Kongou was wide eyed as she followed Shinano and the prisoner out of the prison in that order. Her hands were bound in a silk rope that was split into two parts, one held lazily in Shinano's hand, while the other was held in Kongou's so tightly she could feel her nails digging through the silk and into her palm. She should be getting yelled at, thrown in jail herself, or at least confined to her home for being caught in such a situation.
Instead Shinano was making her help her move the prisoner, and said he wanted to get her home.
The prisoner that was.
"This makes no sense," Kongou said quietly.
"This will, when we are, at my estate," Shinano said with a yawn as she stopped atop the stairs out of the prison. Her tails then swayed to the side, allowing her to look back at them both. "Neither of you, will speak if questioned, while we move."
Kongou opened her mouth to speak but found her voice would not come out. Shinano's gaze would brook no argument, and all she could do was nod.
A second later the door opened, sending a bright blade of light down the stairs and making Kongou squint as she followed Shinano out.
And within seconds of leaving, he felt her breath hitch, as there a few meters to her right, was Akagi and Kaga, as well as two of the Ironblood women, Though Kongou could not name them.
"What is this? What do you think you are doing with my prisoner!?" Akagi demanded in an instant, her face contorting in confusion and anger.
"The prisoner, is not yours, but all of the Sakura's," Shinano said simply as she did not deign to even look at Akagi as she spoke, her gaze instead looking up to the great Sakura, something Aggy seemed to be gaping at in shock and awe. A normal reaction to seeing the Great Sakura. Shinano then slowly moved her gaze to Akagi. "I am taking the Prisoner to a less grim place, where she will be more comfortable, as are the rules of war, for taking care of, POW's."
"She is not yours to-"Akagi began to say, only to stop as one of Shinano's sword materialized over her shoulder.
"You, have no say, in this," Shinano said instantly, her tone cold and low, and allowing nothing. She then turned her eyes to the two Ironblood girls, her expression softening slightly. "Prinz Eugen, Z23, I apologize for such an abrupt and short meeting, but there are, things that must be done. We can, speak another time, if you wish."
"Hmmm, that is tempting," Prinz Eugen said with a smile as she looked at Aggy, seeming to undress her with hungry eyes. "I suppose I will just have to learn more of your little bird later."
Shinano nodded to Prinz Eugen and then turned away without a word, leading Aggy away.
Kongou could only glance back as she followed, noticing Prinz Eugen and Akagi speaking in hushed whispers. It worried her, but more than that, she found the way Kaga looked at her, as if she was beneath her, to be very unsettling and angering.
Saying nothing she turned back and followed Shinano, the three of them making quite a sight as they moved through the streets of the Sakura Capitol. They moved through them, not heading toward the main docks, but instead heading to one of the Tertiary docks where a Supply ship was docked with a woman standing before it. She was wearing a white uniform with a purple skirt and black socks. She also had small white horns on her head, and the biggest bust of all of the Sakura Shipgirls.
Something she noticed that the prisoner was staring at seemingly in shock and awe.
"Lady Shinano, I am ready to depart,"
"Thank you, Kashino," Shinano responded as she turned and handed Kongou the rope she had been holding. "Kongou, please bring her up."
Kongou looked at Shinano for a second in time to watch her leap elegantly into the air and up to Kashino's vessel, and then promptly understood. She stepped up beside the prisoner and picked her up in a princess carry; eliciting a yelp from her as she too leapt up onto the vessel.
"Welcome aboard Kongou," Kashino said with a smile to her, before glancing at the prisoner. "And to you miss?"
The prisoner simply scowled and aid nothing, giving Kongou the perfect reason to simply drop her to the floor.
"Ow, what, is prisoner abuse on the agenda now?" The prisoner said in clear annoyance as she tried to rub her butt but was unable to due to her hands being tied still. Something that also made her have some difficulty getting to her feet.
"There is no need to be rude to Kashino."
"Hmph, like warmongers know anything about being rude."
"What, is she speaking of?" Kashino asked in confusion as she watched as Kongou grabbed the rope again and began walking to follow Shinano, dragging the Prisoner along behind her.
"You haven't heard?" Kongou asked as she noticed Kashino following and then moving to walk beside Kongou.
"I heard we are at war, but that was it," Kashino answer, making the prisoner let out a huff.
"How nice it must be to be so oblivious as to not know you own crimes of starting the war yourselves," the prisoner snarked as the vessel below their feet began to move.
"Agincourt, enough. Everything will be explained, when we arrive, at my abode," Shinano stated, her tone filled with power and promise.
"Who?" Kongou asked first, prompting the prisoner to glare wide eyes at Shinano.
"How, how do you know that name?!"
"Because, I have seen it, seen you, being what you would, not wish to be," Shinano replied as she walked over to a blanket that was laid down on the center of the vessels deck and sat down upon it. She then beckoned to Kongou, Kashino and the prisoner. "Come, sit."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the prisoner demanded to know as Kongou pulled them over to the blanket.
"It means that Lady Shinano saw you in her dreams," Kashino said as she sat down om the blanket and took out a small box that she opened up to reveal a small portable tea set, complete with a heater.
"That makes you sound like a stalker," the prisoner said, making Kongou look at her angrily.
"How can you even insinuate such a-"
"It would, not be hard," Shinano said with a yawn as she took a cup of tea from Kashino with a nod of thanks. "My dreams, can see visions of, what may come. Many of them."
"That sounds absurd,"
"It is, what it is,"
"That's a load of shit," The prisoner said, making Kashino and Kongou look at her in horror.
"Enough, you will not be so rude to Shinano or-"
"Or what?!" the prisoner snapped at Kongou, turning to face and swinging her arms with such force it whipped the silken rope out of Kongou's hands "You all have already started a war nobody wanted without an actual declaration and bombed a base, and kidnapped me likely with some sort of intent to experiment on me like the inhuman monsters you are! So why should I give any respect to any of you!?"
"Because no situation is so simple, that it can be considered black, or white," Shinano said simply, seemingly unfazed by the prisoners words and screams. "Sit. It seems, I must explain now, rather than once we arrive."
"And why should I listen to-"
"SIT" Aggy was cut off as Shinano said one word, and alongside that word a trio of ghostly Sakuran blades manifested behind her, slid soundlessly out of their sheathes and swung behind the prisoner, blades pointing at her back.
The prisoner glanced at the swords then to Shinano with a hateful scowl. "So you move to threats when you don't get your way."
"No, I merely, make what could, have been done till now, clear. I, do not seek to harm you, so please, sit, and listen."
The prisoner stared for a moment, making both Kashino and Kongou share a glance of concern at how neither of them had ever seen or heard of Shinano acting like this, before finally the prisoner took a step forward and sat down on the blanket across from Shinano, glaring the entire time. Kongou took the chance to then sit down to Shinano's right, across from Kashino.
"Thank you," Shinano said with a nod of her head as Kashino went about preparing a small pot of tea. "Now, as you have heard, I am called Shinano, I am an Aircraft Carrier, of the Yamato Class. And these are, Kashino and, Kongou."
"I am the Munitions ship Kashino," Kashino said with a proper greeting, while Kongou was a little less forward until Shinano glanced her way.
"I already introduced myself before, but in case you have forgotten I am Kongou, first of the Kongou class of Fast Battleships."
The silence after Kongou's words lasted a full minute before Shinano let out a sigh. "Would you, please introduce yourself? Else, I can, do it for you." The prisoner glared at Shinano, as if silently challenging her to prove she knew anything about her, leading Shinano to sigh once more. "Our prisoner is Agincourt, known as Aggy Anderson, the daughter of a Royal Navy Shipgirl, and a human solider of the Eagle Union."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aggy stared at the Sakuran Shipgirl called Shinano with both anger and disbelief. She could believe that someone could figure out her name potentially, but without breaking into the Eagle Unions or Azur Lanes files there was no way anyone could know her family name.
The fact she also knew of her other name was terrifying. Could this woman that looked some kind of Fox woman actually be able to see the future?
Before she could think about it or even consider some of the possibilities though, Kongou spoke, her voice full of shock and confusion.
"That, that is impossible. Ship girls, we, cannot have children."
"And yet, here she sits," Shinano said as she gestured to Aggy with a hand while looking at Kongou. "Did you think Akagi kidnapped her upon, a whim?"
"No but," Kongou stopped as she tuned to look at Aggy, realization forming on her face. "Is that why that Spectre thing was haunting you? How you were able to get under my skin so easily?"
"No, that was, the spirits, doing," Shinano spoke up. "Her power is, fractured somehow. It is there, but untouchable, unusable, waiting for release."
Kongou blinked and then looked at Aggy. "You, one of your parents was really a kansen?"
"Is. She is not dead yet, though I'm sure that fox whore tried," Aggy snapped as she turned her scowl to Shinano. "You said you would try to get me home. Why are you trying to act like you're a friend who I should trust?"
"Young one, may I ask, just how unified, is Azur Lane?" Shinano asked casually as Kashino began pouring cups of tea from the small pot and handing them to everyone sitting, Aggy included. The cups were not large, and neither was the amount of tea, which was green of all colors.
"What do you mean? You're the ones who split off," Aggy countered. She at least knew enough world, and recent, history to answer that.
"While true, I meant more, as in between the Eagle Union, and the Royal Navy," Shinano said before taking a small sip of tea and looking to Kashino. "It is lovely, Kashino. Thank you."
"Of course," Kashino said with a smile and a nod, leading Shinano to look back at Aggy. "I can, only presume that the Eagle Union, and royal Navy, work well together, but no faction is perfect, and we ourselves are, more splintered than Azur lane, may realize."
"What, and that is why some of your people do not even know you started a new war while bombing Azur Lane?" Aggy asked angrily.
"Yes."
"Wait, we are the ones who started a war?" Kashino asked in surprise.
"We did, yes," Shinano said as her gaze drifted upwards towards the sky for a short time. "Our allies of the Ironblood have been pushing for this, so that the use of Siren technology could be proven in a real combat situation, and so that their claims, and reason for leaving Azur Lane, would be proven right. Akagi agreed, and her faction convinced Lady Nagato that they could start the war, and end it, without excessive violence and, bloodshed."
"That is a load of bullshit," Aggy snapped. "Only a Warmonger would use logic like that!"
"That is correct," Shinano said with a heavy sigh as she finished her tea and offered the cup to Kashino, who promptly took and refilled it with a smile. "There are many, who believe that the technology of the Sirens, should be used in case, they ever return. And many others who believe, the reverse. When we, and the Ironblood left Azur Lane, they cut all trade with us, as well as all other deals between, that were supposed to exist regardless of the alliance. The act hurt us, more than the Ironblood, and Akagi used it, as a way to galvanize support for her faction, and a desire to prove ourselves."
"Shoddy excuse for war. You think that give you some kind of moral high ground?"
"It does not, I merely, wish to make the history clear," Shinano said in response to Aggy's words. "I have seen a future, where you became little more, than vengeance made manifest. Where you destroyed the Great Sakura, and towering Union monuments in equal. Visions, of you being no less, than a murdering monster kept at bay, by the Sirens, who aim to once more return."
"If the sirens are aiming to return, would it not be best to inform Lady Nagato?" Kongou asked carefully. "Start preparing for such a thing?"
Shinano shook her head. "Nagato knows, that a buildup of power would cause, tension from other nations. As well, she, sometimes worries my visions, are of other times not our own. Only Amagi understands my ability to tell them apart. However, as Akagi is directly, related to the Siren's return, she would not believe anything I would say, if it would incriminate, or insinuate such, without further proof."
"Love is blind huh?" Aggy said with a grim chuckle. "So what, this is just to protect your silly tree? If you haven't noticed, I'm human."
"For now," Shinano said as she took out a folded fan and leaned slightly across the blanket, touching Aggy's amulet with the fan. "Once your cube is whole however . . ."
"What, when did that get there?" Kongou spoke up in surprise, her eyes locked onto Aggy's amulet. "Were you always wearing that?"
Before Kongou or Shinano could speak Kashino leaned toward Aggy, so close she could almost touch the amulet with her nose, though she seemed to hold herself back from doing so. She then leaned back and raised a hand toward the amulet, but did not do further as she locked eyes with Aggy. "May I?"
"Why?" Aggy demanded as she leaned away from Kashino, a hand going up and gripping the amulet defensively.
"It is," Kashino stopped, her hand lowering slightly as she seemed deep in thought for a moment. "I will only touch it barely . . . please."
"I will ask as well," Shinano spoke up as she opened the fan and waved it a bit. "As a Munitions ship, Kashino works with repair vessels, often. She will not, harm you."
Aggy stared at Shinano for a moment in confusion. She couldn't feel much of anything from this woman. It was like she was looking at a blank piece of paper. "Alright, fine. But I'm not letting go of it!" Aggy said seriously as she held the amulet slightly away from her body.
Kashino nodded and, just as she said, touched the amulet lightly with just a finger for a moment before pulling away, as if static had zapped her finger. "It feels . . . . . . No," she shook her head. "I apologize, I was rude. That amulet, it is your Wisdom Cube, isn't it?"
Aggy looked at her and could see Kongou looking at her in shock, while Shinano simply sat unmoving. "It . . . . . is."
"It is . . . not broken, but not whole. It feels like you, are incomplete," Kashino said.
Aggy wanted to yell, but stopped when she saw that Kashino was not saying it as an insult. In fact, she looked sad herself, like some unspeakable horror had been done in front of her, yet she had to be kept silent. "It, was broken into pieces when I was young. I only found out about it recently. Days ago in fact."
"What? You only found out who you were, mere days ago?" Kongou asked in surprise.
"No, I only found out my mother was a Shipgirl, and alive, barely a week ago!" Aggy snapped. "And then everything is turned on my head, and shortly after war starts and I get kidnapped by an insane fox whore who speaks like I am a slab of meat to poke and prod!"
"Wait, hold on, what do you mean you only found out?" kongou pressed in confusion. "Wouldn't it be known the minute you are created?"
"I wasn't created, I was born. You know, like a human, as a baby," Aggy said as she looked at Kongou with a nearly insulted expression.
"Wait, you mean, you, didn't know who you were immediately?" Kongou asked, almost as if she was repeating her question.
"No," Aggy replied simply, only to find Kongou and Kashino staring at her as if she had just committed a sin or something. "What?"
"You need, to understand that, as Shipgirls we are, different than humans," Shinano began to say, prompting Kashino to lean forward and continue.
"When we are created, we are as you see before us. We know who we are, who our sisters are, the names of those around us, our nation's history," Kashino took a breath and composed herself slightly. "We're created as we are in our entirety, and we do not change nor grow old."
"The idea of you being a Shipgirl, yet not knowing so-"
"Who said I am?" Aggy interrupted.
Kongou stopped for a second before continuing her thoughts. "Not knowing what you are, or are not, feels sad to us. It is the opposite of how life is for us, and while we know that is how humans are . . ."
"Don't say it, I don't want to hear it," Aggy said roughly.
"Seldom, do we wish to, hear the truth's that define us," Shinano muttered sagely.
Aggy turned her gaze to Shinano and grinned. "Oh like the truth that your entire nation is one of warmongering animal whores?"
*smack*
Aggy blinked and twitched as pain blossomed across her cheek, then turned to see Kongou leaning toward her, her hand outstretched to the side. It only took a second to realize what had occurred.
"The situation you are in may not be fair, and it may be uncomfortable, hard, and make you feel like all of us are monsters, but we are not. Insulting our whole group by the actions of a few will not stand. Do you understand?"
Aggy sat there staring at Kongou for over a minute straight without saying a word, her face frozen in shock. Shock that then shifted into absolute rage.
"You, you think you have any right to say anything like you think you know me!?" Aggy screamed as she stood up and glared at down at Kongou. "Your nation started this! You attacked Azur Lane, you attacked and hurt and killed people, you beat me and those around me and dragged me here and threw me in prison, you took me away from my only living family! And now, now you act like I don't have the right to hate you, to hate your country and every single fucking one of you? Fuck you! Fuck you all! Die, Die screaming! I hope the Sirens come back just to kill you and burn your fucking tree to the fucking ground and use its ashes as charcoal to cook your tails on!" Aggy shrieked, her voice reaching such a shrill tone it made both Shinano's ears droop own, and Kashino Wince. She then turned and walked away in an instant.
"Ah, wait you-" Kongou said as she shook the ringing out of her own ears and got up to chase after Aggy.
"Do, not follow her," Shinano said.
"What, but she's supposed to be a prisoner and-"
"We are upon, Kashino's vessel. She, can go nowhere she, does not know," Shinano said simply before letting out a light sigh and handing her empty teacup to Kashino. "Life is, moving fast for her. Too fast, for her to come, to terms with how she feels, about what happens, to her."
"That doesn't mean she can just-"
Shinano raised a hand, cutting off Kongou from continuing. "From her view, nothing she has said, is wrong. We have done, nothing to counter her thoughts on this, as those who do nothing, while others commit horrors, are complicit in them. It is, something we will need to change," Shinano said as she took a cup offered to her by Kashino and drank it, before placing it down and slowly got to her feet. "I will speak to her."
"She," Kashina began before closing her eyes for a second, looking to be concentrating. "Is standing by the bow."
"Thank you Kashino, I will return shortly. Please wait here, both of you."
Neither woman said anything as Shinano walked away from them and began heading down the side of Kashino's vessel. The sea breeze that blew across her was nice and crisp and cool, and Shinano could already see the small island that was mostly taken up by her own home in the distance.
She needed to at the very least low Agincourt's fears and disdain before they arrived, otherwise it would be impossible to get her free, because she simply would not cooperate with them. And failing to stop the worst case scenario simply because she could not calm down a single girl, albeit one who had every right to feel as they were, was simply unacceptable.
Before she could think of what she could say, or do, to make Agincourt a bit more calm, her ears twitched to the sound of metal being struck, hard. She picked up her steps and came around to the bow of the ship to see a surprising sigh. Agincourt kneeling on the deck with one hand holding the rail, while her other hand lay limp to her side, blood dripping from her knuckle as one of the rail sections was visible bent. It was not hard to put one and one together, but it was a surprising sight.
Perhaps she wasn't as incomplete s she seemed if she was able to dent metal with her bare fist.
"Kashino, will have felt that," Shinano said to make her presence known as she drew closer, only realizing when Aggy turned her tear covered face to her that she had likely been crying.
"Good, let her feel the tickle of what little I can do," Aggy said with a sniffle as she turned her gaze away from Shinano.
"Hurting yourself, is not healthy."
"What the fuck would you know of health?" Aggy asked with a shake of her head as she let go of the railing and used that hand to wipe her eyes. "You're a ship-girl, you don't change or age, and you probably don't even need to fucking eat! What the hell do you know about anything but committing atrocities?"
Shinano let out a slightly annoyed sounding sigh a she stepped up behind Aggy and then sat down Adjacent to her, facing towards Agincourt's left. Then, in a surprising show of strength, Shinano's tails all spread out and wrapped around Agincourt, pulling her down to the deck on top of them as if trying to consume her in fluff.
They did not of course, but did provide a comfortable place to lie as Shinano spoke softly while looking out at her home coming closer by the moment. "I know many things. I know, the history of the Sakura Empire, the Ironblood, all of Azur Lane, and that if things had been, different, if the Sirens had not, come and unified us, the whole world could, have been at war with itself. I know that, if we worked at it, humanity could reach the stars, could end world hunger, and sickness and disease. I know, that your life has likely been hard, but not bad, and that these past weeks have been more, than you ever thought could occur to you. You did not ask, for these things to happen to you, and you haven't had time, to know how you feel about them."
"Of Course I didn't- Pmmmff-" Aggy tried to say only for a tail to cover her mouth.
"And you act on impulse, rather than thought, because of that," Shinano said simply as she turned her head to look at Agincourt. "I wish to see you returned to your mother, and I wish to see the end of this war. As such, you need to both understand yourself, and return to Azur Lane."
"Pah, and how am I supposed to do that as your captive, huh?" Agincourt demanded to know as she forcibly moved Shinano's tail from her mouth. She then tried to get out of Shinano's tails, but their movement made it near impossible, tangling her in fluff and leading to her instead just scowling at her. "I have no reason to trust any of you!"
"You do not," Shinano agreed with a sleepy nod. "It is why I will tell you this. I, am considered to be of, great importance to, the Sakura empire. When I get you, back home, I shall surrender myself, and those alongside me, to Azur Lane, as a show of peace. To make it clear, that some of us, refuse Akagi's warmongering, and thoughts. All I ask, is you give me a chance, to prove that, you may trust me, and my aims."
Agincourt stared at Shinano for a good minute without saying anything before words finally came out from her lips. "You want to get me home, and surrender yourself while doing it, while claiming you are supposed to be super important to the Sakura Empire?"
"Yes."
". . . what is your angle? You want to go there obviously, so why?"
"Azur Lane, while, slow to act, will be the ones to react, correctly, to the reappearance of the Sirens. I wish, to help pull the actions of my kin, in the direction of peace, and unity, again."
"If, if this is just another trick," Agincourt began to say tensely before pausing. "If you screw with me, I swear I will burn that fucking tree down to its roots!"
"As that, was what occurred, in one future where you fell, to madness, I aim to avoid just that," Shinano said with a nod as she began to get up, her tails lifting Agincourt up to her feet at the same time. "Come Agincourt, we need to return to Kashino and Kongou, so that we might depart and arrive, at my home together."
"I don't trust you, but fine, I'll play along," Agincourt said as she pushed the tails away from her and wiped her eyes again while taking a few steps from Shinano. "Just, don't call me that."
"Because, you are unsure, how you feel of that name?"
" . . . . . Yeah."
Shinano simply nodded as she followed Aggy down the length of Kashino's hull, knowing that nothing was going to be simple from this point on.
Even if it was necessary for the future.
Xxxxx
Authors note: Alright, this chapter took way longer than I thought it would, but I had to get it right because, as sensible Aggy's hatred is, it was getting a bit excessive for some, including myself, and herself XD
Seriously though, it isn't like she's going to just suddenly trust everyone, but she did have to be put into a place of understanding, so I hope I managed to do that with this chapter without too much issue and that it feels good.
Hope everyone liked it!