White Plains wandered though the Yokosuka carrier dormitory with her chubby little face all but buried in the study fabric of her blouse. Her neckerchief tickled at her nose and her cheeks all but glowed red. She wasn't used to attention—of any kind. She was just an escort carrier, she did the boring jobs so real carriers could do real carrier things. The most she ever expected was a nod, maybe even a smile, from her Admiral. That alone made her glow with pride.
But now, every carrier White passed lavished her with praise and thanks. They bowed deeply to her, thanking her for 'saving their lives'. Jun'you even offered to share some of her 'secret stash.'
But White didn't think she could take much credit. She was just repeating what the Navy taught her crew after all. But every time a carrier complimented her, she spent too much time blushing to squeak out anything more than a timid "t-thanks" before the Japanese girl went on her way.
Huh. White Plains is shy.
Then it came to her. The little carrier clapped her hand over her mouth too late to stifle a gasp. A sword. That was the sound of someone sharpening a sword.
Then, the sound stopped. Floorboards creaked as the massive weight of a proper fleet carrier shifted against them. Then, a curt puff of breath and a blunt, "Yes?"
"Um," White timidly poked her head around the half-open door. "Miss Kaga?"
The carrier nodded. She looked as beautiful and severe as ever as she sat on her knees before what White recognized as an officer's sword. Her hair was tied back into her usual side-tail, and her breastplate was tied on without so much as a thread out of position.
Slowly, methodically and gracefully, the carrier slid her sword back into its sheath. As the tang clicked home, Kaga's shoulders slumped by a fraction, almost trembling under an immense weight. "White-Sensei," she said with a deep bow.
'White-Sensei'?
White-Sensei! Geez, Kaga layin' down the honor.
White fought down her blush, "I didn't interrupt you or anything, did I?"
"You did," said Kaga. Her face was focused and stern, like a warrior staring down her opponent. But that didn't really mean anything. White had seen her use that face against a bowl of rice before, she didn't really have any others. "But I don't mind."
Must really respect White is she's that cool with an unannounced entry.
White rocked on her heels, her little cheeks puffing in and out as she thought. She couldn't think of what to say, other than… well… the sword reminded her of the whole 'sudoku' incident before Jersey left for Alaska. "Um, Miss Kaga?"
Kaga's brow crept up a fraction.
"Why do you have a sword?"
Kaga sighed. "Because," she said, "It is the way a warrior should kill herself."
... whelp. Someone's about to throw a hissy fit in the replies.
White gasped. "Kaga! No, why?" The little carrier threw herself at Kaga. Her arms wrapped around the carrier's ribcage as her chest collided with her lacquered breastplate. If Kaga hadn't displaced more than thirty-eight thousand tons she might even have been moved by the sudden collision. "We need you!"
"Not now," said Kaga. If she found the little carrier squeezing her tight to be even the slightest bit cute she didn't show it. "After the war's over," her voice dropped by a wisper, "Akagi and I offered to visit Pearl Harbor and, if your nation wishes us to…" Kaga trailed off. Her eyes drifted to her sword, and her chest swelled as she took in a deep breath, "We will open our stomachs before any who wish to observe."
Seriously, are you trying to piss that one dude off here?
White gasped. "Why would you- A-Akagi too?"
"It was her idea," said Kaga, a tiny hint of a smile flickering at the corners of her mouth.
"B-But why?" said White. The little carrier hovered on the edge of outright bawling into the older carrier's shirt. "I love you," she muttered.
Hm. White's a little girl, so it can't be the 'I want to marry you' love, but I wonder what over kind of 'love' she means here...
"Akagi said it better than I when she said, 'people want to see the world in black and white. They want to see the defeated warriors prostrate themselves at the victor's seat'." Kaga's stare focused on a point just beyond the horizon. "If giving them that image saves my homeland, I will gladly offer my life for it."
White sniffed, then squeezed the carrier's ribs with all the strength she could manage. "You're good people Kaga."
Yup. Just like a kid to fumble the english language, and be adorable while doing so.
Kaga was about to respond when White shoved her face into the carrier's exposed stomach. "Sooooo waaaaarm," purred the little American.
That's the near-40 degree Celsius internal temperature for you.
Kaga let out a long, resigned sigh. She didn't enjoy her stomach being co-opted as a space heater. Not one bit. Honest.
Kaga crew fairies: "If you hate it so much, then stop boiling the people who did your achievements alive!
KAGA A SHIT!"
Johnston, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide her slack-jawed leering at Musashi's awesome topweight. The little destroyer's guns were trained on the horizon to ward off any threat that might appear, but her eyes were all but welded to the battleship's chest. Every bounce, every jiggle was mirrored perfectly in her wide-eyed stare.
... kid, not for another decade.
Musashi didn't seem to mind the attention, as much as her haughty smirk might suggest otherwise. Ever few minutes, she'd make a show out of adjusting her bandages, puffing her chest, or otherwise drawing attention to her colossal chest that Naka was in no way jealous of. Then she'd glance at the drooling Fletcher off her beam and the two would share a conspiratorial wink.
Naka made a note to make sure Musashi never ever met Atago. The two would be insufferable. Or potentially hilarious, one of the two.
Musashi and Atago: "
Pan-paka paaaaan~"
Johnson: "So this is what a harem is like."
Jersey: "Not jealous. Not jealous at all."
Readers: "Goddamn it."
Naka rolled her eyes. "You do know literal babies know how to work those, right?"
"You want me to shove a literal baby up your scrawny ass?" countered Jersey. Then, for a second she paused. "Shit, that came out wrong."
... nope. That joke is too easy.
"Nineteen twenty five," said Naka with a giggle and a little peace sign. "That makes me nineteen, granny!"
Oh yeah, Naka only did serve nineteen years.
"Naka!" Johnston ceased her energetic waving now that Naka was in vocal-bothering range. "NakaNakaNakaNaka!"
"Yes, Johnston," Naka sighed as she fell into position between Musashi and the Fletcher.
"Oh, hey," Johnston smiled, her feathers quivering to rest atop her little head. "You're here."
You're a little shit, you know that Johnston?
"Is that-"
Gale squinted, there was only one girl on base who was that short. Or so uniformly pink. Fucking Borie. "I see it t- wait."
"Is that-"
"Frisco?" the two women said in concert.
"WEEEEEEEEEE'REEEE!!" Borie's tiny voice mixed with Frisco's much huskier song as the two streaked across the concrete, "NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKED!"
"Fuck," breathed Gale.
G-
Not even mad this time.
