/* This chapter will be divided into a few shorter ones as it turned out quite longer than the others */
Nagato has found herself facing the familiar pagoda mast guarded by a pair of twin, superfiring turrets. Feelings of nostalgia mixed with confusion flooded her mind. Spaced out, she was unable to tell the passage of time. Hours? Days? When she finally came to be, she started to frantically run around the deck. Checking every nook and cranny. Carefully investigating the surrounding area. There was no doubt. She was on her steel body again, stationed in Yokosuka with Ushio, the last guardians of the once impenetrable fortress. Were the previous days… No, previous months just a dream? Can a warship even dream? she hadn't a slightest idea what's happening.
However, even in her confusion, one detail couldn't remain unnoticed – the ship was empty. Instinctively Nagato's run to check on Ushio and the docks, but both turned out to be abandoned. As soon as realized that, a thick dark mist covered everything in sight in impenetrable darkness. Simultaneously large pieces of thick black ash began falling from the sky, burning Nagato's skin, causing numbing pain. She had to immediately get out of there.
A wild, manic search revealed the tiniest opening where the bay's mouth had been just a few moments before, oozing barely visible dim blue light. Nagato looked down the board and after a moment of hesitation, jumped into the black abyss extending below. Last time she left her steel self in such a manner, she met her end mere minutes later. Hopefully I wake up this time as well…
The battleship landed softly on the water several meters below her old deck. One last longing look at her steel silhouette before turning towards the light. This is somehow nostalgic… Nagato smiled and started to quickly push through the barrier of pure blackness, fighting to ignore the pain caused by the ash now freely floating in the windless air.
She couldn't have gone more than a few meters before encountering a strange and unnerving sight. A figure Nagato could barely make any details of, was lying curled up and sobbing loudly. Her voice distorted and incomprehensible. Nagato thought that if death could speak, she'd sound just like this. As the battleship moved closer it's become clear that the figure was undoubtedly a female. Her short hair, as well as her skin, were both as white as the snow, yet remained unspoiled by the deadly petals filling the air.
"Why… why are they treating us this way? Ha-have we not laid our lives for their cause?", the pale woman cried silently. Feelings of loneliness and betrayal rushed into Nagato's heart, causing her excruciating sadness.
"Weren't we successful in defending their freedom and independence?", the curled-up woman's sobbing was getting louder, marked with not just sadness and loneliness, but fear and despair. Her voice trembling more and more with each word, gradually becoming cold and empty.
As Nagato closed in her hand instinctively reached out to comfort the suffering woman. However, nearly immediately the battleship intuitively forced her hand back, finally noticing that the girl was donning a torn US Navy uniform. It was pure white, blending with its wearer's skin, and only upon the second look Nagato noticed the burnt edges melted with horribly burnt and deformed skin.
The battleship felt as if the time had stopped and a storm of thoughts flooded her mind. Should she leave her to suffer? Wouldn't a coup de grâce be a more honorable solution? Nagato didn't know what to think, let alone do. One thing was sure, this woman was a warrior and if kept standing there, there's no telling what might happen. Scuttling might be honorable, but she might as well be a trap laid down by the Americans to finally sink her. Despite her better judgement, Nagato stood there, suspended in time unable to think of anything.
"How dare they do this to us?!", the American let out a sudden, blood chilling shriek pulling the battleship out of her thoughts. "Throwing us… all around the world… forcing to sink… be sunk… torture us like lab rats… ", she let out what seemed to be the last breath. Slow, forced and filled with fear, but also hatred.
Nagato felt the need to do the final favour to the dying warrior, kneeling down she reached to close the American's eyes.
"Just wait and see, you damn traitors!", the woman let out a bone rending shriek, as if new life was breathed into her body, causing the battleship to jump back like a scared cat.
Suddenly turned her head all the way back with a loud crunch, as if feeling Nagato's presence behind her.
"YOU! How dare you reach the skies once again?!", she yelled and rushed Nagato losing herself to a wrathful and blood lusting madness. Her body bent and twisted in unnatural ways, she closed in in a matter of seconds despite moving backwards.
The battleship instinctively moved backwards, losing her balance. The last thing she saw before falling flat on her back was etched deeply into her mind. Burnt face with just one eye, seething with white hot hatred, missed skin and muscle from the left cheek upwards, revealing the caved in skull. As the ghostly woman closed in Nagato stepped back but lost her balance and fell hard to her back. She instinctively covered her face to protect it from attacks, but none came. Looking upwards, there was nothing but the thick black mist.
As much as the battleship wanted to catch a breath, she had to get moving. She heavily picked herself up and soon felt something weighing lightly in her right hand. An American dog tag inscribed with "USS Independence" rested in her, now open, palm. Ready to throw it away, Nagato noticed that something has changed. The dim blue light so distant just a few minutes before, has not only become stronger, but also got visibly closer. Instinctively Nagato hid the dog tag in her pocket.
Perplexed, but filled with hope and energy, the battleship moved forward, but no matter how fast or long she kept walking, blue light leading her way seemed to not get any closer. Soon the battleship started losing her sense of direction. Trying to ignore anxiety and doubts rising in her heart, she kept on pressing forward for what felt like hours, not getting any nearer to her objective.
Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere a golden lock of hair flashed in front of her face. Careful and slightly anxious, Nagato stopped, preparing for yet another attack. However, it didn't come. Instead, a blonde girl ran just in front of her looking around in bewildered panic, as if in frantic search of something. Better prepared this time, the battleship managed to notice the runner's clothes.