Changing Destiny (Kancolle)

[Skywalker_T-65]

Around the world, birthdays are celebrated in many different ways. A traditional celebration in Central Africa would be unrecognizable to a French family in Paris. Similarly, a Japanese celebration would be quite different from one in Argentina. For all the differences, though, there are certain similarities. Almost every culture on the planet has some sort of celebration of birth. The importance and specifics change, yet, the core remains. A celebration of life and all its challenges. Of love and companionship. Of family and friendship.

Even warships, built for combat before anything else, can see the appeal.

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"Is this...?"

Saratoga was many things. Loyal to a fault, a bit of a motherly figure, and someone quite used to her Admiral's many quirks. One of the first things she had thought she was used to, was his tendency to treat her as if she was human. She wasn't, not really, though the gesture was always appreciated. For all that her soul was human, her body wasn't, and a lot of expectations came from that. Expectations that she'd be treated as a warship first and foremost, for instance. That her Admiral treated her as human was almost expected, since he knew a version of her from the future. That her crew followed suit never ceased to surprise her. She'd not encountered one person who didn't treat her as 'Sister Sara'.

And yet, even with all of that, she hadn't quite expected this.

"Well, I figured that you deserved this after...everything." Admiral Thompson shrugged his shoulders, a smirk crossing his lips. His eyes were still a bit haggard and he was clearly still tired from the effort of the war. It did little to dim the smirk. "After all, everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday."

Above him, in Sara's expansive mess hall, a massive banner hung. 'Happy birthday, Sister Sara'.

This is---I don't know what to say? How should I act in this situation?

For all her experience and skills, Sara could only gape in shocked silence. Until, at least, Jimmy Thach decided to elbow her in the side. The pilot had been the one to bring her here in the first place, and he wore a smirk on his face like always.

"Come on, we didn't put all this together for no reason, y'know. You've saved us more times than we can count, especially when the Japs started getting all sneaky." Thach's grin widened, at the flustered expression on Saratoga's face. Though the corners of his eyes softened, just a little, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "As weird as this all is, we trust you. The Admiral knows what he's doing, and neither of you have ever done anything to make us regret this. So..."

With a gentle shove, the pilot pushed the carrier towards the Admiral. Sara stumbled, despite her best efforts, and fell into Thompson's waiting arms. She couldn't see the sour look on the Admiral's face, glaring over at the unrepentant pilot. She could hear the chuckles of her crew, while her face turned crimson beneath her blue hair.

"Thanks for this, Jimmy. Thanks a lot." Thompson's voice was deadpan and dry. He didn't move his arms, though.

"Anytime, sir." Thach tossed a lazy salute in response, grin stubbornly fixed in place. The man had a devilish sense of humor, at the best of times. He was certainly enjoying this situation. "Everyone agrees with me, on this one. You two are..."

Thompson's glare intensified, when Sara looked up through her bangs. "Don't even finish that sentence."

While Thach chuckled, Sara relaxed. Thompson's words may have been harsh and full of denial...but she knew better. The way he tightened his grip on her. How he sent glances down her way, his eyes much softer than when he glared at his pilot. Keeping up appearances. Thach may say the crew put this together, and it may even be true. Sara knew that it was really her Admiral who had gotten things going. He hadn't been around as much as he could have been, lately, and he knew that. He wanted to remind her just how much he cared for her, in his own little ways. This was...this was nice.

"Thank you, Admiral." Sara whispered against his chest, tightening her own grip.

This meant more to her, than she'd ever let anyone see. And as her crew launched into a raucous jingle of 'happy birthday' lead by a few buff marines, she saw the smile on her Admiral's face. No cake brought out by her mess attendants, no sing along, could ever match the smile. Nothing ever could.

"Anything for you, Sara. You've known that since the day we first met each other."

And, perhaps, she really had. In this time, and in his future. It didn't dim the radiant smile she sent up at him in the slightest. Nor the flush on her cheeks, when she leaned up and kissed her Admiral on the cheek. If any of her crew noticed, she didn't care.

Neither did Thompson, when he gently returned the gesture.

"Happy birthday, Sara."

---

Sitting in his quarters, Gustav Schreiber smiled softly. In front of him, a pink-haired girl was like a child in a candy store. He couldn't even blame her. This was very new for both of them, even with his experience in the future. In this time...no one else had ever done this. For her. For anyone, really.

"This is all for me?" Blücher's voice was filled with awe, when she looked at the spread of presents laid out before her.

Schreiber nodded, smile softening upon her words. "Of course. You have done more than enough to deserve this, Blücher."

"But...isn't this too much?" The cruiser turned wide blue eyes upon her Admiral, shaking her head at everything. She couldn't quite believe what she was being given. "I'm...what am I even going to do with all of these things? My crew doesn't know I exist or anything!"

"What you do with them is your choice, Blücher. Even if that's not using them at all." Admiral Schreiber stood up, his bones creaking as he walked over to his cruiser. The first person he had met, upon entering this time. The one person he trusted with his very life. "That's the point of a present, you know. We give them, but we don't choose how they're used. That's up to you, and only you."

Sitting down beside her, Schreiber let his arm come to rest around Blücher's shoulder, her long pink hair falling over it.

"You already know that you're the closest thing I have to a daughter, Blücher. Let an old man spoil his daughter, alright?"

At those words, the cruiser's face turned brighter than her hair. A stray tear rolled down her cheeks, even when she turned the brightest smile yet upon her Admiral. The man who, much as he considered her a daughter, she considered her father. Blücher wasn't the best with words. She tended to let her actions speak for her, and her temper get the better of her. Certainly the times she'd thrown SS men overboard or into lockers or into toilets...

Well.

She didn't know how to really respond, other than to lean into her Admiral's side. The physicality of it never did get old to her. She'd been so young, fresh out of trials, when he took command. In the other world, she would have died in Norway. Just that, alone, was more than enough reason to love Schreiber. How he had treated her since then, just reinforced the feeling. He cared for her as a person. That meant more than he could ever know.

Actually, I think he does know how much that means to me. He's smart like that. Smarter than that stick in the mud on the bridge!

"Blücher, open this one first." Schreiber's wizened voice broke the cruiser from her musings on her Captain. He held out a small, thin package towards her. The wrapping was amateur at best, even to Blücher's eyes.

She still took it as if it were made of solid gold, clutching it to her chest. "What is this, Admiral? Did you get some candy for me?"

"Yes, but not in that one." The Admiral's smile stretched wider, as he chuckled softly. "Honestly, you are a child when it comes to chocolate, Blücher."

"Because I am a child, you know!" Sticking her tongue out at the old man, the cruiser looked down at her package. It was thin and small. She held it up to her ear, and shook it a little. No noise greeted her. "Huh...what is in here?"

At the look her Admiral sent her, Blücher giggled a little. She could see the 'just open it and check' clear on his face. Sending a goofy smile his way, the teenage-appearing girl did just that. Her hands deftly tore the wrapping from the package. Careful to not let her strength damage whatever was in---inside--

Oh. Oh Ad...father.

Blücher's eyes misted, when she looked down at what was revealed. Her hands brought it to her chest again, much more gently this time. She smiled at her Admiral, and leaned into his hug. Schreiber returned the gesture, running soft circles through her hair. He knew just what to do, didn't he? Of course he did. What father didn't know what their daughter liked?

"I can see you like it, Blücher." Schreiber smiled, holding the pink-haired girl close.

Giggling softly, Blücher looked up with wet eyes. "I love it, Admiral."

Clutched against her chest, as she leaned against her Admiral, was a simple picture. A picture of the two of them, taken by her Captain, standing atop her bridge wing in the cold Norwegian waters. The first time he had hugged her. The first time she had begun to look at him as her father as much as her Captain or Admiral.

It was more important to her than any other present ever could be.

---

Decided to go with the (short little) birthday-themed omake. When these take place during the story is up in the air, really. It doesn't quite matter in the grand scheme of things. I just wanted to write something cute on my birthday

While the project with Sheo is taking up my writing energies, I am going to try and get going again on here. Flashbacks it is, so the next chapter will rotate back to Schreiber properly.