An Ocean's Sword (Fate/Stay Night x Kancolle Crossover)

[Xamusel]

Okay, good... so, you still need to work on writing the next update when you have the chance. Gotcha.

Oh, by the way, you forgot to update the chapter that's in progress on your signature.

[nitewind]

Huh, so this is over here as well, watching as well.

[Sky Master]

A/N: Yep, that’s right, this fic’s not dead yet. With that having been said, I’m going to conveniently ignore the ridiculous waiting period this chapter took.

With a quick note of thanks to the usual guys, nitewind and BlueHelix, for ensuring you guys don’t have to deal with my grammar mistakes, let’s get right into the thick of things. Here’s:

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An Ocean’s Sword
Chapter 5
Short of War (II) – A Change in Tactics

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“FIRE!”

Hot lead arced across the water as the fast battleship opened with yet another broadside, high explosive shells disappearing into the distance only to reappear as towering splashes alongside the enemy ships. With her appearance alone the battle had already made a full turn from its status just seconds before, now with what were once pursuers finding themselves in full reverse in a hopeless bid to retreat.

She might have missed, but it’d also never been her intention to score a hit in the first place. It was a scare tactic, a coordinated series of shots meant to keep the things off of her while she followed on her higher priority of checking on the injured destroyer before her.

As for Shigure, she viewed the scene in a half-state of shock. While she had considered the possibility of Kaga appearing to assist her, as incredibly slim as the chance had been, this, on the other hand, had taken her expectations and spun them on their head. Was this another shipgirl her admiral had summoned? But if so, when had he…?

“How are you doing, Shigure?”

That’s when her radio crackled to life, and in an echo of static Shirou’s voice shook off the haze her mind had fallen into.

“Admiral?! I…! Who…?! You… How…?!” To her embarrassment, she still had some trouble articulating her thoughts. Stopping to take a breath, she tried again. “What’s going on? How am I hearing you like this?”

“Good, so it does connect after all. I’ll explain later, but for now, I’m more worried about how you’re doing. Are you hurt?” Even over the blurry transmission, she could still hear his concern.

“I’m fine, Admiral. Just a few scratches.” It was an understatement, but the last thing she wanted to do right now was to worry him when they both knew there was nothing he could do.

“Kongou?” Wait, what was he…?

“Of course she’s lying. She’s taken a pretty nasty hit to her side. She’s definitely going to need treatment for that. Otherwise, while she looks to be in a right mess, and at least one of her guns is going to be decommissioned until it sees repairs, she’s okay. Gritting her teeth maybe, but okay.”

“Alright then.” A sigh, though she had the impression it was directed more towards himself than anything. “Sorry for taking so long, Shigure. Guess we still showed up a bit late.”

“No.” Try as she might otherwise, her voice still cracked as she shook her head, regardless of whether he could see the action. “Admiral, I couldn’t ask for more.”

Her resolve finally cracked, and in doing so, so did the façade of her previous courage, acknowledging the one thing she’d forgotten in facing what she thought would be her death. A promise she had made to friends long passed. Her shoulders trembled, silent hiccups of relief racking her chest, for the truth of the matter was the boy’s timing couldn’t have been more on point. The fact she could still talk with him like this was already a miracle in her eyes.

For there was one thing she feared above all else, and that was how her death would burden those she left behind. A pain she had never experienced, seeing as she was the last of her sisters to sink. That wouldn’t be the case here.

She owed him an apology when they got back.

There was a moment of silent contemplation, and perhaps even a rare insight of consideration, on his end before, “It’s wrong of me to ask this, but can you still fight?”

Like that, the flux of emotions she felt disappeared, replaced with a different kind of resolve to be found in her eyes, a fire she’d been missing since this fight had begun. “As long as it’s your order, Admiral. Always.”

Kongou giggled at her side, the sound communicating her own agreement. He’d probably never realize just how large of a debt they owed him from their perspective. And fighting his enemies was likely the sole thing, as shipgirls, they knew how to do.

“In that case, let’s finish this. We can’t let them get away and hurt someone else. Kongou, put up as much anti-air as you can, but keep concentrating your fire on the enemy ships! Shigure, stay close to her, rely on her armor to keep you safe, but I’m entrusting you to take out any of those things in the air that get too close!”

“Okay!” the battleship exclaimed, “At your command, Admiral! Battleship Kongou, moving to engage the enemy, desu~!”

Though she didn't respond with nearly the same level of enthusiasm, Shigure moved into position next to her escort, focusing her attention on the small little blips she caught with the air radar formed in her mind.

Speaking of which, they were beginning to reform, initially startled as they were by Kongou’s timely arrival. But at that same time they split up, several continuing to retreat in the same direction they’d been going, while the remaining flights broke off with the clear intent to attack anew, likely an attempt to give their allies the critical time they needed to reorganize an offensive. However, they’d find there would be a fundamental difference in this second run of theirs.

Because this time she was ready.

In the silent lull of combat, as their two forces gradually converged, she looked towards the other kanmusu, more questions on her mind than she could possibly keep in order. She realized she actually had very little understanding of what kind of power her admiral had, this ‘magic’ he supposedly used to summon her and other girls like her. That, in turn, brought up another disconcerting thought altogether…

There was actually very little she did know about him.

As it was, her attention hadn’t gone unnoticed. For when she shook off those personal concerns and focused on the battle ahead, she found the other girl looking back at her with a soft smile.

“It’s good to see you, Shigure. It’s been a while,” Kongou said, turning to look ahead once more.

While they had never really fought side by side like this, their task forces had operated together in at least a couple of engagements. Their relationship in life couldn’t have been said to be much of a personal one, but then again the destroyer had managed very few of those outside of her other Shiratsuyu-class anyway. What happened to them, and then later at Surigao Strait, had ensured there had been no others.

That didn’t mean they didn’t share a common sense of camaraderie, however. Regardless of class, a shipgirl always did her part to look out for the fleet.

"You okay?” the battleship asked, concern inflecting her voice.

It was apparent what she was speaking of. Her assessment from before of Shigure’s status hadn’t been an exaggeration. The area just above the destroyer’s waist where she’d taken that indirect hit left her clothing torn to shreds, the skin underneath bruised and burnt. Aside from a few grazes, she wasn’t bleeding, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t painful.

That said, it should be mentioned that the hit she took would’ve proved fatal to an average man. But a shipgirl’s defenses proved to be more than just spiritual, so it seemed.

As for Shigure herself, her response to the question was a small nod and shy smile but chose to not speak of the matter. It hurt, but it was far from incapacitating. As long as she didn’t take another hit like that, she’d be fine.

With the admiral guiding them, she knew Kongou wouldn’t let that happen.

It was a short second later though, that the destroyer’s curiosity finally got the better of her. “Kongou, why is it that you seem so okay with all of this? You were just summoned, weren’t you? Aren’t you confused by what’s going on?”

‘Aren’t you surprised to find yourself human?’ was the question that went unasked.

“Yep!” she heard in cheerful reply, the battleship looking over to give a thumbs up. “I haven’t got a clue as to what’s going on right now desu~!”

“But then…” She hesitated.

Kongou continued, “The things I do know are all that matter to me right now. I know that the Admiral’s my admiral and that I’m here because he asked for my help. If you’re here, then that means others have answered that call as well, so I can be sure it wasn’t just me that felt he’s a good person, too. If that wasn’t already enough, then I’ve been given another chance to defend the land my sisters and I call home, and that’s more than I could ask for me to find the resolve to fight. I’ll ask the questions I need to later.”

“For right now, finding myself with a body and the opportunity to express myself as a woman is just an added bonus desu~.”

The English-born warship stopped, her amusement dulling into a flat glare forward, and anything more on the topic would have to wait. Both kanmusu felt their opponents bearing down on them, their instincts demanding focus on the battle ahead. Countless rifles angled up to greet the approaching aircraft, and both girls had their stances tensed in anticipation.

Then once more, as the enemy squadrons drew within range, tracers again lit up the night.

Speeding ahead, Shigure took the lead, determined to operate as she’d been commanded and give the battleship the time she needed to zero in on the enemy ships. Speaking of the strange creatures she was still no closer to understanding, it seemed they’d finally taken notice of the lack of distance they were putting between their two groups in their retreat. Whether their confidence had been bolstered by the return of their air support, or it was just the consequence of the burning resentment one could see in their eyes, they were done running, beginning to turn to more prime firing positions.

For all the good it would do them, they may as well have been running in circles.

But they weren’t her targets anymore. As Shigure aimed at the vanguard of strange aircraft, she found that the additional support behind her gave her the freedom she needed to finally pick and focus on her targets, and as it turned out, to an experienced fighter such as herself that made up all the difference. Her optics centered on different elements of the lead flight, a contingent of five fighters lacking any proper formation, who charged recklessly onto the two of them with open maws and armed machine guns.

It only took a few seconds for her to trace a trajectory for each of them, adjust her AA fire appropriately, and give the command to her gunners.

An unusual change came over her, blue eyes sharpened with killing intent. “How disappointing,” she whispered in a cold monotone, completely unlike her usual meek self.

The veteran within her had arisen once more, and like that, the first enemy flight went down.

In a quick series of explosions from flak burst and torn fuselage, the burning chassis’ left to fall into the ocean did so with almost sickening ease. In that moment several parties were reminded that the destroyer Shigure boasted one of the heaviest AA armament of all the Shiratsuyu-class, and it appeared she was no less proficient with it.

“Wow! Nice one!” the battleship complimented as Shigure fell back in line with her. In response to that initial welcome, the other air units veered off from their course, displaying that they did, in fact, have some form of intelligence underneath all of their instinctual bloodlust. She continued to track them regardless, ready for when they made their next pass.

Meanwhile, next to her Kongou perked up in a manner that indicated her firing solution was finished. In all honesty, the destroyer suspected they had probably been within the firing range of her guns this entire time, but Shigure also understood the meaning behind holding off the trigger as she had. In their current situation they’d lured the enemy ships close enough that at this distance, it’d be unheard of for any experienced crew to miss.

And now, suddenly without even their fighter escort to protect them, the blackened vessels never stood a chance.

“All guns, FIRE!”

The following eight-gun salvo was a clear display of the difference in potential between the two sides. With pillars of water drenching it in ocean spray, the lead destroyer that had been the battleship’s target erupted in a haze of fire and black carcass. It didn’t even get the opportunity to scream, its armored hide torn apart like paper, and soon thereafter its flaming remains were sinking beneath the waves.

That still left its brother-in-arms with the opportunity to fire its gun in retaliation though, and it did so with a roar of anger. Aiming at the battleship that had killed its ally, Kongou nonetheless bore the incoming rounds no mind, waiting for her guns to reload while maintaining her previous course and speed. The reason was obvious, the small caliber shells bouncing almost comically off the spiritual representation of the steel plating she had in life, harmlessly redirected back to the sea from where they’d come.

Her defenses would stand little chance against the guns of a proper battleship, but in the face of destroyer-class opponents with their torpedo armaments still reloading, the only threats she faced came from the air. That said, Shigure already understood that, doing her utmost to ensure even that threat would never show itself, her machine gun and flak emplacements reducing yet another flight that drifted in too close to free-falling debris.

“You want to take care of this last one, Shigure?”

She looked over to see grey eyes narrowed in distaste. Not at her, but at what was before the other girl. The creature, recognizing that its attacks were useless, seemed to have lost all sense of its previous order. What little it had to begin with that is. It was rampaging now, body movements thrashing uncontrollably, throwing its continued gunfire widely off target as it howled in frustration. Yet with it still barreling towards them without any signs of slowing down, it appeared all regards for its own safety had been forgotten as its base instincts took hold.

Considering those instincts were likely to be deeply rooted in malevolence, rather than experience, it was nothing more than a mindless beast by this point.

Shigure gave a solemn nod to the battleship, moving into the monster’s path as her torpedo tubes, which were reloaded at last, rotated forward. Her blue eyes lacked any sympathy as she pulled the release, the Type 93 soon splitting a clear path directly towards her opponent. The creature this time noticed the attack, but rather than perform any maneuver to evade, it roared defiantly as it proceeded head first into the threat.

The outcome of that was as anticlimactic as anyone would expect.

Its head exploding in a gory display as the first torpedo made contact and detonated, the following examples of the long lance reduced the corpse to nothing more than tenderized grey flesh. The remains received no pity from either girl, who soon enough turned their backs from it to the threat that still remained above their heads. But with the main attackers gone, handling the last few demented aircraft was a quick affair between the two of them, and soon the shipgirls found themselves alone on the calm night seas, all presence of their enemy having had disappeared beneath the waves at their feet.

“Admiral, enemy forces destroyed,” Shigure said.

“Ah,” came the somber response, “just give me another minute to… finally. Found it! Enemy carrier bearing directly south-southwest in retreat, range is approximately 10 kilometers!”

Though she had no idea how her Admiral knew that, the destroyer turned to the battleship who nodded back to her, and without further question they adjusted their course to match the direction, moving with enough speed to gradually close the distance with their foe.

“I don’t like this,” Shirou muttered quietly, in that voice the destroyer had come to associate as the indicator he was lost in an inner monologue, a bad habit Taiga explained he developed as a kid with too many thoughts and far too few friends. “Considering how close their carrier is, I can only assume that what you just fought was an escort fleet, and since Shigure apparently surprised them, then that can only mean we were never a target. But then who was? And on top of that, how did something like this get so close to Japan without authorities intervening, anyway?”

“Admiral,” Shigure interrupted, experienced with how long he could go on for if not otherwise disrupted.

“…Thanks, Shigure. Guess those questions can wait until later. What I should probably be asking you two, is what it is you’re fighting, anyway? The fairies are helping as much as they can, but the most they can give me at the moment are positions and names.”

Well, that at least explained where he was getting his information from.

“Can’t say,” Kongou responded, grey eyes focusing on the waterline, alert to possible movement in the dark. “Kind of killed them before I got a good look. No offense, Admiral, but I’m still adjusting to the idea I can still fight at all.”

After a short pause, he sighed. “Sorry about that, Kongou. I forgot how incredibly confusing all of this must be to you. I’m still not sure of the specifics regarding my contract with you girls, so thanks for following me up to this point. I’ll explain all that I can once you get back.”

“No problem, desu~!”

“Alright then. Anything on your end, Shigure? What are these things? Is it right for me to assume they aren’t human?”

The grip on the turret in her hands tightened in fear at the very possibility. “Though I can’t say for certain, I hope there aren’t any humans capable of making such things. I think they were once something else, but whatever that was, something’s corrupted them. Turned them into abominations. They were angry, but they also looked like they were in pain.”

“Corrupted? Wait, does that mean that these things are part of…? Dammit, I thought we’d have more time before something like this came up. Shigure, Kongou, I’m working on something that should help, but be careful out there, you two. If these things are what I expect, then we’ve just gotten ourselves into something much larger than a brief surface skirmish.”

The anxiety in her admiral’s voice put the destroyer on edge, which was probably for the best, considering…

“Shigure!”

She nodded, already noticing them herself. They swarmed the sky like an angry hive, and Shigure counted what had to be at least three squadrons, dozens of the little white demons circling in what she recognized as protective patterns. There was one major difference though, one that almost had her stumble when she caught it.

Unlike the fighters of before, almost all of the small creatures above their heads were outfitted with what looked to be bombs and torpedoes. Rather than the attack of desperation she and Kongou were expecting, she realized that they were dealing with a foe who had willingly sacrificed a portion of their forces to buy time to properly rearm.

Both the destroyer and the battleship next to her tensed, their course slowing to a pause in realization that it was their turn to wander into an ambush.

“Tch! Admiral! We’ve got bombers bearing down on us! What are your orders?!” Kongou yelled, their situation clear. A flight or two of fighters was one thing, but this…

“I figured they were planning something. Heads up, you two, support coming in overhead!”

Her curiosity got the better of her, and as she looked up blue eyes widened in disbelief, her shoulders easing with relief. Kongou next to her was no different, her arms crossing beneath her chest as she giggled at something.

“First thing I’m doing when we get back is grabbing that admiral of ours and squeezing the life out of him.”

Shigure felt a heat building in her cheeks at the realization she shared the sentiment.

Several flights of miniaturized Zeros in Vic formation approached them from the shore, more than one fairy pilot saluting them as the force passed by overhead. It wasn’t long after that the source of the reinforcements introduced herself.

“Aircraft carrier Kaga, reporting in. Leave the enemy aircraft and the admiral’s safety to me. My girls are all excellent kids after all.”

Shigure grinned at the familiar voice. It was about time she showed up.

“Well, you heard her.” Shirou’s cough gave away his discomfort somewhat, and the destroyer found herself grinning sheepishly at the image that came to mind. The carrier was likely taking her role in his protection a bit too serious, just as she did most things. “Leave the mopping up of the enemy air forces to the girls in the sky. Shigure, Kongou, concentrate your efforts on sinking whatever’s spawning these things.”

As usual, the battleship was quick on the response. “Affirmative! Follow me! Shigure, follow up, ne~!”

The battle for air supremacy had already started by the time they were moving again. Though to call it a battle might’ve been exaggerating the challenge. With too little of a fighter escort left in the air to defend them, the small monstrosities weighed down by their own payloads stood no chance at outmaneuvering their new opponents. On top of that, it quickly revealed itself that Kaga’s aircrew, or at least the fairy representation of them, had lost none of the skill they had in life.

It was good thing their fight had drifted so many kilometers offshore, for the sky lighting up with the machine gun fire of the Zeros, and the subsequent explosions of countless enemy vessels weren't doing much for the whole ‘secrecy of magic’ front. Then again, neither had the rest of this battle.

“I won’t fail again,” Shigure heard the carrier softly mutter. Her grasp on the turret in her hands tightened as she silently made the same resolution.

As for herself and the battleship next to her, they finally found their target, standing passively beneath that storm of fire. Yet, rather than the monster they were expecting in both of their cases, their eyes widened as they came upon the distinctly feminine figure.

“Shit,” came the descriptively poetic response next to her.

Pale skin the shade of a corpse’s, a short bob of white hair matted with coral and algae, on her head she carried what looked to be a grotesque cross between a crustacean and something straight out of the horror stories shared amongst her old crew. Shigure wasn’t sure the girl had even noticed them, as hollow eyes, disenchanted of anything resembling life, looked up at the destruction of her children with plain disinterest.

Most harrowing of all though, was her presence. An aura the destroyer immediately recognized, for it felt like that of a fellow…

“Admiral,” Kongou relayed, a strong somber inflection having taken her voice, “is there any way for you to see this?”

-- --

“Admiral, what’s wrong?”

He felt her place a hand on his shoulder, her attempt to calm him after noticing his irritation, but it did little to stop him from continuing to clench his fists, from grinding his teeth at the knowledge there was nothing more he could do. He’d done all he could at this point, carried out all the options Central had given him, and he could think of no others.

To many that would’ve been enough, to these girls, he understood that was all they asked, but regardless none of that could change the fact that the existence known as Shirou Emiya would never be one content with the idea of standing to the side as others risked their lives.

No matter how much he tried to live otherwise.

He wanted to laugh at the irony that this had been what he wanted throughout his childhood. The hypocrisy clear to him that the words he’d told Shigure with so much assurance, in what couldn’t have been much more than an hour ago, had collapsed on themselves like a stack of cards the moment one of these girls had faced any real danger. Kongou’s appearance had been a stroke of luck, and if the fairies hadn’t found her catalyst when they had, then in all likelihood by now Shigure would’ve been…

“Shirou, that’s enough.”

Fortunately, there was one at his side witnessing that inner turmoil and was anything but okay with it. Without much thought as to what it meant she dispelled her rigging and pressed up against him, her arms wrapping around his waist as she laid her head against his back. And just as it had been since time immemorial, that feminine softness once again proved its effectiveness at dominating the male intellect.

Well, almost anyway. In Shirou’s case, his thoughts were less devoted to where most men would be and shifted more to the concerned shipgirl who’d felt the need to do such a thing in the first place. Chastising himself, for how could he expect these girls to maintain their composure in combat if even he couldn’t, he relaxed in her hold, the carrier letting out a sigh of relief when she noticed that.

“Better?”

“Yeah.”

It was always like this as of late. Ever since his and Kaga’s first meeting, and doubly so when Shigure joined them. He couldn’t afford to get caught up in personal concerns, and they, in turn, wouldn’t let him. Quite frankly, it was the level of loyalty they showed him that had him first question the status of their humanity. He’d like to meet the person who could remain in foul spirits when at the center of that kind of earnest attention.

He wasn’t sure if one could call that a healthy relationship, but it’s what they’d made of it. Be that as it may…

“Kaga, you can let go now. I’m fine.”

…Why was she still holding onto him?

“Ah! Admiral, I didn’t mean to…”

Turning around when he felt her back off, he chuckled at the sight of her flustered expression. It was rare to see the carrier act outside of her usual apathy.

A light blush dusting her cheeks at facing his amused grin, she cleared her throat in an attempt to regain composure. “I apologize. In my attempts to comfort you, it seems I may have ended up relying a bit on you as well. I’m concerned about Shigure. That she was left to fend for herself because I wasn’t here to offer support.”

He shook his head. Hadn’t it only been earlier that day that she’d been jealous of the destroyer? “You got here as soon as you could. There was no way for you to know otherwise. Some advice from someone with personal experience on the matter, blaming yourself won’t change that. Just do what you can to make sure she comes back.”

“Of course, Admiral. My girls wouldn’t settle for anything less.”

He couldn’t deny it. The insight to call on her, the first thing he had done once he figured out how to use the radio the fairies gave him, was proving itself invaluable. He trusted Shigure to handle herself, and Kongou seemed reliable, but he knew better than to overestimate their situation when it was clear they were fighting an enemy none of them understood.

“Admiral, is there any way for you to see this?”

Such as moments like this one.

The question wouldn’t have come up if the kanmusu on the other side didn’t think it important. He looked to Central, who’d been hovering over his shoulder as a sentinel this whole time, silently requesting if such a thing was possible, and after a fierce look of concentration, the fairy gave him an uncertain nod. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he wasn’t given much time to think about it, as the fairy drew close to him…

…and then of all things head-butted him.

The hell?

Yet once he recovered from the flinch, he found himself watching a video, a view from above he recognized came from a recon aircraft currently operating under Central’s command. The image quality was poor, no different than the black-and-white imagery that was common at the time the shipgirls were living in their prime, but despite the night conditions he had no difficulty discerning Shigure’s and Kongou’s figures on the water. Likely a benefit of this feed being magical in nature instead of true technology.

The view shifted, and Shirou found himself with a first-person perspective to just how skilled Kaga’s pilots really were, and that her pride was not ill placed. Granted, the fight was mismatched from the start, but even from the safe distance the recon fairy maintained it was clear it was more than just a difference between aircraft model. The camera didn’t stop there, however, the focus continuing to shift until it began to zoom in on the figure that stood beneath that scenery of destruction.

That’s when the realization of who their enemy was, of what it was they were fighting, hit him harder than an angry tiger.

That was a shipgirl. A spirit of the same origins as the girls under his care, as the one currently standing next to him. Yet the difference between them was just as obvious. A grisly visage of black carapace and white skin, and unlike the girls who followed him, he knew the cause of such a change, too. All the pieces clicked together, and the truth left him even colder than that first time Tia had taught him of their mutual enemy. A voice coming to mind regarding a conversation he’d had in what already felt like a lifetime ago.

“That’s what awaits us, both you and I, Little One.”

This was what happened to these girls if he didn’t save them. This was a kanmusu with her will corrupted by another.

Briefly, their eyes met, and in that empty gaze, all he found was enmity. As if to condemn him, as if to hate him, as if to forsake the ideal his whole existence stood upon. She acted as a living testimony to all his failures, namely his lack of urgency, and likely why it was Tia could be so unbearably insistent at times.

From that, he also understood there would be no saving her. Unlike himself, there was no mercy found in her stance. If given the opportunity, she would kill them all. Him, the kanmusu, the friends and family living in the city behind him. She posed nothing but a threat to them all.

“Shirou. Saving one person means not saving another. You see, a person can only save those who are on the side they’ve chosen to take. It should be obvious, right?”

Words of advice once given to him by his father came to him then, the warning the man had once given him. One he still refused to accept, regardless of how true the concept was. But that resistance was meaningless, and he knew what needed to be done, what kind of weight he’d have to shoulder so these shipgirls who followed him could operate with clear conscience.

Once again his frustration from before returned, and this time his fists tightened at his sides to the point of almost drawing blood, yet he nonetheless gave the order, “She’s an enemy just the same, you two. My previous orders still stand. Shigure, Kongou, eliminate her.”

It hurt. It hurt more than anything else he could remember. The fire. The loss of his past. Even his father’s passing. In fact, it felt like he was spitting on the man’s memory. This was his failure, no different than all those people he’d ignored in the fire in order to save himself, to go and live on while they died in agony. A choice he never had the right to make.

“Aye, aye,” came the confirmation, Kongou’s previous enthusiasm forgotten.

He cut off the video feed as the sound of the battleship’s cannons bled over the radio. He didn’t need to see this ending for the image to be burned into his memory. He could imagine the sight of greyish gore, the wail of both agony and condemnation in death. There was no chance for a carrier without an escort, without even the support of her own aircraft, against even a destroyer, let alone a battleship.

“Kaga, what is that I ever did to earn your loyalty?” he muttered absently.

“Admiral?”

“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

The carrier obviously didn’t believe in those words, the concern she had for him clear to see in her brown eyes, but she pressed no further. He was grateful for that. He needed some time with his own thoughts.

He considered his purpose, the power Tia had given him to summon these girls with the freedom to either live their own lives or fight at his side. In acknowledging that, he also knew he wouldn't be able to save all of them, accepting that some had already been lost before he and Tia even met, that from the beginning there had been nothing he could do for them.

But he did so with newfound resolve, with the conviction he’d do everything in his ability to recruit all those that remained, to help them adjust, pull them from the corruption that seemed to be their only alternative. Regardless of what it meant for his other responsibilities, what effect it would have on his education, career, or his future in general, from now on this would remain his primary focus. Everything else he did would be directed towards this.

And maybe, by the end of it, he might even be able to claim he saved a few of them.

Shigure and Kongou returned shortly after that, Kaga’s pilots arriving just before to land on the flight deck she had once more on her arm. Kongou looked no worse for wear, but the destroyer next to her was visibly leaning to one side, and in his concern, he found himself gradually drifting closer to the edge of the port. Yet when something lit in the battleship’s eyes as she saw him, he entertained the possibility that might have been a mistake.

“AD~ MIR~ AL~!”

The battleship sped up, jumping clear over the edge of the pier, and though her rigging and other armaments disappeared, she was still left barreling at him with the same speed of her previous course. His first instinct was to catch her, but when her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his midsection, with her full weight and momentum backing all of that, he could only sigh in exasperation.

Well, just before he had the wind knocked out of him anyway. Wasn’t doing much of anything after that.

Once the stars cleared from his eyes, he found himself wrapped tightly in the arms of the girl now lying on his chest, and he raised an eyebrow in noticing she was in the midst of rubbing her cheek against his chest. He almost swore he could hear her purring.

“Uh, Kongou? What exactly are you doing?”

She stopped, greeting him with an amused ashen gaze and a cheeky grin as she replied, “Isn’t it normal for a girl to hug the guy she likes, ne~?”

How was any part of this normal?!

“It hasn’t even been a day since we first met,” he deadpanned.

She sat up while still on top of him, her head tilted in honest, and admittedly adorable, bewilderment as she responded, “You’re my admiral. What else is there to know, desu~?”

He opened his mouth, a curt rebuttal in mind, before he stopped, choosing instead to chuckle in resignation at the recognition that likely was all the reason this girl needed. If he thought about it, Kaga and Shigure were no less affectionate, it was simply a matter that they went about a different way in showing it.

“I see. If that’s the case, mind helping me get up then?”

She did so, but nothing prevented the battleship from clinging tightly to his arm after the fact. Unaccustomed as he was to such persistent affection, he had to fight off a blush at the feeling of his arm pressed between her…

The giggle at his side and the coy smile told him she fully knew what it was she was doing, as well that she understood the effect it was having on him. Dammit, she was far worse than Tia ever was. For one thing, she actually had the figure to pull it off. For another, her previous comment hinted to a level of something beyond just humored teasing driving her actions.

Yet despite that, he found he had no desire to shake her off, thanks to the playfulness sparkling in her eyes so reminiscent of Fuji-nee that it almost had him smiling. For despite the teasing, despite whatever deeper implication it meant for him and his future, the affection behind this gesture he felt more inclined to liken with that of an older sister. The meaning behind that didn’t escape him.

For as spiritual beings in nature, he had come to understand kanmusu were in turn almost instinctively tied to human emotion, in a manner he could never hope to emulate. Just like Kaga before her, this girl was likely sensing the distress he’d been feeling just a short moment ago. Unlike the carrier though, it seemed she lacked the same reservations. He might have made it a personal commitment not to dwell in any self-pity, but he had the distinct impression this girl would ensure he never had the opportunity to stray from that path.

Now if he could only understand why it was these girls seemed to always offer him such support so freely. Yet as uncomfortable with that concept as he still was, the least he could do was return it in kind.

“Thanks for your hard work, and bringing her home, Kongou.” Reaching up to ruffle the battleship’s hair, he was caught off guard when her expression broke into one of complete astonishment, followed by a light blush that took over her cheeks.

When she began to lean into it, closing her eyes while giggling like a child seeking praise, he was suddenly reminded of the whole kanmusu and ‘never had a physical body before’ detail. Now that he thought about it, before these girls started showing up, he’d never really been much of one for physical affection. Or affection of any kind, if he were perfectly honest.

Even if Fuji-nee had done everything in her power to ensure he was at least used to being on the receiving end of it…

A weight settled on the shoulder of his unoccupied arm, and he was unsurprised to find Central looking up at him with a knowing smile. It seemed to be a habit she’d adopted recently as a sign he’d done something right concerning the shipgirls in his care. However, when the fairy looked off to the side, he was reminded Kongou hadn’t been the only one fighting the frontlines tonight.

Said destroyer at that moment was being given a hand by Kaga onto the pier, and it seemed the girl currently latched to his side hadn’t missed it either, if the way she let him go with a friendly shove was any indicator. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed as he approached the two, knowing he needed to say something but lacking the intuition as to what that might be.

Perhaps it was fortunate then, that the matter was taken out of his hands, as the destroyer chose that moment to stumble, and he found himself next to her, bracing her side, only a second later. Matters of the heart may have still been a foreign entity to him, but his reflexes were as sharp as ever.

“You okay?” he asked, choosing to overlook the fact the destroyer’s face was currently warm enough she’d probably burn a hole through his shirt if it got any hotter. Struggling with a response, she eventually stuck with a short nod, and at that, he began to pull away.

The hands that tightened their grip on his shirt said otherwise.

“I’m sorry.”

…and once again he found himself at a loss for words, the destroyer’s tone about as broken as the first time he met her. She was depressed about something, something she felt was her fault if the apology was anything to go by, he just had no leads as to what. His immediate response in looking helplessly to the others only resulted in failure, instead, finding himself on the receiving end of that pointed glare all men seemed to instinctively recognize as ‘do something, you idiot’.

He was silent for a few additional seconds, before a memory from his childhood came to mind. With that, he did something.

“Shigure?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Look at me.” She did so.

*Tap*

“Eh?” Shigure uttered cutely, her blue eyes opening wide. Baffled at the feeling of him lightly rapping her on the forehead with one of his knuckles.

He had been an apologetic kid immediately after his adoption, going to Kiritsugu for every little mistake he made. At first, the man would just lightly wave him off with an amused smile, but after several days of the same pattern, he could only assume his father had grown frustrated enough to try a different approach. It worked. It wasn’t until a conversation he’d had with Fuji-nee after the man’s death that he had learned why.

Sometimes, what some people needed most in times of guilt was a little chastisement.

He didn’t have to wait long to see his suspicions confirmed. Pulling away from him Shigure did what she could to straighten her appearance, before rightly deeming the matter a lost cause, facing him with a weak smile.

“Thanks.”

He patted her head as a reminder no thanks were necessary. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad to see you’re safe. Let’s get you girls home.” He’d save the questions and discussion of what happened tonight for another time, but that reminded him of the mild moral crisis he’d faced shortly before the shipgirls’ return.

It was ironic, to think that it was the dark thoughts of another that ultimately led to him forgetting about his own.

[Congratulations! Shigure’s Rank Increased!]

-- --

He found himself making the trek back to his home guarded on his left and right by Kongou and Kaga respectively, their fourth member currently being carried on his back with her arms hung loosely atop his shoulders. Shigure had predictably tried to make the walk herself at first, but when he became more insistent once it was clear she could barely stand in place once the adrenaline faded, she quickly gave in with a meek nod.

Ten minutes after that, and he felt a soft rhythmic breath against his neck. Kongou confirmed for him she’d fallen asleep.

In doing so, he actually found himself intrigued by just how light the destroyer was. Even more so than one might think from her appearance. Granted, he was no slouch when it came to personal conditioning, but after seeing her and the others in their full rigging, he’d just expected that kanmusu would be… heavier.

He briefly considered asking Tia if that detail had something to do with their nature as spirits, before he reconsidered when a certain memory of Fuji-nee reminded him it was generally a bad idea to talk about girls and their weight. Which now that he was thinking of her…

“Hey, Kaga, I wasn’t supposed to feed Fuji-nee tonight, was I?”

She shook her head. “No, after you made it clear you’d be spending the afternoon with Shigure, she came to her own conclusion you’d be arriving late. I doubt she imagined it’d be for these reasons though.”

Well, putting aside the ominous assumptions the woman was no doubt making on her own, he’d take whatever mercies he could get.

“Admiral? Who’s this ‘Fuji-nee’?”

He held back a sigh, looking over to see the battleship tilting her head inquisitively. Now that matters had settled, he recalled he’d promised to answer any questions his most recent companion had regarding him and their situation. This wasn’t the first thing he expected her to ask, but he acknowledged it was still an important matter regardless.

“Her full name is Taiga Fujimura. She’s more or less a family friend that took responsibility as my guardian when my dad passed away. I should probably warn you she can be a bit… eccentric.”

“Troublesome,” Kaga added.

He laughed nervously. “Uh yeah, that too. Maybe I should start from the beginning…”

When he finished his description of the woman partially responsible for raising him, including the story he was using to explain the shipgirls’ presence, Kongou seemed a bit hesitant about something. “Admiral, don’t take this the wrong way, but this guardian of yours… sounds really gullible.”

He sighed, nodding in agreement, the carrier next to him doing the same. It was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it was likely the only reason he could consider taking these girls in under his roof in the first place, yet on the other…

…he had to look no further than his own shed to see how many con-artists had noticed the same.

In the meantime Kongou had brought a hand up to her chin in contemplation, likely pondering over everything he had just told her of their other housemate, before continuing, “So then if she isn’t coming over, where would she be on a night like this?”

“Probably out drinking with a friend, I’d wager.” A habit he was still struggling to bring to an end, for Otoko’s sake surprisingly. “She usually eats over at pub named Copenhagen on the nights she doesn’t come over to my place. I could never figure out why she doesn’t just go home for dinner.”

“I see,” the girl muttered, once more slipping into her thoughts.

Perhaps it was rude of him to think so, but Kongou didn’t strike him as the type to normally do such a thing. Quite frankly, from his first impression, she struck him as a more spontaneous character coincidently similar to the woman they were speaking of. Because of that, when her third question was to ask for the woman’s description, he found himself raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Hopefully, it was just his imagination, but was she planning something?

Interrupting his own observations, the battleship stopped, looking over her shoulder to the empty street behind them. “Admiral,” she said after turning to face him again, “there’s something I left back at the port. Go on ahead without me and treat Shigure’s injuries.”

He shrugged, shaking off his suspicions as the paranoia they most likely were. The request was innocent enough, if a bit strange. “Just be safe. I’ll answer any other questions you have once you get back. I should have something small whipped up by then as well.”

Giggling, the brunette sent herself off with a salute. “It’s a date, Admiral~!”

He shook his head in amusement, watching as the battleship walked off while humming a song he didn’t recognize. At least until he felt a tug on his sleeve, turning to find a carrier looking to him expectantly. Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a small meal after all. At least this day couldn’t last much longer…

-- --

…but he should’ve known better.

He had been in the middle of addressing Shigure’s injuries at the time. It had turned out to be much easier than he expected, with a little of Kaga’s help and any knowledge he lacked being superseded by the fairies in little medical outfits. The destroyer herself had obviously woken by that point, and if he wasn’t so focused on dressing the ugly bruise above her waist then he would’ve likely been blushing just as much as she was as she sat in the bedroom he’d given her in nothing but her underwear.

That was when his doorbell chose to interrupt him, and Kaga used that to kick him out with the promise she’d handle the rest so he could prepare dinner.

What he found there to greet him had him pausing in momentary shock. A sheepish Fuji-nee stood on his front doorstep, supporting the shoulder of a clearly drunken Otoko, but even that wasn’t unusual enough to surprise him.

What did, was the battleship occupying the intoxicated woman’s other side. Even that didn’t hold a candle however to what his faux older sister was trying to tell him after gathering the three of them around the usual table.

“So you see, Shirou, even if I do trust you, you have too many girls staying with you. I can’t always be here to watch over you, so you need another adult to help supervise you. That’s where Kongou-chan comes in. She recently flew in from England and doesn’t have a place to stay, but she was nice enough to volunteer to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t get up to anything unsavory. She even went as far as to help me carry Neko-chan after she drank too much.”

Said woman groaned at the mention of her name, “Damn you, Taiga. Damn you and your ridiculous alcohol tolerance. Shirou, would you be a good dear, and fetch me the usual please?”

He nodded, getting up and heading to the kitchen to do just that. He needed to occupy his mind with the thought of something else anyway. He did his best to ignore the implications that came with the knowledge that Otoko was no lightweight herself. Yet every time they had one of their contests, it ended up like this. He just wished Taiga’s response wasn’t to always come over to his place every time they did.

It still needed to be said, “Fuji-nee, are you telling me you’re leaving me with a woman you just met?” He looked over apologetically to the shipgirl to get across it was the principle itself that bothered him.

Of all the ways the older woman could’ve answered, she chose the path of the pout. “Mou, when did Shirou start doubting everything I say? This big sister of yours is a good judge of character, and you know I’d never make such an impulsive decision.”

He actually agreed with the first statement, the second, however, was highly debatable. He wasn’t the only one to think so either, if the snort from Otoko was anything to go by.

If he was being honest, he really did want to treat her more seriously, but it was just so hard. It didn’t help that through the entire explanation behind her back there was a battleship who was literally and figuratively beaming, her right hand held up in a ‘V for victory’ sign.

Game, set, and match. Tiger, zero. Kanmusu, just getting started.

Fuji-nee might’ve had an absurd level of luck, and constitution to hold down her liquor, but she was about as gullible as they came. A weakness he’d unintentionally revealed to his newest kanmusu, who was apparently cunning enough to take advantage of it, because even he wasn’t naïve enough to actually believe all of this had happened by chance. This time, it was looking like he wouldn’t even need to try to convince the woman to let his newest fleet member sleep under his roof.

This was going to become a new pattern, wasn’t it?

-- --

“Good morning, Little One.”

He grunted in acknowledgment to the messy white bed head that made herself known behind him, shifting to the side to make room for her. While typically confident of his skill in the kitchen, this was one case where he had to admit his defeat. He didn’t know where she’d learned it, but for some reason, Tia could make fantastic coffee. Of course, when he asked her about it, all she’d given him was that disarming smile of hers, along with the vague comment that she was simply familiar with black mud.

Shaking his head of the idle thought, he found himself glared down at the food he was supposed to be making.

“Rough morning?”

He nodded, turning the heat down after deciding it was probably best to take a break and do something else about his frustrations before he took it out on someone’s breakfast. The fish had done nothing wrong, after all. That’s when he noticed the change.

“Um, Tia. Since when could you reach the coffee pot?”

It was a trivial detail, but she wasn’t using the step stool she normally would use to reach the counter, instead standing on her toes to work with what he assumed was just beyond her grasp. She shrugged, crossing her arms over the black shirt and white jacket she was wearing, a faint amusement on her lips. “For as long as we’ve been partnered. Are you feeling alright, Little One?”

Was that so? Huh, weird.

“Just recovering after everything that happened last night, I guess. If it wasn’t for a lucky call thanks to Central and the other fairies, we might have lost Shigure. At the very least, she’d be a lot worse off than she is.”

“I hope you realize I was trying to avoid that.”

He resisted the urge to clench his fists, failing to look her in the eyes instead. “Yeah, I know that. I screwed up. If I had taken this whole Admiral business seriously from the beginning, she may not have been hurt at all. Not to mention the number of girls who have already been taken by whatever the hell it is we’re supposedly fighting might’ve been taken down one or two.”

“I won’t deny that, but for what it’s worth, Shirou,” the look of criticism she was giving him softened, “you handled things well once the fighting started. More importantly, you kept calm even though it was your first fight, and by doing so offered that same peace of mind to those girls when they needed it. Don’t beat yourself up over this. You’ve made some mistakes, now learn from them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. It’s not easy, though.”

“No, it isn’t. And it doesn’t get any easier.”

He looked at the clock, sighing as he went back to work on the half-baked breakfast left simmering on the stove. The others would be up soon. “I spent most of last night trying to figure out what we’d do if the authorities came to investigate. We weren’t exactly subtle about what happened last night. Turns out it wasn’t necessary. Have you seen the news?”

He caught a flash of steel as she narrowed her eyes in anger. “Let your media dispute their conspiracy stories. It’s best if they don’t realize the truth. From what they’re saying, and what you’ve experienced, I’d say it appears our enemy has made his first move. While I knew that he’d grown arrogant in his victory, I must admit I didn’t foresee it was to this extent.”

“Glad to see I’m not the only one thinking it. At least it’s clear now that whatever their real objective was, it had nothing to do with us. I just can’t understand what the point is in striking a military base like this. Why draw attention to themselves when they’ve already passed under everyone’s radar for this long?”

He was startled as the girl next to him burst into a fit of laughter, though it lacked any of her usual humor. “Little One, it’s about time you remove yourself from those games of yours. Not every movement in war is about tactics on the battlefield. Pieces on a board don’t suffer from hunger or lack of supplies, they don’t get scared and run away, and most of all, they won’t betray you for the winning side.”

“Wars are just as much a matter of spreading fear as they are an act of violence. In that regard, this is a foe who will always be victorious, as you can’t drive fear into soldiers who have no mind of their own.”

He had to stop himself from drawing blood as he bit his lip. He knew she was right, had thought the same even, when he’d seen that mysterious girl the kanmusu had killed last night.

“You ask what the point of last night’s attack was, Little One? Let me paint a picture of how things will go from here. The leading theory seems to be that they were attacked by pirates of some kind, correct? Then they’ll be looking for an enemy that doesn’t exist for a few weeks, maybe a month or two, before calling off the search. It’s when the disappearances start up a second time that the danger will begin to set in for some. Your military will suddenly be faced with the dilemma they’re fighting an enemy they can neither trace nor understand. Who knows what will happen after that.”

He couldn’t find fault in that logic. From what the news reported, he could only assume that what he and the girls had engaged was nothing more than the separated division of a much larger force. The attack had been quick and under the cover of night, so it wouldn’t be surprising that no one had been able to get a proper look at them. Yet despite all of those advantages, the damage to both military property and personnel was minimal. At least enough to the extent the press hadn’t bothered to release any numbers.

When he considered all of that, what Tia was trying to say was the only thing that made sense.

“If all of that’s true, then the one thing I still don’t get,” he began, handing her a stack of dishes to help set the table, “is why all of this is necessary? If this thing is really all that powerful, why doesn’t he just bring an end to it and crush us?”

“The long answer is that the collective will of humanity isn’t something to be underestimated. Revealing himself now would eventually result in that same existence recognizing him for a threat, one that needs to be eliminated. Even he understands that danger.” Then she smiled, and a shiver rose up his spine when he noticed the predatory gleam in her eyes. “As for the much shorter answer: Because he enjoys the thrill of a good hunt.”

“I see.” Slipping into a momentary silence, he thought over everything they talked about, and found himself wondering again how it was Tia had come to know all of this. He knew from previous experience that speculation was pointless, however, and all he could hope for was that she’d trust him enough one day to share that with him.

“So Shirou, with all that being said, what do you plan to do now?” He couldn’t have pried the ‘I told you so’ off her expression with even a crowbar.

Knowing that, he at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment. “What I should have been doing from the beginning. Find and summon as many of the kanmusu as I can, ask them to help us fight, and hope that it’s enough to defeat these… these…” And here he was, struggling to come up with a name for the things they were supposed to be fighting.

Tia shook her head in exasperation. “If it helps, I believe the best term for them right now, would be abyssals, considering their nature and where they originate from.”

“Right.” Abyssals. He could work with that. At any rate, it was better than anything he could come up with.

“I believe that’s the right course of action,” she praised. “Though considering the threat they are to everyone right now, I thought for sure you were planning on going back out there the moment all the girls recovered.”

He couldn’t stop the shaking of his arm as he struggled to dish out the final plate at the table. “Believe me, that’s exactly what I want to be doing, but not only is that likely to get the girls killed, I’m confident doing that would bring more harm than good to innocent people too.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“The Mage’s Association. Something my father warned me about when I was first learning about magecraft. Dad always told me I should never worry too much about keeping my skills a secret, but he did tell me that if the Association ever got word I was spreading information like that around, they’d stop at nothing to silence both me and anyone I might’ve told.”

“That means I can’t tell anyone what’s going on, I can’t warn them to run when the danger approaches again. I’m okay with telling Fuji-nee a few half-truths to keep her in the dark if it means keeping her safe, but this? More people are going to die because they don’t know what’s going on, because I’m making the choice to keep this all a secret.”

“That means we’ll have to take the battle to them once we’re ready. Even then, we can’t go in guns blazing. I doubt we’ll be fortunate enough to slip under the radar a second time. If we’re anywhere close to the shore, Kongou’s guns alone are going to alert every coast guard in the area to our presence. So I need to find a way to limit the causalities, to keep people away from the fighting without them growing suspicious. My first idea was a bounded field similar to the one Dad put up around the house, but that kind of skill is beyond anything I currently know how to do. I don’t have a clue how I’m supposed to overcome that.”

“It’s rather simple, isn’t it? You just have to look for someone who can.” And as if that lead-in was what she’d been waiting for, Central chose that moment to appear, notepad already in hand.

-- --

“E-excuse me, Tohsaka-san. If you don’t mind, we’re currently trying to recruit members for the track team, so I was thinking…”

She did her best to smile politely to the girl, interrupting, “I’m sorry, Saegusa-san, but I’m not really looking into joining any clubs right now. Most of my time after school is already taken up by my family obligations, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”

For what it was worth, the girl seemed to take the rejection well. “No, I’m the one that should be sorry, I didn’t realize. I just thought that since you and Maki-chan know each other from middle school, it’d be fun to join the same club.”

“Thank you.” Smile. Don’t break character. Tell a white lie. “I’ll consider it if any of my time clears up.”

“Of course, have a nice day, Tohsaka-san.”

Keeping her eyes on the other girl, the smile dropped the moment Yukika disappeared behind a corner, and finding herself alone in the hallway after school, it took more willpower than Rin was willing to admit not to break her mask and scream with frustration.

Someone had the nerve to try and make her school into their territory!

The fool wasn’t even trying to hide their presence. In fact, since the first day of the school year, it seemed like it was only growing more obvious by the day. Either they were underestimating her skills as Second Owner, or they came from a third-rate family and didn’t know the first thing about covering their tracks. She couldn’t decide which outcome was worse.

Of course, she’d briefly considered she was simply detecting one of the Matou children attending the same school as her, before writing that one off as impossible. Their oldest, Shinji, seemed to lack any skills aside from pissing people off and attracting loose women, and as for the other one, she knew she wouldn’t even be attending high school until next year.

No, she was certain that whoever this magus was, they were uncertified to be here.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there were all the strange rumors about these disappearances that were being spread as well. Those she would ordinarily ignore, but now everyone was talking about this mysterious attack that no one seemed to know anything about other than it happened last night. If the two were related, then that meant whoever was behind this obviously didn’t care at all for the secrecy of magecraft, and the last thing she needed was the Association breathing down her neck.

If things got any worse, her city would be turned into a bloodbath.

That left her with only a few possibilities, namely those that were insane enough to risk such a death sentence. A loose sealing designate, a dead apostle, or perhaps most dangerous of all, a magus from a no-name family with a powerful gift and the desire to make themselves recognized. They were all valid groups with their own extremists who couldn’t care less what kind of attention they got as long as their message was conveyed.

Obviously, the one behind this needed to be hunted down before things got to that point. On top of that Kirei, useless as he was, had decided in his wisdom this would be a good experience for her to own up to her responsibilities. So perhaps she should’ve considered herself lucky such a strong magical presence had made itself known right next to her, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

It was like they were mocking her!

That, more than anything, was something she couldn’t accept. Whoever was behind this would soon be getting a piece of her mind, probably in the form of a few well-placed shots of Gandr to their back, and maybe a gem or two thrown to their feet.

She would have to tread carefully though. Whoever it was that was causing a ruckus in her school, she could at least be certain it wasn’t some idiot who’d just walk up to her and introduce himself.

–––––

End: Or a.k.a. the chapter in which Shirou begins taking his role as an admiral more seriously after some personal reflection, gets glomped tackled for the first of many times, Kongou proves that she’s the new top troll of the Emiya residence, and Rin finally decides she’s had enough with being left out of the plot.

I’d like to think this is where things begin to get interesting.

Any questions, comments, criticisms? Leave a review or a message on the forum, guys. They’re always welcome.

[MWkillkenny84]

Good chapter and good fights...

Just a question: will Shirou ever 'convert' to his side a Wo and Hoppou-chan with the power of his cooking skills?

[Daneel Rush]

I have thought long and hard about what this fic is missing, and I believe I have caught hold of the answer.

It needs a lewdmarine.

Jokes aside, I liked this chapter. It did a great job depicting everything you wanted to show, and made me look forward to the next.

[Xamusel]

I have to agree with the above poster, Sky Master. I hope you can continue with this story as much as possible, and put Shirou in the Admiral's chair sooner than later.

[Sky Master]

A/N: I started off this New Year wanting to get back into this, so here we go. You’ll notice this is a somewhat shorter update than what I’ve done previously. My hope is that shorter updates will prevent the period between this update and the next from ending up as another long hiatus. We’ll see what happens. Anyway:

–––––

An Ocean’s Sword
Chapter 6
Short of War (III) – Gunboat Diplomacy

–––––​

“A guest has arrived to speak with you, Raiga-sama.”

The head of the Fujimura Group sighed, sensing the impending headache headed his way.

“I see. I’ve been expecting her. Send her in.”

“There’s no need for that, old man. I know well enough how to let myself in.”

It spoke volumes of their relationship that the yakuza boss didn’t have to bother waving off his guards at the girl’s sudden intrusion. The questions lied in if it was done on his orders, or whether it was they knew better than to try. Regardless of the finer details that entailed, it was clear this wasn’t the first time they’d met like this.

Didn’t stop him from leveling a glare in her direction for her usual disrespect, however.

“One of these days I’m going to request young Shirou-kun to teach you how to properly respect your elders.”

She giggled. “You say that as if he’s not already trying.”

Despite himself, Raiga couldn’t help but grin at the memories of the boy struggling to reign in this girl and her free spirit. Then again, knowing what he did of her true nature, that this girl respected the boy’s wishes at all made it clear Shirou wasn’t only the best for the job, but likely the only one as well.

Now if the boy could just get the message across for her to leave this old man in peace.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Tia-chan?”

“Tch.” The girl clicked her tongue. “Curse your granddaughter and that ridiculous nickname of hers.” In spite of her response, he seemed to have gotten the message across that he wasn’t in the mood for her usual antics, her amusement evaporating as she took a seat next to him. A spot on the veranda with a calming view of his home’s gardens.

They sat like that in silence for some time. He himself contemplating the implications and questions that came with her visit, while it seemed even existences such as hers could find trouble in choosing the right words. They certainly made for an odd pair, him in an elaborate kimono, seated in a formal seiza position, while the girl swung her feet casually, dressed in a much simpler western dress.

But very rarely could problems such theirs be solved through silence.

“A storm is coming.”

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Are we making simple weather predictions, or is this a poor lead-in to something more?”

“Would you fault me if I were to reply: Both?”

Probably. Though with her, it was to be expected. “I suppose this has something to do with your newest resident?”

“You could say that. You could also say it’s related to that nonsense in your news as of late.”

“I assumed as much. Kiritsugu shared enough with me during his time to make it apparent you people are fond of such methods.”

She snorted in a particularly unladylike manner. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t associate me with those unsubtle brutes.”

In the end, the ignorance of humans had exceeded even her expectations.

What was initially reported as an attack from an unknown enemy at sea was now instead a series of gas leaks and the resulting destruction. Blame was being shifted amongst a number of companies responsible for providing power to the area, but results were inconclusive, while ‘investigators’ struggled to pinpoint what had actually happened. It was a blatant cover story, obvious to anyone by the simple fact that the property damage that’d occurred was far more varied than from what you’d expect from a normal gas explosion. Yet it seemed the government would be merely walking away with a black eye for their ‘mistake’, while for all intents and purposes, with the victims so few and primarily military, it looked like no one was officially interested in pursuing the matter any further.

Let alone a couple of weeks as she’d predicted, the security interest in chasing down hostile forces had been dropped after just over a day.

No one could be this incompetent. She could only assume memory alteration was responsible, from a party other than herself, likely this ‘Association’ her partner was so wary of. If that proved to be true, if their influence spread even this far, then she had to admit he was right to be concerned. They would all need to tread more carefully in future engagements.

But it wasn’t as if her hands were completely clean of similar actions.

“I’ll consider that when you stop manipulating my granddaughter.”

“I see. Figured it out, did we?”

Now it was his turn to scoff. “Please. I’ll be the first to admit she can be a bit… naïve, but make no mistake, that fault of hers is one she manages to keep firmly restricted to her own dealings. After Kiritsugu’s passing, Taiga took it upon herself to look after Shirou-kun, and while she has a habit of taking advantage of his kindness, she’s a true mother hen when it comes to his protection. Her sympathy may have been enough to convince her to allow one of you to live with the boy, but Taiga’s not so foolish as to open the Emiya home to every stranger with a sob story.”

By the time he was done speaking, his building animosity had ignited a cold fire in his eyes. It was a sight few men had seen, and even fewer had survived. It was at times such as this his status as a yakuza boss came to the fore, and if there was anyone who feared the ‘Tiger of Fuyuki’, it was only because they hadn’t met the man who’d had a hand in raising her.

The girl beside him sat unfazed.

“Calm yourself, human. Your anger means little to me. My hands have already touched far darker places than you could ever reach. We both know how important it is that the secrets we keep remain as such. Our methods may be different, but the results we seek are the same. I have no patience for your hypocrisy.”

So it was that a staring contest began between the two, combating both their resolve and authorities. Such continued for several tense minutes, before finally, it was surprisingly the girl who backed down first.

If he didn’t know better, he’d almost call it regret.

“In any case, even before myself, that woman stands as his guardian. I owe just as much a debt to her as Shirou does, for being there for him when no one else could be. If you have any alternatives to this in mind, I’d be happy to hear them. Otherwise, the most I can do is offer a promise Taiga Fujimura will know the truth before all of this is over.”

“In the end, this is a conflict not even magic will be able to keep secret.”

Her sincerity didn’t absolve her of her wrongs, but knowing that she took no enjoyment in such was at least enough for him to swallow his pride. Doing so, however, left Raiga showing all the signs of his age, in a rare moment of vulnerability. An effect that came with the guilt of acknowledging this girl was right about one thing.

The violence of his past was one secret he planned to take with him to the grave.

He was no stranger to who this girl was, or what it was she represented. She had revealed as much to him in a private meeting shortly after Taiga had introduced them, somehow recognizing the fact he was one of the few privy to the truth of Kiritsugu’s origins. Each visit since, she’d come with the same request, and on each occasion he refused. One in his position didn’t have the luxury to get involved in conflicts not his own, and even more importantly…

“In my line of work you don’t survive without developing an intuition regarding other’s intentions. When you’ve been in the business for as long as I have, such things have become second nature to you. Yet, despite this, one such as you remains entirely unknown to me, and that fact leaves us at an impasse. As much as I respect the fact you came to me with the truth of your connections to that other world, one of the few regrets Kiritsugu saw fit to share with me before his death, was that of trusting things which man can’t understand.”

His rejection was the same as it’d always been. Contrary to that though, the girl wasn’t wearing an expression of disappointment. In fact… “Old man, are you getting senile? Or do you intentionally deny me with the same speech each time I visit?”

So that’s how it was. “You may find it wise to quit biting the hand that feeds you, old hag.”

“Touché.”

Raiga took the moment to grin at one of his few victories, before continuing. “I’ve refused to do any business with you in the past because of this reason, but these recent events make it clear your warnings are more than just some fantasy. As such, I find myself stuck between honoring a friend’s memory, and the even greater danger of remaining complacent. Fortunately, our dear Shirou-kun has brought a possible solution to my attention, though I suspect you had more than just a hand in it.”

“Then again, perhaps this is merely fate. Since the day his father picked him up, I’ve seen the effect he’s had on Kiritsugu, my associates, and even my granddaughter. That idealism is unquestionably his greatest asset, but it’s also obvious to anyone watching just how easy he makes it to exploit. What that boy needs is an anchor, someone to reel him back in when his selflessness takes him too far. If what you’ve said is true, Kiritsugu’s son will be involved in this conflict with or without my consent, thanks to the final factor in this matter.”

“I’ve kept an eye on these girls who’ve begun appearing alongside you, and it’s clear that whatever connection they have to all of this, it’s not your orders they follow. It’s rare to find one of them far from that child’s side, and as far as I can tell, his safety appears to be as important to them as it is to Taiga. As if that weren’t enough, they wear their intentions even more distinctly than Shirou-kun, if such a thing is even possible. The only question I’m left with is this:”

“Is Shirou Emiya the master you serve as well?”

He was actually taken aback at the pride reflected in those metallic-colored eyes as she answered, “I trust him with all that I hold dear.”

As nice as that sentiment was, “That doesn’t answer my question.”

She smiled, remaining silent on the matter.

“Fair enough. In any case, what I’m willing to offer is limited assistance in getting these girls situated into the public eye, as well as handling any business transactions that could otherwise reveal their connection to the secret side of the world. Is it right to assume there’ll be more coming?”

Her grin spoke of a joke only known to herself. “You could say that.”

“Right then. Despite its size, the Emiya household was never intended to be a boarding house. I’ll see if we have any apartments open for rent under our management. To ensure proper concealment of any suspicious behavior, it would probably be safest if we already own the entire complex. All that being said, I don’t operate a charity, girl.”

“And we both know Shirou wouldn’t accept such a thing even if you offered.”

He had to give her that one. The kid always found a way to honor his debts. Since that more or less left the manner of payment settled, “That leaves us with the matter of identification…”

-- --​

If reincarnation was a real thing, Shirou decided, then his previous life must’ve been filled with some of the most atrocious acts imaginable.

Considering what was happening in front of him, it was more comforting to believe in that, than the idea his luck was just this bad.

“This is your fault, isn’t it?” someone whispered behind him.

Dammit, Ayako!

The most confusing part in all of this? Was just how in a certain goddess’ name Fuji-nee was managing to deliver the news with a straight face?

“So with that said, class, say hello to our new assistant teacher from overseas. Since she’ll be interning with those of us in the English department during her stay, she’ll be assisting me as your homeroom teacher for the time being until she gets settled.”

“Since I’m only a couple years older than the rest of you, just call me Kongou-sensei~! Nice to meet you, desu~!”

He could almost feel the rest of the class mouthing the same question.

‘Another one…?’

What was left up for debate was whether the incredulous stares were directed at the likelihood of them somehow getting another transfer to their class, or what it was the class had done to be assigned another hyperactive disaster-waiting-to-happen for a teacher. As for Shirou himself, he had his face buried in his desk, stuck in the unique third category of trying to keep himself sane while trying to puzzle out how this was even possible. Less than a week ago one of these women didn’t even exist!

Didn’t they require certification for stuff like this? The fact there was no way Kongou could have the formal credentials necessary should’ve meant this was borderline impossible, right? Who was responsible for the background checks in this school?! At this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised to find out one of their teachers was secretly an assassin!

Breathe, Shirou. Breathe…

Stopping himself at the edge of hyperventilation, he began sorting through his memories, hoping there was something he’d missed buried within that’d explain this whole mess. It took less than ten seconds to pinpoint where he’d gone wrong in life.

A couple of days after Kongou’s summoning, Tia had come up to him along with one of Raiga’s men with a folder of paperwork, claiming they were forms for identification that needed the battleship’s signature. It was obvious by this point the old man knew something was up, but as long as he wasn’t asking any questions, Shirou was more than happy to leave the man with his suspicions and just accept the yakuza boss’ help.

His mistake? Overlooking the fact that, even to one as unversed in legislation as himself, the amount of paperwork the two had with them had been a bit excessive for just an ordinary passport. But Tia wouldn’t do something like that behind his back, though, right?

…Dammit, Tia.

And here he was faulting Taiga for being too gullible. He took a moment to let that irony sink in.

Fine, everything was fine. He could work with this. It was certainly more believable than the idea another student was being transferred to their class. All the two of them had to do was maintain a respectful distance from one another during classes, and no one outside of Ayako would figure out they knew each other. Kongou was smart enough to know that already.

With those thoughts, he raised his head, confident they could play all of this off…

…only to find a set of playful grey eyes staring pointedly in his direction.

Um, Kongou understood this was one place where she needed to hold herself back, didn’t she? She wouldn’t abuse her new authority as an opportunity to remain even more perpetually attached to his back, would she? Fuji-nee had shared with her the professional constraints of a student-teacher relationship, hadn’t she?

Yeah…

He performed every silent signal he knew to get the message across to her. Hand signs, eye movements, lip reading, prayer. He even entertained the thought of sending a warning through Morse code with the use of Central.

She winked, communicating she understood.

Oh no.

“Of course, anytime you’re in need of private lessons, I’ll be at your beck and call, Shirou-kyun~!”

This time, it wasn’t just the guys in his class trying to burn a hole into his back.

He wasn’t sure how. He wasn’t sure when. But somewhere, this was all Fuji-nee’s fault.

“Dammit, Tiger…”

-- --​

Later that same day, a girl in the same school was having a similar mental breakdown for not-entirely-unrelated reasons.

On the one hand, for the first time in her life Rin actually found herself grateful for the school’s rumor mill. On the other…

Emiya? The janitor? Seriously?

She couldn’t decide whether to be relieved that her rogue magus had all the intimidation factor of an angry corgi, or irritated that a magus with the nickname ‘Homurahara’s Brownie’ had managed to slip by her notice. In the end she did what came naturally to her, and chose the most logical course of action.

Shoot the problem with Gandr Shot until it stopped moving, then ask questions later.

What really got her blood boiling in all of this, however, was that it hadn’t even been a challenge to find him. All her days of painstaking preparation and nights of lost sleep had been a wasted effort, because instead of her target being a dangerous immortal or insane fugitive, he was just an idiot. That, more than anything else, was the insult to her pride as a Second Owner she couldn’t let go.

One day. That’s all it took. On the first day of her investigation proper she figured out who her intruder was, and it hadn’t even been due to a result of said investigation! Out of mere curiosity, she’d decided to take a look into the rumors going around regarding some suspicious transfers surrounding one of the classes in their year. She’d heard some of the details in passing from Ayako, but it was the first time she’d decided to look into it personally.

What she found there was an idiot lit up with magical energy to the point she would’ve believed someone telling her Golden Week had come early. If they hadn’t been in the middle of school she would’ve…!

Focus, Rin. Focus…

She could save her frustrations for when she had her hands on him. As for here and now, she had to make a plan as to how she was going to confront him. Sure, maybe she was willing to bet he wasn’t hiding simply because he couldn’t, but it wasn’t like she could rule him out as a credible threat.

The matter of his possible connection to the disappearances that’d been happening was still a concern, and if those continued because she handled this poorly she’d never hear the end of it from that stupid fake priest. There was also the matter that when she did so, she’d need to ensure there’d be no witnesses. She wasn’t inexperienced with the methods used for keeping magic a secret, but that didn’t mean she was fond of using them.

Most importantly, she had to keep in mind that the Emiya she was familiar with was likely nothing more than a public mask similar to those worn by most magi, even herself. She had no way to predict what might be hidden underneath. She couldn’t back down here, regardless of how many clueless grins he threw in her direction.

That didn’t mean she’d abstain from taking advantage of the persona he’d created. The guy often spent his time after school helping the student council or as a member of the archery club. It also wasn’t an unusual sight to catch him alone in the hallways doing some job an irresponsible classmate had left him with. Quite often he was one of the few still on academy grounds by the time he headed home.

Not that she’d witnessed any of this herself, mind you. She’d just heard things. From Ayako. Because she asked…

But that wasn’t important!

The plan she settled for wasn’t one of her most complex, but she didn’t feel like wasting any more time with all of this. As long as there hadn’t been any changes to his usual habits it wouldn’t be difficult to catch him alone. All she had to do was make sure he couldn’t escape, that no one would interrupt, and she could ask as many questions as she wanted.

What could go wrong?

–––––​

End: First things first. You’ll notice that I’ve set up a poll for a question I’ve been rolling in my head over the last couple months. Made the mistake of giving in to my curiosity, and gave Azur Lane a try, and if I’m perfectly honest: As a game, I personally think it far outshines KanColle. Some of the character designs leave something to be desired, but then again depending on who you ask, I suppose the same could also be said of KC.

Now I’m left with the conflicting opinion of incorporating some of the characters from AL, seeing as it wouldn’t change the nature of the crossover at all, or remaining true to the crossover this story started as. Figured I might as well get the overall opinion of my readers to help influence my decision.

As for the other thing I should probably at least address. I apologize this story ended up in hiatus. Again. Considering my history, I’m not in the position to promise it won’t happen again, but if you’re still following me after all this time, let me just take a moment to express my gratitude.

Thanks, guys. Your support means a lot.

Good news is that for the last year I was busy with finishing my college degree in engineering, and that means my schedule’s the most open it’s been in years while the only thing I have to work on are some graduation projects. As such, my motivation shouldn’t be taking any hits in the near future, and that will hopefully translate into updates being more frequent.

If you have something to say about the chapter, or have any questions regarding the poll, leave a comment. They’re often the only things motivating me when I’m slacking.

[Hikari]

Just caught up, and voted. While harem stories were never my cup of tea. You have crafted one which does not instantly trigger me. Thank you for that. I look forward to future chapters.

[Xamusel]

It's nice to see you come back for this fic's update. I hope you get to updating sooner than later.

[RanmaBushiko]

Nice to see this story updating. Sorry for not talking about it much, though, before now. With how long it was since this update, I thought it was... not dead, but delayed to the point I forgot about it between times you updated it.