By the end of the week, Fletcher had become the most talked about thing on the base, even if those talks were mostly hushed whispers and conversations. The fact that a kanmusu of the Allied forces, one that was American, was summoned was a topic that caused a lot of discussion between the kanmusu stationed at the base.

There had been so much news coverage about how the American military had given up on summoning kanmusu of their own after one too many failed attempts so Fletcher's sudden summoning was surprising to all to say the least. However, Fletcher's appearance also did bring up some other discussion and feelings of the past.

It is no secret that America and Japan used to be enemies during World War 2 and it is also no secret that America were victorious during said war and their ships led to the demise of many of the Japanese kanmusu. If Fletcher showed up then what's not to say that more American ships, ships that caused them to sink, were on their way?

Someone who was mulling over these feelings was the aircraft carrier Kaga, a ship that was not only one of the reasons that America finally joined the war but was also one of the early sinkings that was caused by Americans, a very lucky carrier being the one to end her.

The only one inside of the carrier training field, Kaga calmly drew her bow, keeping careful aim on the target that was a distance away from her. The air seemed to become still as she waited, waiting for the perfect chance to release her arrow. Then she let go.

The arrow soared through the air and then became enflamed, the arrow now becoming a squadron of Type 21 Zero Fighters that quickly fired upon the target. The shots from the planes hit it dead-on, right in the bullseye, and the target's top half was shredded to bits from the bullets and what was left was charred to black right on the edges.

Slowly, Kaga lowered her bow and gritted her teeth.

"Still not good enough..."

[ship]

Inside of the destroyer classroom, all of the girls were surrounding Mutsuki. After all, she and her sister ship Kisaragi were the first destroyers to catch a glimpse of the new American kanmusu, a kanmusu that was a destroyer like them.

"What did she look like, Mutsuki?" One of the destroyers in the classroom asked. "You saw her right?"

"We-Well, she had black hair and she was wearing a uniform, I think!"

"Was it like the other American girl's outfit?"

"Hmph! I hope it isn't!" As soon as she said that, the young destroyer Akatsuki had put her nose into the air with a huff. "The outfit she wears isn't one of a proper lady! Isn't America supposed to be all fancy and stuff? An-And she's late too! Shouldn't she be here by now?"

At that moment, the door of the classroom opened with such great strength that the wooden door threatened to break into pieces. "Hello everyone~!" Iowa's chipper voice rang throughout the small classroom as she walked through...with the destroyer that everyone has been waiting for half-dead in her arms. "It's everyone's favorite battleship, Iowa, with the guest of the day!"

Iowa let go and Fletcher dropped pathetically to the floor like a person going through heat exhaustion. She was no match for the battleship's vice grip and her large chest; she won't be able to worry about Abyssals if Iowa kills her with her touchy-feely mom attitude.

"Oh?" Iowa gently poked Fletcher's cheek. "Fletcher, are you alright? You can't slouch while you're in front of people."

"I'm not slouching, you stupid cow." Fletcher grumbled. It's almost shocking to see how Fletcher went from idolizing Iowa to completely dreading her existence; perhaps a small of her still treasures the battle but the first impression she got on her attitude has done shattered her ideals and probably some ribs. "You and your monster tits are going to kill me before the Abyssals do."

"Oh Fletcher, you're so funny!" Iowa giggled. Either she completely ignored Fletcher's jabs or decided to ignore them. She ran her hands through Fletcher's hair, ruffling it up. "Oh well, I can't stay here for long! The admiral has me due for a sortie! I'll talk to you later afterward, kay Fletcher?"

Iowa then left the room, leaving Fletcher in a room of Japanese destroyers, all of whom were looking at her with eyes of curiosity and worry. They had a right to look at her in such a way, after all; As mentioned before, past relationships between Japan and America were anything but stellar and they were previously shooting each other with shells mere decades ago. Even Iowa's presence now still manages to ruffle feathers.

Mutsuki and Kisaragi only caught a glance of her, they couldn't really defer her true personality with just that. Did she have grudges against them? Would she look down on them due to America winning that long ago war? They were absolutely dying to know.

"Finally, she's gone." Fletcher then got up, stretched her limbs, and yawned before giving the others destroyers a salute. "Name ship of the Fletcher-class destroyers, Fletcher. Nice to meet you all." She then scratched her cheek. "This is actually my first time meeting a Japanese ship that wasn't a battleship. Mutsu's been the only one who I've talked to."

After Fletcher's introduction, there was silence. All of the destroyers looked at her and didn't even say a word between each other...and then...and THEN...

"What was that?!" Shiratsuyu said, taken aback at Fletcher's introduction.

"H-Huh?" Fletcher blinked. "What was what?"

"That, that introduction. It doesn't have any confidence!" Shiratsuyu then walked up to Fletcher, throwing her arm around her. "You gotta be proud of the fact that you're the lead ship because that means you're number one, yeah! Like me, I'm Shiratsuyu, lead ship of the Shiratsuyu class destroyers which means I'm number one!"

"I'm proud of being the lead ship of the Fletchers but I don't think that I need to be that wild. Besides, there's plenty in my class that are more fitting of number one, ya know."

"No, no!" Shiratsuyu whined. "You gotta put more feeling into it! You're number one because you're the lead ship! How are you going to get MVP if you don't act like it?"

"M-MVP? I haven't even sortied yet!"

"Come on, Shiratsuyu! You're doing nothing but scaring her, poi!" Yuudachi said, yanking her sister ship away from Fletcher.

"Ahaha, I suppose if I'm a true member of this base, is it alright if I ask for all of your names?" Fletcher questioned. "I already know of Shiratsuyu's."

"I'm Mutsuki of the Mutsuki class destroyers. Hopefully we'll get to work together!" Mutsuki then moved a hand towards Kisaragi who waved at Fletcher. "This is my sister Kisaragi. We're in the same class."

"If we're lucky, we'll all be in the same group for the next sortie." Kisaragi then ran a hand through her violet-red hair. "Ah, I hope the sea breeze doesn't mess it up..."

"1st ship of the Yuugumo-class, Yuugumo." A destroyer with green hair tied in a braid said. "I usually save my spoiling for the Admiral but I can always spoil you, Fletcher~."

"Sp-Spoil me?" Fletcher flinched, taken aback by her statement, before suddenly raising her hands up in surrender. "Please, Iowa does enough of that so can we...you know, not?"

"That's really crude! That's no way how a lady should speak like!" Akatsuki puffed out her chest. "As the lead ship of the Akatsuki class destroyers, I shall be the one to teach everyone here how a proper lady should act like in front of the American!"

"Aww, there's nothing wrong with a bit of skinship...After all, the admiral seems to like it a lot."

"D-Don't be silly! The admiral wouldn't take part in something as dirty as that!" Akatsuki said, now red-faced and flailing her arms. "We need to be well-mannered and proper!"

"Being a lady also means spoiling others a bit.

Meanwhile Fletcher watched the squabble curiously. For a minute, she actually thought that this base would be hostile to her but so far, between Mutsu and the current destroyers inside of the classroom, everything was going well without a hitch.

"Ah, Fletcher." Kisaragi said while Akatsuki and Yuugumo continued their squabble. "Has the admiral assigned you to any sorties yet?"

"Sorties? Uhm...not really." Fletcher said, scratching her cheek. "Ever since I've been here awhile ago and I've only done practices in the training grounds. Though...are you guys the only destroyers on base? I expected there to be more."

"There's more destroyers on base actually." Mutsuki said. "The base used to be filled with many other kanmusu though...most of them aren't around anymore. However we still try out best to do our job defending mankind!"

"Not around anymore?" Between Mutsu's uncomfortable reaction when she first met her to Mutsuki mentioning that the base was formerly larger, Fletcher had the strangest feeling that something had happened and these Abyssals were the cause of it. She didn't know what it was but it had a big effect on the base; She'll have to look more into it later.

But that was something she could do another time. These destroyers were going to be her new teammates and comrades in battle, she should try to at least get accustomed with working with them. "Hey everyone." Fletcher said in an effort to grab the attention of the group. "Think we can do some practice together?"

"Ehhh? Practice?" Shiratsuyu asked before grinning. "I guess it wouldn't hurt~! Besides, I get ya in action too after all!"

[ship]

Kaga was the official ice queen of the base.

She spoke only when she felt like it was needed and many times, all it took was one glare to completely put an end to any foolishness that was happening on base, especially when it was important missions. If there was one thing that the carrier absolutely despised and that was tomfoolery.

They might have gotten a second chance at life, new bodies to replace their destroyed ship forms as well, but they did not mean they were to slack off and underestimate their enemies or the importance of proper training. She didn't want to lose a second time.

"Tone." Kaga said, spotting the heavy cruiser. "What's the situation with training?"

"Ah, training? It's been going fine." Tone answered back. "I let one of the destroyer classes use the training grounds for now. It isn't official but more training doesn't hurt, right? After all, that's how they improve, right?"

"I suppose. Though if you truly want results, you shouldn't give such a lacking training experience." Kaga said, crossing her arms. "The seas are not like the waters here. You should simulate the experience."

"Simulation?" Tone shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think we need to get that heavy with 'em. They're only destroyers, kids in our eyes. We should cut 'em some slack."

"That slack makes the difference between a ship that's afloat and a ship's that sunken. Are you one of the many others on this base that seems to be caught up in the thrill of having a human body that you're forgetting your purpose as a warship?"

"E-Eh? No, no! I still remember it and all but even though we're still fighting a war, we shouldn't push ourselves. This isn't like the olden days where we could be fixed easily; we have human bodies and minds. We should take care of ourselves, ya know?~"

Kaga opened her mouth to speak and then found herself interrupted by the sound of water splashing and voices rising in joy and laughter.

"Ah, those must be the destroyers that I let have the training grounds. They seem like they're having fun, right Kaga?" Tone looked to her left and saw that the carrier was missing. She blinked, mystified. "Ka-Kaga?..."

[ship]

"Wahoo~!"

Fletcher let out a loud burst of cheer as she circled around the pole located in the middle of the training waters. While it was still technically training, she still liked to be able to test out her motors and fire her guns for a short while, especially now without Iowa firing at her like a maniac.

"Wow, Fletcher!" Shiratsuyu beamed as she moved to her. "I've never seen someone that fast since...since Shimakaze! Guess they weren't kidding about American destroyers and their speed."

"Mhm!" Mutsuki said with a nod, grouping with the other two. "My motors might not be as good but I'll be sure to not lose to you guys and give it my all!"

"Don't worry. I think you guys are probably better than me; after all, I still haven't sortied yet...plus there's a few things in my sailing I need to fix on." Fletcher then quickly tried to re-stabilize herself as her legs suddenly buckled and she almost performed a split, giving a cheeky grin right after. "Mainly that but still! I can't let that stop me from fighting the Abyssals!"

"Are you guys done yet?" Yuugumo called out from afar. While Mutsuki, Shiratsuyu, and Fletcher had continued to glide and skate across the waters, the others had decided to end their training for the day and merely sit on the sidelines.

"In a bit!" Fletcher called out. "I should probably learn how to use my guns correctly this week..."

"You know, perhaps the American living here won't be so bad." Kisaragi said. "So far, the ones that have been here are generally inviting."

Meanwhile on the waters, Mutsuki suddenly perked up when her ears had caught the sound of faint buzzing. "Huh? Do you guys hear something?"

"Hear something?" Fletcher repeated before slowly nodded her head. "Yeah...I think I heard something too. A faint buzzing sound; if I knew any better, it sounds like-"

"PLANES!" Shiratsuyu screamed out, pointing a finger upward.

Up in the sky was a squadron of Type 21 Zero Fighter planes, flying high above the now tense destroyers. Eyeing their targets, the white planes then dived and immediately opened fire upon them. Seeing this as a hostile attack, the destroyers quickly scrambled and tried to dodge as much shellfire as they could.

"What the-?!" Fletcher gasped, trying to shield herself from the water splashing upward in her face. Last time she checked, they weren't practicing with any carrier but who in the hell was sending on them and why?! "This is madness. We never asked for planes an-WHOA!"

Tripping over her own feet, the American faceplanted into the icy cold waters and then flipped right back onto her head; she was a bit dizzy but still fine and everything intact. Shaking her head, she spat out any seawater that got into her mouth. "Bleh! Stupid seawater!"

"Fletcher, in front of you!"

Looking upward, she could see it: a lone fighter heading straight towards her.

'Are you kiddding me?! We're doin' Kamikazes here?!'

She can't get shot, not before her first sortie!

Lifting her handheld gun, Fletcher tried to aim as carefully as she could with madness around and fired. The shell hit dead-on, splitting apart one of the wings from the plane's body; smoke building up into the air, the plane suddenly nosedived and flew dangerously close past Fletcher and crashed into the waters.

"Whew." She wiped her brow. "At least, I don't die tonight."

"Fl-Fletcher!" Mutsuki skated to her, a panicked expression on her face. "Ar-Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine but just what was that? Who the hell just send a bunch of planes on destroyers out of the blue!"

"Your skills in combat are lacking, destroyers."

All of the destroyers turned to Kaga who had just finished putting her bow back onto her back. "You can not expect to do well in actual combat if your training is full of errors. For starters, you all panicked and ran instead of trying to form a solid anti-air defense."

"O-Oh right..." Shiratsuyu said, rubbing the back of her head. "Totally forgot about that..."

"Are you all going to run like chickens when the planes that attack next time are enemy planes? I suggest you sharpen up your skills because this combined with your lack of sortie experience will make you most pitiful soldiers when we truly need you." The carrier continued. "I suggest that you work on your combat skills before even thinking about deploying. We don't need weak links."

While the other destroyers were quick to accept Kaga's words, Fletcher was a bit more stubborn to accept it.

"Hey!" Fletcher skated up to the curb of the sidewalk, looking at Kaga. "What's the big deal with suddenly launching planes? We were in the middle of training!"

"Simulation." Kaga said cooly, her eyes now on the American destroyer. So this was the girl that everyone on base was making a fuss about. If it wasn't for the fact that this one was American, she would've been regarded as any other destroyer on base: a rookie, therefore utterly useless until they perfected their skills in combat. "In order to train you for actual sorties."

"You could at least give us some kind of warning!" Fletcher snapped. "You don't just send planes on unsuspecting figures during training!"

"The enemies will be doing the same, correct? They will never warn you beforehand about their attacks so why should I?"

"Because this isn't the battlefield!" Fletcher however was cut short when Kaga had moved forward, her ice-cold gaze right on her.

"As long as there's war, every place can be considered the battlefield. Our human bodies does not mean we abandon our job as warships, as vessels fighting against humanity. Not only do you destroyers need to be aware of the fact but some of the others here. I will not lose here. Not again."

She then walked off, leaving Fletcher more than disgruntled.

"Man, what's her problem?" The destroyer said, putting her hands on her hips. "I get that we're in war but sheesh, there's a difference between training and insanity."

"That's just how Kaga is, ya know." Shiratsuyu said with a shrug. "Cold as steel, not a fan of mistakes but its that attitude that caused her to become one of the most strongest fighters on base. There hasn't been any Abyssal strong enough to withstand her planes!"

"Doesn't excuse how pissy she acts..." She grumbled before looking back at the training grounds. "So, you guys want another round?"

[ship]

"Ehhh? You met Kaga today?"

Fletcher wished Iowa knocked on the dang door before she came into her bedroom but she was the only one who was living in it so...maybe some company was alright, even if Iowa was so difficult to keep up with.

"Yeah but not in the nice way." Fletcher said, brushing her hair. "It was the "hey let me hit you with a surprise attack during training" type of thing? Does she actually think we're still enemies?"

"Probably not but...there's still ships that carry that mindset. We might be fighting on the same side now but you can't just erase memories. After all, the admiral said that we're the only two American kanmusu in the world so far; while it's just us, it gives people hope and worry. There's a chance that more could be coming."

"The admiral must have a field day with paperwork." Fletcher said to the battleship. "I haven't been able to get into his office because there's been people coming left and right. How do humans even handle doing all that work? I mean being a warship is no easy job but fighting sounds way easier than sitting at a desk all day."

"Are you lonely, Fletcher?" Iowa then swooped Fletcher into a hug. "Aww, don't worry! Your big sister Iowa is here~!"

"Ack! I'm not, I'm not! Now stop trying to suffocate me!" The destroyer complained. Once Iowa released her, she then sighed. "I haven't even been out on a sortie and I already feel like taking a break~."

That's right...she hasn't been on any sorties at all yet. She only knows Abyssals by name and whatever people have told her and through photos; she's never seen one on her own or even fought a single one.

"The enemy that we're fighting. They appeared from the sea and have been terrorizing humanity ever since; we were called upon by people like Admiral Sakai to face them but...it hasn't been easy. We've lost a lot of people in the fight, some more personal than others."

What were they even like to fight? Were they just as powerful as the enemies Fletcher fought or something more?

"Hey Iowa..." Fletcher started. "What even are Abyssals like? Are they easy to fight against or what?"

"Abyssals?" Iowa waved her hand. "Come on, there's nothing we can't handle. After all, we've been through plenty of wars right?"

"You're useless."

"Don't be mean Fletcher~...though worrying about them will do you no good. You're just going to get yourself down for no reason; you were just summoned awhile ago! Relax!"

She wasn't budging. Just fucking perfect. Maybe she is right, there's no use worrying about Abyssals when she isn't on a sortie; it'll just mess up her sleep.

"Fine, I won't worry about it, alright? Now can you get out of my room please?"

"Aww, are you sure you don't want me to sleep with you?" The battleship said, inching closer to Fletcher. "I would be sure to give you all the comfort you need, k?~"

And out went Iowa.

"Good Night, Iowa."