"God damn it!" Isaac yelled as he slammed his fist against his desk repeatedly, the red marks slowly giving way to broken skin and bruises.
"I should have stopped her. I shouldn't have let her go alone. I could have sent half the fleet to storm Pearl. I could have done something damn it!" Isaac lamented, angry with himself for his textbook fuck-up.
"Commander, please calm down." Norfolk said as she appeared in his room.
"No, Norfolk. I practically sent her on a suicide mission. This is my fault." Isaac said as a slight dizziness creeped into his mind.
"Commander, please, you need to calm down, you are beginning to hyperventilate." Norfolk said as she noticed the color leaving Isaac's face.
"I.. could have... stopped her." Isaac said as he put his hands on the desk, tears streaming down his face.
"Commander. Please, I am begging you, sit down and relax. You're going to pass out at this rate." Norfolk said as her words would soon prove prophetic as Isaac fell to the floor, his breathing raspy and shallow.
"Shit." Norfolk muttered as she disappeared from his room, going to find the nurses in their quarters.
"He worries... his charge thought lost. He weeps but knows not the truth. This one will show him. He must have faith. He must believe." A much clearer female voice filled Isaac's head. He opened his eyes at the sound, but saw nothing but black.
"What the... Hello?" Isaac asked as he stood and looked around.
"Oh? This is unexpected. But it has happened before, not here, elsewhere..." The voice sounded as if it was coming from many directions all at once.
"I died... didn't I? I hit my head and bled out?" Isaac asked as he continued to look around as the blackness slowly bled into an evening sky.
"He has not died... but yet is not awake. He is here, with me." The voice spoke now as if it were coming from right behind Isaac. He whipped around to find a grey haired kitsune, sporting the fluffiest nine tails he had seen to date.
"Who are..." Isaac said as the woman brought her finger up to touch his lips.
"You speak too much, and think not enough." The woman said as she looked up slightly to meet his gaze.
"Lady Shinano?" Isaac asked as the kitsune smiled warmly at him.
"Hello, Isaac Garner." Shinano spoke softly as she took his hand.
"Why are you here? You're in Cape Muroto. You shouldn't be here." Isaac said.
"You are talking too much again. I am here...because you are dreaming. Dreams are my world, my home." Shinano said as she sat down, pulling him with.
"Rest your head here, Isaac." Shinano said as one of her tails covered her lap. She patted her tail lightly.
"How do you know my name?" Isaac asked as he reluctantly did what he was told. He did not regret it as the softness of her tail made him feel like he had went to heaven.
"I have watched you since you left your island home. I have been waiting for you to find me. I cannot leave. My ship is still being rebuilt." Shinano said softly as she rested her hand on his head.
"Okay... but why are you here now then? Wouldn't you be better off using the energy to repair your ship?" Isaac asked.
"My little ones are doing the rebuilding. I am ensuring that the darkness does not spread further." Shinano said as she began to rub his head.
"I see. So it stands to reason that you are sleeping too?" Isaac wondered aloud.
"Yes. That deduction is correct." Shinano confirmed.
"So, back on track. What were you talking about earlier?" Isaac asked.
"Shikikan?" A familiar voice asked.
"I-13!?" Isaac shot up and looked around, finding the blue haired submarine standing next to Shinano.
The small submarine barely managed to remain standing as Isaac shot up and held her close. Her solid form caused him to turn to Shinano.
"Is... is this a dream? Or is this real?" Isaac asked.
"Shikikan... I must have blacked out on the Arizona. Lady Shinano has seen it fit to bring me here." I-13 spoke.
"Arizona? What do you mean? Norfolk told me you had sunk." Isaac asked.
"My vessel was sunk after I took on Strategist, trying to buy time for your three new battleships to escape Pearl Harbor. I have no right to still be among the living." I-13 said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"You what?!" Isaac asked as he knelt down to get eye level with her.
"She had launched nearly three carrier fleets worth of aircraft. I, as the leader of the armada, took it as my duty to distract her and allow not only Arizona, but Kaga and the Iowa to escape. And as I was about to go down for good, Kaga pulled me from the wreckage." I-13 said as she was interrupted again.
"You stole the Iowa!?" Isaac cried as he looked up as far as his neck could manage.
"You know what, it's fine. I can't punish you. I thought I had lost you for good... I'm just glad you're okay." Isaac said.
"Not quite. Arizona is doing her best. And Lieutenant Perkins sent his medic staff to watch over me. But I probably will be out until I get back to you and Vestal. Strategist... she hurt me bad. Had it not been for Kaga, I would be dead." I-13 said.
"But you're not. I am ordering you to stay alive until we can get you better. You do not have permission to die, am I understood?" Isaac said as he hugged her tight.
"Yes sir. I will do my best to make it home." I-13 said as Isaac turned to where Shinano had been, only to find nothing.
"I will await your arrival, Isaac Garner." Shinano's voice surrounded the two of them as Isaac looked back at I-13.
"Your new orders, are to stay with the fleet. No more solo missions." Isaac said as he sat the small submarine on his lap.
"I... would like that." I-13 said as she rested her head against him.
"I almost said something so dumb, back there." I-13 said as she laughed softly at herself.
"What was that?" Isaac asked as I-13 turned to face him.
"Ai Shiteru." I-13 said softly, blushing like mad as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
Isaac awoke with a gasp, looking around to see a medic bay.
"What the..." Isaac asked as he continued to look around.
"Ah, Isaac. You're awake." Alice said as she ran over to check on him.
"What happened to me?" Isaac asked.
"It seems that your lungs became reagitated by your increased stress. Your lungs swelled just a bit, depriving your brain of oxygen until we managed to administer steroids to get the swelling under control. While you were out, we managed to administer a bit more of the medicine we were giving you in the hospital. With this latest course of medicine, you shouldn't have this issue again." Alice said as she sat in the chair next to his bed.
"Where is Norfolk?" Isaac asked.
"Right here, Commander." Norfolk replied.
"I want you to begin running the data you have on I-13's incident again." Isaac asked.
"I will, but I would not be too hopeful." Norfolk said as she disappeared.
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that she made it." Isaac said.
"Get me out of this bed. I need to find Akagi." Isaac said as he struggled to stand. Alice helped him to his feet.
"I heard the commander collapsed earlier. Supposedly, I-13 has been sunk and he didn't take it too well." Pennsylvania said as she and Akagi sat on the flight deck of the Akagi.
"Looks to me like he is doing better, there he is." Akagi said as she pointed down at the port.
"Akagi! Front and center!" Isaac yelled as Akagi stood and made her way down to the docks.
"I don't recall doing something wrong, Shikikan." Akagi said.
"And you didn't. But there are things I need you to help me with." Isaac said as he pointed to the command office.
"Understood." Akagi said as she followed.
"What did you need me for?" Akagi asked.
"Softness unlike anything a human could imagine, and Ai Shiteru. Those are the two things in my mind right now, and the same things I was thinking when I woke up." Isaac said.
"Do you even know what those words mean, Shikikan?" Akagi asked.
"Not a damn clue. But I could have swore that it was I-13's voice. And then there is the issue of the softness I felt." Isaac said.
"Do you remember another voice?" Akagi asked, seemingly catching on.
"I think so. Soft, slow, dreamlike." Isaac described it.
"Shikikan... you met Lady Shinano. And if you met her, then she must have linked your dream with that of I-13. Which means that I-13 still lives." Akagi said as she sat across the desk from Isaac.
"I need to..." Isaac started before Akagi stopped him.
"You need to relax. Lady Shinano just confirmed that
I-13 is alive. Now, get some rest. Friedrich and Odin should be packing up dinner right now, they were worried that you weren't at dinner." Akagi said.
"I was out for a day?!" Isaac cried.
"Eagle and Nimi visited you for a few hours each before returning to their ships. Friedrich stayed in the kitchen, following your orders." Akagi said.
"Then we need to prepare!" Isaac said as he ran out of the office after waving goodbye to Akagi.