Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
I wonder if playing that would bring USS Buchanan back?
Belated Battleships (KanColle) [REHOST]
- Thread starter theJMPer
- Start date
- Location
- Malaysia
Yamato is back??....huh....anyway great stuff from the JMper.
- Location
- 'Murica
No, she's not. And I have no idea why people think she is.
Breakaway25
All hail the Mighty Tomcat
- Location
- Stuck on the Quarterdeck
Because you referred to her as a human in the last chapter.
Assuming you're doing the ships appear human to each other while still ships thing?
Assuming you're doing the ships appear human to each other while still ships thing?
Burning Baron
This position needs more entrenching.
- Location
- In here, not out there.
Musashi straight up told Jersey that Yams stuffed her bra.
As far as I can recall, there hasn't been any indication that the ships had their spirits attached.
- Location
- Sunny SoCal
there was the time Frisco made the comment about how she remembered watching Downes and Cassin holding each other while their screams filled the air as the slowly burnt to death.
- Location
- Malaysia
I thought as much, i got thrown off by the comments i guess.
- Location
- 'Murica
Frisco called Jersey a beauty queen because she remembers the dress. Wash initially referred to Jersey as a graceful lady for the same reason.
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
No they could see each other when they were still just steel hulls.
Omake: A Certain Lady
Old Iron
Admiral Unfun
- Location
- The Southwestern Deadlands of America
* * * * *
Pennsylvania sat alone in her room, choosing to remain in the very dead center of her assigned domicile.
If a sneak attack was to come, she refused to have any side of her too close to a wall when it did.
Her dark red gaze remained locked onto the door while her lookouts kept their own eyes peeled for any sign of movement from the dark corners of the room. Her hands flew about the absent form of rifle with a practiced ease. Each motion carefully dictated for the most efficient and caring means of maintenance. Even if it did not actually rest in her hands, she knew it well enough to make due.
A clamor from her supply officer and her chief engineer told her she'd need to seek supplies soon. With as little as she'd been willing to consume the day prior, she was not the most well off. But there was the risk of poison. Of sabotage. Of what that Jap food would do to her.
And yet without supplies, she couldn't fight.
The adage of 'An army marches on its stomach' was not lost to her.
But more than her hunger, her heart and mind burned.
Burned with a pain and an indignant rage at what she had experienced so soon after being called up into action.
"That damn wretch." Pennsylvania grit her teeth and snarled, her motions becoming even more furious. It had been bad enough being tossed like a child by the enemy. But by an enemy infirm to the point of having been taken off the combat roster? It made her blood boil. "If not for her..."
That destroyer she had managed to corner had refused to budge. Refused to let a single word of information slip from her lips. A survivor of Surigao should know something about those who had returned. Anything!
It should have been admirable.
But Pennsylvania had found it infuriating.
Those defiant eyes, trembling with a barely concealed terror, had not flinched before her. And the girl had even dared offer an olive branch by saying that they should still do their best to work alongside one another. Her? Trust her back to those Imperials? How dare she!
She vividly recalled her vision going red and her fist lashing out.
And then that damned Kongou had blindsided her.
"She should have offed me when she had the chance," Pennsylvania growled out as she rose her hands in an imitation of taking aim. "I won't be caught off guard again."
Her ever darkening thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.
The Japanese wouldn't knock. Not if they wanted to get the jump on her.
More attempts at niceties and brainwashing? It wouldn't work either. If it didn't have an Allied flag, she wouldn't trust it. And if it did… She was taking it with plenty of salt all things considered.
She shook her head, further mussing what crimson hair was not bound up.
Less musing, more action.
"Who is it?" she barked.
"...It's Arizona. I wanted to see you before briefing. Don't worry, I came alone." There was a momentary pause before her voice rang out again. "The Lieutenant Commander said you didn't eat much yesterday, so I brought you something to eat."
Her sister?
Little Ari was here to see her? In this prison they called the battleship dormitory?
If there was any silver lining to this situation, it was that she was finally able to see her little sister again. Scarred and possibly under the enemy's sway. But alive. Alive and well. A Lieutenant even!
"Pennsy?"
"Come in! Come in." Pennsylvania shot to her feet and rushed to the door, the battlefield losing its hold on her for a moment. She threw the door open with enough force to rattle the frame.
Not once did she think to check for traps.
Pennsylvania threw her arms around Arizona and hugged her mightily. A lesser ship might have burst a bulkhead or a pipe, but not a battleship. And certainly not a standard.
Arizona merely let out a grunt as she was so forcibly embraced.
"It is good to see you too." Arizona would have returned the hug had her arms not been laden with containers. Some looked near full to bursting with food. But she offered a warm smile nonetheless. "May I come inside?"
"Sure. Abs...olutely." Pennsylvania stumbled over her words as the soldier momentarily returned to war with the sister. If Arizona gave any indication of noticing, she said nothing. "Here, can I take anything?"
The elder redhead held her hands out as the younger made her way inside.
"I have it. Thanks" Arizona might have accepted the offer were she not already inside, or her parcels not more likely to spill if she did have help. A small tremor radiated through the floor as she placed the containers down. Had she brought more than she realized? It would suffice regardless.
"I don't have anywhere for us to eat," admitted Pennsylvania as she began scanning the room. There were two chairs, but the only solid surfaces that might work were desks. With a frown, she thumbed in the direction of the furniture. "Unless you don't mind that."
"Not at all. I mostly brought it for you." Arizona picked up a random container and popped open the lid. The scent of hot meats, steamed vegetables, and fresh bread filled the room. "I'm not sure how well the cooks were able to accomplish it, but I asked them to include some things from your name-state."
"But I'm not any more Pennsylvanian than you are Arizonan." Pennsylvania took the offered food and went to take a seat at the desk. "It… smells good though."
"I have some attachment. Not much, but some." Arizona moved to take a seat next to her sister. Not too quickly however, despite how much she wanted to. Sometimes there were benefits to taking your time. "Volume is more important than flavor, so we can't always have really tasty meals."
"They feed you well then?" questioned Pennsylvania as she carefully examined the steaming pot pie before her, a spoon now in hand.
"They do, despite the cost. But I will admit I prefer eating at home. Even if it is not practical from a warship's perspective, I find it more… pleasant." A single meal at home might make for a handful of bullets for her meagre anti-air guns, but there was a kindness in those meals. A love that was not quite the same as a mass produced meal. "Not to say the cooks aren't skilled or dedicated…"
"Rationing and calories mean more than morale." Pennsylvania's blunt finish to Arizona's lead brought on a silent admission. "Morale is important, but pointless if you're dead from starvation."
Perhaps it was those words that prompted the far more volatile redhead to take a bite of the meal brought to her. She could rage and moan and bring death to nothing if she starved herself out of paranoia.
And how delicious it was.
The tender chicken. The crisp carrots and peas. Every tasty morsel of potato and dripping drop of creamy sauce… All the way down to the piping hot and flaky crust.
"Is it good?" Arizona asked with a smile as she saw her sister wear an expression no longer colored by rage and hate. Even the greeting she had received had been slightly stained. But a warm meal was the key it seemed.
"...It's delicious."
"I brought more, so please eat up."
As Pennsylvania swallowed another bite, something seemed to finally register at the forefront of her mind. Perhaps realized by an earlier statement of Arizona's.
"Ari, you said you prefer to eat at home. You… don't live here?" Suspicion began to rise as she was torn between interrogating Arizona and further delving into the world of scrumptious food.
Arizona blinked.
"You don't live in this dormitory specifically designated for battleships?" That was what she had been advised of as to the living arrangements. She might have wanted to strangle that Nagato-class more than once, but she would confess the woman had not made any effort to conceal things. Dodge some questions, yes. But deception did not seem to be her strong point. Damned redeeming qualities.
"No, I do not. In fact I was never assigned a room here." Which… sounded rather odd now that she actually thought about it.
Pennsylvania leaned in and fixed Arizona with a deathly level stare. Not necessarily hostile, but weighty enough to freeze her sister in place. The grip on her utensil tightened to the point the metal began to groan.
"Ari, where do you live?"
"I… live with Admiral Richardson and his daughter."
"You WHAT!?" roared Pennsylvania nearly the moment the words had left Arizona's mouth. The windows rattled with the force behind the exclamation.
What had they done to her!?
Already she held the base's Admiral in low standing for daring to trust the Japanese like he was. But to hear that he had ordered her little sister into his home? The gall! The nerve of that… that…! It had to be part of whatever sway they held Ari under. It had to.
...Or it was a ploy. A means of keeping Arizona safe from these butchers. For the Admiral's sake, it had better be the latter.
"Pennsy, I have the feeling you are imagining something outlandish." Arizona was already quite worried for Pennsylvania and the rictus of rage etched onto her features did not help. "Nothing untoward has happened to me there. They take good care of me and Jane is a wonderful child. She has helped me more than once in dealing with my… nightmares."
Mentioning Hiei, Mutsu, and Jintsuu would probably not be the best idea right now.
"Of Pearl?"
Arizona merely nodded.
"Hmph. I suppose I'll have to take your word for it for now." Pennsylvania stabbed her spoon into her food before continuing. "But if he tries anything…"
Arizona shook her head slowly, unknowingly allowing a faint coloring of red to show on her cheeks. A once roaring rage, was instead oddly subdued. If anything, she was the one who had done something!
The two sat there in a slightly awkward silence, interrupted only by the sounds of Pennsylvania demolishing the small mountain of food that had been brought for her. On occasion, Arizona would take a bite or two of her own. But for the majority it was the elder sister doing her best impression of a vacuum cleaner.
"Pennsy?" began Arizona as she looked out the window. "May I ask why you tried to hurt Shigure yesterday?"
Pennsylvania set down her spoon and turned to look at Arizona's profile. The scars and the uniform should have cut a striking image, but all Pennsylvania saw was someone… soft. Not weak, but… she could not find the words. It was difficult to verbalize.
After a moment, the elder standard growled.
"That… destroyer knows things." She slammed her fist down on the table, shaking it and embedding the end of the into the wood. "Things I need to know! She must know something!"
"And she'd be easier to shake down than a cruiser or a battleship?" accused Arizona while casting a sidelong glance at her furious sister.
"Yes!"
Pennsylvania all but shook in her seat as memories began flooding back to her. Her failures. Her victories. A world awash in fire.
"What do you want to know?"
"...What?" came Pennsylvania's shocked whisper.
"I may have been here only a short time," she began, narrowing her grey eyes as she spoke, "but I have worked with our allies rather closely."
A dear sister she may be, but…
"Surigao. Who besides that black haired shrimp came back from that execution? Who!?" Pennsylvania snapped at Arizona, reaching out like lightning to grab a fistful of her sister's uniform shirt. Her maddened eyes ignored the momentary shock she had inflicted.
"W-why Surigao?" Arizona managed to eke out. She may have done a fair amount of research, but it was not all encompassing. Nor was she all-knowing.
"My one chance. The one moment I had to take my vengeance in blood and not earth. I missed it." Pennsylvania's hot breath nearly came out as a furious curl of steam. "And my guns were silent. I couldn't fire without shooting through my allies. Revenge for Pearl and I sat there like a fool! I will not lose again. Never!"
"We crushed them. Broke them. Burned them to ash! And now I've been told to play nice with these wretched ships? Make fun and merry in this madhouse?"
By now, Pennsylvania had risen from her seat and dragged Arizona up with her. A visage of undiluted rage and hatred. Of a helpless fury with no outlet.
Arizona herself was rendered speechless. Her own demons still raged within. But her hatred burned at her own heart. Her own failings. Her sister however… Her sister had taken the cup of hate and poured it out over everything she saw.
"Why? Why do we call these defeated monsters allies!?" Pennsylvania pulled Arizona in close to the point where spittle flew upon her sister's face as she shouted. The floodgates had been breached and the vitriol flowed. "Why am I denied my pound of flesh? Why can't I put their heads on the headstones of everyone they killed!?"
"Because we can't always have what we want."
"Wh-!" Pennsylvania was caught completely off guard as a hand grabbed one of her wrists and twisted sharply. A hiss of pain escaped her lips as the limitations of human anatomy told her she had better release her grip and move or suffer a very broken joint. A second jabbing pain in her collar further enforced her compliance.
The hands' owner guided the standard away from Arizona and out of the dorm room, applying more and more pressure with each moment to keep Pennsylvania off balance and under control. It wasn't until they were in the hallway that the unknown released the captive battleship and sent her staggering back.
"Who in-you…" What started as the fiery demand burned away into a guttural voice of hated recognition. The pain wasn't even an afterthought.
Her legs were shaking and her eyes were full of a deeply rooted fear, but there was no mistaking the towering pagoda masts and six dual turrets primed for a lethal broadside.
Battleship Yamashiro.
* * * * *
It was her nightmares made manifest.
A long absent specter that she prayed she would never have to face.
Even if you can't drive away a ghost, you can take solace in the fact it can't hurt you.
Things were tense enough for her when she'd been told that the Americans had finally managed to bring their own into the war. More guns. More supplies. More help.
But that meant each successful summons was another chance for those who had sunk her, her beloved sister, and so many close and dear friends that day to come back. Every ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost sisters and friends to American guns. But that day of execution was what had left a scar on her heart.
And then Arizona had come back.
A standard.
The same type of battleship as the ones who had crossed her T and sent her to the bottom. There might have been different classes present, but they were standards.
And as if to further mock her misfortune, many of them survivors and the resurrected from Pearl Harbor.
She clenched her fist as her crimson eyes met another's. It was decidedly eerie in her honest opinion.
But Arizona, for all the unease her mere existence inflicted, still accepted them.
She had only heard of, not seen, the exchange between the Martyr of Pearl and Fleet Carrier Kaga. But from all accounts, Arizona wanted to move forward. She could and would rage and hate and weep for the past, but she would try to go beyond that. The mere attempt was more than she could have ever hoped for.
The elder sister, it seemed, wanted nothing more than blood and fire.
And it didn't appear to matter who she hurt to get it.
It did not dull the fear, nor the trembling of her limbs. But she would put this warmonger in her place. The war had ended seventy years ago and not everyone got the memo. If this is what it took to cool those flames, then so be it. That's what her own elder sister would do. She was certain of it. And she would not be found wanting.
She would also admit she wanted to strike out for what had been done, nearly been done, to Shigure.
Had it not been for that devoted escort of hers, she would have not escaped as she had. She would not have been given the time to compose herself. The enemy would be met on their terms, not hers.
And Shigure had returned to her shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Destroyers aren't supposed to stand up to battleships...
"Yes, me."
* * * * *
Pennsylvania would have smiled at her fortune, even ignoring the fact the Japanese warship had gotten the drop on her, but she was far too focused on actually taking advantage of the situation.
Here she was.
Her blood sang and her hatred blossomed into a deathly thirst for vengeance.
Yet she found her screws rooted in place and she could not fathom why.
Yamashiro raised a finger and pointed squarely at Pennsylvania.
The black haired battleship would have smirked at how the standard tensed were she any kind of more fun loving ship. Though given the situation, she might have foregone it even if she were.
From Pennsylvania's dorm came a disheveled Arizona, clearly confused and distraught.
"Lieutenant Arizona, I… must apologize. This could not wait." Yamashiro swallowed and vainly attempted to project an image of strength. She had made her decision and she would abide by it. She would not back down. "...And from the sounds of it, you may have needed help anyways."
"I would not! She…" Arizona felt a heavy ball of doubt and sorrow settle in her gut as she could not readily come to her sister's defense. Not after all that had happened in so short a time. What had been a relatively peaceful time with shared food had rapidly devolved into a brewing violence.
"Don't you dare confuse her anymore! You damned dog!" roared Pennsylvania, her voice dripping with vile curses. "I'll make things right. I'll fix everything! And build it on your broken keels!"
"Pennsylvania. Wh-What will lay your hate to rest? My blood? My people's blood. My family's blood? I won't allow it. I've had enough misfortune without your hate polluting it!" It was rare for her to really raise her voice, but this mad standard seemed to pull out her anger with all the ease of a master. She hated it. And she wouldn't tolerate it at all. Not here. Not anywhere! "If you want it, you'll have to take it. A-And in exchange, I-I'll take from you everything you did to Shigure! And what you would do to my family!"
"Don't you dare talk about family!" Pennsylvania drew herself up and raised her fists.
"Stop! Just, stop!" demanded Arizona as she tried to get in between the two battleships. "This is against regulations. Against everything we stand for as warships of our nations! We are allies. We don't have to like each other, but we can at least work together!"
"Arizona-san."
The younger standard halted at the unusual tone used to speak her name. Not gloomy or shaking. Certainly not resigned. It was something she could not place.
"P-Please step aside. This was… inevitable."
"Just get out of my way!" demanded Pennsylvania as she surged forward, striking her sister with a merciless body check to shove her clear. So drowned in bloodlust was she that gravity of her action was not even acknowledged.
"You… You don't even realize what you already have!" accused Yamashiro as Arizona slammed into the wall.
"Shut! UP!" Pennsylvania loosed a roar of violent syllables as she rushed Yamashiro. She would stay atop the faster warship and deny her advantages. She would cut them away and render her helpless. Helpless and pathetic. And then her guns would sing their song once again.
But the first blow would not be hers.
With a shout nary a soul living had heard, Yamashiro denied Pennsylvania her charge with a risk. A pointless risk considering the dozens of more familiar options available to her. A sidestep. A throw. Even a kick or a trip. But she had height and she had reach. And with that reach she put the opening strike on the line with the most American maneuver she could conceive of.
The sound of cannon-fire echoed down the halls as her risk paid dividends.
When Pennsylvania entered lethal range, Yamashiro's steel fist met the standard's face in what would have been an almost comical exchange.
But instead of Pennsylvania collapsing into a heap, she staggered back with a bloody face and a shout of furious pain while Yamashiro bit back a sharp cry of her own suffering. The American's nose was bent and a split lip splattered blood across the floor. Meanwhile the Japanese's bleeding fist had a few fingers that sported very unnatural angles. Neither let up their furious stares.
The world consisted of only them.
The rage of past grudges and indignation of present offenses.
It had barely even been a day since Pennsylvania's return and already tempers had reached their limits to the point of exploding.
The moment of pause ended as Pennsylvania lunged again, this time striking through Yamashiro's defense and landing a solid blow to the woman's midsection. Yamashiro doubled over at the waist as the air was driven from her lungs. Only a painful cough escaped from her lips before it was replaced with another shout of pain caused by a ruthless fist to the side of her head.
Yamashiro fell to the floor with stars in her eyes and Pennsylvania not far behind.
Pennsylvania saw only opportunities to sate her blazing hatred. She fell upon the downed Yamashiro and straddled her at the waist, putting the full force of her weight upon the battleship. Her fury only grew when she saw the determination still lurking in her opponent's crimson eyes.
She raised a fist to bludgeon Yamashiro further when her wrist was caught in a vice-like grip. One that did not yield in the slightest.
"Don't you dare stop me!" She demanded while snapping around to glare at the interloper. And her rage nearly ran cold when she recognized Arizona, a small trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth and an expression of tearful anger on her face. "...Ari?"
"The war… is over, Pennsy," began Arizona. Her grip tightened with each word. The coppery tang on her tongue did not really register to her. She had more important things on her mind. A deranged and raging sister for one. A tear rolled down her cheek until falling along the scar upon her chin.
Had she been this bad?
She'd have to ask Hiei.
She prayed not.
"You won… We g-gave you a bloody nose. A black eye. Whatever you want to call it. But that was all." Yamashiro craned her neck to more properly look up at the standard mounting her. "We k-killed your sister, your friends, your c-crews."
Pennsylvania's motion to take a swing was halted as Arizona's grip remained fast. Her other fist, not yet bound, managed to grab a handful of Yamashiro's upper works. But she did not attempt to throttle the woman. For the moment, she listened.
"But you still had friends and family left in the end…" continued Yamashiro bitterly. "We lost everything and e-everyone. And then we died. A small fortune in a mountain of misfortune."
"You… You dare lecture m-!"
"SILENCE!"
Yamashiro's outburst had its desired effect, much to the surprise of all.
"Tell me what it will take to make peace, USS Pennsylvania of the United States Navy." With little left to lose, Yamashiro drove in the knife. "If your sister can make peace with Kaga, then tell me what I have to do for the same."
Pennsylvania's grip went slack and her eyes widened in shock.
Slowly, she turned to look at Arizona once more.
"You… what?"
"It… is as she says." Slowly, carefully, she released Pennsylvania's wrist. The limb went slack and fell against its owner's side. "I met with Fleet Carrier Kaga and made… peace. She offered her life to me to do with what I wanted after the war. I told her to live as recompense. Live for those she had slain. B-Both for that morning and for all the rest after."
"Why? Why show her mercy? Her, of all ships?!" Gone was her impassioned fury, replaced with a dumbfounded feeling of betrayal. "The did something. They must have! Th-!"
"No one did anything to her!" objected Yamashiro sharply, still pinned by Pennsylvania. "She was welcomed with open arms even though she's a ball of misfortune herself. She made friends with us of her own accord despite being a grouch. She even won the Admiral's heart! What do we have to gain by even trying to brainwash one of the most revered ships in your Navy?"
There was a pregnant pause.
"We're a-allies…" Yamashiro bit back a sob of shame not entirely unrelated to her injuries. "But Japan lives and dies on your mercy."
"You want peace?"
"I just want two things from you. Just… two."
Pennsylvania remained silent.
"An apology. W-Wait!" started Yamashiro with no small amount of alarm as the madness began to rise in earnest in Pennsylvania's eyes. "For what you did to Shigure yesterday. Not for anything else. Just… Just that."
"What else?" growled out Pennsylvania.
"A promise that you won't shoot us in the back."
"I'm going to turn you and anyone else into swiss cheese if you so much as twitch like a traitor." She could be… reasonable. But perhaps it was the knowledge of Kaga and Arizona that had cooled her head. How does one respond to that?
Yamashiro swallowed nervously at the haste at which she had received her answer. She would accept it, but it did not relieve her unease.
"I refuse to like you. I will curse you and I will hate you." Pennsylvania leaned in until Yamashiro could see only her. "And one day I will take my pound of flesh from you. But so long as we have a common foe, I will not aim my guns at you."
"I… can accept that." She didn't have to like it, but she would accept it.
"Pennsy, perhaps you could start off by letting her up?" chimed in Arizona with a sliver of brevity, who had returned to being a cautious observer during the exchange of words. "Her screws must be going numb by now."
"You are a little bit heavy."
"We all weigh roughly the same."
"That does not change much of anything."
With a grumble and a curse, Pennsylvania rose from atop her position on Yamashiro. And with blatant effort on her part, offered her hand to help the fallen to her feet. A hand that was taken with visible hesitation.
"You two should go wash up." Arizona wiped the thin trail of blood from her face as she regarded the other two battleships. Yamashiro's front was disheveled and more than a little stained with dirt and blood from the scuffle. There was not much remaining in terms of wounds, but it was easy to tell she'd been in a brawl. And her sister's entire front was liberally splattered with red. The product of a head wound for certain.
"Yes, both of you should wash up."
All three battlewagons wheeled about to bear witness to a light cruiser who was not there a moment ago.
"Y-Yeoman? How long have you been there?" stammered out Yamashiro, falling back onto the smiling cruiser's title. Normally she was much better about using Jintsuu's name. But being caught off guard and in such a state, did not lend oneself well to preference.
"Long enough."
"Then…"
Jintsuu strode forward, not minding the fact she was surrounded by enough firepower to level a small city in short order.
"Admiral Richardson was worried when none of you showed for briefing, so he asked me to come check on you." And the report would be quite the doozy. Thankfully she hadn't needed to step in. "I'm not happy it came to this. Not happy with any of you. But I am glad no one was badly hurt and that you came to terms."
"You call this coming to ter-" Pennsylvania found herself cut off by Jintsuu's smile. That sweet, kind smile that would shake the resolve of even the most indomitable of warships. "...Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry ma'am."
"Good, now go wash up. And behave." She shook her head with a measure of resignation. "I'll know if you don't."
Neither Pennsylvania nor Yamashiro wished to find out what would happen and instead nodded in the affirmative.
"Now then, Ari? Come with me, I have some questions for you if you don't mind…"
"Ah. Yes. Certainly Miss Jintsuu." Arizona stopped to give her sister and Yamashiro a small wave of departure before falling into step alongside Jintsuu. Jintsuu might be someone she considered a friend, but she did not wish to be on the receiving end of her more business driven side.
As Arizona and Jintsuu departed, Pennsylvania felt incredibly drained.
"This… is all real, isn't it. This all just happened. I'm not suffering some death dream in Hell."
"The blood on our uniforms seems proof enough."
"...Nice straight."
"You have a mean hook."
The two began marching off to the washroom to get cleaned up. Mortal foes with a shared enemy.
"Hey, I have a question." Pennsylvania did not look at the woman she hated and she was certain Yamashiro was doing the same. But she would admit she was curious. "My little sister's a really, really big prude. Before the war she was all duty and regs. Even when she was happy and smiling. How'd she win the Admiral's heart?"
"No one knows exactly how. But they were seen leaving a diner and checking into a hotel last night."
"...I will sink you right now if you're lying."
Yamashiro shrugged. It was hard to avoid the gossip around here. Some of it was fun. Lots of it was troublesome.
"Weren't we trying to kill each other just a few minutes ago?"
"This place is a madhouse…"
Yamashiro could not find the words to refute that.
* * * * *
Pennsylvania sat alone in her room, choosing to remain in the very dead center of her assigned domicile.
If a sneak attack was to come, she refused to have any side of her too close to a wall when it did.
Her dark red gaze remained locked onto the door while her lookouts kept their own eyes peeled for any sign of movement from the dark corners of the room. Her hands flew about the absent form of rifle with a practiced ease. Each motion carefully dictated for the most efficient and caring means of maintenance. Even if it did not actually rest in her hands, she knew it well enough to make due.
A clamor from her supply officer and her chief engineer told her she'd need to seek supplies soon. With as little as she'd been willing to consume the day prior, she was not the most well off. But there was the risk of poison. Of sabotage. Of what that Jap food would do to her.
And yet without supplies, she couldn't fight.
The adage of 'An army marches on its stomach' was not lost to her.
But more than her hunger, her heart and mind burned.
Burned with a pain and an indignant rage at what she had experienced so soon after being called up into action.
"That damn wretch." Pennsylvania grit her teeth and snarled, her motions becoming even more furious. It had been bad enough being tossed like a child by the enemy. But by an enemy infirm to the point of having been taken off the combat roster? It made her blood boil. "If not for her..."
That destroyer she had managed to corner had refused to budge. Refused to let a single word of information slip from her lips. A survivor of Surigao should know something about those who had returned. Anything!
It should have been admirable.
But Pennsylvania had found it infuriating.
Those defiant eyes, trembling with a barely concealed terror, had not flinched before her. And the girl had even dared offer an olive branch by saying that they should still do their best to work alongside one another. Her? Trust her back to those Imperials? How dare she!
She vividly recalled her vision going red and her fist lashing out.
And then that damned Kongou had blindsided her.
"She should have offed me when she had the chance," Pennsylvania growled out as she rose her hands in an imitation of taking aim. "I won't be caught off guard again."
Her ever darkening thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.
The Japanese wouldn't knock. Not if they wanted to get the jump on her.
More attempts at niceties and brainwashing? It wouldn't work either. If it didn't have an Allied flag, she wouldn't trust it. And if it did… She was taking it with plenty of salt all things considered.
She shook her head, further mussing what crimson hair was not bound up.
Less musing, more action.
"Who is it?" she barked.
"...It's Arizona. I wanted to see you before briefing. Don't worry, I came alone." There was a momentary pause before her voice rang out again. "The Lieutenant Commander said you didn't eat much yesterday, so I brought you something to eat."
Her sister?
Little Ari was here to see her? In this prison they called the battleship dormitory?
If there was any silver lining to this situation, it was that she was finally able to see her little sister again. Scarred and possibly under the enemy's sway. But alive. Alive and well. A Lieutenant even!
"Pennsy?"
"Come in! Come in." Pennsylvania shot to her feet and rushed to the door, the battlefield losing its hold on her for a moment. She threw the door open with enough force to rattle the frame.
Not once did she think to check for traps.
Pennsylvania threw her arms around Arizona and hugged her mightily. A lesser ship might have burst a bulkhead or a pipe, but not a battleship. And certainly not a standard.
Arizona merely let out a grunt as she was so forcibly embraced.
"It is good to see you too." Arizona would have returned the hug had her arms not been laden with containers. Some looked near full to bursting with food. But she offered a warm smile nonetheless. "May I come inside?"
"Sure. Abs...olutely." Pennsylvania stumbled over her words as the soldier momentarily returned to war with the sister. If Arizona gave any indication of noticing, she said nothing. "Here, can I take anything?"
The elder redhead held her hands out as the younger made her way inside.
"I have it. Thanks" Arizona might have accepted the offer were she not already inside, or her parcels not more likely to spill if she did have help. A small tremor radiated through the floor as she placed the containers down. Had she brought more than she realized? It would suffice regardless.
"I don't have anywhere for us to eat," admitted Pennsylvania as she began scanning the room. There were two chairs, but the only solid surfaces that might work were desks. With a frown, she thumbed in the direction of the furniture. "Unless you don't mind that."
"Not at all. I mostly brought it for you." Arizona picked up a random container and popped open the lid. The scent of hot meats, steamed vegetables, and fresh bread filled the room. "I'm not sure how well the cooks were able to accomplish it, but I asked them to include some things from your name-state."
"But I'm not any more Pennsylvanian than you are Arizonan." Pennsylvania took the offered food and went to take a seat at the desk. "It… smells good though."
"I have some attachment. Not much, but some." Arizona moved to take a seat next to her sister. Not too quickly however, despite how much she wanted to. Sometimes there were benefits to taking your time. "Volume is more important than flavor, so we can't always have really tasty meals."
"They feed you well then?" questioned Pennsylvania as she carefully examined the steaming pot pie before her, a spoon now in hand.
"They do, despite the cost. But I will admit I prefer eating at home. Even if it is not practical from a warship's perspective, I find it more… pleasant." A single meal at home might make for a handful of bullets for her meagre anti-air guns, but there was a kindness in those meals. A love that was not quite the same as a mass produced meal. "Not to say the cooks aren't skilled or dedicated…"
"Rationing and calories mean more than morale." Pennsylvania's blunt finish to Arizona's lead brought on a silent admission. "Morale is important, but pointless if you're dead from starvation."
Perhaps it was those words that prompted the far more volatile redhead to take a bite of the meal brought to her. She could rage and moan and bring death to nothing if she starved herself out of paranoia.
And how delicious it was.
The tender chicken. The crisp carrots and peas. Every tasty morsel of potato and dripping drop of creamy sauce… All the way down to the piping hot and flaky crust.
"Is it good?" Arizona asked with a smile as she saw her sister wear an expression no longer colored by rage and hate. Even the greeting she had received had been slightly stained. But a warm meal was the key it seemed.
"...It's delicious."
"I brought more, so please eat up."
As Pennsylvania swallowed another bite, something seemed to finally register at the forefront of her mind. Perhaps realized by an earlier statement of Arizona's.
"Ari, you said you prefer to eat at home. You… don't live here?" Suspicion began to rise as she was torn between interrogating Arizona and further delving into the world of scrumptious food.
Arizona blinked.
"You don't live in this dormitory specifically designated for battleships?" That was what she had been advised of as to the living arrangements. She might have wanted to strangle that Nagato-class more than once, but she would confess the woman had not made any effort to conceal things. Dodge some questions, yes. But deception did not seem to be her strong point. Damned redeeming qualities.
"No, I do not. In fact I was never assigned a room here." Which… sounded rather odd now that she actually thought about it.
Pennsylvania leaned in and fixed Arizona with a deathly level stare. Not necessarily hostile, but weighty enough to freeze her sister in place. The grip on her utensil tightened to the point the metal began to groan.
"Ari, where do you live?"
"I… live with Admiral Richardson and his daughter."
"You WHAT!?" roared Pennsylvania nearly the moment the words had left Arizona's mouth. The windows rattled with the force behind the exclamation.
What had they done to her!?
Already she held the base's Admiral in low standing for daring to trust the Japanese like he was. But to hear that he had ordered her little sister into his home? The gall! The nerve of that… that…! It had to be part of whatever sway they held Ari under. It had to.
...Or it was a ploy. A means of keeping Arizona safe from these butchers. For the Admiral's sake, it had better be the latter.
"Pennsy, I have the feeling you are imagining something outlandish." Arizona was already quite worried for Pennsylvania and the rictus of rage etched onto her features did not help. "Nothing untoward has happened to me there. They take good care of me and Jane is a wonderful child. She has helped me more than once in dealing with my… nightmares."
Mentioning Hiei, Mutsu, and Jintsuu would probably not be the best idea right now.
"Of Pearl?"
Arizona merely nodded.
"Hmph. I suppose I'll have to take your word for it for now." Pennsylvania stabbed her spoon into her food before continuing. "But if he tries anything…"
Arizona shook her head slowly, unknowingly allowing a faint coloring of red to show on her cheeks. A once roaring rage, was instead oddly subdued. If anything, she was the one who had done something!
The two sat there in a slightly awkward silence, interrupted only by the sounds of Pennsylvania demolishing the small mountain of food that had been brought for her. On occasion, Arizona would take a bite or two of her own. But for the majority it was the elder sister doing her best impression of a vacuum cleaner.
"Pennsy?" began Arizona as she looked out the window. "May I ask why you tried to hurt Shigure yesterday?"
Pennsylvania set down her spoon and turned to look at Arizona's profile. The scars and the uniform should have cut a striking image, but all Pennsylvania saw was someone… soft. Not weak, but… she could not find the words. It was difficult to verbalize.
After a moment, the elder standard growled.
"That… destroyer knows things." She slammed her fist down on the table, shaking it and embedding the end of the into the wood. "Things I need to know! She must know something!"
"And she'd be easier to shake down than a cruiser or a battleship?" accused Arizona while casting a sidelong glance at her furious sister.
"Yes!"
Pennsylvania all but shook in her seat as memories began flooding back to her. Her failures. Her victories. A world awash in fire.
"What do you want to know?"
"...What?" came Pennsylvania's shocked whisper.
"I may have been here only a short time," she began, narrowing her grey eyes as she spoke, "but I have worked with our allies rather closely."
A dear sister she may be, but…
"Surigao. Who besides that black haired shrimp came back from that execution? Who!?" Pennsylvania snapped at Arizona, reaching out like lightning to grab a fistful of her sister's uniform shirt. Her maddened eyes ignored the momentary shock she had inflicted.
"W-why Surigao?" Arizona managed to eke out. She may have done a fair amount of research, but it was not all encompassing. Nor was she all-knowing.
"My one chance. The one moment I had to take my vengeance in blood and not earth. I missed it." Pennsylvania's hot breath nearly came out as a furious curl of steam. "And my guns were silent. I couldn't fire without shooting through my allies. Revenge for Pearl and I sat there like a fool! I will not lose again. Never!"
"We crushed them. Broke them. Burned them to ash! And now I've been told to play nice with these wretched ships? Make fun and merry in this madhouse?"
By now, Pennsylvania had risen from her seat and dragged Arizona up with her. A visage of undiluted rage and hatred. Of a helpless fury with no outlet.
Arizona herself was rendered speechless. Her own demons still raged within. But her hatred burned at her own heart. Her own failings. Her sister however… Her sister had taken the cup of hate and poured it out over everything she saw.
"Why? Why do we call these defeated monsters allies!?" Pennsylvania pulled Arizona in close to the point where spittle flew upon her sister's face as she shouted. The floodgates had been breached and the vitriol flowed. "Why am I denied my pound of flesh? Why can't I put their heads on the headstones of everyone they killed!?"
"Because we can't always have what we want."
"Wh-!" Pennsylvania was caught completely off guard as a hand grabbed one of her wrists and twisted sharply. A hiss of pain escaped her lips as the limitations of human anatomy told her she had better release her grip and move or suffer a very broken joint. A second jabbing pain in her collar further enforced her compliance.
The hands' owner guided the standard away from Arizona and out of the dorm room, applying more and more pressure with each moment to keep Pennsylvania off balance and under control. It wasn't until they were in the hallway that the unknown released the captive battleship and sent her staggering back.
"Who in-you…" What started as the fiery demand burned away into a guttural voice of hated recognition. The pain wasn't even an afterthought.
Her legs were shaking and her eyes were full of a deeply rooted fear, but there was no mistaking the towering pagoda masts and six dual turrets primed for a lethal broadside.
Battleship Yamashiro.
* * * * *
It was her nightmares made manifest.
A long absent specter that she prayed she would never have to face.
Even if you can't drive away a ghost, you can take solace in the fact it can't hurt you.
Things were tense enough for her when she'd been told that the Americans had finally managed to bring their own into the war. More guns. More supplies. More help.
But that meant each successful summons was another chance for those who had sunk her, her beloved sister, and so many close and dear friends that day to come back. Every ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost sisters and friends to American guns. But that day of execution was what had left a scar on her heart.
And then Arizona had come back.
A standard.
The same type of battleship as the ones who had crossed her T and sent her to the bottom. There might have been different classes present, but they were standards.
And as if to further mock her misfortune, many of them survivors and the resurrected from Pearl Harbor.
She clenched her fist as her crimson eyes met another's. It was decidedly eerie in her honest opinion.
But Arizona, for all the unease her mere existence inflicted, still accepted them.
She had only heard of, not seen, the exchange between the Martyr of Pearl and Fleet Carrier Kaga. But from all accounts, Arizona wanted to move forward. She could and would rage and hate and weep for the past, but she would try to go beyond that. The mere attempt was more than she could have ever hoped for.
The elder sister, it seemed, wanted nothing more than blood and fire.
And it didn't appear to matter who she hurt to get it.
It did not dull the fear, nor the trembling of her limbs. But she would put this warmonger in her place. The war had ended seventy years ago and not everyone got the memo. If this is what it took to cool those flames, then so be it. That's what her own elder sister would do. She was certain of it. And she would not be found wanting.
She would also admit she wanted to strike out for what had been done, nearly been done, to Shigure.
Had it not been for that devoted escort of hers, she would have not escaped as she had. She would not have been given the time to compose herself. The enemy would be met on their terms, not hers.
And Shigure had returned to her shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Destroyers aren't supposed to stand up to battleships...
"Yes, me."
* * * * *
Pennsylvania would have smiled at her fortune, even ignoring the fact the Japanese warship had gotten the drop on her, but she was far too focused on actually taking advantage of the situation.
Here she was.
Her blood sang and her hatred blossomed into a deathly thirst for vengeance.
Yet she found her screws rooted in place and she could not fathom why.
Yamashiro raised a finger and pointed squarely at Pennsylvania.
The black haired battleship would have smirked at how the standard tensed were she any kind of more fun loving ship. Though given the situation, she might have foregone it even if she were.
From Pennsylvania's dorm came a disheveled Arizona, clearly confused and distraught.
"Lieutenant Arizona, I… must apologize. This could not wait." Yamashiro swallowed and vainly attempted to project an image of strength. She had made her decision and she would abide by it. She would not back down. "...And from the sounds of it, you may have needed help anyways."
"I would not! She…" Arizona felt a heavy ball of doubt and sorrow settle in her gut as she could not readily come to her sister's defense. Not after all that had happened in so short a time. What had been a relatively peaceful time with shared food had rapidly devolved into a brewing violence.
"Don't you dare confuse her anymore! You damned dog!" roared Pennsylvania, her voice dripping with vile curses. "I'll make things right. I'll fix everything! And build it on your broken keels!"
"Pennsylvania. Wh-What will lay your hate to rest? My blood? My people's blood. My family's blood? I won't allow it. I've had enough misfortune without your hate polluting it!" It was rare for her to really raise her voice, but this mad standard seemed to pull out her anger with all the ease of a master. She hated it. And she wouldn't tolerate it at all. Not here. Not anywhere! "If you want it, you'll have to take it. A-And in exchange, I-I'll take from you everything you did to Shigure! And what you would do to my family!"
"Don't you dare talk about family!" Pennsylvania drew herself up and raised her fists.
"Stop! Just, stop!" demanded Arizona as she tried to get in between the two battleships. "This is against regulations. Against everything we stand for as warships of our nations! We are allies. We don't have to like each other, but we can at least work together!"
"Arizona-san."
The younger standard halted at the unusual tone used to speak her name. Not gloomy or shaking. Certainly not resigned. It was something she could not place.
"P-Please step aside. This was… inevitable."
"Just get out of my way!" demanded Pennsylvania as she surged forward, striking her sister with a merciless body check to shove her clear. So drowned in bloodlust was she that gravity of her action was not even acknowledged.
"You… You don't even realize what you already have!" accused Yamashiro as Arizona slammed into the wall.
"Shut! UP!" Pennsylvania loosed a roar of violent syllables as she rushed Yamashiro. She would stay atop the faster warship and deny her advantages. She would cut them away and render her helpless. Helpless and pathetic. And then her guns would sing their song once again.
But the first blow would not be hers.
With a shout nary a soul living had heard, Yamashiro denied Pennsylvania her charge with a risk. A pointless risk considering the dozens of more familiar options available to her. A sidestep. A throw. Even a kick or a trip. But she had height and she had reach. And with that reach she put the opening strike on the line with the most American maneuver she could conceive of.
The sound of cannon-fire echoed down the halls as her risk paid dividends.
When Pennsylvania entered lethal range, Yamashiro's steel fist met the standard's face in what would have been an almost comical exchange.
But instead of Pennsylvania collapsing into a heap, she staggered back with a bloody face and a shout of furious pain while Yamashiro bit back a sharp cry of her own suffering. The American's nose was bent and a split lip splattered blood across the floor. Meanwhile the Japanese's bleeding fist had a few fingers that sported very unnatural angles. Neither let up their furious stares.
The world consisted of only them.
The rage of past grudges and indignation of present offenses.
It had barely even been a day since Pennsylvania's return and already tempers had reached their limits to the point of exploding.
The moment of pause ended as Pennsylvania lunged again, this time striking through Yamashiro's defense and landing a solid blow to the woman's midsection. Yamashiro doubled over at the waist as the air was driven from her lungs. Only a painful cough escaped from her lips before it was replaced with another shout of pain caused by a ruthless fist to the side of her head.
Yamashiro fell to the floor with stars in her eyes and Pennsylvania not far behind.
Pennsylvania saw only opportunities to sate her blazing hatred. She fell upon the downed Yamashiro and straddled her at the waist, putting the full force of her weight upon the battleship. Her fury only grew when she saw the determination still lurking in her opponent's crimson eyes.
She raised a fist to bludgeon Yamashiro further when her wrist was caught in a vice-like grip. One that did not yield in the slightest.
"Don't you dare stop me!" She demanded while snapping around to glare at the interloper. And her rage nearly ran cold when she recognized Arizona, a small trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth and an expression of tearful anger on her face. "...Ari?"
"The war… is over, Pennsy," began Arizona. Her grip tightened with each word. The coppery tang on her tongue did not really register to her. She had more important things on her mind. A deranged and raging sister for one. A tear rolled down her cheek until falling along the scar upon her chin.
Had she been this bad?
She'd have to ask Hiei.
She prayed not.
"You won… We g-gave you a bloody nose. A black eye. Whatever you want to call it. But that was all." Yamashiro craned her neck to more properly look up at the standard mounting her. "We k-killed your sister, your friends, your c-crews."
Pennsylvania's motion to take a swing was halted as Arizona's grip remained fast. Her other fist, not yet bound, managed to grab a handful of Yamashiro's upper works. But she did not attempt to throttle the woman. For the moment, she listened.
"But you still had friends and family left in the end…" continued Yamashiro bitterly. "We lost everything and e-everyone. And then we died. A small fortune in a mountain of misfortune."
"You… You dare lecture m-!"
"SILENCE!"
Yamashiro's outburst had its desired effect, much to the surprise of all.
"Tell me what it will take to make peace, USS Pennsylvania of the United States Navy." With little left to lose, Yamashiro drove in the knife. "If your sister can make peace with Kaga, then tell me what I have to do for the same."
Pennsylvania's grip went slack and her eyes widened in shock.
Slowly, she turned to look at Arizona once more.
"You… what?"
"It… is as she says." Slowly, carefully, she released Pennsylvania's wrist. The limb went slack and fell against its owner's side. "I met with Fleet Carrier Kaga and made… peace. She offered her life to me to do with what I wanted after the war. I told her to live as recompense. Live for those she had slain. B-Both for that morning and for all the rest after."
"Why? Why show her mercy? Her, of all ships?!" Gone was her impassioned fury, replaced with a dumbfounded feeling of betrayal. "The did something. They must have! Th-!"
"No one did anything to her!" objected Yamashiro sharply, still pinned by Pennsylvania. "She was welcomed with open arms even though she's a ball of misfortune herself. She made friends with us of her own accord despite being a grouch. She even won the Admiral's heart! What do we have to gain by even trying to brainwash one of the most revered ships in your Navy?"
There was a pregnant pause.
"We're a-allies…" Yamashiro bit back a sob of shame not entirely unrelated to her injuries. "But Japan lives and dies on your mercy."
"You want peace?"
"I just want two things from you. Just… two."
Pennsylvania remained silent.
"An apology. W-Wait!" started Yamashiro with no small amount of alarm as the madness began to rise in earnest in Pennsylvania's eyes. "For what you did to Shigure yesterday. Not for anything else. Just… Just that."
"What else?" growled out Pennsylvania.
"A promise that you won't shoot us in the back."
"I'm going to turn you and anyone else into swiss cheese if you so much as twitch like a traitor." She could be… reasonable. But perhaps it was the knowledge of Kaga and Arizona that had cooled her head. How does one respond to that?
Yamashiro swallowed nervously at the haste at which she had received her answer. She would accept it, but it did not relieve her unease.
"I refuse to like you. I will curse you and I will hate you." Pennsylvania leaned in until Yamashiro could see only her. "And one day I will take my pound of flesh from you. But so long as we have a common foe, I will not aim my guns at you."
"I… can accept that." She didn't have to like it, but she would accept it.
"Pennsy, perhaps you could start off by letting her up?" chimed in Arizona with a sliver of brevity, who had returned to being a cautious observer during the exchange of words. "Her screws must be going numb by now."
"You are a little bit heavy."
"We all weigh roughly the same."
"That does not change much of anything."
With a grumble and a curse, Pennsylvania rose from atop her position on Yamashiro. And with blatant effort on her part, offered her hand to help the fallen to her feet. A hand that was taken with visible hesitation.
"You two should go wash up." Arizona wiped the thin trail of blood from her face as she regarded the other two battleships. Yamashiro's front was disheveled and more than a little stained with dirt and blood from the scuffle. There was not much remaining in terms of wounds, but it was easy to tell she'd been in a brawl. And her sister's entire front was liberally splattered with red. The product of a head wound for certain.
"Yes, both of you should wash up."
All three battlewagons wheeled about to bear witness to a light cruiser who was not there a moment ago.
"Y-Yeoman? How long have you been there?" stammered out Yamashiro, falling back onto the smiling cruiser's title. Normally she was much better about using Jintsuu's name. But being caught off guard and in such a state, did not lend oneself well to preference.
"Long enough."
"Then…"
Jintsuu strode forward, not minding the fact she was surrounded by enough firepower to level a small city in short order.
"Admiral Richardson was worried when none of you showed for briefing, so he asked me to come check on you." And the report would be quite the doozy. Thankfully she hadn't needed to step in. "I'm not happy it came to this. Not happy with any of you. But I am glad no one was badly hurt and that you came to terms."
"You call this coming to ter-" Pennsylvania found herself cut off by Jintsuu's smile. That sweet, kind smile that would shake the resolve of even the most indomitable of warships. "...Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry ma'am."
"Good, now go wash up. And behave." She shook her head with a measure of resignation. "I'll know if you don't."
Neither Pennsylvania nor Yamashiro wished to find out what would happen and instead nodded in the affirmative.
"Now then, Ari? Come with me, I have some questions for you if you don't mind…"
"Ah. Yes. Certainly Miss Jintsuu." Arizona stopped to give her sister and Yamashiro a small wave of departure before falling into step alongside Jintsuu. Jintsuu might be someone she considered a friend, but she did not wish to be on the receiving end of her more business driven side.
As Arizona and Jintsuu departed, Pennsylvania felt incredibly drained.
"This… is all real, isn't it. This all just happened. I'm not suffering some death dream in Hell."
"The blood on our uniforms seems proof enough."
"...Nice straight."
"You have a mean hook."
The two began marching off to the washroom to get cleaned up. Mortal foes with a shared enemy.
"Hey, I have a question." Pennsylvania did not look at the woman she hated and she was certain Yamashiro was doing the same. But she would admit she was curious. "My little sister's a really, really big prude. Before the war she was all duty and regs. Even when she was happy and smiling. How'd she win the Admiral's heart?"
"No one knows exactly how. But they were seen leaving a diner and checking into a hotel last night."
"...I will sink you right now if you're lying."
Yamashiro shrugged. It was hard to avoid the gossip around here. Some of it was fun. Lots of it was troublesome.
"Weren't we trying to kill each other just a few minutes ago?"
"This place is a madhouse…"
Yamashiro could not find the words to refute that.
* * * * *
Sir_Gaea
More Stories Please
- Location
- The Region
I, wow. I really don't know how to react. I was honestly hoping that Ari would have been hurt more so that when someone broke Pennie out of her berserker rage, she would see what her vengeance would cost. Has cost.
But ouch, kind of scared to see other US shipgirls return now.
But ouch, kind of scared to see other US shipgirls return now.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
... well that was a massive pile of emotions. Yamashiro is... surprisingly understated, Penn takes up a majority of the spotlight.
- Location
- Arizona
That escalated quickly...
I wouldn't be that scared. Pennsy's an edge case, who didn't get her shot at the IJN like the other Pearl survivor/returnee BBs.
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
I'm tempted to ship Yamashiro/Pennsylvania at the moment, but Shigure/Yamashiro is still ahead...
I'll also upload these when I get home tonight.
I'll also upload these when I get home tonight.
- Location
- America
Well, you know us Americans. We never go halfway.
Old Iron
Admiral Unfun
- Location
- The Southwestern Deadlands of America
I need to do more with Yamashiro. She gets really neglected. But I wanted to focus mostly on our newcomer.
Yamashiro x Pennsylvania? Hmm... Intriguing.
Yamashiro/Pennsylvania: WHY!?
Thank ye for this!
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Two words. Hate Sex.
Old Iron
Admiral Unfun
- Location
- The Southwestern Deadlands of America
...This escalated quickly as well. Oh my.Two words. Hate Sex.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Tell me that's not what on other people's, or at least @obssesednuker's, mind....This escalated quickly as well. Oh my.
- Location
- Arizona
Yamashiro and Pennsy are both totally Tsundere for each other
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Two words. Hate Sex.
...This escalated quickly as well. Oh my.
Less that and more how the two might wind up growing close enough to each other over time, as a function of having to work together. Also, the irony implicit in the relationship given how their first meetings went.
At the very least I suspect that Pennsy will never be getting that pound of flesh she's been demanding... at least not that way.
Also, it occurred to me that if Pennsy wanted to know more about the Straits battle, she could've just looked it up online.
Yamashiro and Pennsy are both totally Tsundere for each other
That would be the next step, yes.
Last edited:
- Location
- Columbus, OH
Lines like this are why I keep coming back to this very silly fic.
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
apparently no one ever bothered to pass that memo on to the USN
- Location
- 'Murica
Aww, thank you kindly!Lines like this are why I keep coming back to this very silly fic.