This idea popped up while I was working on the omakes for BelBat and Eternity, and wouldn't let go. Thus, we have the second Indy and Kongou omake. That said, this is the last omake, until I've got at least three more mainline chapters in. Don't want to overwhelm the main story after all.
Well, the last omake from me anyway. I don't say no to creative readers.
I'll also say this ended up a lot more feelsy towards the end than I expected when I started.
"Daiki? Why are you calling me at this hour?"
"Blake, we have a problem."
"Problem?"
Admiral Takeda pulled down his cap, "Tell me, do you know of an HMS Indestructible? Or Irresistible?"
"Personally, no. Hood?" Admiral Smith, a man a few years Takeda's senior, looked over his shoulder.
HMS Hood, resplendent as ever in her red uniform, shook her head slowly, "We have never had an Indestructible sir. Irresistible was last used for a
Formidable-class pre-dreadnought sunk at the Dardanelles."
"Well that answers that question." Smith nodded, before turning back to his friend. "Now, why do you need to know that Daiki? I rather doubt it has anything to do with a history lesson."
In response, Takeda pulled out a picture. A picture he had Haruna take earlier in the day, of all the 'Kongou Clan' together. It had the expected reaction, as both Smith and Hood flinched back. Clearly, they had no more idea of what was going on than he did. Which was unfortunate, as the strange girls who had ended up in his care were British. Doubly unfortunate, because Kongou had told him that her...sister...clone...whatever he could call Indestructible, considered Hood a sister.
A sister who would have no idea who she was.
On top of that, the British pair would certainly recognize Implacable, if nothing else. Her carrier counterpart was quite famous, one of the best of the Armored Carriers. Her skill against the Abyssals was legendary. So seeing a girl who looked identical to her, save her different uniform, would be a shock in it's own right. Really, Takeda wouldn't blame his friend if the man was unable to contemplate what was going on. It still gave
him a headache really.
"Daiki..." Smith finally spoke up, looking at his friend with a shocked expression. "What in the
bloody hell is going on? How did you get Implacable? And a second Kongou?"
"That 'second Kongou' is HMS Indestructible," Daiki replied with a shrug. "More appropriately, HMS Indestructible, the first of her class. Of which there are two...Irresistible, and Implacable."
"Inde..." Hood whispered. "Is that not what Kongou
means in English?"
Takeda nodded, "Indeed it is. Near as I can tell, Indestructible and her sisters come from another world. One where Japan decided to abandon her before completion, and
you finished her. How she came to be in
our world, is something we don't know the answer to."
"Bloody hell..." Smith held a hand to his face. "Bloody hell. What do you expect us to do, Daiki?"
"I won't ask you to take her in." The Japanese Admiral replied softly. "However, it may not hurt to send Hood our way. If nothing else, so you can get to know Indestructible. If we can't figure out a way to send her home..."
What was left unsaid, was that she would be stuck in Britain in the event that happened.
"Well, I can..." Smith began, before a scream cut him off. Not a scream from his end however.
"BURNING...LOVE!"
"BLOODY HELL!"
Two identical voices, save for the British accent of the latter, echoed through the base. Along with the sound of breaking furniture. And falling battleships. Takeda shook his head fondly at that, while the pair across the world felt sweat run down their faces.
"I should probably make sure they're okay." Takeda turned back to the screen. "Can you get her here, Blake?"
Hood turned to her Admiral, "I can do it sir. Repulse can take my place for now."
"If you're sure."
"I am."
Daiki sent a nod at his old friend, "Good. Now, I need to go. See you later, Blake."
"You as well, Daiki."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Meanwhile, across the base, Indestructible felt the weight of her twin on her body. Kongou had jumped her out of nowhere, screaming 'Burning Love' at the top of her lungs. And the British girl hadn't the foggiest idea
why. All she knew was that her Japanese counterpart was even more random than she had thought! And that was saying something! It hardly helped that Kongou had only pulled away enough to look down, identical eyes looking at Indestructible.
"Why are you...?" The British battleship tried to ask.
"I wanted to SHOW you something, dess!"
"Was tackling me necessary?"
"You are my SISTER. I was just showing you my BURNING FAMILIAL LOVE!"
There was
that again as well.
"Yes, well, I love my sisters as well. I just don't..." Indestructible began, before Kongou jumped off her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
"YOU UNDERSTAND, DESS!"
I really don't...
It was only when Kongou finally released her, that the British girl could recover her bearings. Soft giggles drew her attention to Haruna and Implacable, standing further away. There was no sign of Irresistible, Hiei or Kirishima though. Indestructible wondered why that was the case, even as she turned her eyes back on her Japanese twin. Kongou's brilliant and cheerful grin had yet to fade in the slightest. If anything, it had widened even further. Which was
saying something. Bloody hell, Indestructible didn't know her face
could smile that widely.
"Follow me!" Kongou pulled on her arm, dragging the British girl towards her sisters.
"Implacable,
please tell me you know what is going on?" Indestructible asked, when she moved past her sister.
"Not at all." Her sibling shrugged helplessly.
"Haruna?"
The most soft-spoken of the Kongou sisters simply smiled, "It is a secret. Sorry, Indestructible-oneesan."
Figures.
All Indestructible could do was let her twin drag her along, her youngest siblings falling in line behind them. All of the battleships- well, battleships and battlecruiser -moved through the halls of Yokosuka's base, other kanmusu jumping out of the way. More than a few did a double-take at the 'two Kongous'. Understandably so...when a ship girl was summoned, she was summoned. You
didn't get duplicates. Moreover, Indestructible's uniform was probably throwing most of them off in its own right. She imagined, to those used to Kongou, seeing someone who looked
just like her in a British uniform must have seemed decidedly odd.
Not that the situation wasn't odd for Indestructible herself, of course. Seeing these girls- several of whom she at least had a passing familiarity with by now -looking at her like that? It wasn't uncomfortable, necessarily. But it wasn't fun either. She counted herself lucky to have not met either Shigure or Fubuki yet. Her best friends in Japan...meeting them would be almost as bad as her Japanese sisters.
One of whom was waiting outside a door. Kirishima, more specifically, pushing her glasses up her nose as usual.
"Welcome back oneesama." The battleship spoke up. "Everything is ready."
"Where IS Irresistible?" Kongou looked around, eyes looking for the middle Indestructible sister. "She needs to be here too, dess!"
"Right here oneesama!" Hiei came sprinting into view, dragging Irresistible behind her, much as Kongou had done with her British twin.
"What in God's name is going on?" Irresistible complained.
"That's what I want to know." Indestructible agreed.
All she got, though, was another Kongou-grin. The Japanese version of her walked up to the door, flinging it open.
"In here, dess!"
The sisters marched into the room, Japanese first and British second. And it was the latter, who came up short. Gasps came from all three of them, but none were as loud as Indestructible's own. Her shocked brown eyes looked at the room, before turning to Kongou. Her twin merely grinned, as Indestructible turned back to look at the room.
A large Union Jack was hung from the wall, a tea set underneath it. The beds were British style, not Japanese. Three beds, one under the window and the other two on either wall. Each bed had a version of Kongou's outfit on it, with a British officer cap atop the modified miko clothing. Moreover, the beds were color coordinated...brown for the window, green for the left wall, and red for the right wall. Color-coordinated beds
and skirts. Each the same color as the eyes of one of the Indestructible sisters. And sitting on the center table, was a very
British dinner, painstakingly organized exactly like it would be at home.
I...this...
Indestructible felt a warm feeling run through her chest, even as she turned to look at Kongou. Tears were in her eyes, tears of happiness. A watery smile crossed the old girl's lips, as she looked at her twin.
"You did...?" She managed to ask.
Kongou's grin had faded into a soft smile, "We DID, dess. You are our SISTERS, Indestructible. We love our sisters, and wanted to do something to make you feel at HOME, dess. Is it good?"
"It's bloody brilliant, is what it is..." Irresistible breathed out, walking to her bed- the red one, the shade exactly the same as her eyes.
"I agree." Implacable nodded, turning to Haruna. "Thank you."
And all Indestructible could do, was smile at her twin, "Yes.
Thank you...Kongou."
"No problem dess!" Kongou's grin was back, as she gestured at the loaded table. "Dinnertime!"
And for the first time since she had ended up in this situation, Indestructible felt at home.
