I.J.N Yamato
"Is there any sign of her?" I asked as the howling of Muninn's air group gave a more ominous feel to the meeting point.
Our searches proved nothing of interest aside from the occasional picket boat full of manjuus in the distance keeping an ever watchful eye for any enemies. Our meeting point was hardly a hospitable island in no man's land, there were no natural water sources nor vegetation. Just a rock on top of a sandbar forming a natural harbor reminding me of a story that my husband told to the little destroyers once.
"We are close my lady... I've already received a transmission from her..." Muninn said paying close attention to his headset.
"Yeah and everything seems to be clear down here, although there are a lot more humpback whales than usual around here..." the voice of lady Mizuchi said over the radio.
"That is because it's matting season, you're going to be seeing that for the next few weeks around these parts of the sea..." Muninn said before a wave caused him to fly a few feet off the water.
"Isn't that on winter though?"
"We are in the southern hemisphere Mizuchi, what season do you think it is in the middle of the year?"
"Then why is it hot?" Mizuchi asked with an innate curiosity.
"It's simple really, ever heard of el Niño?"
"Yeah! Wait so this year we're going to have a bad hurricane season?" Lady Mizuchi asked.
"It seems so not to mention that this weather is not the best for my planes. They generate far less lift and if it keeps getting warmer, then I will have to call off my fighters to conserve our fuel..." Muninn said with concern.
"You seem to have familiarized yourself with the weather, did you regain some of your memories or did you study?" I asked as he as well piqued my interest.
"As a matter of fact, I did both... it turns out I had to take many classes concerning navigation and meteorology if I were to become a pilot on my previous life... you do not know how much it helps to plan my flights for my aircraft with this knowledge. I have to find ways on how to be efficient if I want to protect everyone..." he said with a blank stare observing his corsairs circling above like a group of vultures in formation.
"Well I am glad you are making progress... I would love to hear your misadventures one day." I said all the while the rest of the group seemed to be focusing on the conversation, more specifically little Chernava. She seemed to have been perturbed by the idea of having lived a previous life. But all of this was cut short when a thick layer of fog settled in mere moments, our visibility was near zero yet none of us panicked.
This dense fog as well as the overcast storm protected the meeting point all too well as intended, to say that this little tactic has worked in many ways was putting it lightly. I continued on ever so cautiously for minutes being guided by my radars as my ever so cumbersome rigging felt as if it was going to run aground. But all of these worries disappeared when I felt the heat of a beam warm my face before being met by a few siren like cannons ready to fire its lethal barrage all the while I faced mine as well as a precaution.
"It is very bold of your to waltz into my domain you glorified floating hotel..." the voice of an unusually cheery woman called out through the mist.
"Is it now? Big words for a mere summon gone wrong..." I said before the intimidating facade of my opponent immediately shattered.
"Oh come on, now that's uncalled for..." a siren said with an audible huff.
"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes Purity!" Lady Mizuchi said over the radio before purity snickered.
"Says the one who get's easily flustered over the thought of holding hands with-"
"Thaaat's enough! I don't know what you're talking about!" Lady Mizuchi said before a soft chuckle escaped my lips.
"In any case, it has been quite some time since we last spoke Purity... I hope that our little troublemakers haven't been much of an issue." I said as the mist dissipated around the natural harbor.
I was greeted by the unusual site of a siren purifier, we all know that they are infamous for turning the art of killing into a fun little game. For many, seeing one of them would mean the end of you and those around you unless help did not arrived immediately.
But this one for the time being was a farcry in comparison, she is as energetic as any other purifier and even behaved similarly. But unlike them, she seemed more docile and I even dare say reluctant to actually fight anyone who did not resemble her. She was yet another rascal like my husband, but unlike him... she has this pure and innocent side to her that made her seem as if she grew up sheltered from the cruelty of the real world, yet at times her name may come off as ironic...
"It has been hasn't it? You should come by more often that's if you don't capsize!" she said jokingly before she leaned over to the left.
"Muninn!" Purity yelled propelling herself at a surreal speed tackling the poor boy into the shallow calm waters of the harbor, she gripped him tightly as her excitement could not be contained all the while Muninn attempted to maintain his head above water. But she did not mind, she was like a child seeing her older sibling return after months on end.
"Purity! You're trying to kill... me..." he said becoming aware of his situation. Purity was mere inches from him like a lover attempting to seduce its partner, she was drenched in sea water and her clothes gave her an all too appealing site given her athletic figure.
"Mmm? Is something wrong?" Purity asked with a mixture of concern and confusion.
"... N-no... I'm... fine..." he said being mesmerized by Purity, for a moment I began to believe that I was about to witness the demon child's first kiss.
But the spectacle was stopped short when the all too familiar aura of the other girls seemed to have dramatically intensified. Chernava looked on blankly with her beautiful crimson eyes, but just like earlier the glee and innocence of those pair of gemstone like eyes were replaced with the soulless stare of a deranged killer.
"Mmm? Oh Chernava!" Purity said repeating the same incident only that this time Purity seemed more like a doting big sister clinging tightly to Chernava all the while the little one's behavior changed almost in an instant as she could never be truly angry towards her 'big sister'.
Yet Miss Mayflower and Ross seemed unfazed over the fact, they had their ire focused on Muninn who seemed to have accepted his fate with all of the potential wives he has seemed to have surrounded himself with thought the years.
My little devils were rather easy for me to accept, they were victims who were freed from their captors. They have proven their loyalty as well as their eagerness to save their fellow brethren from those monsters even though for many they would seem suspicious. But with purity, things were different.
I was at first hesitant and even hostile when we met her. At the time we were attempting to summon my sister's hull only for our eccentric friend to materialize. It took her years to gain our trust, but the more i spent time with her, the more i realized that it was not so clearly black and white when it came to her predicament. I dare say that if it were not for her, my little misfits would not have their riggings neither our prototypes this quickly. In the end, the thing that we swore to destroy came to us by a mere accident in order to help us. It is because of her that unit forty eight fifty nine is the most secretive unit in Azur lane... and ironically most likely the most vital one if we are to win against the sirens.
"Okay I get it already! Geez you don't have to treat me like I was your boyfriend. We are just colleagues..." Muninn said without a care in the world, but those words seemed to have cut deep within those two girls. Purity for all of her naivete was well aware how did her companions felt towards Muninn, she quickly pulled him by the ear causing him to shriek in pain like a child.
"That wasn't nice to say Mun mun, apologize to them before I make you regret it~" Purity said with an unusual sense of dread to her. Her smile seemed ever so ominous like a mother biding her time, just waiting for the moment to unleash her wrath.
The aircraft carrier did not fought back, he merely bent the knee towards her will, Purity on the other hand seemed satisfied as she just began to greet the rest as they came ashore. The whole ordeal went on for minutes as I patiently waited for them enjoying the warm white sand trying to remember the last to remember when was the last time I ever spent a time with my husband on beach.
"So, how was the trip here? I bet you encountered that storm along the way." Purity said as the res gathered around me.
"A slight breeze for being such as myself, although it appears that the rest had some difficulty traversing the waves."
"Good! Looks like it worked!" Purity said ecstatically.
"Another one of your toys?" Muninn asked as his corsairs landed on the deck before they were splashed with salt water that dripped from his white hair.
"More or less... still not as fun as making those little mosquitoes of yours. But we can keep talking along the way, we need to hear the grand lady first." Purity said before they all turned their focus on me.
"Right... you all know why you are here... I would have not taken you on this assignment if I did not deemed you capable, but you six are really the only ones who are skilled and knowledgeable enough to make such a mission a possibility." I said as the groups cheery attitude changed.
"Even if you did not commanded us, we would have still followed you my lady..."
"Well... I must always ask, I may be your leader but you as well are individuals that can never come back. I can not simply allow you to follow me towards your needless deaths..."
"The same can be said for you lady Yamato... all of us owe you one for giving us a second chance so don't take us for granted..." Miss Mizuchi said causing a smile to creep on my face.
"Well... I indeed appreciate your concerns... but this is something that will become your downfall if you are not cautious." I said staring intensely at miss Mizuchi who seemed to have become anxious at the prospect.
"So I finally get to see the baddies of the story who look just like me, should I wear something different?" Purity asked with her arms crossed as she looked up to the night sky thoughtfully.
"I strongly suggest it if you do no wish you avoid being fired upon by mistake once the fighting begins."
"I'll keep that in mind, maybe something more fashionable..."
"Don't go too overboard Purity, you blending in would be a perfect trump card..." Mizuchi said with her hands on her hips.
"We should begin soon my lady... it is almost time for the transmission..." Miss Mayflower said as she began to prepare her cloaking device.
"Right... I assume that you wish for me to appear harmed?"
"That won't be necessary just lay down here..." Purity said guiding me towards the water before laying down as if I ran aground. Purity placed some braces on my wrists and neck before materializing my body being bruised as well as my rigging and attire torn apart or broken as if a major battle occurred.
Purity almost flew over the water towards Miss Ross, they were soon to follow in their facade. But their disguises caused me to have a cognitive blink, for a brief moment thought that I was once again in that battle that claimed the lives of Takao's siblings. Her desperate cries as one by one her own flesh and blood withered away along with her friends. I could almost smell the gunpowder and oil of that day as well as hear the frantic orders of Lady Johnston trying to cover the retreat.
"Lady Yamato!" Muninn exclaimed causing me to breakaway from my trance as he shook me.
"Hmmm? Oh, apologies... I must be tired..." I said in an attempt to wave off his concerns, but he knew me all too well.
"... Leyte again correct...?" he asked softly, I only nodded before his rugged hand patted my head like a child.
"It's all in the past now my lady, I promise I wont allow the same mistake to become a reality." he said as I began to fluster. I was feeling like a kitten being petted by her master, yet it felt calming as my mind was put at ease.
"Muninn do not do that! You are going to ruin the cloaking!" Miss Mayflower said pulling his ear breaking up our small exchange.
"Ow ow OW! You don't have to be so forceful!" he cried out before Miss Mayflower released her grip.
"Listen here you beer swigging neanderthal, if you kept on doing that we would have missed our deadline, now be a good little choir boy and hide away from the camera." Miss Mayflower said agitated
"Alright, alright sorry... just let me know next time..." Muninn said rubbing his irritated ear before miss Mayflower as well placed some bracelets transforming into my old rival.
"We meet again... Yamato... hehe~" Miss Mayflower said with the unmistakable voice of Lady Akagi, she looked down upon me with an intense glare as if I was a mere insect.
"... T-that resemblance is uncanny..." Muninn said nervously before 'Akagi' once again laughed.
"Deception is part of warfare my little cherry blossom... Akagi must become its target if Akagi is to successfully achieve her mission." she said as I began to ponder if what I was looking at was the real lady Akagi as I handed her over my 'telephone' that was nothing more than a glorified radio.
"Now... enough of this procrastination, I must make the call... I hope that all of you are ready..." Miss Mayflower said as she tuned into an open line for anyone at base to listen to.
"Ah, perfect timing Yamato, the rear admiral and the lieutenant commander were wondering where-" the all too familiar voice of lady Bismarck spoke before "Akagi's" psychotic like laughter stopped her. Muninn on the other hand seemed perplexed at the voice he heard, as if his mind tried to remember who was truly in front of him.
"I heard about your sister lady Bismarck. Oh such a tragedy has befallen on you, just like the story Cain and Abel... you are left to wander the world with the mark of kinslayer until the end of days." She said as I began to feel a cold sensation running down my spine while 'Akagi' and I locked gazes for a moment. The body language, her tone as well as the way she looked at me was all too similar to the real Akagi, miss Mayflower indeed did her job all to well.
"You know... you could have brought Azur lane to it's knees if you only obeyed my orders. It was such a simple task for a brute such as yourself Bismarck..." she said finally causing lady Bismarck to respond.
"YOUR INSTRUCTIONS GOT MY SISTER KILLED!!" Bismarck yelled with the fury of a beserker.
"My, oh my~ Was I the one that pulled the trigger? Heavens no, there was always the choice of allowing her to live. But I will be honest, I am impressed that you had the will to eliminate your own kin." 'Akagi' said passing one of her hands down Muninn's cheeks causing him to fluster locking his gaze with her. Her facade seemed to stumble as her eyes showed an intense and somewhat sinister passion for my poor little retainer who's seemed to have lost himself into those fiery orange eyes of our own red spider lily.
"Mark my words Akagi... When I find you and your sister. Me, my camp, as well as everyone else shall show you no mercy..." Lady Bismarck said almost growling, Miss Mayflower turned to face me once again sternly before nodding.
"Then we shall not show any restraint against your little puppets... yet I have a surprise for you as well miss Bismarck..." 'Akagi' said walking over towards me with a murderous intent.
"Would you like to hear miss Yamato's final words before Akagi take's her place as the flagship of the Sakura Empire?"
"What...?" Lady Bismarck asked in shock as miss Mayflower signaled me to speak.
"Lady Bismarck... I... I forgive you for breaking your promise... that you made to my sister..." I said before a forced chuckle acting as if I was out of breath.
"I just wished... I could have trained Lady Scarlet more-" I said before suddenly becoming nauseous once again. Miss Mayflower was quick to notice my sudden sickness and just like a talented actor, she improvised.
"Oh dear~ it appears that lady Yamato's time has run out~ May you death be at the very least meaningful to the gods old friend..." she said drawing a ceremonial blade, but by that time I was able to continue.
"Akagi... you fool... you are not going to be the next flagship..." I said beginning to stand up once again, but this merely covered my upper body.
"What are you doing?! NO!!" Miss Mayflower said breaking character briefly only to return to it at the last second.
"Not only you betrayed the empire you were sworn to protect... You placed your faith in false gods!" I exclaimed turning my turrets towards her with an intense glare.
"It was you who killed the kindhearted lady Tirpitz, it was you who killed lady Atago and Takao..." I said as I retrieved a my naval sword from my rigging revealing its stainless steel edge towards a now anxious 'Akagi'.
"Now... You seek to kill me as well for a simple title... if this title matters so much to you, then be warned that I, Yamato of the Sakura empire shall not lay down my arms with out a fight! KOTEI NO TAME NI!! TEIKOKU NO TAME NI!!" I cried out before unleashing a 'barrage' of blanks followed by a hail of fire from my secondary batteries causing miss Mayflower fly from the concussive force before Muninn was able to ease her fall at the last second. Unfortunately that did not stop them from drenching themselves in sea water.
"May? May! Are you okay?!" Mizuchi called out panicked as I came to the realization that I might have gone too far with my act.
"H-hey... are you okay?!" Muninn asked through coughs as the smoke from the burnt propellant dissipated.
"I-i am fine b-but..." Miss Mayflower said only to be met by my loyal retainer carrying her as if they were a newly wed couple. They were once again both drenched as if the both fell into the sea once again, her dress clung to her body accenting her well proportioned figure almost causing my little carrier to gawk at her, it is needless to say that both were flustered as they realized their predicament.
"Oh... Sorry..." Muninn said anxiously as he gently placed her down.
The stoic and prideful persona of Miss Mayflower was shattered in an instant, she could not bare to look at him eye to eye neither speak. But all of their concerns towards her were washed away as they turned their attention towards me once again, they did not seem joyous over the situation that unfolded.
"What the hell was that Yamato? Are you trying to make mun mun cope a feel of May's breast?" Purity asked only for Miss Mayflower to shield her voluptuous chest with her arms all the while turning beet red.
"Apologies... I might have become too eager given miss Mayflower's performance..."
"Might have? You sent the poor girl flying into his arms like some cliché harem story! All that he needed to do was to grab her chest!" Purity said with her hands on her hips.
"Perhaps I might have done it to spite all of you or to give the lovely little ice princess a chance to feel like a proper woman for once..." I said causing miss Mayflower to squat down in an attempt to hide her embarrassment all the while Muninn averted his gaze away from his potential mates as they all locked their gazes towards him with an ominous glare.
"Now I will never be able to get married..." Miss Mayflower said almost crying.
"Was habe ich getan, um das zu verdienen?" Muninn said after an exasperated sigh.
The little incident would have prolonged itself for longer than it should have, but my body once again gave in as I felt a sudden dizziness as if I ran for hours on end along with a nausea that has plagued me ever since I left port. Purity was the first to reach me as I took a knee as I attempted to refrain from regurgitating my meal from earlier.
"Yamato?! Are you okay?!" Purity asked like panicked child as she attempted to stop my fall.
"I am fine... just merely getting accustomed to be out this long at sea..." I said with a cough, but for her it seemed as if her world was about to crumble.
"Warn me next time will you?! You scared me for a second there..." she said after a sigh of relief.
"I will try... As much as u would love to idle around and rest... we have a mission to do..." I said once again taking a stand while the others nodded in agreement for the exception of miss Mayflower who seemed too perturbed to respond.
"We need to create debris of my rigging for the search parties to find, they will most likely will sortie a rescue squadron to our position once they receive the distress signal."
"That'll be easy, but it will take a few hours to create enough to make it convincing..." Purity said thoughtfully.
"... I have an idea Miss Yamato... but I will need your wedding ring and memory tag..." Miss Mizuchi said rather anxiously.
"Ah... I get it... you want it to make it seem as if I perished on the shore..." I said only for miss Mizuchi to nod. I was not as eager to part away with either of them.
The memory chip if lost would make me forget everything if I were to be summoned to this world once again as well as being a reassurance that I did not become a mindless drone just like U five five seven. As for my wedding ring, it was not something I could just discard. I felt ashamed at the thought of throwing such a treasured belonging. Out of all the jewelry I have worn, all of the extravagant luxuries I have seen, that stainless steel ring with it's quartz gem was my only proof of my undying love for my dear little rascal.
The lengths that he went to acquire such a thing... the countless hours he devoted in earning money only to save just enough to acquire such a abhorrent piece in comparison with the countless others in my possession. Normally I would have felt insulted, but since it came from him... well... I can not describe in words how I felt that day...
"Lady Yamato!" Miss Mizuchi called out as I came to the realization that I fell once again into a trance thinking about such a shameful prospect.
"A-ah apologies... here you go..." I said saddened but miss Mizuchi was quick to realize this as well.
"Hey... we'll be back in no time, besides if anything happens we're here for you..." Miss Mizuchi said with a forced smile.
"Thank you... I am ashamed that you must see this side of me..." I said as I handed her the ring and memory tag.
"Nah... You always worry to much about your appearance Lady Yamato... you know that around us you can always be yourself..." Miss Mizuchi said as she begun to make her way towards the shore.
"Besides... we have a shorter life span than you Lady Yamato... at least allow us to make fond memories with you before we wither away like the rest... Well that is if we return..." she said with a somber tone as she looked on towards Muninn attempting to quell miss Mayflower's anger.
"Lady Yamato... if something were to happen to me... take care of that fool for me will ya... hes has a knack of getting into trouble... " She said with a blank expression before continuing towards the shore.
"Yoko!" I called out with the tone of an angry mother as a gasp escaped her.
"...Do not ever say that again... I will not allow you to fall... You will live a long life and become one with the gods once you have lived a long life..." I said sternly, but for her these words were much more than just a simple encouragement. Her eyes swelled as tears began to accumulate, but they never fell. You could see it in her eyes, she was terrified as well as anxious having to sortie in such a perilous journey. As much as she attempted to hide it, it was clear to me that she was concerned over all of us.
"I will do my hardest... thank you lady Yamato..." she said bowing before skimming over the water until reaching the shore once and for all.
This mission, was going to be the most difficult one yet for this little group. It was not just her who seemed petrified, you could see it in all of their eyes, they all knew what was at stake here. If we were to fail, this little band of plucky teens and adults were traitors to their cause, only the gods know what would happen if that were to happen.
As for me... well... I might be the strongest of all the ships available in this upcoming fight, but no matter what happens I must protect them my fleet as wells as saving my sister and I knew all too well that the chances of saving everyone are slim, but I promised that I would bring everyone back with me in our nice little port in the middle of the pacific...
But we all know that empty promises will always be meant to be broken...