The atmosphere in the room had just become intense, unbearably intense. Shoukaku and Zuikaku immediately got into defensive mode once they saw that Zuikaku META and Tsubaki were in the same room as each other.
Both cranes stood in front of the half-KANSEN, they were ready to protect her if the META in front of them lost control of her emotions and decided to do anything that would harm the little girl.
Shoukaku and Zuikaku knew that losing her own niece had greatly affected Zuikaku META's mental state, neither crane was willing to take the risk that Zuikaku META wouldn't lose control upon seeing this version of Tsubaki.
All Zuikaku META was doing at this moment in time however, was simply staring at the half-KANSEN who was behind Shoukaku and Zuikaku. The META crane had looked like she had seen a ghost from her past, seeing this timelines version of her niece, Zuikaku META was almost mistaken that this was her own Tsubaki. The two looked nearly identical to each other, the main difference between this Tsubaki and her own was that her Tsubaki was a few years older and was a bit taller.
Zuikaku META knew that seeing her niece from this timeline would be difficult, she was barely holding her emotions together. The META however, held firm. She wasn't going to lose control no matter how difficult it was.
Tsubaki was looking at the META with a confused expression on her face and her head was slightly tilted. The little girl was struggling to understand why she had two aunts in the room. Despite the visual differences between Zuikaku and Zuikaku META, the half-KANSEN could definitely tell this person she was looking at was someone who looked nearly identical to her aunt.
"Auntie...?" Tsubaki asked the META with a clear tone of confusion in her voice. Zuikaku, on instinct, turned to look at her niece and could see the little girls confused expression, "How can we explain this? Tsubaki will be to young to understand why there are two of me. Come on Zuikaku, there has to be a way I can explain this to a child." The crane was thinking of a way to explain to the half-KANSEN why someone who looked so similar to herself was here.
"That's it! That could work! I just need Shoukaku to play along, hopefully my META self can play along as well." The crane quickly thought of an idea that would hopefully explain why another version of herself here. Zuikaku believed it was the perfect cover to keep Tsubaki in the dark about the whole situation.
The crane just hoped that her sister and META self would roll along with it...
"You are right, Tsubaki. This person here is also your aunt. She is our sister, her name is Usokaku. She's staying here from now on." The crane told her niece who this other woman was, Zuikaku hoped that Tsubaki would believe her lie.
Next to her, Shoukaku was simply wide-eyed. The white-crane was about to ask why her sister was lying to her daughter but Zuikaku quickly and quietly mouthed "Play along" to her sister.
Shoukaku quickly realised what her sister was doing and decided to go along with her sisters lie, "Yes Tsubaki, this is Usokaku. She is your other aunt. We haven't spoken to each other in a very long time. Usokaku only recently got back in touch with us, so now she will be living here with us."
The little girl took a few seconds to register what her mother and aunt said. The half-KANSEN then decided to question the META crane, "So, you are my auntie as well? Does that mean you are a hero like Mama and auntie?" The half-KANSEN looked at the META crane with anticipation in her eyes, Tsubaki wanted to know if Zuikaku META was a hero like the other members of her family.
Zuikaku META didn't know at first how to respond to the little girl, in her mind she was no hero. The META believed she was a failure, a failure for not saving her own niece. Zuikaku META thought she didn't have the right to be called a hero.
The META crane also didn't understand why Shoukaku and Zuikaku were calling her their sister and using a false name but knew they must have a reason for it. She needed to ask them about it later.
For now, Zuikaku META didn't want to disappoint the little girl looking at her so expectantly, "I am your aunt, Tsubaki. And yes, I am a hero just like my sisters here. My name is Usokaku, it's a pleasure to meet you...my niece." The META crane struggled to say the last part of her sentence in front of the little girl.
Tsubaki's eyes brightened when she believed she now had another aunt who was also a hero. The half-KANSEN dashed past her mother and aunt who were standing in front of her. Tsubaki then embraced the META crane who was taken aback when the half-KANSEN started to hug her legs.
The cranes could see the META was uncomfortable being hugged by Tsubaki and were about to tell her to detach herself from Zuikaku META. When Zuikaku saw the half-KANSEN's beaming smile however, the META crane shook her head to signal to the two sisters that it was fine. The little girl was clearly very happy that she had another "aunt" and the META wanted Tsubaki to enjoy this moment.
Eventually, the half-KANSEN separated herself from Zuikaku META, the little girl then went back to Shoukaku. "Mama, can I stay with my new auntie tonight? I promise I'll be good. Please Mama? Please?" Tsubaki really wanted to have a sleepover with Zuikaku META and was pleading with the white-crane so she would let her.
"Sorry sweetheart, you aunt is really busy at the moment. I know you really want to stay with her tonight but you can't. Maybe another time when she isn't so busy." Shoukaku gave Tsubaki her answer and could immediately see the disappointment on her daughter's face. The white-crane however, knew that Zuikaku META was looking for her own Tsubaki and Shoukaku didn't want her daughter to get in the way of her mission.
Zuikaku META could tell this version of her niece was sad that she couldn't stay with her tonight, "Shoukaku, it's fine. I don't mind if she stays with me tonight. I'm not so busy that Tsubaki can't stay with me, one night won't hurt." The META told the white-crane that it was fine that the half-KANSEN could sleepover with her tonight.
"Are you sure? I know you.." Shoukaku was going to say more but Zuikaku META cut her off, "Shoukaku, I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing will happen with Tsubaki. You have my word." The META tried to ease the worries of the white-crane that everything would be fine. Shoukaku still wasn't convinced, she was about to protest until she looked back down at her daughter. Tsubaki was looking at the white-crane with puppy dog eyes, she really wanted to stay with the META crane tonight.
The little girl was laying it on thick, she was even giving Shoukaku the quivering lip to try and break her resolve. In the end, the white-crane caved in, "Very well Tsubaki, you can stay with your aunt Usokaku tonight. But, I want you to be on your very best behaviour for her. No causing trouble for her." The white-crane decided that Tsubaki could stay with Zuikaku META for tonight but she wanted her daughter to be on her best behaviour for the META crane.
Tsubaki enthusiastically replied that she would, the little girl promised that she wouldn't cause any trouble for her new aunt. "I have some of Tsubaki's things in my room for whenever she stays over with me. I'll go get them, I won't be too long." Zuikaku spoke up and informed her META self that she had some belongings of her niece and would go and collect them.
The crane left for several minutes until she returned with a small cardboard box that contained Tsubaki's belongings. Zuikaku then handed them over to her META self, "Here are her things, it's mainly just different sets of clothes for her. Now Usokaku, are you sure you will be okay with Tsubaki? I know that with what happened to you; are you sure you will be fine?" Zuikaku wanted to know if her META self could handle being around this version of Tsubaki, especially with what happened to her own niece the crane wasn't sure the META could handle it.
"I promise both you and Shoukaku I will be fine. Neither of you need to be worried about me or Tsubaki." The META crane was adamant that she would be fine and that the cranes didn't need to be worried.
This of course, only worried Shoukaku even more...
This situation had thrown a wrench in everything. The white-crane knew it was only a matter of time before her daughter and the META met each other, Shoukaku wished that it wasn't today.
The white-crane knew she should have prepared for this eventuality earlier but she didn't. If Zuikaku didn't think of her cover story explaining the META version of herself it would have really come back to bite the white-crane and she knew this.
Shoukaku owed her sister big time for being able to think on the spot...
"John will need to know about this, everyone else will need to know that they can't call Zuikaku META by her real name, especially when Tsubaki is around. If someone does, then she will definitely ask questions. I can't let Tsubaki find out the truth. Why did this have to happen now? And Tsubaki wants a sleepover with her...this suddenly? My daughter, you really are a handful sometimes."
The white-crane was starting to feel mentally exhausted, thinking about having to explain to John and everyone else on the base about the META version of her sisters new name was going to be a daunting task. Shoukaku knew that several KANSEN at the Azur Lane still bared a grudge against her for the great war and her time in the Crimson Axis.
They would happily call Zuikaku META by her real name in front of Tsubaki just to mess with her. Shoukaku was glad that Akagi wasn't going to be here for the next eight months, the white-crane knew that the kitsune would gladly do it if she was still here.
After several minutes, Zuikaku META and Tsubaki left Zuikaku's room and began to head to the room of the META crane. Zuikaku and Shoukaku could hear the little girl bombard the META with various questions while they were walking away. Both cranes could tell the little girl was excited to be spending the night getting to know her new aunt.
The cranes just hoped that Zuikaku META wouldn't let anything important slip that the half-KANSEN didn't need to know about...
"Well, this has gone better than I hoped. I'll admit, I didn't know if the future me was going to lose control. I still don't think it's a good idea, I'll make sure to keep an eye of both of them. Are you okay, sis?" Zuikaku asked her sister if she was alright given what just happened.
Shoukaku lay down on her sisters bed, "No Zuikaku, I'm not. Why can't things be simpler? Having to fight the Sirens is already difficult enough. Just when I think everything is going well, or my problems seem to be going away, more bad things happen. I'm getting tired of this sister. I just want to lock myself away and hide from all of this, I don't want to deal with everything anymore." The white-crane was clearly reaching her limit on the amount of problems and difficulties that she had been through in the past several weeks. It was all taking its toll on her both physically and mentally.
"Sister, I know that lately things have been hard. But, they haven't just been hard on you. Me and John have had our own problems to deal with as well. And the future me...I don't even want to begin to imagine what she's been through. None of us have to go through our problems alone, Shoukaku. You and John have been through a lot together throughout the years, and you have always come through it together stronger than before. We will get through this sister, we just have to stand by each other no matter what happens." Zuikaku could see her sister was struggling with her own issues but knew that if they stuck together they would all pull through.
The crane had seen her sister and her husband fight through many difficult challenges together these past several years. Challenges that would have broken most couples apart, but the two had always come out on top despite the odds being stacked against them.
Zuikaku was reminding Shoukaku of those difficult times, reminding her that she wasn't alone. None of them were. They had beaten the odds before and would do so again if they stayed strong and stayed together.
"Zuikaku is right. We have all had our own problems recently. John...nearly losing me reminded him so much of Yorktown. And Zuikaku META...No, my sister is right. Me complaining about my problems is selfish. I can't be selfish, not now, not ever. We will get through this. I'm not going to let this beat me, I can't let this beat me. We will win." The white-crane realised she couldn't just think about herself.
Shoukaku had others who she could rely on, and they could rely on her. Her sister, her husband, and her daughter needed her. Just as the white-crane needed them. They would find a way to get through this again. Sitting up, Shoukaku looked at Zuikaku. "Your right sister, we will get through this. You can count on me, and I know I can count on you and John." The white-crane told her sister with determination in her voice.
Zuikaku smiled at her sister, the crane knew Shoukaku meant every word she just said.
Together the two cranes would overcome any obstacle, Siren or otherwise...
