Chapter Text
Always by my side, they noisily laughed.
You will always be my pride.
But there is no such thing as forever.
The sound of parting makes my ears ring.
Sea of Japan
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
Thunder and lightning struck the dark sea, revealing four heavily damaged Kanmusu.
"Akatsuki-chan! We have to go back, nano desu!" A panicked Inazuma yelled over the crashing thunder.
The sea turned dark as rain pelted down. A single light was shown in the darkness, Akatsuki Kai Ni's searchlight.
"Inazuma-chan, it's no use! The enemy… spotted us…" Ikazuchi raised her 10cm Twin High-Angle Gun Mount and managed to hit one of the Abyssal Fighter planes, sending it down into the sea, bursting in flames.
"How futile." The silver-haired Verniy fired one of her torpedoes into the sea, hoping to hit a Submarine Ka-class.
The four were outnumbered, as they faced an elite fleet of Abyssals.
"We can't win like this, we have to retreat!" Purple-haired Akatsuki Kai Ni turned to face her comrades and was hit in the back by a 16inch Triple Gun Mount from a Battleship Ru-class. Akatsuki's eyes grew wide as she coughed up blood, it spilling into the dark sea.
"Akatsuki-chan!" All three of the Kanmusu's companions yelled in unison as the purple-haired fell forward and started sinking into the night sea.
"To sink in a place like this, I hate it…" The girl muttered before her body sank completely.
Number one shined a light in the middle of the night, was struck by a thousand needles.
"AKATSUKI-CHAN!" Ikazuchi dove forward to try to retrieve her friend but was blown away by the same Battleship Ru-class that had finished off Akatsuki.
"IKAZUCHIII!" Inazuma yelled out as her sister was sent flying, never to be seen again.
Number three disappeared from the surface all alone.
"Ika...Ikazuchi… Ak...Akatsuki!" The remaining brown-haired Kanmusu could not hold in her tears, even when Verniy touched her shoulder, her hat covering her face.
"Inazuma… we have to continue to retreat… for their sakes…" The silver-haired turned and started sailing away from the Abyssal fleet with a crying Inazuma following.
Verniy and Inazuma kept sailing in the wide, pitch-black sea.
"Verniy-chan, I can't see anything without Akatsuki-chan's searchlight…" Inazuma spoke up, peering into the darkness.
"How much further do we have to go?" Verniy questioned, looking at the brunette. Inazuma shook her head.
"I don't know, nano desu… we could be lost…" Inazuma's eyes opened wide, "Verniy-chan! They found us! The enemy found us! We… I… I'll hold them off, you escape, nano desu!"
Verniy's eyes opened wide, "I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself, Inazuma! We're escaping together!"
"We can't! One of us has to hold them off, nano desu!" Inazuma cocked her 10cm Twin High-angle Gun Mount and fired into the sea. "Verniy-chan… I… loved being with you all… every day was…fun and enjoyable... nano desu…" She had failed to shoot down all of the Abyssal Fighters and cried out in pain as her body was struck. "Please! Go, Verniy-chan! I wish I'll be reborn... into a more peaceful world…"
Number four, so to speak, sacrificed herself and was dragged to the dark bottom.
"Goodbye…" Verniy turned around and sailed away, leaving Inazuma to sink behind her.
Sailing alone, the girl wiped a single tear from her cheek, however, more tears started falling from her eyes, obstructing the Kanmusu's vision even more.
Number one gave me the courage to not fear and to remain firm.
Number three gave me undiscriminating benevolence.
Kind number four gave me friendship.
I lost the sign of 'six'...
"It's all right. Even if I am alone…." Verniy sailed alone, unknowingly sailing right into a High-speed Abyssal Torpedo. The girl let out a long and loud cry and with her final words, sank into the sea. "My true name is Hibiki... goodbye..."