This one fought me, that's for sure. Not easy...not easy at all. Hopefully it still turned out well!
And, obviously, credit to Whiskey for part of this chapter- at the least, for the inspiration.
Chapter 3: Sisters
Indestructible sighed softly, as she dragged herself out of the water. Jintsuu sent her an understanding smile, as the light cruiser went off to join her sister, while the battleship tried to pull herself up. She had never felt this
tired before. Her stomach was growling at her as well, feeling like an empty fuel bunker. Perhaps it
was an empty fuel bunker at that. She still didn't know half of what was going on with this body, and doubted that anyone else did either. Nor did she really care if anyone knew, in all honesty. She could figure out the particulars of this later. For now, she wanted nothing more than to be back on solid ground, some food in her stomach, and some
rest. Who knew that training could be so tiring...
It certainly gave her a new appreciation for her old crew.
"Are you okay Indestructible-san?" Fubuki appeared at the dock, slightly out of breath as she looked down on the battleship.
"Yes," the British girl answered, "Just exhausted. This training is..."
The destroyer smiled, as she held out a hand, "Yeah, the first time in the water is like that. You just need some food!"
"I wouldn't say no."
As she was pulled up by the smaller girl, Indestructible idly wondered when she had become so comfortable with her. By all rights, she should be extremely distrustful of the little girl pulling her hand, as she felt her rigging fade away. After all, she still didn't trust
Japan in the slightest. There was still the simmering pit of abandonment and anger deep in her heart, yet she felt none of that for Fubuki. If anything, as the smaller ship smiled up at her, she felt like the destroyer was a surrogate sister. It was...a nice feeling, really. She didn't have
her sisters here, but at least there was someone around that she could relate to. After all...
Fubuki has always known what to say, in the short time I've known her. If...if that isn't worth a little trust, I don't bloody know what is.
"Let's head to Mamiya's then," Fubuki smiled again, as the two were once more on solid ground, "She can make enough for both of us!"
"...enough for both of us?"
Fubuki just giggled in response, as she set off for the restaurant. Leaving a confused Indestructible to trail along behind her.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Isn't this a bit..."
"Trust me, I've fed a lot of battleships."
"But..."
Mamiya just smiled softly, before moving off, leaving Indestructible to stare in shock at the
massive bowl of rice and meat in front of her. Fubuki's much smaller bowl looked positively quaint in comparison. She wasn't exactly familiar with Japanese cuisine, but something told her they didn't eat
this much!
"Go ahead and eat, Indestructible-san!" Fubuki was just grinning cheekily, as she dug into her own food.
"I can't eat all of this!" the battleship protested, shocked at the very
idea. She knew none of her old crew would eat this much.
Fubuki shook her head, amusement on her young face, "All battleships and aircraft carriers eat that much, Indestructible-san. You need to, or you won't be resupplied. I'm a destroyer, so I don't need as much. Look at Akagi-sempai!"
Turning her head in the direction that Fubuki had pointed, Indestructible felt her eyes widen even further, which felt almost impossible. Because if
her bowl was big, it was nothing on the one in front of another brown-haired girl. Said girl was happily munching on her meal, cheeks bulging as rice and meat alike vanished into her mouth. The girl in blue next to her shook her head, face a stoic mask under a side-ponytail, as she more demurely ate from just as big a bowl. Both of those bowls dwarfed her own, and made Fubuki look like she was barely eating. Was this what it was like to be a ship girl?
Instead of resupplying in ammunition and fuel, she just ate a truly
ludicrous amount of food?
"..."
Well, when in Rome...
Digging into her meal, Indestructible felt...great. Her weariness was slowly fading, as more and more of the mixed meal vanished into her stomach. It truly did feel like she was being resupplied. There wasn't the clink of steel on steel or the sound of oil flowing into her bunkers, but on the other hand, she still
felt the resupply. Her body felt like it was taking on the weight of a combat load, even though nothing outwardly changed.
This is...a new feeling.
Just like everything else had been, since she had ended up in this body.
"It's good, right?" Fubuki sent her a happy smile, when she saw the small smile on the battleship's face.
"Very," Indestructible nodded, thoughtful expression on her face as she ate, "I still don't quite understand how this works, but at least it's simple."
"Yup! All we need to do is eat proper food, and we're ready to go again."
It was useful, to be totally fai...where'd all her food go?
Fubuki giggled, "Already done, Indestructible-san?"
"..."
Well, she hadn't realized she'd been eating
that fast. Pushing her bowl aside, the battleship felt a flush crawl up her face. She was a proper British lady, not a glutton. She didn't even know
how she had eaten all that food already. She felt pleasantly full, and a bit sleepy now, but she was still feeling embarrassed nonetheless. Indestructible hadn't even realized she
could eat that fast.
At least her new...friend...seemed used to it.
If anything, the smile on Fubuki's face was comforting, as she said, "Don't worry, we all can eat that fast if we're hungry enough. It's perfectly normal!"
Maybe so, but I still feel as if I ate too fast...
Embarrassment aside, the battleship, if anything, felt more sleepy than she had before eating. Maybe it was a sign to take it easy and rest after pushing herself during the training, maybe not. Either way, she felt the need to lay down and rest for awhile. If Fubuki noticed that or not was up for debate, but the little destroyer finished her own meal and hopped to her feet.
"Come on, let's get back to the room to get your things. Yuudachi-chan is back, so I need to make sure with her if it's okay for you to stay in there until Admiral can get you your own room!"
My own room...
Part of Indestructible didn't want a room to herself. Being alone in this type of situation...did not appeal to her. In the least.
"Oh, I thought Yuudachi-chan would be back by now," Fubuki pouted, as she walked into her room.
Indestructible trailed behind her, somewhat relieved in all honesty. She didn't want to talk to another girl, at least not yet. She'd much rather have Fubuki talk to the other destroyer, if only because she was still uncomfortable at best, around the Japanese ships. Fubuki was just about the only exception to that rule.
"Should she have been?" still, it was only polite to ask.
The destroyer sighed softly, looking over her shoulder, "Yes, she should have. We were going to talk about you staying here!"
"I don't mind moving, if I need to."
I really do...but polite. I'm her guest, not a prisoner despite the fact Japan should
be my enemy.
"No no," Fubuki planted her foot in the ground, a stubborn look crossing her face, "You're staying with me if possible, Indestructible-san! You're new here, and I want you to be comfortable! Like when I was new, and stayed with Akagi-sempai!"
The battleship held up her hands, a small smile crossing her face, "Understood."
Fubuki giggled, clearly amused by the reaction, before turning to gather up the futon and covers. Indestructible moved to the same, only for a loud noise in the hallway to get the attention of
both girls. The sound of feet stampeding down the hall at flank speed, uncaring of noise or anyone in the way, if the sound of angry girls was any indication. Turning her head, the British girl looked at the Japanese destroyer, an eyebrow going up in a silent question. Fubuki just shook her head, clearly just as confused as she herself was. Well, that hadn't been any help.
Turning her head again, Indestructible warily watched the door, hearing the stampede get ever closer. She sincerely hoped they weren't coming for this room.
"Oh no..."
That gulp had her worried though.
"Fubuki?"
"I recognize that now...it's..."
Before she could finish that statement, the door to the room was slammed open so hard it was a miracle it wasn't thrown off its hinges. Standing in the suddenly open doorway was a panting girl, short brown hair rustled by her charge. A pair of miniature radar antenna held said hair down, above a fair-skinned face with deep blue eyes. Eyes that were staring at Indestructible, shock written all over the face they belonged to.
Shock that only lasted long enough for the girl to get her breath back. Whereupon she promptly opened her mouth, and screamed out one single thing.
"Onee-sama!"
Indestructible couldn't do any more than blink, before a blur of short white dress and almost-kilt skirt had run right into her with all the force a thirty-six thousand ton battleship could manage. The British girl fell to the floor in tangle of limbs, the other girl on top of her. Groaning softly from the force of that impact, Indestructible would have pushed the girl off her, if she hadn't felt her uniform start growing wet. Wet, from exactly where the other girl's face was buried in her shoulder.
She's...crying? Wait, what does Onee...
The battleship felt her face pale, as she realized exactly what that word meant. She may have been raised in Britain, but she still knew Japanese nonetheless. And with that knowledge, she knew who this girl had to be.
"Hiei?"
A nod against her shoulder was the only answer Indestructible got, along with a tightening of the arms wrapped securely around her midsection. Unsure of how to react, she carefully brought her own arms up, and wrapped them around the girl hugging her so very tightly. Hiei...her sister, the oldest of her siblings. The girl she had never met, despite both being more or less British- even if her sister had been constructed in Japan, a lot of her parts were still British. Indestructible hadn't wanted to meet Hiei so soon...unsure of how to act with her. But all she could do now was roll with the situation, and hug the crying girl to her. Sparing a moment to look up from the short brown hair burrowed into her shoulder, the British girl noted Fubuki smiling sadly, and two other girls standing in the doorway.
They wore similar outfits to Hiei, only with different skirts. The girl in red had long blue-grey hair and almost amber eyes, as she smiled at Indestructible. It was a watery smile though, tears clear in her eyes. The same could be said for the other girl, her short dark hair and glasses completely unlike Hiei and the girl in red. Glasses that she removed, to wipe at her eyes.
"It's so good to see you Onee-sama," the longer haired girl spoke softly, her voice barely carrying through the room, "Haruna is
so happy to see you."
Haruna...so that means Kirishima is the one with glasses?
"I'm happy to see you three too," Indestructible replied.
And the thing was, she really meant that. It hadn't been her plan to meet them like this, but they were her
sisters. Just as much as Irresistible and Implacable were. Even as she thought that though, Hiei finally let up on her death grip, pulling herself to her feet. Indestructible rose with her, soft smile directed at her estranged sister. Hiei returned the smile, though her own was a wide, excited grin. Even the tears on her face did little to diminish the radiance of that grin.
"Onee-sama, I didn't think we'd see you!" the short-haired girl excitedly spoke, her voice quite different from Haruna's quiet one.
"Well, I didn't expect to wake up in Japan..."
Hiei giggled at that, "I'm glad you did, now we're all together again!"
"Yes, like we were meant to be," Kirishima nodded, pushing her glasses up slightly, "All four sisters, united."
"It's so wonderful!" Haruna clapped her hands together, soft smile nearly as intense in its own way as Hiei's wide grin.
Indestructible felt like she was being left behind on something, "Actually, we aren't all here..."
"But you're here Onee-sama!" the oldest Hiei sister protested.
Kirishima nodded again, "Exactly. All four Kongou sisters are together, like we were supposed to be."
The British girl stiffened at that statement, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Her sisters were oblivious to this, as they continued to chatter along eagerly amongst each other. They didn't notice the impact they were having, in the slightest.
"We can finally sail together, like we were supposed to!" Hiei was still cheerfully bouncing up and down, "We don't have to be apart anymore!"
It was possible that Haruna was just as excited as her sisters, though she didn't show it as much, "We can work together, in our home. Haruna is so happy that Kongou onee-sama is here now! We're all in Japan, and we can sail together. We don't have to be apart anymore."
"All the Kongou sisters together," Kirishima repeated, though she tapped her chin, "But we need to get Kongou onee-sama our outfit."
"Oh, right," her elder sister nodded, "But we need to make a special skirt for our special Onee-sama!"
"And get her out of that uniform, and into our own outfits!"
Haruna smiled at her sister, "That's an excellent idea Hiei onee-san."
"Of course it is! What do you think onee-sam...a..."
The trailing off of Hiei's excited voice had Kirishima turning her head, a confused expression on her face, "What's wrong? Onee...sama...?"
Her sisters having finally noticed how she felt, Indestructible held in a deep breath, doing everything she could to keep her raging emotions under control. It wasn't easy by any definition though. Her cheerful sisters were bringing up things that felt like a knife to her heart, with each word. The simmering, cold, pit of abandonment and anger at the deepest part of her heart was barely being held back now. They couldn't possibly know how their words...how they so casually dismissed her uniform...were impacting their sister. How bringing up
that name made her feel like someone was hurting her, despite not a single hand being laid on her body.
She was Indestructible. She hadn't been
Kongou since...
Shaking her head, Indestructible turned fully to her sisters. Turned fully to them, and began speaking in perfectly calm, perfectly proper King's English.
"I'm not Kongou," her voice was cold, as she continued to speak, "I am HMS Indestructible. His Majesty's Ship, Indestructible. That is the name I've worn my whole life, and it is
who I am."
"Onee-sama..." Haruna began, only for a cold glare from her sister to descend upon her. Needless to say, the soft-spoken girl's mouth clamped shut.
"I haven't been Kongou since I was abandoned, because my construction was
taking too long. Do you have any idea what it feels like, to be tossed aside like that, just because it was
inconvenient? Because it wasn't quick to build me, I was thrown out, and left alone. Japan abandoned me, and I will
never consider it home ever again. Japan will never be my home, because England is my home. The British gave me a home and a Navy to serve proudly. They gave me an elder sister, Invincible, who I will never be able to live up to," Indestructible's voice didn't once change tone, even as her hands clenched even tighter at her side, "They gave me younger sisters, even though it would have been easier and cheaper to just scrap me on the ways. Japan abandoned me...Britain saved me."
Here, she shook her head, brown hair swaying as Indestructible moved a hand from her skirt, and pointed at her body, at her uniform.
"I wear this uniform proudly, as it is the uniform of the nation I gladly served and call home. I will
not change it, ever. This uniform is as much me as my flesh and blood."
When she finished saying that, Indestructible let her hands fall to her sides, thoroughly spent. It hurt her to see the looks on her sister's faces. To see Kirishima backing up in shock. Haruna holding a hand to her mouth, eyes wet with unshead tears. And of course Hiei...poor Hiei was the worst. Her tears were freely falling, and quite clearly not tears of joy like the ones that had wet her blouse were. These were the furthest thing possible from that...tears of sadness. It
pained Indestructible to do this to her sisters. But they needed to know. She
needed to get this through their heads.
She wasn't Kongou, and would never
be Kongou. They shouldn't expect everything to be happy go lucky and them all to be the Kongou sisters. She was Indestructible, first of the
Indestructible-class battleships. These girls were her sisters, but they weren't like Irresistible and Implacable. They were the
Hiei-class, and they needed to remember that.
No matter how much it hurt to put them through this.
"I...I..." Hiei's voice cracked, before the short-haired girl bolted from the room.
"Onee-san!" Haruna called after her, before running out the door herself. Kirishima was quick to follow, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
It was only once they had left the room, that Indestructible allowed herself to fall to her knees. The breaths she had been holding in came out in ragged gasps, as she felt her own tears begin to fall. The battleship wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them to her chest, as she stared listlessly at the floor in front of her. She didn't even make any move to wipe her eyes.
I...I'm so sorry. I...
"...Indestructible-san?" Fubuki's soft voice finally spoke up, as the destroyer knelt down next to the much larger battleship, "Are you..."
All she got was a shake of the British girl's head, "No."
Fubuki sighed softly, before pulling herself back up, "Wait here. I'll...go talk to them."
Indestructible didn't reply, merely staring forward. The little destroyer sighed again, before running after the Hiei sisters. Leaving behind a broken girl, who felt the pain of what she had done to her sisters...no matter how much it had needed to be done.
I'm so sorry Hiei...Haruna...Kirishima...
