Chapter 2
Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
Chapter 2
"You should be connected with London in a few minutes, sir."
"Thank you."
Admiral Takeda sighed softly, and tugged on the brim of his cap. It hadn't exactly been his intention to contact the British without the reason for this message being present...but Indestructible was apparently asleep in Fubuki's room.
It wasn't even a surprise, really. These girls went through two stages after summoning; intense, crippling, hunger...and the need to sleep. Indestructible wasn't Japanese, but it was far from reasonable to assume she would be different. It might be better that she was the same.
I would rather get the shock out of the way, alone. Commander Goto has vanished as well, so I can hardly pin this on him.
Sighing again, Takeda looked at the dead screen while he waited. And reflected on the problem child dropped into his metaphorical lap.
Kongou. A ship that was delayed to the point where it had become more economical to just sell her to the British and wash their hands of it all. Naturally, the Hiei-class had served every bit as well as a hypothetical Kongou-class would have. And that should have been the end of it.
Yet, with the Abyssals and the kanmusu, nothing was ever that simple. Now, he had to face a girl who had every right to feel betrayed and abandoned by her country. It was not an enviable position.
Damn Goto and his harebrained schemes. Whenever Takeda found him again, the Commander was going to apologize, personally. And tell him exactly what he had intended with that summoning.
"We're connected now." A voice, from one of his officers, distracted the Admiral.
Takeda nodded slightly, as the large screen in front of him changed from its blank state. Instead, it now showed an office similar to his own office, only furnished differently. Just as the office was similar-yet-different, so too was the man sitting in it. A man wearing a British version of his own uniform, rank and all. Dark black hair, only now turning grey, on a pale face.
It was good to see him.
"Hello, Admiral Takeda," the other man was the first to speak, a tired smile crossing his slightly younger face. Standing beside him, as ever, was HMS Hood. Her stoic expression never did change. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Good to see you, Admiral Smith," Takeda's reply was easy going, despite the situation.
The other man nodded...and his smile got at least a little bit more real. "Now that formalities are out of the way, how are you, Daiki?"
"Well enough, Blake. However, this isn't a social call."
"With how late it is there, I doubted it was," Smith shook his head. He chuckled deeply, his eyes glancing at the bright sun outside his own window. "So, what is it this time? You know I can't send any of my girls to help you."
Takeda sighed. He supposed that one was an easy shot. He got desperate, sometimes. "That isn't what I'm calling for. Are you alone?"
Smith raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder. And Hood looked over her shoulder.
Of course, there was no one else there. It was only the Admiral and the ship girl in the old-fashioned Victorian-era Royal Navy uniform. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, barely held under an officer's cap. It was a cap that wouldn't have looked out of place on Admiral Nelson himself, in all honesty. Curiously old fashioned, for someone younger than Indestructible.
Then, anyone who knew the Royal Navy would recognize Hood instantly. She was, then and now, the most famous of all British ships. And ship girls, for that matter.
"Well, unless I've got a submarine hiding under my desk...Hood here is the only person with me," Smith joked, his voice full of levity. His eyes became dead serious. "So, is something wrong enough that you don't want anyone but us to know?"
"Not...wrong," here, Takeda sighed. He spread his hands over his desk and shrugged helplessly. It was well past the point of hiding how he felt. "Difficult, would be the word I choose. Have you summoned every kanmusu from the Second War era?"
A shake of a head was his answer. Smith frowning when he replied, "Of course not. We may not have been the Americans, but we still had a lot of ships! Bloody hell, we may have summoned most of our battlecruisers but we haven't even touched the destroyers or submarines yet."
Flicking his head back a little, Smith looked over at Hood. Who was, in a rare showing for her, biting her lip. That was practically bouncing in place for the stoic battlecruiser.
Both men knew why, even if Smith didn't know that Takeda knew.
"As I'm sure Hood would tell you, the most missed ship girl is probably Indestructible. Her sisters are, well, a pain in my neck. Have you ever had to deal with a dozen battlecruisers, even if only two are actually sisters, trying to make you do a summoning? My back still hurts from the last time Irresistible jumped me."
"I...see." Takeda knew he should have laughed at the obvious joke. He couldn't. Indestructible's sisters. How was he possibly going to juggle the sick with worry British girls, with the Japanese ones that would tear down the entire base to see their long-forgotten sibling?
I don't know what I'll do.
"You're not telling me something," the British man narrowed his eyes. He knew something was up. "Why are you asking me that question, Daiki?"
"We made an attempt to do what the Americans did with Hawaii, and summon Tosa or the original Amagi," the Japanese man's voice was soft as silk. That softness did little to hide his lingering concern and guilt. "That didn't work as planned."
And wasn't that an understatement. Summoning an angry and full of rightful betrayal Tosa, or a crippled Amagi might have been better than what had happened. At least in that case, they would have been manageable. They would have been Japanese and there would be no question of where they belonged. There would have been none of the issues they were currently dealing with.
You couldn't say that with Indestructible. You never could.
Especially considering Takeda himself believed that they had long ago forfeited any right to say what Indestructible should do. Japan had given that right away, when they abandoned Kongou.
"Did your summoning fail?" Smith broke back into the conversation, "I can't imagine that would be enough reason to call me. Especially since you know we can't spare any girls to help you."
"The summoning was a success...but it wasn't Tosa nor Amagi we summoned," Takeda brought up a picture of who they had summoned.
Smith's eyes widened noticeably, though it was nothing on Hood. The normally stoic battlecruiser held a hand to her mouth, a shocked little gasp escaping her lips. Her hand was trembling slightly, bright green eyes staring at the picture. She was shocked to her very core and Takeda hated that he had done that to her.
"As you can see, it didn't fail. However..."
It would not be Smith who spoke this time. Hood, shaking her head slightly, whispered softly. "She looks just like Irresistible and Implacable..."
"Other than her hair and eyes, yes." Smith nodded, turning his full attention on Takeda, with narrowed eyes. "By this, I have to assume you summoned Indestructible?"
The Japanese man nodded back, "Yes. We're still not sure how. It was certainly not my intention, and I personally oversaw the summoning. How we summoned her instead of Tosa is a mystery."
Before either man could continue discussing the subject, Hood spun on her heel and started marching to the door that Takeda could see behind his old friend's chair. The man in question turned around, watching his fleet commander go. There was a resigned slump to his shoulders, as Hood stopped only long enough to look back over her shoulder. There was a slight wetness to her stoic eyes, as she looked back one more time at the picture of Indestructible.
"I'm going to let her sisters know."
And before Takeda could say anything about attempting to keep this situation 'under wraps', as the Americans would say, the battlecruiser was gone. For his part, Smith sighed and shook his head fondly, before turning back to the screen.
"I expected that," he said, "Honestly, I'm amazed she's as calm as she is. The moment I realized who you had summoned...well, Hood has a special place in her heart for that girl, more than even Bismarck."
"And you won't stop her, Blake?" Takeda resigned himself to hearing an expected answer.
He got it, Smith snorting softly, "Believe me Daiki, Hood's bravery is matched only by her stubbornness. And as their names can imply, those two girls she's going to talk to are even worse. I couldn't keep this a secret from them even if I wanted to." Smith snorted again and shook his head bemusedly. "And I don't want to. Because-"
Here, the man leveled a serious stare on his friend, before continuing to speak in a harder tone.
"The fact you don't want them to know doesn't ring quite right with me. What are you hiding, Daiki?"
And there it was, the problem that Takeda had been loathe to discuss.
"Our government is desperate, Blake," the Japanese man shrugged. No point in beating around the bush with his friend. "We barely have enough kanmusu to properly cover our shores and Okinawa. Securing our supply lanes is stretching our resources thin, and America continues to refuse to send reinforcements. We're running ourselves dry."
"And I wish we could help with that," Smith replied, narrowing his eyes slightly, "That being said, you had better not be about to say what I think you are."
Takeda sighed, "Our government wants to keep Indestructible here."
"Never going to happen."
Smith's voice was hard, the Admiral Glare leveled on his old friend. Takeda just sighed again, unable to blame him for that reaction in the slightest.
It was much the same as his own, when the Diet had told him to keep Indestructible in Japan. They were quite clear on that fact. Despite the fact that he knew, better than anyone, how that idea would go over. How it would go over on both sides of the world.
He knew because it was how he would feel. How he did feel. Indestructible shouldn't be forced to stay in Japan. Forcing her to stay in a nation she already felt betrayed her...
How would anyone react to that? She didn't need to be put through that. It wasn't just his fondness for all the kanmusu talking. If anyone deserved to just go home, it was that battlecruiser. Regardless of the Hiei sisters being in Japan, Indestructible belonged in Britain.
I know that our politicians are desperate. Desperation does strange things to people. They're not fools, they aren't dumb, they're just…scared. Scared and worried and all other such things. Outside of those who truly do believe that because we ordered Kongou we have a 'claim' to Indestructible. The same kind that continue to deny what we did during the War Years.
"I know," as such, Takeda sent a weary look at his British friend. "Believe me, I know."
"I'm not sure you do, Daiki," Smith countered. His tone had lost all levity and friendliness, to be replaced by ice. "What if Yukikaze had been summoned by Taiwan? Or Hibiki by Russia? If they tried to keep those girls because of their own lacking numbers, your government would rightfully be raising bloody hell over it. So what gives them the right to keep Indestructible there? Need I remind you..."
"That Japan abandoned her in the first place?" Takeda finished his friend's sentence, bitterness leaking into his own tone. "You don't need to tell me that, old friend. I agree with you, on this and many other matters. Indestructible being kept here is ignoring her own feelings, and that of her homeland. However, I can't tell the Diet what to do. It is very likely that our government will contact your Prime Minister..."
Smith didn't even need to reply to that. Both men knew exactly how that would go over. It was enough to make Takeda turn his eyes away from his friend, and to the moon outside his window. His fingers began tapping on the desk nervously, even though none of this was truly his fault. He was the messenger.
Don't shoot the messenger was a saying that absolutely no one listened to.
The British Admiral confirmed that, his voice as low as a hiss. "Good luck with that. Even if the PM allowed it, which he won't, Indestructible wouldn't be there for long. If she is anything like her sisters and Hood, she'll sail back here even if she has to fight her way out. That's ignoring that her sisters are going to go to Japan at the moment Hood gets done talking to them."
Now, Takeda might have joked about Smith being unable to keep his kanmusu under control, in better circumstances. At the moment, he knew that his friend wasn't joking in the slightest. In all likelihood, he would order the Indestructible sisters to go to Japan and recover their lost sibling.
"Believe me old friend," the Japanese Admiral finally spoke again, voice tired, "I will do everything in my power to ensure she can return. If you need to send her sisters here, I won't do anything to stop it. Perhaps meeting her sisters will make it easier on Hiei. At least she'll know her sister is in good hands."
"We'll see."
Whatever fire had been in Smith's voice was gone now. He just looked old and tired in a way that Takeda could easily relate to. The British officer wearily climbed to his feet, and began to turn to leave as Hood had done. His eyes met Takeda's, one last time.
"I'll call you again tomorrow, Daiki. For now, I need to find Hood and let the PM know." Smith sent a small smile at his old friend. "And thank you, at least, for letting me know about this. We were worried about Indestructible...it's good to know she did come back, even if in the wrong country."
With that said, the screen went blank again, leaving a tired old Admiral to pull himself to his feet. He would talk to Indestructible tomorrow as well, and make sure she knew he was doing everything he could to get her home. At least Hiei and most of her sisters were on patrol for the moment. He could only imagine how much damage they would do. Unintentional damage, perhaps, as those girls didn't have a mean bone in their bodies.
But they didn't need to meet their sister, not until she had adjusted to her situation.
Still, one of them is here. I should probably...no. If I tell her, she'll go there immediately. Takeda heaved a deep, exhausted, sigh. Best to let things go as they will. At least it's only her, not the others. If any of them should meet Indestructible first, it should probably be her baby sister.
It was a tired old man who collapsed in bed and tried to get rest that constantly eluded him. As he let his eyes fall shut, Admiral Takeda at least hoped that Indestructible was getting proper rest. She deserved it just as much as anyone else, if not more so.
He didn't know how wrong he was in that small hope.
"Are you awake, Indestructible-san?"
"Yes."
Shifting slightly, the old battlecruiser lifted her head from the futon she had spent the night in. Tired rings were around her eyes, the lack of proper sleep rather evident from that. Perhaps noticing that, Fubuki smiled sadly. The destroyer girl was already in her uniform, as she sat down next to her much larger counterpart. Her sad smile faded into an understanding look, as she looked at the other girl. Who, for her part, just sighed softly.
"Problems sleeping?" Fubuki asked.
"..." Indestructible only looked away, refusing to admit to it. Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps it was lack of trust.
And, maybe, it was just that she didn't want to show weakness.
By her side, the destroyer leaned back. Fubuki smiled at the ceiling, idly twisting a lock of her black hair. "Well, I hope you have a better day today. Do you want to come train with me?"
Indestructible turned her head, allowing herself to smile slightly. "Training?"
"Yup!" the younger girl grinned, "When we're on base, most of us keep training. There's always more to learn. You've never even been in the water, have you?"
"No, I haven't," Indestructible frowned in thought. In this body, she had no idea how to move in the water. "How exactly do you...fight like this?"
"Erm-it's kind of hard to explain. We have rigging, that's like our old hulls. When we summon it, we're more like ships than girls. It's easier to use on the water though. You should be able to do it on instinct even!"
The battlecruiser blinked, before looking down on her new body. Her hands clenched in her thin blanket, clutching at it. It felt odd enough being able to do that. The idea of summoning something like her old hull? How did that even work? She couldn't imagine fighting in this body. That just felt impossible.
Granted, just being like this felt impossible, and Fubuki seemed confident enough. It still boggled the mind though, the idea that she could use something like her old hull in this body. Even thinking that she could fight like that was strange.
And, of course, there was another issue to be had...
I don't feel comfortable being around them with weapons. I don't trust these girls, or their leadership.
To her, despite Fubuki and the Admiral's actions, Japan was still an enemy. The idea of sailing- somehow -in close proximity to who knew how many warships with their weapons armed? Well, it didn't exactly appeal to her. For all that the Admiral said he would punish anyone who so much as looked at her wrong, it didn't make her any happier at the idea.
Maybe she was being unfair?
"...do you not want to train with us?"
Unfortunately, Fubuki's pouty face was quite effective. Large green eyes stared up at her imploringly, her lip quivering slightly. Indestructible's 'older sister' instincts reared their head in full force, as she resisted the urge to hug the girl. It would be so easy too. Just reach over and grab her in a bear hug. Maybe pinch her cheeks to make her smile and-
Sweet Christ, what was with destroyers and being ungodly cute? Even when they were little murder machines?
"Fine, I'll train with you." Indestructible did not grumble, as she pulled her cover off. Her torso stretched a little bit, working the kinks out. Sleeping on the floor wasn't exactly comfortable.
"Thank you!" Fubuki had no restraints in her happiness, though. She quite literally threw herself onto the battlecruiser with a wide grin on her youthful face. "It's been a long time since we've had someone new to train with!"
There was something in the girl's tone that had the battlecruiser raising a curious eyebrow, "What do you mean, Fubuki?"
"Um...it's a long story, Indestructible-san..." she trailed off, before waving her hands in front of her when she saw the look on Indestructible's face. "But I can explain! We, well, haven't had any new girls in a long time. It's been a couple months since Shimikaze-chan arrived, and you're the first since then."
Indestructible frowned, noting the sad tone in her...what was Fubuki to her? A friend? A guide? Eh, she'd settle for 'guide' for now. "I know your navy wasn't the largest, but surely you still have..."
"We do," Fubuki replied with a sad smile, "But you're still the first new girl in a long time."
Rising to her feet, Fubuki swung back and forth on her heels a bit. Her eyes refused to meet Indestructible, looking purposely over her shoulder. She bit her lip and was clearly, clearly uncomfortable. For some reason or another.
Indestructible, well, she couldn't say she understood. However, she did understand having uncomfortable things she didn't want to talk about. She had her own, so she wasn't going to push Fubuki. It didn't do much to change her own feelings on the training, though. Oh well. It was at least a chance to learn something.
I still don't know what to believe, or if Japan's our ally. Maybe I can find out how their girls train, and use that if we have to fight?
Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but as she had taught Hood, so long ago...always be prepared! No matter what happened.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"I was so not bloody prepared for this..."
Indestructible looked out at the harbor, a thoroughly bemused expression on her face. A group of little destroyer girls- four of them looked even younger than Fubuki! -were practically surfing across the waves, giggling at each other as they did so. A pair of light cruisers were trying to corral them, but it was a losing battle. Even she could see that, and she wasn't exactly experienced in dealing with girls like this.
Mind, it hardly helped that the two cruisers looked like floating traffic cones. Whoever had the bright idea of an orange skirt needed to be slapped silly. Preferably with a fourteen-inch cannon.
"Close formation!" the shorter haired cruiser called out, water spray flinging up near her short orange skirt. "You can do better than this, girls!"
"Hai!" Fubuki at least was taking it seriously, doing her utmost to stay in some semblance of formation with a younger-looking, white haired destroyer.
"Don't be so hard on them, Sendai," for her part, the longer haired cruiser spoke softly, looking at her...sister? Had to be, with those outfits."They're trying as hard as they can."
Did someone in Japan hire their most wacky costume designer? I feel like they did. I've never seen such vivid orange used like that before. Indestructible couldn't help but stare at the two, wondering what she would see next out of the Japanese ships.
"We're here to train them, Jintsuu," Sendai shot back, a fierce grin on her young face. "Can't do that if they don't give it their all! Ya know?"
Jintsuu sighed softly, "I know."
"Speaking of training...you here for that too?" At that, Sendai turned to flash her grin at Indestructible.
Who blinked, and nodded shortly, "Yes."
"Great! Get in the water then, and I'll show you how to ni..."
"It isn't a night battle, Sendai."
Sendai grumbled at her sister, muttering something about 'night battles are the best though', before turning back to running herd on the destroyers. Jintsuu sent an apologetic look at Indestructible, before sailing over to where the battlecruiser stood on the pier. The long-haired cruiser smiled up at her older counterpart, holding a dainty hand out for the British girl to take. Indestructible hesitantly reached out, on edge for any potential tricks.
There wouldn't be any, however, as the light cruiser gently pulled her much heavier counterpart into the water. Despite how wrong it felt to put a very human body into the water.
Indestructible half-expected to sink like a rock, once she was in the water, no matter what the other girls were doing. However, the moment her feet- and her shoes, perhaps more importantly -touched the water, she started to float on the surface. It was as if she was walking on concrete, not at all like she was in the waves. Even the cold water lapping at her ankles didn't change the feeling.
Wide violet eyes looked down, as she experimentally kicked her foot. Water sprayed into the air like her drive shaft had pushed her old propeller, making her flinch back and a soft, almost silent, giggle come from Jintsuu. Indestructible got the feeling that this girl wasn't much for loud and exciting noises.
Kind eyes turned onto the confused battlecruiser, as the cruiser let go of her hand, pulling away slightly.
"Is this your first time in the water...?" The unasked question was obvious, in hindsight.
"HMS Indestructible," the battlecruiser answered, looking down at her feet instead of at the other girl. "I...just came back yesterday. I've never been in the water like this before. Bloody hell is this what you all feel like?"
Jintsuu just smiled again, "It's like that for everyone. Follow me, I can show you how to sail. Do you know how to summon your rigging, Indestructible?"
"No, I don't." The British girl replied. She looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching rhythmically. "Fubuki said it would be instinctual. I have no idea what she meant by that."
"Indestructible?" The cruiser noted that the other girl hadn't been talking to her. Jintsuu was observant, if nothing else. "Is something wrong?"
Ignoring the Japanese ship, Indestructible took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and trying to avoid focusing on her situation. Ignoring that she was floating in a way she shouldn't. Instead, she focused on her old hull. The feeling of steel and wood, swaying in the waves underneath her. The bustle of men working their posts, training her weapons on targets. Focused on the memories of Jutland, of dueling SMS Seydlitz after Invincible sank. On the memories of her mighty guns firing at distant...
"You did it!" Jintsuu's soft voice broke in, as Indestructible felt…something.
Well, she felt the sudden weight of her old hull on her back. Turning her head, the battlecruiser's violet eyes widened, as her equally brown hair moved out of the way. Hanging from her back, was a curved piece of wood and metal, in the form of her old hull. The old paint scheme was even there, as she ran a hand along a miniature version of her A-turret. Fourteen-inch guns shone dully in the sunlight, as her shocked gaze reflected off the water.
Was this…?
Whooooa. It feels so right. Like I missed this.
Seeing the 'rigging' on the other girls was one thing. Seeing and feeling her old hull...now that was another thing entirely.
"I did," she finally whispered, shaking her head slightly. "Right, how exactly do I use this? Jintsuu?"
The cruiser just smiled demurely, "Follow me, Indestructible. The targets here are set up for the destroyers. We need you on the battleship range."
Indestructible nodded, pushing her legs- boilers? -to follow along with the light cruiser. She wasn't a battleship, but she was the next best thing.
Of course, all her attention was on moving, so she failed to notice a blonde destroyer joining the others, curious red eyes following along with her.
"Yuudachi-chan!" Fubuki called out, waving at her best friend. "When did you get back?"
Yuudachi, a blonde haired Shiratsuyu-class destroyer, shrugged. "Just today. Fubuki, like, who was that battleship, poi?"
The blonde destroyer, returned from her patrol, looked in the direction she had seen a brown haired kanmusu go. She hadn't recognized the girl, like, she was new. Very new, since Yuudachi thought she had already known all the battleships. She was just with the Hiei sisters after all!
"That was Indestructible-san," Fubuki answered with a happy smile. An oddly happy smile. "I've been showing her around, since the Admiral asked me to! She's really nice, but a bit overwhelmed by everything. I'm glad Jintsuu-san is showing her how to use her rigging."
After saying that, Fubuki looked over at her friend with a completely serious expression. "Also, she's a battlecruiser, not a battleship."
Yuudachi's eyebrow went up, a questioning look in her red eyes, "Indestructible? Isn't that, like, a British name?"
"Yes," her friend nodded. Her smile returned, since she had corrected her friend.
It wasn't, like, her fault. She didn't know what a battlecruiser even was! Japan didn't have any, poi!
"The Admiral said he wasn't sure how she was summoned here, but he's trying to get her home. I think it's because she's Hiei-san's older sister." Fubuki continued, like she hadn't even noticed. She probably didn't. Her friend was nice, but she didn't notice a lot.
"Hiei's..." the taller destroyer blinked slowly. "I didn't know she had a big sister, poi!"
On the other hand, if her older sister was British, that was probably why. Yuudachi wasn't like her friend, and didn't really look at other navies. If she had, she might have known something this important! And if Indestructible had just now been summoned, that meant she probably hadn't met her sisters yet. They might not even know she was here! Yuudachi wondered how they would feel, when they did find out. She knew if Shiratsuyu or Shigure had come back and she hadn't been told at the time, she would have been soooo mad.
Like, seriously. If Indestructible was their sister, they should know she was here! But they hadn't come back from the patrol yet. They had more work to do! Unless...
"I don't think she likes thinking about it," Fubuki spoke softly, as the two girls maneuvered around practice rounds from Sendai and Hibiki. Her words distracted the blonde. "She seems really sad whenever Hiei-san is mentioned."
"But, they're her sisters, poi!" Yuudachi protested, the idea of being sad at having her sisters being hard to believe. She loved her sisters and they loved her.
"Yeah, but she has her British sisters too. I don't think Indestructible-san knows how to act around Hiei-san and the others."
A frown crossed Yuudachi's face, "But wouldn't she want to meet them?"
"I think she does, but doesn't know how to talk to them," her friend sighed softly. Even while water from one of Sendai's practice rounds soaked them both to the bone. It was just a game they played. "I'm so sorry for her...I can't imagine what Indestructible-san feels like."
Neither can I, poi! But I wouldn't want my sisters to not know I was here. I need to go tell her now! And Hiei when she gets back!
Decision made, Yuudachi let a cocky grin cross her face, as she jumped in front of Fubuki. She wouldn't let her friend do better at training than her, even considering the situation!
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
It was a tired destroyer who left the training area, sometime later that day. Waving goodbye to Fubuki, who ran towards the battleship training grounds, Yuudachi squared her shoulders and marched off in the direction of the battleship dorms. Hiei-san had said she and her sisters would be back soon, though they had to go on another mission first. Something about Okinawa, Yuudachi didn't quite remember.
Not all of them were gone, though! Indestructible needed to have her sisters, poi!
She couldn't imagine what that felt like, having always had her sisters with her, until she had sunk at the Solomon Islands during the war. And even after the war, her elder sisters like Shigure had always been there when she needed them. So, yeah, Yuudachi couldn't imagine what Hiei and her sisters felt like, not having Indestructible around.
It was why she was heading here, even though Fubuki had said it was better to wait.
I don't want to wait, poi. She needs to know her sister is here!
"Hey Yuudachi," Mutsu was the first battleship to notice her though, as she sat outside the building, reading some book. Or plotting something. Mutsu was always like that, poi.
"Hey Mutsu-san!" Yuudachi waved at the larger woman. "Have you seen Ashitaka?"
The battleship tapped her chin, a sly grin on her face, "Why are you asking?"
"Mutsuuuuu..." the blonde pouted, used to the elder girl's sense of humor by now.
A giggle answered that, as Mutsu put her book down, "Sorry, sorry. If you're looking for her, Ashitaka is in her room. I think she's a bit upset that her sisters aren't taking her on that mission."
Yuudachi couldn't help a shiver, "Oh no, poi..."
"Yup," Mutsu just smiled again, with a rueful headshake for good measure. "Good luck, Yuudachi"
Waving at the battleship, Yuudachi squared her shoulders, and marched into the dorm. She could survive this, and she needed to let the older ships know their sister was back. Even if she could only talk to one of them! Looking at it that way, she could go through any number of Hiei's dishes or Ashitaka's temper.
Right, with that in mind, it was a lot easier to focus. Focus, as the blonde little destroyer walked past the various battleship dorms, intent on one in particular. The one claimed by the Hiei sisters, who tended to sleep together, despite the fact they could have double rooms instead.
Of course, only one of them was actually there right now. For better or worse.
"Ashitaka?" Yuudachi knocked on the door.
"Come on in Yuudachi!" the familiar voice called out, prompting a smiling destroyer to open the door.
"Nice to see you again."
That greeting came from a woman who looked like she could be Yuudachi's sister. Other than her blue eyes. Her long blonde hair was unbound and fell free over her shoulders, as she shifted in her bed. She had clearly been leaning against the wall, idly playing with a model of some sort.
She set that down and swung her legs over her bed. A single blonde eyebrow climbed up her face, and her head was tilted in an obvious question.
Yuudachi just grinned, "Nice to see you too, Ashitaka!"
"So, why are you here Yuudachi?" Ashitaka asked, though she didn't leave her bed. If anything, she looked like she didn't want to leave.
"I met a new girl at training today," the destroyer answered with a wide, toothy grin. "A British girl, poi!"
The youngest of her class turned at that, model completely forgotten, "A British girl? Who was it?"
"Indestructible!"
Perhaps because she wasn't expecting it, the sudden silence was almost spooky. Yuudachi awkwardly looked at the taller blonde, who wore a look of shock on her face. A look that only lasted as long as it took for 'Ashitaka.exe' to reboot. Ashitaka's eyes widened even further. Her mouth opened and closed. She looked at Yuudachi, who looked back with confusion on her face. It went like that for a heartbeat. Two. Three.
"Bye, Yuudachi!"
With that short statement, the battleship shot to her feet and was out the door before Yuudachi could so much as blink. The destroyer could have sworn she got a friction burn from how fast the taller ship went past her. She was also fairly certain battleships didn't move that fast.
All she could do was let out a plaintive, "Poi?"
Well, with summer here (and Youtube sufficing for a 'summer job' meaning more writing time) going to get back to this. In point of fact, this is going to be the second priority behind Purple Phoenix, so hopefully updates will come out fairly quickly. Between the extra writing time and the change in focus and all.
Still going to be using a lot of old material, albeit brought up to more current standards, though. Because the core of the fic is fine. We just weren't satisfied with the overall writing quality or some of the characterization (Indy didn't have enough Kongou in her, Seydlitz needed more than 'Indy Fangirl').
Speaking of character choices, Ashitaka.
Akin to Eternity we feel that Japan would probably have decided to replace Kongou, once they elected to not get her, if only to keep a cohesive four-ship formation for the Hiei-class. Unlike Eternity, we decided against just being Kongou-II. That's a conscious choice, because while we won't spoil her character arc and such, Ashitaka is not bitter about being a replacement. A lot of Kongou-II's issues in Sheo's fic came from that, which was made worse by being given the name 'Kongou'. That isn't the case with Ashitaka.
Beyond that, well, spoilers
As for character design, she's largely based on WSG's iteration of the Dessbote, though for our own take on what she looks like:
(in terms of the actual ship, well, we joke about her being a 'Super Dess'. Not because she's some major improvement, no, but because a few years of development does make her more akin to a half-sister to Hiei than a full repeat of her design. Kinda like Queen Mary compared to Lion, if you want to look at it that way.)
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