Chapter 1: Prologue
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..."
Chapter 2: Chapter 1
Notes:
Was already on my FF.net, but now it's here
Chapter Text
Sea of Japan
Hiroshima Prefecture
Kure Naval District
Rainy Season
"Hacchan! Hurry up, you're falling behind!" A chipper I-19, Iku, giggled, making flips in the water. "Has it been raining a lot lately? Iku is always underwater so I didn't really notice it."
It was the rainy season, but as Iku said, she was underwater and couldn't see the rain.
"Ah, the ocean is great, dechi!" I-58, Goya, turned her back to the bottom of the sea and floated along with the ocean current.
"I won't lose to anyone on long voyages!" I-8, Hachi, called out from behind a rock, swimming past Iku at an extremely fast pace.
"This isn't a race, Hacchan!" Iku pouted.
"Hey, hey, hey, Nimu hasn't seen Mole-chan lately… where is she?" I-26, Nimu, swam up to Iku and asked the purple-haired submarine.
All of the submarines stopped dead in the water.
"Mole-chan, dechi? She's up there." Goya pointed to the surface of the ocean where Maruyu was now floating towards.
"Don't call me Moley. I'm Maruyu! H-huh? My body's floating, why is that!?" Maruyu flailed her arms, which caused the Kanmusu to rise towards the surface even faster, despite her slow speed.
Nimu sighed, "Nimu will go collect Mole-chan…" She swam up to the surface of the ocean and started to pull the still flailing Submarine down with her.
"Huh? N-No! I keep on sinking!" Maruyu started failing her arms even more wildly, accidentally hitting Nimu in the face.
"Kyah!" Nimu yelled, pulling Maruyu down with one hand, the other holding her nose, where she was hit.
"Would you two stop messing around, dechi? We're here to Orel, not play, dechi!" Goya yelled at the black haired Maruyu and blonde Nimu.
Both submarines looked back at Goya with an apologetic look on their faces. Goya sighed and turned towards Iku,
"Have we found anything yet, dechi?"
"Iku hasn't found anything yet."
"Acht... no, Hachi, has found something!" Hachi, who was now at the bottom of the sea, waved to her submarine friends.
The rest of the Submarine fleet looked at each other and dove down to meet Hachi.
"What do you think it is?" Iku asked as the fleet swam around a rock.
"It looks like… a Kanmusu… but it looks like it's still functional, dechi." Goya put her hand in front of her mouth, thinking.
"Should we bring it back?" Nimu asked, still holding on to Maruyu to prevent her from floating away.
Iku nodded, and with the help of the fleet, sans Nimu and Maruyu, carried the strange object back to their base.
"The fleet's back isn't it!" Iku yelled as the submarines surfaced in front of their admiral.
"Oh? You're back already. How was the sortie?" The admiral bent down near the water to speak to Iku.
"We didn't find much, but we did find this, and it's heavy, dechi!" Goya pulled the strange Kanmusu like object onto land.
The admiral's eyes narrowed in question, "Isn't that a Destroyer Kanmusu in critical health? Girls, please bring her to the docks." The admiral looked at the Submarines who looked disappointed and annoyed that they had to carry the heavy Destroyer once again. "Or on second thought, I'll carry her. You girls go get resupplied," the admiral picked up the unconscious Destroyer.
"Okay!" All Submarines spoke at the same time and swam off to the docks.
When the Submarines were gone, the admiral looked at the Kanmusu in his arms, "this is an Akatsuki-class… Hibiki? What was she doing at the bottom of the ocean, and how is she not completely sunk?" He pondered out loud as a small fairy popped out of Hibiki's shirt collar.
"I'm an Emergency Repair Personnel!" The fairy chimed. "My friends and I prevented this one from sinking!" The fairy then exploded into a cloud of dust, causing the admiral to cough.
"She's still heavily damaged. I'll take her to the docks and get her repaired." The admiral nodded and carried Hibiki off.
Chapter 3: Chapter 2
Chapter Text
Kure Naval District
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
"Verniy-chan!" Verniy-chan!"
"Mn? What is it, Akatsuki-chan?"
"The commander has made me the flagship of our sortie, proper decision for a lady!"
"Marvelous, have you told Inazuma and Ikazuchi yet?"
Akatsuki shook her head, "You're the first to know! Ah, here they come now!"
"What's all the commotion, nano desu? Has something good happened?" Inazuma and Ikazuchi walked up to Verniy and Akatsuki Kai Ni.
"Yeah! I'm the flagship and an official lady now!" Akatsuki puffed out her chest.
"I don't know, Akatsuki-chan, you still have a lot of growing to do." Ikazuchi taunted, causing Akatsuki to puff out her cheeks.
"Don't say I'm a chiiild!" The purple-haired complained, waving her arms around.
All four of the Destroyer Division Six laughed.
"Also, Verniy-chan, Inazuma-chan, Ikazuchi-chan, these are for you." Akatsuki pulled out small metal anchors with the kanji for 'six' written on them. "I had Akashi make these for us! It's a symbol of our friendship and sisterhood!"
Verniy took hers and placed it into her skirt pocket, "Thank you, Akatsuki-chan."
My clenched fist, becoming transparent.
Softly, lightly, gently dancing.
All the laughter, that voice, that warmness.
Softly, lightly, gently rotating…
I don't want the fame of becoming alone.
So give them back.
Kure Naval District,
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
"Ah!" A conscious Hibiki shot up in the bed she was resting in. "0500. It's the time when the sky changes its color. ...How beautiful…."
The silver-haired pulled the blankets off her body and stood up, but her legs gave way and she toppled back onto the bed.
"I won't sink…" Hibiki held her head as she stood up once more. This time she was able to walk over to the door of the bedroom and stepped out into the hallway. She blinked in the morning light.
"Ready? Yukikaze, I'm going ahead!" A rampaging Tokitsukaze ran down the hallway, crashing into Hibiki, knocking the two of them over. "I couldn't dodge. Ouch-ch…"
"Tokitsukaze? Are you okay? This is why Yukikaze told you not to run in the hallways!" Hibiki heard approaching footsteps as a small brown-haired girl appeared before her.
"Inazuma-chan?" Hibiki wondered out loud as Yukikaze bent down to see if her friend was alright.
"I-na-zu-ma? Who's that? I'm Yukikaze, the eighth ship of the Kagerou-class destroyer." Yukikaze replied, helping Tokitsukaze up, then helping Hibiki up.
Hibiki's eyes opened wide, "You... Inazuma-chan...everyone…" Memories flashed inside the girl's mind and she turned to throw up, tears running down her face.
"New girl, new girl! New giiiiiirrrrlll! Hey! Hey, can't you hear me? Hey!" Tokitsukaze yelled out to Hibiki.
"Tokitsukaze, not so loud, you'll wake the others," Yukikaze warned the dog-like Destroyer, putting her finger to her mouth in a shushing manner.
Tokitsukaze didn't listen to Yukikaze and kept proceeding to yell, "Commander, Commander! Commaaandeer! Hey! Hey, can't you hear me? Hey!"
With a loud bang, a door opened and the now awake and rather pissed admiral looked into the hall to see Hibiki crying and Yukikaze holding her hand over Tokitsukaze's mouth.
"Yes, I hear you, you don't have to yell." The admiral yawned, "what kind of racket are you making this early…?"
Tokitsukaze, with her mouth still covered, pointed to Hibiki and then the puddle of puke on the hallway floor.
The admiral's eyes went from half asleep to wide awake. He hurried over to Hibiki's side, "are you okay?"
Hibiki, through tears, managed to speak up, "I'm Hibi— Verniy…"
The admiral looked at Hibiki, puzzled, "You look like a Hibiki to me."
Hibiki stared at the admiral, "I'm not… Verniy…?" She asked, her eyes widening.
The admiral sighed, "How should I explain this…Hibiki, come with me, Tokitsukaze, Yukikaze, you two clean this mess up."
"I hate cleaning! I really hate it!" Tokitsukaze complained, no longer being muted by Yukikaze's hand.
"If you don't clean it up, you won't get breakfast-" The admiral was cut off as Tokitsukaze sped off down the hall towards a supply closet with Yukikaze following behind. The admiral then sighed and looked at Hibiki, "shall we go?"
"Where are we going?" Hibiki asked, cocking her head to the side.
"My office. I'll tell you everything that is going on." The admiral pinched his brow, "although, since those two are busy, I could sneak in a nap…"
Hibiki looked at the admiral with a puzzled look on her face. "He doesn't seem very professional…" she thought to herself as she followed the admiral into his office.
Chapter 4: Chapter 3
Chapter Text
The admiral pulled up a chair for Hibiki to sit on, while he sat in his office chair.
"How should I start this..?" He asked as Hibiki looked around the office.
"Is there a problem?" The admiral asked, concerned for the girl.
Hibiki shook her head.
The Admiral glanced at Hibiki once again before rummaging in his desk for a file. When he found it, he flipped through it and found the file he was looking for. He handed the file to Hibiki, which read,
"Verniy, Status: Critical Health, nearly sunk. Akatsuki Kai Ni, Status: Sunk. Inazuma Kai, Status: Sunk, Ikazuchi Kai, Status: Sunk."
Hibiki was still confused as the admiral took back the file.
"Why am I alive? Why didn't I sink?"
The admiral blinked, "You know what an Emergency Repair Personnel is, correct?
"Yes, what about it?" Hibiki asked, looking from the file to face the admiral.
"When I was bringing you to the docks, a fairy from an Emergency Repair Personnel popped out of your shirt collar. It kept you from sinking."
"I don't remember having one equipped to me…" Hibiki looked at the admiral with a confused look on her face.
"Apparently you did have one, and that's why you're standing here."
Hibiki blinked.
"Anyway, I'm not exactly sure what happened to you, but you're free to do whatever to recover-"
The admiral was cut off by a large bang and a brown-haired Kanmusu flew into the room.
"I told you to keep your eyes on me~! Admiral, desu~, just what are you doing, desu?!" The Battleship, Kongou was now tackling the admiral off his chair.
With a loud 'oof' from the admiral, he hit the floor of his office, to which Kongou jumped on him.
Hibiki's eyes widened from being startled by Kongou.
After Kongou, who was now finished snuggling the admiral, stood up and looked at Hibiki.
"Ah! New Face! I will be the one who wins over the Admiral's heart, desu!" Kongou declared, pointing her finger at Hibiki.
Hibiki frowned, "I don't want his heart," she curtly replied as Kongou hopped over the admiral's desk and approached Hibiki, her face close to the silver-haired.
"Admiral is mine, desu!" Kongou hissed at Hibiki.
"Yeah, I caught that the first time…" Hibiki muttered at Kongou in annoyance.
The silver-haired couldn't catch a break. First it was the encounter with the hyperactive Tokitsukaze and then Yukikaze whom she had confused for Inazuma, then she had thrown up on the floor because of that confusion, and now this brunette Kanmusu was confronting her and not to mention, invading her personal space.
"Wait, desu!" Kongou jumped in surprise, "you're Hibiki! Hibiki, desu!" She then grabbed Hibiki off her chair and pulled her into a bear-hug.
Something in Hibiki's mind triggered a memory and the girl's eyes widened, "You're one of my comrades! Kongou!"
Kongou gave a quizzical glance at Hibiki, "I don't know how you forgot about me, desu."
Hibiki's body shook, "But how are you here? Didn't the base explode from an attack from the Abyssals?"
"Yes! The base did explode, desu! It was a horrible sight to see, desu!" Kongou was less cheerful now.
The admiral spoke up, "if you don't mind, perhaps you can fill me and Hibiki in, Kongou?"
"Yes!" Kongou was bouncing back to her chipper self now that the admiral wanted her to do something.
So, what should I start talking about?
A lot of things have happened.
It will be a little bit long.
But if you'd listen, I'd be happy.
"We had an old naval base here. It stationed Hibiki's Destroyer Division Six, my class, and a lot of other Kanmusu. One day, the admiral, not you," Kongou turned to look at the admiral, "found out that the Abyssals were planning an attack on our main base to sink us in one go. In order to keep the fleets safe, our admiral released a sortie for all of his Kanmusu to escape the base. Most of us obeyed him, but a lot stayed to protect him from the Abyssals."
Kongou frowned, "The ones who stayed behind were my sisters, Haruna and Kirishima, Tenryuu, Takao, Atago, Maya, Abukuma, Kiso, Kitakami, Ooi, Yuudachi, Shigure, Akagi, Kaga, and Shouhou."
Hibiki's gaze lowered as she pulled the brim of her hat. A lot of her friends were now sunk along with her sisters.
"What about the girls who escaped?" Hibiki asked Kongou, who shrugged.
"I don't know, desu. They might be at other naval bases." Kongou's words lifted Hibiki's spirits with a tiny fragment.
"Everyone's gone… Why…" Hibiki looked up at Kongou with tears in her eyes, "what about our admiral?"
"He… died during the bombing...of the naval base…" Kongou spoke without her verbal tic, a sign that she was in a lot of pain.
Hibiki didn't speak. Instead, the young Destroyer stood up from her chair and dashed from the admiral's office.
"Maybe I shouldn't have told her all that, desu…" Kongou turned to the admiral, placed his hat over his heart in regret.
Hibiki ran out of the naval base and skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff. The ocean waves crashed against the bottom of the cliff. She let out a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.
I strongly sing the echoes of the requiem, drying my voice out.
So it reaches the skies.
Wavering emotions, disturbing voices.
Lacerated words of a symphony.
One girl heard Hibiki's screams and came running to her aid.
"What's going on? Kuma wants to know what you're doing, but Kuma won't ask if it's too personal." The brunette name ship of the Kuma class approached Hibiki with concern in her eyes.
Hibiki turned to Kuma and started bawling. Kuma tried to comfort the girl by hugging the silver-haired Destroyer.
I close my eyes and curse my fate.
The cherry blossoms dried up in the mania.
All I got was a sense of helplessness and
The color which I thought I got rid of.
Chapter 5: Chapter 4
Chapter Text
Kure Naval District
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
The emergency air raid siren blasted through the Naval Base as rain pelted the windows.
"All Kanmusu, please report to the admiral for an emergency sortie!"
As the Kanmusu gathered outside the admiral's office, they began to chatter,
"What do you think is going on, poi?" The excited Destroyer, Yuudachi Kai Ni was bouncing around in anticipation. Her sister ship, Shigure Kai Ni almost had to hold her down as the blonde and pink-haired Destroyer nearly stepped on Verniy standing next to her.
"Watch it, you almost stepped on me," Verniy complained as Shigure bowed in apology for Yuudachi, who was prancing around, singing about being the Nightmare of Solomon.
"Someone really needs to teach that girl how to be a lady flagship-like me!" Akatsuki Kai Ni, who was standing next to Verniy, whispered to her sister ship.
Verniy sighed, ever since Akatsuki found out that she was to be the flagship of whatever fleet the admiral assigned to her, she wouldn't stop talking about her 'achievement.'
"Where's Inazuma and Ikazuchi?" Verniy asked Akatsuki, who had snapped back to reality.
"I think they're with Tenryuu over there," Akatsuki pointed, further down the hallway where Inazuma was cowering behind Ikazuchi as Tenryuu was trying to scare the poor Destroyers and was succeeding.
Standing a few feet away, Ooi had attached herself to Kitakami's arm and would not let go, even when Kiso Kai Ni tried to pull the brunette Torpedo Cruiser off the black-haired Kitakami. Abukuma watched the three interact with a look of panic on her face. The Kongou class Battleships, aside from Kongou, were trying to stop Kongou from breaking into the admiral's office. Aircraft Carriers Kaga and Shouhou were watching the crowd form as Akagi ate a bowl of rice in secret. Kaga then noticed this and walked over to Akagi, taking the rice away.
Verniy looked around, "I thought there were more of us?" She asked Akatsuki, but Atago overheard her.
"Pan pakakakapan!" Atago popped up behind Verniy, lifting the silver-haired, who let out a small scream.
Akatsuki laughed as Atago placed Verniy back on the floor. The Russian Destroyer puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"A lot of other girls are on expeditions and other sorties to gather buckets and resources." Atago let out a yelp as her older sister, Takao hit her on the head and answered Verniy's question.
The chatter stopped as a giant explosion shook the base.
"That isn't good... " Kaga spoke up as her Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane fairy returned to her on Shouhou's plane, slightly damaged.
Another explosion sounded off in the distance. Maya, a Heavy Cruiser, ran over to her sister ships, Atago and Takao.
"Our docks were just bombed! We lost them!" She yelled, over the sound of distant explosions, absolutely soaked from the rain outside.
Verniy bit her lip. "What is the admiral doing, taking so long?" She complained as the admiral's office door swung open.
"Girls, in case you haven't noticed, we're being attacked." Somehow the admiral was calm during the entire situation, perhaps he knew it was too late for all of the Kanmusu to escape safely.
"I need you to gather your fleets and escape the base, aside from the following, Haruna and Kirishima, Tenryuu, Takao, Atago, Maya, Abukuma, Kiso, Kitakami, Ooi, Yuudachi, Shigure, Akagi, Kaga, and Shouhou."
A yell of protest came from a few Kanmusu, "How come they get to stay behind and protect you?!"
The admiral silenced them with his hand, "These girls are the strongest in the base at the moment, please just do as I say."
Silence fell among the Kanmusu as they gathered their fleets together.
Akatsuki turned to Verniy as the other two ships of their Destroyer Division Six joined up. When all four girls were together, Akatsuki pulled her small anchor trinket and held it to her chest. The other three Kanmusu mimicked Akatsuki's movements.
"Understood, Commander! Destroyer Division Six, deploying for naval warfare." Akatsuki turned and ran out of the naval base with her sister ships following behind her.
The sounds of explosions rang in Verniy's ears as the four gathered their equipment and made their way to the sea.
A few miles out, Verniy turned around and gasped. Her naval base had completely been smothered in flames. Small white objects, Abyssal Hell Dive Bombers, were circling the flames, dropping more of their kind onto the base. The falling rain was no match for the naval base's fires, which would be reignited by the Abyssal Hell Dive Bombers.
Rainwater dripped off the brim of Verniy's hat, but the silver-haired Russian ignored it. Even when Inazuma tripped and even managed to see the naval base herself, Verniy ignored her protests to return and helped the young Destroyer move forward towards Akatsuki's searchlight upon the dark, night sea.
Chapter 6: Chapter 5
Chapter Text
Kure Naval District
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
"I hate rain kuma. Kuuuumaaaa… kuuuumaaaa… Aah! I hate the rain kuma. Kuuumaaa…"
"What? Where am I…?"
"On a rainy day, I wanna curl up in the room, nya. I'm sleepy, nya. Good night, nya."
Hibiki felt a large and heavy object on top of her.
"Tama, you can't sleep there, kuma. That's Hibiki, kuma."
The weight of the Light Cruiser surprised Hibiki as her eyes opened to see Tama almost curled up on her lap. With a scream, the silver-haired destroyer sent Tama crashing to the floor.
"Nya!" The Light Cruiser exclaimed as she hit the floor.
Kuma heard the commotion and turned to see Tama and a panicked Hibiki, now sitting up in the bed.
"Kuma! Hibiki's awake, kuma!" Carefully stepping over a hissing Tama, Kuma dove to Hibiki giving her a bear hug.
Hibiki could barely talk with the nameship of the Kuma class on top of her now, but managed to speak,
"Where am I?"
Kuma blinked and stepped back for Hibiki to have air,
"You're in Kuma and Tama's room, kuma! You fell asleep as Kuma was carrying you back to the base, so Kuma let you sleep in Kuma's bed, kuma!"
"So you were up all night?" Hibiki looked puzzled until she noticed dark circles under Kuma's eyes.
"Kuma!" Kuma replied, smiling.
"She did this for me? Even though we just met?" Hibiki smiled, realizing Kuma could become a good friend, the first she had in this base.
A few hours later, Kuma and Tama were to go on an Expedition, leaving Hibiki to explore the naval base on her own. As she placed her hat on her head, the silver-haired looked out the window of Kuma's room. Raindrops were splashing against the window, creating the illusion of shadows on the floor. Small objects were tied to the window sill, and as Hibiki looked closer, she instinctively mumbled,
"Inazuma's Teru-Teru bozu looks nice. It's cute. As for Akatsuki's... what may it be? A monster?"
"What? Why did I say that?" Hibiki was taken aback by her own words and stared at the teru-teru bozu once again before shaking her head.
"Right. They're… not… here… anymore…" Hibiki's eyes started to tear up, but she managed to brush them out of her vision. The girl slumped her shoulders and made her way into the hall.
This time, Hibiki looked around to make sure there weren't any high-speed Destroyer Kanmusu running down the hallway. Seeing as there weren't, the silver-haired Destroyer stepped out of Kuma's room.
Rain pelted the windows as Hibiki walked through the empty hallways. In a way, it was eery for the Destroyer, but soon, she heard the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the mess hall. The sounds lifted the Destroyer's spirits and as she approached the doors of the hall, the smell of roast beef filled her nostrils. Placing her hand on the door, Hibiki pushed it open, revealing a large room filled with tables. Sitting at these tables were some child-like Submarines, their hair and swimsuits dripping water onto the floor. Some nearby Destroyers and Light Cruisers glanced at the water on the floor before a Battleship class dropped a towel onto a Submarine's head.
"It's peaceful here…" Hibiki thought to herself as a black-haired Aircraft Carrier approached Hibiki.
"I haven't seen you before, are you a new girl?" The Carrier, Houshou bent down to Hibiki, smiling, her voice gentle and kind.
Hibiki somehow felt at ease, this Kanmusu gave off a motherly feel and Hibiki almost hugged her out of instinct.
"Ah, yes, I'm Ver-Hibiki, a Destroyer. I'm referred to as The Phoenix and-"
Hibiki was cut off by a quick hug from Houshou.
"Welcome to the base! If you ever need anyone to talk to, you can always find me either here in the mess hall or around the base."
Hibiki nodded her head, unable to talk from Houshou's body pressing against her.
Hibiki sat a table eating her roast beef. She was sitting alone, silently, until a young, pink-haired girl in a swimsuit sat next to her and loudly exclaimed,
"You're the Destroyer we brought back! Iku, it's the Destroyer, dechi!"
Hibiki couldn't even take a bite of her meal as Submarine Kanmusu surrounded her.
"Iku wants to know the Destroyer's name!"
"So does Goya, dechi!"
The voices from the Submarines echoed into Hibiki's ears. Too much was happening at once, the Destroyer's eyes turned to swirls as she almost collapsed into her food.
"Hey, hey hey! You're stressing her out!" I-26, Nimu yelled over the Submarine's chatter.
"Thank you…" Hibiki muttered as Nimu helped the Destroyer sit up.
Nimu smiled.
Hibiki glanced around at the smiling faces of the Submarines,
"What do you mean 'brought back'?"
"Iku and her fleet rescued you from the bottom of the ocean!" Iku smiled proudly, flashing a victory pose. Hibiki was not amused.
"What she means is that we're the ones who brought you here." Not lifting her eyes from her book, but pushing her glasses back up her nose, Hachi, I-8, clarified.
A silence fell among the Submarines until Hibiki's stomach growled. She was hungry and her food had possibly become cold at this point. She looked around for something to warm it up with, and not finding anything, started picking at her roast beef.
Nimu blinked, "Why don't you just give it to that Destroyer… what was her name… Tokitsukaze? She's like a dog, so she'll eat anything."
Hibiki huffed, remembering her first encounter with Tokitsukaze in the hallway. She didn't want to interact with that Destroyer any more than necessary.
"Have you had a bad first impression?"
A rather huge Battleship Kanmusu sat down next to Hibiki with five plates of food. Hibiki stared at her and her large amount of food in front of her.
"I know what you are thinking, and yes, I will be able to finish all of this." The brown-haired Battleship picked up her chopsticks.
"It's Hotel-onee!"
Yamato had taken her first bite when all the Submarines jumped onto the giant Battleship. Hibiki's eyes widened as the Battleship Kanmusu was unresponsive to the Submarines crawling all over her. Yamato then turned to Hibiki and smiled.
"I'm Battleship Yamato. Please don't call me a hotel."
Chapter 7: Chapter 6
Chapter Text
Kure Naval District
Hiroshima Prefecture
Rainy Season
The only thing Hibiki really wondered about in the naval base was where she was going to sleep. The Destroyer couldn't keep relying on Kuma to share a room, the bear-like Light Cruiser needed sleep too. Rubbing her eyes, Hibiki wandered back into the admiral's office where Yamato was stationed.
"Oh, you are the girl from the mess hall. Are you here to see the admiral? I'm secretary ship Yamato."
Hibiki nodded, her sleepiness catching up with her.
"He's not here at the moment, I believe he's at the construction center working on some new equipment." Yamato put her hand on her cheek, smiling.
It was then Hibiki saw it, a small metallic object on the Battleship's left ring finger. Noticing Hibiki looking at it, Yamato giggled.
"Oh, you are interested in this?" Yamato smiled, "It's a wedding ring. The Admiral chose to make me his bride a little while ago. The Battleship blushed, causing some of the cherry blossoms in her hairpin to bloom.
"If you're married to the admiral, how does Kongou react to that?" Hibiki questioned, but soon regretted it as Yamato's eyes widened.
"Well, Kongou and I… don't really get along…" Yamato shuffled her feet, and Hibiki thought she saw a few blossoms droop.
Hibiki could understand why: Kongou loved the admiral, but the admiral picked Yamato as his bride. It must be hard for Kongou to see that relationship while in the base.
The silver-haired Destroyer bit her lip.
"Anyway, what was it that you needed?" Yamato spoke up, causing Hibiki to jump.
"Oh, well, I was just wondering if there was an empty room or something that I could sleep in since I don't have a place to stay…"
"Of course! We always have a spare room. Follow me." Yamato smiled and held the door to the admiral's office open for Hibiki.
Yamato and Hibiki walked down a hallway before coming to a locked door.
"Here you are," Yamato smiled, pulling a key out and handing it to Hibiki before heading back to the admiral's office.
"She seems really nice, but a bit distracted." Hibiki criticized to herself as she unlocked the door.
A few bunk beds took up most of the room. A tatami mat was underneath a small table with small cushions as seats. A large brown dresser was placed by the wall. The windows were bright and shiny, illuminating the rain droplets on them.
Hibiki chose a bottom bunk and climbed into the bed. Pulling the covers over herself, the young Destroyer quickly fell asleep, a few tears of loneliness falling from her eyes.
The next morning came too quickly for Hibiki, who was still tired from the day before. Grumbling, the silver-haired girl sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her uniform was a bit wrinkled, and she realized that she had never changed into a pair of pajamas. It's not like she had a pair anyway. Hibiki shrugged and rolled out of her bunk to the floor. It was close enough to the floor that she could roll and not hurt herself.
After fixing her uniform, Hibiki headed out into the hallway. Looking around for any Tokitsukaze, the Destroyer made her way back to the admiral's office. Hibiki only knew the way because she had remembered walking with Yamato from the office last night. Upon reaching, she heard Yamato's voice and a man's.
Waiting until the admiral and Yamato were done talking, Hibiki knocked on the office door. There was the sound of feet shuffling as Yamato opened the door to see Hibiki.
"Ah, good morning, Hibiki-chan." Yamato stepped aside for Hibiki to walk into the office. "What can I help you with?"
Hibiki stepped up to Yamato and held out the key to the room she stayed in. Yamato did not accept it.
"Oh, no, Hibiki-chan, you keep it, it is your room now."
Hibiki blinked and before she could control herself, she threw her arms around the Battleship into a hug. Yamato smiled and hugged Hibiki back.
A toilet flushed and the admiral came out of the bathroom with a small cough. Not noticing Hibiki, mainly because Yamato was hiding her with her large body, the admiral sat down in his office chair and started his paperwork.
"Admiral, are you feeling a bit tired? Shall I make some special tea for you? It will help you feel relaxed." Yamato asked her husband as the admiral nodded.
"Hibiki-chan, would you like some too?" Yamato placed three cups on the admiral's desk.
Hibiki nodded and Yamato poured some tea into each of the cups. She handed a cup to Hibiki and sipped at her own tea.
Hibiki did the same and felt the warmness of the tea move down her throat. It felt like bliss to the Destroyer.
"So." The admiral spoke up from his chair, "After breakfast, I'm going to be issuing an expedition, Yamato, we're running low on Bauxite."
Yamato nodded, "Have you decided on your fleet for it, Admiral?"
"Not yet. I still need to make a few changes and possibly upgrade a couple of gun mounts." The admiral shuffled around for a clipboard. As he found it, he noticed Hibiki.
"How long have you been here, Hibiki?"
Hibiki puffed her cheeks in annoyance, "I've been here for at least 10 minutes." She tried to sound respectful.
Not picking up on Hibiki's tone, the admiral went back to looking at his paperwork.
"Admiral, if you don't mind, I will take Hibiki to the mess hall for breakfast." Yamato sensed the annoyance in the silver-haired.
The admiral nodded, "Go ahead, Yamato."
Yamato turned to Hibiki, "Shall we get going then? It's almost time for breakfast."
Hibiki frowned at the admiral, but still followed Yamato into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.
Yamato stopped Hibiki and calmly spoke to her, "I'm sorry he ignored you, Admiral is very busy with his work, and I know his desk seemed to be messy. He is not that great at being organized." The Battleship giggled and took Hibiki's hand. "Shall we get going then?"
Chapter 8: Chapter 7
Chapter Text
"Kuma! There you are, Hibiki!"
Upon reaching the mess hall, Hibiki was ambushed by a very happy Kuma. The Light Cruiser threw her arms around the Destroyer, causing Hibiki to almost fall over. Yamato smiled and let out a tiny giggle.
"It seems like your friend missed you." Yamato giggled into her hand, smiling at the two Kanmusu.
"Kuma did miss you!" Kuma launched herself into a bear hug.
Hibiki let out a small smile and put her arms around Kuma in a return hug.
"Thank you, Kuma. Thank you for b-being, my friend…" Hibiki stuttered out before almost crying.
"Kuma! Hibiki, you're crying? Kuma didn't mean to hurt you with Kuma's hug!" The brown-haired Light Cruiser dropped her arms and stared wide-eyed at Hibiki.
Hibiki shook her head, "N-no, it wasn't your fault, Kuma. I just… You were the first to be my friend here and I r-really, appreciate it."
Kuma blinked in astonishment. "Kuma is happy to be your friend, Kuma is happy Hibiki is happy."
The brown-haired Kanmusu smiled and took Hibiki's hand.
"Anyway, let's get some breakfast, kuma! Kuma is hungry!"
Yamato watched the two younger Kanmusu walk into the mess hall and away from her. The Battleship smiled.
Pancakes were the breakfast for that morning. Kuma had topped hers with so much honey that Hibiki couldn't even see the pancakes underneath.
"What? I'm a Kuma. Kuma likes honey." Kuma defended herself against Hibiki's stares as she cut into her honey-covered pancakes.
"I didn't say anything," Hibiki rolled her eyes, smiling. She cut into her own pancakes.
"Hey, can I have some of your honey? These pancakes are kind of plain." Hibiki questioned the bear-like Light Cruiser.
"Go ahead, kuma." Kuma's answer was muffled due to her mouth being full of pancakes.
Hibiki ate her pancakes, occasionally dipping pieces into Kuma's giant pool of honey.
"Hey, where's your friend? The pink-haired… cat?"
"You mean Tama, kuma? She was called into the admiral's office a little while ago, haven't seen her today. I'm sure she's alright, kuma."
Kuma put her fork down and shrugged. At that moment, the mess hall doors swung open and a pink-haired Light Cruiser entered with a small 'nya.'
"Ah, there she is, kuma. Wait, that's not Tama, kuma. Tama wears shorts, this girl is wearing a skirt, kuma."
Hibiki stared at the new Kanmusu, the new Light Cruiser stared at Hibiki, and then at Kuma.
"N-Nya! Teasing is forbidden, nya! Light Cruiser Tama, nya. Of course, not a cat, nya. Cats can't be remodeled, nya."
Kuma and Tama stared at each other for a few seconds before Kuma jumped out of her seat and almost tackled the cat-like Kanmusu to the floor.
"You got remodeled, kuma?! Tama is Tama Kai Ni, kuma?"
Tama could barely nod.
"I'm so jealous, kumaaaaa! I want a remodel too!" The nameship of the Kuma class whined and tugged at Tama's arm. "Come have breakfast with us, kuma! I'll share my pancakes with you, kuma! I hope you like honey, kuma!"
Tama shook her head, "It's okay, nya, I ate the canned mackerel in storage while the admiral wasn't looking, nya."
Kuma's jaw dropped, "B-but what if we need that, kuma? What if the Abyssals steal our food, kuma?"
Tama rubbed her stomach, "Don't worry, nya, it's safe in my tummy, nya."
Seeing Kuma and Tama interacting made Hibiki feel out of place. She was happy that her friend was happy, but the loneliness was starting to affect the Destroyer. With a sigh, she dug back into her breakfast.
Apparently, Hibiki's sigh was loud enough for Kuma to overhear. The brunette turned to Hibiki.
"Hibiki, are you okay, kuma?" Kuma stopped hugging Tama and took her original seat next to the silver-haired.
Hibiki solemnly nodded, trying not to let tears fall.
"Kuma!"
The next thing she knew, Hibiki was pulled into a hug by Kuma.
"Kuma… I…" Hibiki took a deep breath as Tama sat down next to Kuma. "I haven't told you this, and I really don't think now is the best time, but I have to let it out…" The Destroyer turned towards Kuma.
"You know how I wasn't originally part of this naval base? I came from another base stationed here, but the thing is, that base is gone, destroyed… along with… my sisters and my home. Whenever I see you and Tama together, I remember the times I had with my sisters and my Destroyer Division and me…" Hibiki trailed off as she broke into tears, grabbing on to Kuma's shirt.
Kuma and Tama stared at Hibiki with wide eyes. It was Kuma who then spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Hibiki, kuma. I knew something was bothering you ever since I first met you, but I didn't want to ask because I didn't want to bother you, kuma."
Tama spoke next, "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you much, Hibiki, nya. I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time, nya."
Hibiki sniffled and rubbed her eyes.
"I… want to see them again, but I know it's impossible… they were sunk, I was sunk… We were Destroyer Division Six, the flagship was Akatsuki… she always said she was a lady, Inazuma and Ikazuchi were almost twins, they were opposite in personality, however. Inazuma was reserved and timid, Ikazuchi was loud and cheerful. They were my sisters… my Division… my family…"
Hibiki hit the table with her fist, "They're gone and I can't do a thing to bring them back! Give them back! I don't want the fame of being alone, so give them back!"
Hibiki's sadness had turned to anger and Kuma had to pull the plates away on the table so Hibiki wouldn't break them.
"Well, have you talked to the admiral, kuma? I'm sure he'd let you on some sorties so you could get your revenge, kuma."
Hibiki glanced up at the brunette with anger in her eyes, which frightened Tama.
"You know what, I think I will. I'll tell the admiral that I want to sortie. If he asks why I'll just say that I want to."
Grabbing her plate, the silver-haired gulped down her pancakes and stood up.
"Do you want us to come with you, nya?" Tama eventually spoke up, still shaking from Hibiki's outburst.
"Thank you." The Destroyer nodded.
The three Kanmusu then walked towards the admiral's office.
My clenched fist, becoming transparent
Softly, lightly, gently dancing
All the laughter, that voice, that warmness
Softly, lightly, gently rotating…
I don't want the fame of being alone
SO GIVE THEM BACK.
Chapter 9: Chapter 8
Chapter Text
Kuma and Tama could barely keep up with Hibiki as the Destroyer almost dashed straight to the admiral's office. Rain pelted the windows while thunder echoed, but none of the Kanmusu noticed it. The two Light Cruisers were more concerned about Hibiki as she stormed through the hallways. It was almost appropriate with the raging storm outside.
"Hibiki, wait up- Kumaaaaa!" The bear-like Light Cruiser couldn't keep up and slipped. She fell to the floor with a crash that pulled Hibiki out of her trance.
The Destroyer turned on her heels and ran back the opposite way towards Kuma, the same way she turned back to Inazuma after her old base was attacked that fateful night. Almost on instinct. Panting, with the possible memory of that night still fresh in her mind, she didn't even hesitate to lift Kuma off the floor with Tama looking on in surprise from this burst of adrenaline.
"Are you alright, nya?" Tama panted as she caught up to the other two Kanmusu.
"Ngh… I think Kuma sprained her ankle… it hurts, kuma…" The Light Cruiser tried to stand without Hibiki's help but wobbled so much, she had to hang on to Tama.
"Nya… we should get you to the docks…" Tama spoke up, almost in a whisper, the thunder masking her voice.
"Hibiki, can you-"
"I'll be fine." Hibiki cut Kuma off with a rather curt reply, making the bear Kanmusu shudder, and caused Tama to hiss slightly. Hibiki quickly realized her tone and put her hands on Kuma's shoulders. "...I'm sorry. You go ahead and get that treated. I'll take care of my mission on my own."
Kuma nodded, and with the help of Tama, limped off into the distance.
Hibiki sighed, she knew she shouldn't speak to her friend like that, but that whole scenario just reminded her of that night. She couldn't shake the guilt away, and the more she thought about it, she kept thinking that it was her fault that Kuma was injured. If she had slowed down, Kuma wouldn't have sprained her ankle.
"Ugh! I'm such a bad friend!" Hibiki hit the wall of the base with her fist. "I couldn't… ugh." Tears started falling from her eyes as she realized that Kuma's injury triggered her memory that she couldn't protect her sisters from sinking.
"I'm sorry… everyone… I'm sorry…" Hibiki mumbled to herself as thunder cracked in the distance.
Hibiki eventually reached the Admiral's office, soaked, not from the rain, but her own tears. She did her best to dry them from her face, and with a brave expression, knocked on the double doors to the office.
"Come in." The Admiral's short reply made Hibiki curious and as she turned the doorknob, she felt an air of tension.
Inside the office, the Admiral was sitting at his desk with his hands folded under his nose, his elbows on the desk, his eyes closed. Two brown-haired Kanmusu were staring daggers at each other, almost like they were going to attack each other right there. No, it wasn't just two brown-haired girls, it was two Battleships- Kongou and Yamato, to be exact.
Even if the thunder wasn't crashing, the tension between the two Battleships would have ripped the room apart. Both girls didn't say anything, their eyes said it all: Why are you here?
Silence filled the room, aside from pouring rain and crashing thunder, and then the Admiral spoke.
"I need you three to sortie to the Pacific Ocean. We need to stock up on supplies, especially Bauxite."
Thunder lit up the room. Was it an ill omen? It was obvious Kongou and Yamato weren't physically fighting but their expressions made Hibiki's skin crawl.
Yamato eventually closed her eyes and curtly nodded at Kongou before turning to Hibiki, "Very well. Shall we get going?"
At least Yamato was addressing Kongou, however, Kongou saw that as an insult and was about to retort but surprisingly held back. Did she not have anything to say or did she not want to start anything with Yamato? Kongou was a high-speed Battleship, but Yamato was stronger due to her outstanding firepower.
The dead silence continued until Yamato opened the double doors leading into the hallway.
"Battleship Yamato, setting forth!" Taking command, with her head held high, Yamato held the doors open for both Hibiki and Kongou. She may have been on bad terms with the other Battleship, but she was polite enough to at least hold the door for Kongou. Hibiki followed Yamato.
Kongou muttered, "Just as expected from a hotel, to be accommodating to others, desu." There was her retort.
Yamato's face flew into a fury, but keeping her composure and suppressing the emotion to slam the door in Kongou's face, she just replied with a look that seemed like it could sink an Abyssal leader with the first shot if it was an actual attack from a main gun. The thunder kept crackling in the distance, not helping the atmosphere one bit.
Following the two Battleships, Hibiki shot the Admiral an apologetic look from behind. The Admiral sighed and flopped his head onto his desk.
"Why did the mission call for two Battleships…" He lamented.
Hibiki wanted to ask why he had called Kongou and Yamato only, she had seen other Battleships in the mess hall when she was eating, but even though the Admiral knew Kongou and Yamato were basically mortal enemies, he still chose them to sortie together.
The Destroyer shrugged, it didn't make sense to her, but maybe there was some other action behind the Admiral's decision. Maybe he thought this mission would set the two on familiar terms. Hibiki didn't think too hard about the problem. It wasn't her issue to begin with. All she was focused on was sinking a few Abyssal fleets- revenge for her sisters, that was all Hibiki wanted. Kongou and Yamato were just there to make sure her actions were carried out, to Hibiki, at least. She was determined to make the Abyssals pay for what they did to her sisters.