn't want me to stay angry and bitter over her death...she'd want me happy, to be here for Kaga, the Commander, the Sakura Empire and all of Azur lane." Akagi mused, a small tear rolling down her cheek as she gave a small smile. She looked back at Enterprise and grabbed her other hand, the American kansen was a little confused, but not objecting to the friendly contact as she smiled back.
"I'm happy for you, to have found happiness again after so much pain...its actually beautiful to see." Enterprise's voice actually broke for a second and she gasped feeling a tear roll down her cheek. Akagi saw it and giggled a little.
"Don't tell me the Eagle Union's strongest ship has a softer side~" Akagi teased, her normal playful tone returning. Enterprise glared back at her, wiping away the tear.
"S-shut up! I wasn't cr-" Akagi interrupted Enterprise with her tails again, wrapping her up in them and holding her in place. As Enterprise wriggled in her fluffy prison, Akagi spoke up again.
"Oh don't try to keep up the tough girl act, you think you can listen to me pour my heart out like this and NOT feel something? You silly girl~" Akagi giggled. She gently held Enterprise's face and leaned in closer, their hot breaths heating up the other's face with their proximity.
"Akagi...what are yo-" Enterprise then gasped shakily feeling Akagi's thumb slowly run along her tear stained cheek as she held her head tenderly, the Asian fox gave a small giggle watching her blush.
"Its OK, tell me what you're holding in, I won't judge you." Akagi told her kindly. Enterprise flashed back again, still seeing Akagi fall into the see after her near-fatal attack. She looked down at her bandage again and whimpered a little. Fresh tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Akagi's recent change, coupled with her much friendlier approach to her was too much for the Eagle union girl.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Enterprise suddenly blurted out, her normally stoic voice regressing into that of an upset teenager. She hugged a very confused Akagi closely, crying her eyes out onto her shoulder. Keeping to her word, Akagi just hugged her back, no judgement, no annoyance, just a kind and reassuring hug.
"I almost killed you...and your sister...even though we were enemies at the time I...I can't unsee what I did...you have good reason to hate me...but...I hope you understand that i'm...so...so sorry!" Enterprise choked as she confessed her true feelings about her actions. The whole time Akagi held nothing but genuine sympathy for the American carrier. Had this happened any sooner she would have pointed and laughed. But she stayed quiet while rubbing Enterprise's back.
"Its OK Enterprise...I forgive you too." Akagi stated, her own tears returning as the two of them poured out their feelings to each other. Both carriers pulled back from the hug and shared a teary look for a moment, realising for the very first time that the other truly wasn't an enemy any more. They both smiled and wiped their tears away, feeling much happier and lighter with their guilt and sadness lifted.
"L-Lets agree to never tell the others about this, neither of us will hear the end of it otherwise." Enterprise suggested, chuckling nervously.
"Never hear the end of what?" A new voice suddenly chimed in. Both carriers yelped hearing the new voice and wheeled around to see Hornet standing at the top of the steps with a smug look on her face.
"H-how long were you standing there sis?!" Enterprise demanded all flustered and beet red from embarrassment. Hornet chuckled a little before replying.
"Oh long enough hear you two almost confess your love to each other." Hornet teased with an eyebrow waggle. Both Akagi and Enterprise both screamed at that and jumped away from each other, both brushing down their clothes in disgust as Hornet looked on laughing hysterically.
The hot springs
The Commander blushed deeply as FDG was leading him to this building, none of the kansen actually cared if he saw them naked, in fact many of them WANTED him to see them naked, he was still embarrassed to use this facility himself. He normally used his personal bathroom for this kind of thing, but FDG insisted he come here today; objecting to the amount of work he was putting himself through.
"Um...Der Grosse is this really necessary? I do still have wor-"
"My child please don't fret about your job today, you need this more." FDG interrupted, her motherly tone commanding attention from the young man as they walked in. "If it makes you feel better, the place is quiet right now, don't worry~" She added in an almost teasing tone. The Commander actually felt MORE worried hearing that, since he knew the older kansen could be very...forward whenever he was alone with them.
As they walked in, they saw two kitsunes getting undressed in the locker room, while very similar to Akagi and Kaga in that they had nine tails and triangular fox ears, these two seemed taller, longer tails and had even bigger...personalities.
One was changing out of a simple black and purple Kimono with a large purple gem just under her cleavage and nothing on her legs. She had long black hair and tails, with a tinge of purple flowing through them and light brown eyes, she had a confident yet friendly smile on her face. The other woman was changing out of a much more stylistic blue, black and white kimono and white stockings, She had long silver hair and dark blue eyes, she seemed a little out of it, possibly tired, but also smiled.
"Greetings Commander, its not often I see you here in the springs, are you in need of relaxation? You shouldn't be ashamed of such a need you know." The dark haired fox told him warmly, her tone wise and smooth as she spoke. Even in her current state of undress, the Commander found her voice relaxing to listen to.
"Thanks Musashi, FDG here insisted I come down, since things have been especially hectic lately." The Commander replied, nervously rubbing the back of his head looking up at her. Most of the kansen were either shorter than him or the same height as the Commander, so being surrounded by taller women was very strange for him. The other fox woman gave a small yawn before speaking up.
"Warm water is always good for the soul, it feels nice to just allow your worries to fade away, if only for a moment~" She stated in a slow, tired, almost longing voice. Again the Commander felt relaxed and safe hearing her speak, these taller foxes always had soothing things to say. He sighed contently, almost forgetting they were both naked in front of him.
"Shinano...did you not get any sleep again?" The Commander asked her, a little worried about her sleep patterns. He'd found her sleeping in various places around the port from time to time, desks, benches, grass and even tree branches like a cat. Once he'd found her with Laffey, also asleep, cradled in her lap and wrapped in her tails, a very cute sight he had to admit.
"Ooh...this one is OK Commander, I napped before coming here, but I appreciate that you care~" Shinano replied, taking the Commander's hand, making the young man blush.
"Well Commander, you're clearly in capable hands; I'll handle your duties while you relax." FDG winked before leaving the Commander with the two soothing kitsunes. Realising too late the implications of what FDG had done, he looked over his shoulder to the door.
"Der Grosse wait! I-" Before he could finish, Shinano and Musashi both pulled him over to the lockers. Their calming voices, fluffy tails and gentle touches eroding his will-power.
"Its OK Commander; you don't need to worry about anything for now, not even your own needs." Musashi told him, she gently held his arms above his head while Shinano dragged his clothes off.
"L-look ladies...you...you really don't-" He started to say before Shinano placed a finger on his lips and smiled kindly at him.
"Hush Commander~ please don't object, we want to do this for you." She stated in that mesmerizing dreamy voice of hers. The Commander was borderline hypnotized as the women stripped him and took him to the baths. Once inside, Musashi entered the steaming water, moaning a little with how warm it was. She motioned to the Commander, who was using what little will-power he had left to cover his junk, to follow her in. Shinano stepped in too, also sighing in bliss at the water's temperature. The Commander was now sandwiched between the two busty fox women as they both leaned on him.
"Mmmm~ it feels so nice with you Commander...this one is glad you came with us~" Shinano told him smoothly. She was running her hands up and down his hips and thighs in a massaging manner, her tails wrapped around his ankles and shins under the water, somehow they still felt fluffy even immersed in fluid.
"Please tell us Commander, what is troubling you to cause so much anxiety and stress?" Musashi asked kindly as she gave him a shoulder rub, her own tails coiled around his midsection. Despite the very sensual and intimate nature of this situation, the Commander kept his cool, but he allowed himself to relax and let the fox girls work the tension out of him.
"Its Nico...i'm just worried that... if he tries something, he'll put his men at risk, I don't want that kind of blood on my hands if I can avoid it." He confessed. Shinano gently cupped his chin and smiled sympathetically.
"Your concern for the lives of others is what we love about you Commander, its what makes you different from him." She soothed, caressing his cheek lovingly, making him blush from the familiar action.
"Your desire to not harm those who do not need to harmed shows your wisdom Commander, however if those who serve under Nico can't see that, then they deserve no better than him." Musashi added, rubbing the hot water down his back and shoulders as she talked. The Commander sighed happily, allowing himself to relax as both kitsunes kept up their massage in the hot bath. His pressure and stress melting away under their soft touch.
"I can get through this, I just need a plan to get Nico to leave or his men on my side, but that can wait...FDG is right...i've been working too hard~" The Commander thought to himself.