"So what are you going to do now, Yin?" Kyousuke asked calmly as the two of them walked into Yin's office. With the help of some well-placed smoke shells and the wreckage of dozens of abyssal they had managed to smuggle Bladereef Hime's motionless body back to Yin's base. Once at the base all of the girls had brought Bladereef Hime to the docks with them, and Yin and Kyousuke had come to Yin's office, to discuss possible outcomes if things would become public, though they were sure they had been careful enough.
Yin let a sigh escape his mouth as he walked around his desk and sat down, quickly plugging his tablet into its dock on the desk to fix its quickly fading battery life. "We'll have to see. Once everyone is out of the dock, that's when we'll have answers. Yuudachi and Ru said they both had something to speak about as well, so it's possibly that they discovered something during the battle."
Kyousuke stepped over to the wall and leaned against it, glancing at the watch on his wrist. With the light from the offices single lamp he could barely tell the time, and it just told him what he already knew. He wanted to be asleep at this time in the morning. "I wonder what they think they found out."
"I don't know, but it's on the lower end of my priorities."
Kyousuke nodded. "You're more interested in Bladereef Hime, huh? Or is it Tenryuu?"
"That is what I'd like to know myself!" Ryu Kurokami, the oldest member and head of the admiralty board asked as he opened the door and walked into Yins office, his face calm and his demeanor steady.
Both Kyousuke and Yin did not move as they looked at Admiral Kurokami, trying to gauge just why, and how, he was here. "A-admiral Kurokami . . . . This is a surprise." Yin said, still not getting up and saluting as he did; his voice now tense by the admiralty board head's presence. "I did not get a message that you were coming. I am sorry for the lack of greetings."
Admiral Kurokami smiled and closed the door behind him, unbuttoning his uniform collar with the other. "I'm not here officially, and the only one who knows I swung by here is my own secretary ship. I was the one who sent that message to you, Kyousuke, so let's talk about the now 'dead' Hime. I assume she is in your docks with all of your other ships?"
Yin's eyes narrowed a he looked at Admiral Kurokami, "How do you about-?"
"I know much, Yin, so let's talk for a while. Shall we?" Admiral Kurokami interrupted, his demeanor calm, and his voice full of surety.
"You said you were the one who sent me that anonymous email, the one saying that Bladereef Hime was likely Tenryuu? Would that be what you want to talk about?" Kyousuke asked carefully as he stood up from the wall and stepped over to the side of Yin's desk.
Admiral Kurokami nodded strongly "Yes, I did. I figured that considering the information and energy scans that my scouts were bringing back, it would be the best idea to pass it along."
". . . Why?" Yin asked seriously.
Ryu looked to Yin and smiled, "Because your father asked me too."
"When he passed away?" Yin asked, suddenly very confused and interested. No one talked about his father unless they were regaling his old victories after all.
"Yes. I believe it is time to explain a few things as well. Like the reason why you walked on water during that fight."
Kyousuke looked between Ryu and Yin many times before the silence finally got to him. "Alright, I've been wondering on that myself but decided to keep quiet about it. Yin, how did you walk on water anyhow!?"
"I don't know. After it happened a few times by accident I had a fairy do some readings with me and I discovered that somehow I could just like a ship girl, I just couldn't go as fast. I didn't find out how I could though, just that I could." Yin explained, annoyed by his lack of information on his own strange ability.
"I can shed some light on that." Ryu stated as he walked across the room and leaned against the outer wall. "You both know how long the war has been going on for, yes?"
"Over twenty years, with ship girls existing for almost as long, if I'm correct. It's almost thirty years now though isn't it?" Kyousuke replied, using his knowledge from the naval academy to his advantage.
"Yes, a grade A reply I must say." Ryu said with a smile. "The war has been going on for years. Yin's father and I were among the first of four admirals to lead fleets of ship girls all those years ago. In the first year of the war, because there were so much combat that we would not leave the bases, the admiralty board of that time instituted a concept called the provisional marriage system. It was used to foster increased ties between an admiral and a select few ships, usually just one. It was basically implemented to make us not feel alone or miss our families as badly."
"Well yeah, we learned about that in the academy. It was scrapped a few years after its implementation." Kyousuke said casually, seeming to not care about such old textbook information.
Ryu nodded. "Yes it was abolished, but do you know why?"
Yin and Kyousuke shook their heads. "A reason was never given in our texts. I asked the professor about it once, but he said it was never given either. It was just abolished."
Ryu nodded. "Exactly, the reason was never given, but that's because only the first four admirals knew the reason, because we decided it had to be. The reason it was abolished, was you, Yin," Ryu said as he pointed casually at Yin with a smile.
Yin stood up from his desk and slammed his hands down on it. "And how does that make sense!?"
"Because of whom your mother was." Ryu said simply as he stepped away from the wall and crossed his arms.
"What are you talking about? Who was your mom, Yin?" Kyousuke asked, very confused by the direction of the conversation.
Yin shook his head." I never knew her. My father said she was killed in an abyssal attack a year after I was born. I never knew her, and dad never had pictures of her around."
"And she was, but let me say this as clearly as I can. The provisional marriage system was implemented because it was figured that humans and ship girls could not procreate. That was wrong. Your father's secretary ship, and his wife, had you." Ryu said clearly, his face stern but still filled with joy from recalling old memories.
The room was silent for many moments as Yin slowly sat down absorbing all that was said. "So, you're saying that, my mother, was a ship girl?"
Ryu nodded, "Yes, your mother was a ship girl. And you were created by the union of ship girl and human; a union that was thought impossible. When you were looked over it was found that there were, inconsistencies in your body that were not human, but could not be figured out. We then decided among the four of us that we would force the admiralty board to abolish the provisional marriage system, primarily because none of us knew the true implications of it."
"That's- that's just absurd! How could you expect me to believe such—," Yin began to yell, but stopped when Ryu raised his hand to him.
"There's more. When you were born, you're sword literally manifested itself beside you. Your father took it, as it caused an odd resonance with you when you touched it."
Yin glanced down at his blade and then pulled it from its sheathe, placing it on the table so that it's jade green blade was visible to everyone in the room. "I always wondered where dad got this thing and every chance I had I tried to find out what it was made of, but couldn't. No, that's just . . ."
"Our best people tried. The only thing they were able to tell us was that it resonated like equipment did for ship girls." Ryu explained, making it sound like it was equipment.
". . . . . So, it's like how ship girls appear from construction with all their base equipment already on then?" Kyousuke asked after a few moments of silence, uncertain if his train of thought was correct.
Ryu nodded, "Yes, basically."
"Why am I hearing about this now?" Yin demanded to know, his voice showing how angry he was at such a thing being hidden from him for his entire life.
"Because, your father made me promise on his deathbed that I never tell you unless the need was of the utmost urgency. And I feel that it now is, of the utmost importance that you know." Ryu explained, his tone becoming hard and serious.
"Why is it so important that Yin know? Isn't that the kind of thing that would be worthless information to anyone but himself since the provisional marriage is outlawed?" Kyousuke asked calmly.
"It matters because of what could happen now. You have a Hime captured alive. That's what other admirals will see if she does not revert in form. Alongside the info that you're not completely human." Kyu began to say.
"I am human! Since when have I not been?" Yin yelled suddenly, "you just said yourself that it was found I was human!"
"With some strangeness to your biology!" Ryu added calmly, "you are human, but not everyone will see it that way. And that is why I need to know what your plans are. What do you plan to do?"
Yin looked at Ryu and shook his head, calming himself down so he could answer intelligently. "My plan is to wait and find out what happened with Tenryuu, and to find out what Wo, Ru, and Yuudachi are so keen on telling me about. Until then I will not make any more decisions." Yin said sternly.
"I see. Then why don't we go and find out?" Ryu asked, causing both Kyousuke and Yin to look at him strangely and then realize what he meant."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So . . . . . . . . . . . . That is Tenryuu, right?" Shimakaze asked as she and everyone in the mission was in the docks. Because all the Kyousuke ship girls were with them the baths were really crowded, but no one really seemed to mind. To the side of the docks in the smaller pool for aircraft carriers lay Bladereef Hime atop the water. Wo had taken all of her equipment off successfully, but the mask hadn't come off, or more correctly, Wo couldn't get it off even with Musashi and Ru's help.
"It is! I'm sure of it!" Wo replied suddenly, splashing her hands in the water around her, in a frustrated spasm.
"How can you be sure?" one of Kyousuke's destroyers, Inazuma, asked calmly "she looks just like an abyssal."
"Because I am!" Wo yelled, small tears forming around her eyes as she sunk down in the water so that it was level with her nose.
No one in the baths said anything for a long time, until Musashi sat up in the water. "This Musashi is sure that she is indeed Tenryuu as well."
"Okay, but, what if she isn't? Will she attack us when she awakes?" one of Kyousuke's destroyers asked, there being so many of them it was impossible to tell which one had asked.
"She won't! I'm sure of it, Poi!" Yuudachi yelled as many of the destroyers began to get nervous over the what if's.
"Ah!" Wo suddenly squeaked, causing everyone to quiet down and look to her.
"What's wrong, Wo?" Ru asked calmly.
Wo pointed to Tenryuu's body, "H- h- her, her mask . . . . . it, it just slid off!"
Everyone at the edge of the baths suddenly leaned over, and everyone else stood up, trying to see. Just as Wo had said, the mask that had been stuck and irremovable from Tenryuu's face had slid right off and was floating in the water beside her, leaving no trace that it had even been on her face. Her skin tone had even cleared up where minutes before it was pale white like an Abyssals.
No one said anything as Tenryuu's eyelids flickered and slowly opened, her body sinking into the water as she sat up and looked to see everyone around her. "Wha- . . . . what?"
"T-T-Tenryuu-onee san!" Wo cried as she leapt through the water and hugged Tenryuu with all her strength.
Tenryuu looked at Wo and then glanced over to Musashi who was casually leaning in the other pool. "Um, did something happen I'm not aware of?"
"Do you not recall?" Musashi asked.
Tenryuu looked up at the ceiling for a moment before her face became pale and she put her hand in front of mouth. "I feel like I'm going to throw up!"
"Don't do it in the bath." Musashi said with a laugh. "You remember something then?"
Tenryuu nodded and lowered her arm. "I remember us fighting that Ru class-," Tenryuu said before pausing and noticing Ru. She did not say anything though and continued. "I- I remember getting hit multiple times, and sinking beneath the water's surface. It hurt, worse than any injury I had before received."
"Eh? I don't want to sink even more now!" Shimakaze muttered as Tenryuu continued to speak.
"I don't recall much after that, but I remember hearing a weird sound that-,"
"Like a droning!" Wo, Yuudachi and Ru all asked simultaneously, interrupting Tenryuu and shocking her by their sudden words, and how accurate they were to her.
Tenryuu nodded. "Y-yeah, but after a bit it sounded like a voice. It, it said things that took advantage of my emotions. Then I lost it. The only other thing I can remember is vague images of, holding a pair of swords and attacking other ship girls, . . . did I?"
Musashi nodded, "Yes, you did indeed. We don't know the specifics, but you probably sunk at least a half dozen ship girls if not more, as Bladereef Hime."
Tenryuu blinked and looked at Musashi, "I, what?" Tenryuu asked as Musashi reached over and plucked the mask from the water, showing it to Tenryuu.
"You turned into a Hime that was nearly impervious to shelling and bombing damage and fought with two curved blades."
Tenryuu reached out to touch the mask but shot her arm away the instant she touched it, as if the mask had zapped her. "That, it's-,"
"All of us were worried that you would not be yourself when you awoke, this Musashi is happy to see that you are."
Tenryuu nodded and looked down to Wo, who was now crying gently against her, "I, I think I know what is leading the Abyssals."
Wo leaned away from Tenryuu and looked up at her with a smile, tears sliding down her face. "Then that makes four of us!"
Tenryuu looked at Wo and then looked around, "Four?"
"Yeah, me, Wo and Ru also-," Yuudachi began to say.
"I will not permit that!" Yins voice rang out from outside the dock baths, causing everyone inside to quiet down and look towards the doors.
"And why not, Admiral Yin? We need to know what they know!" Admiral Kurokami replied, though none of the ship girls recognized his voice.
"You are not going in and questioning them before they are done. It's impolite!" Yin yelled.
"And that is why other admirals may be against you in the future Yin. Few admirals think of the ship girls as actual people."
"I don't care what others think. None of us are speaking to them until they are done!"
When the ship girls could no longer hear Yin or the other admiral's voices they looked to each other and nodded, all of them seemingly having the same idea as they all grabbed towels and wrapped them around themselves as quick as they could; though some destroyers ended up sharing due to a lack of towels. As soon as everyone had a towel around them, Yuudachi climbed out of the baths and ran over to the door, sliding it open and peeking her head out. In the hallway stood Admirals Yin and Kyousuke, and one other older admiral that Yuudachi did not recognize. "You wanted to talk to us, Admiral?!" Yuudachi asked, causing all three admirals to look toward her, with very different reactions.
Admiral Yin and Kyousuke seemed to blush and avoid looking at Yuudachi, the older admiral just smiled. "It seems our conversation was heard. But you need not worry. What needs to be spoken about shall be, but later." Admiral Kurokami said before walking down the hall and out of sight.
Yuudachi tilted her head and then looked to Admirals Yin and Kyousuke, "You, wanted to talk to us, Poi?"
Yin shook his head. "No, not at the moment, Yuudachi. Once all of you are done though we'll need to speak with you, Ru and Wo. So please pass that on and meet at my office."
"Okay! Do you want to talk to Tenryuu too?"
Hearing Yuudachi's words Yin smiled. "Yes, that'd be perfect; we'll just talk with everyone. I'm glad she's okay."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hours later all of Yin's ship girls, including Tenryuu stood in the office in front of Yin who was sitting in his desk. On either side of his desk stood Admirals Kyousuke and Kurokami, and both of them had strange looks on their faces.
"You're alright then, Tenryuu?" Yin asked, smiling at Tenryuu.
Tenryuu nodded happily, "Yeah, I'm back in action now!"
Yin nodded as he tapped his tablet and raised his eyebrow. "Then I'll assume some of the effects of you having been an abyssal stayed?"
"W-what do you mean?" Tenryuu asked, confused by the question.
"The base systems have you registered as having had a remodel, and have your title as being Tenryuu kai chi, I'm curious if it's a typo or not."
"Oh, then I guess it isn't." Tenryuu replied as she pulled out the mask that had been on her face. "When we got out of the bath I tried to smash this thing with my foot. I ended up on the floor. Um, did my class change or anything?"
Yin nodded." Yeah, it did. Hybrid close support cruiser. It looks like you've got a permanent equipment item called Hime's mask as well. Looks like you might be stuck with it. But I'm just happy you're alright." Yin said with a warm smile.
"Thanks, um . . . . . . There is one thing I want to say though." Tenryuu said, her voice uneasy as her fingers fidgeted with the hems of her skirt.
"Go on then," Yin said with a smile, happy that all of his ship girls were alright.
Tenryuu nodded. "I think I know what is leading the abyssal, at least, kind of. Some kind of voice was commanding me, taking advantage of my emotions when I was sinking. It sounded like it came from-,"
"Iron Bottom Sound!" Yuudachi suddenly spoke up, causing everyone, including Wo and Ru to look at her in confusion.
"What do you mean, Yuudachi?" Yin asked as he looked at Ru, Wo and Tenryuu, noticing that their faces were just as confused. "Was something like that what you wanted to talk about as well?"
Ru and Tenryuu both nodded as Wo stepped forward a bit. " I – me and Ru both notice we could hear a faint droning sound, and the first time I did I felt like it was trying to tell me to do things. But, how do you know what it is, Yuudachi?"
Yuudachi shook her head, causing the earlike bits of her hair that stuck up to bounce around "I don't know if it's called that, but I know that's where it is, poi!"
"But how do you know?"
Yuudachi looked to her side, averting Yins gaze. "I- because I sank there in my past life, Poi."
"Ah, the battle of Guadalcanal," Admiral Kurokami said to no one in particular.
Yuudachi nodded. "In my previous life I sank right into Iron Bottom Sound. Every time that I felt my emotions run high, I lost myself and almost turned into my Kai ni, and this last time, it stayed I guess." Yuudachi said as she patted her skirt and shook her head a bit, "I think it's related."
"I see. I was going to ask about that, but I guess I don't need to now." Yin said with a smile.
"Unfortunately Yin, that kind of information is not very solid." Admiral Kurokami said, still leaning against the wall. " I am not saying your girls are lying, just that it is not solid, and other admirals could speak against it, using their, origins as fuel."
All the ship girls looked to Admiral Kurokami and then back to Yin. "Um, who is the third admiral here? Musashi asked.
Yin sighed and gestured toward Ryu. "This is High Admiral Ryu Kurokami, the head of the Japanese Admiralty Board."
All of the girls stepped away from Kuromaki and glared at him, unsure of why he was here, and obviously knowledgeable about his rank.
"He's here unofficially, however!" Yin said quickly causing all of the girls to look at him and seem instantly calmer. "And he was able to help me understand a few things about myself. Including how I joined you all in battle."
All of the girls looked to each other and then to Yin, ignoring the smile that was on Kyousuke's face. "Um, how did you do that anyway? Wo asked cautiously.
"It's because he's half ship. His mother was a ship girl it seems!" Kyousuke stated quickly.
"Wait, this Musashi was under the impression that such a thing could not happen." Musashi said, confused at the concept and the break from what was thought to be common knowledge.
Yin glared at Kyousuke and then looked to his ship girls. "Yeah, well it's apparently true. My existence is also the reason the provisional marriage system had been scrapped long ago as well it seems. My mother was a ship girl, and that's why I can walk on water, though I cannot go very fast or equip equipment other than my sword it seems."
"How do you know?" Ru asked, inquisitively.
"We did some testing while you were all in dock. The only ship girl equipment I can use is my own sword, which seems to be my own personal equipment."
"That . . . is so cool!" Tenryuu exclaimed.
"Indeed. But it does also create numerous problems and situations, just as many, as your existence does, Tenryuu!" Admiral Kurokami said as he leaned away from the wall.
"What-what do you mean?" Tenryuu asked suddenly worried that Kurokami's words had been directed to her.
"Both the knowledge of Yin having ship blood in his veins, and the now proven knowledge that some abyssal were our own ships, and that they can come back, will be taken in very different ways by many different admirals. The situation could easily spiral out of control if information is not disseminated correctly, or at all. Simply put, many admirals will not believe that abyssal can be our own ship girls, and will target you all as abyssal in disguise waiting to strike from within."
"None of us would ever think of such a-,"
"I know you wouldn't!" Admiral Kurokami said, interrupting Musashi as he did, "but not every admiral would, and Tenryuu was not in control of herself when she was abyssal. Other admirals will use that against you as well. Which is why a plan must be devised, and a way to protect you all and Yin be put into place."
"And you need to know what my plans are to decide upon such a thing?" Yin asked calmly softer many moments of silence reigned.
Ryu nodded. "Yes, I need to know what your plans are, Yin. As the head of the Admiralty Board I may make rules and orders that cannot immediately be rescinded. And before age catches up to me, I would like to give you the chance to work towards whatever goal you want to without other admirals holding you back."
Yin nodded and stood up from his desk, walking around to its front and leaning there as he looked to Admiral Kurokami. "As a last promise to my late father?"
"That, and I am soon to leave this world. My health is catching up to me, and I don't trust the rest of the Admiralty Board. They think of war and nothing else. None of them think of peace, or of how people will live and exist after the war. We three admirals are few of a small number that think of ship girls as people, whereas many admirals do not. So I will ask you, Yin. What do you plan to do from here on out. What do you want to strive towards?"
Yin leaned against his desk and thought to himself deeply. He always had been at odds with others in the Academy for his beliefs, and finding out that his mother had been a ship girl was quite a shock. But it did mean something. It meant his father loved her like any other person, become she was a person, just like all ship girls were. Yin looked up while thinking this at his ship girls. All of them waited patiently for what he was to say, and as he looked in all of their eyes, he knew what his answer was. "My plan . . . . My plan is to continue striving towards the goal. I want to end the war! I want to discover the truth about the abyssal. I want to save as many ship girls that have fallen to the abyssal as I can, and I want to find a way to save the abyssal as well if I can. I want to find an end where everyone can exist, and no one has to be thrown to the wolves as second class people!"
All of Yins ship girls smiled upon hearing his words, as did both Kyousuke and Kurokami. "I see," Admiral kurokami said a second later. "I can respect such a goal and wish greatly, and I'm sure your father would be proud to hear such a thing said. But such a thing will be hard to attain, you know, and even with my orders, problems may occur with the new Admiralty Board later as well. Are you prepared for the bad alongside the good, Yin?"
Yin nodded strongly as he stood up from the front of his desk and looked at Kurokami. "I am. I will do whatever it takes to reach my goals, and the goals of those who follow me!"
Kurokami nodded as he buttoned up his jacket and stood at attention before Yin. "I will make up the order officially within the next day, so you should get it officially within the week. Yin Akimoto!"
Yin stood at attention and saluted Admiral Kurokami, recognizing the now formal atmosphere. "Sir!"
"I, Ryu Kurokami, High Admiral and Head of the Admiralty Board of Japan now issues you an official edict. A change to your previous standing orders! Your fleet, previously classed as a support fleet in the support of operation against the Abyss, is re-classed as an official scientific discovery base, tasked with discovering the truths behind the Abyss and our own ship girls. With it comes the knowledge and power to obtain materials for study from other admirals, and use them how you see fit!"
"Sir!"
"This edict shall be sanctioned by my own name, and may not be undone until three years after my retirement or death. The fate of Japan, your ships, and possibly ships you have yet to save, will be in your hands. And your fleet, under its new designation, shall be called-,"Kurokami exclaimed talking a moment to breath, and to smile at Yin, "The Coalition Fleet!"
The end
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Authors note
And that is it, the end of the coalition fleet. This was the endgame I was always after, and as I'm sure you can see, it was meant to be open for continuation. This has also been my intent from the get go and I do intend to do at least a few more coalition fleet stories in the future, but not right away as I have plans for a different fic. However even that fic will be a while as I am taking a break from writing kancolle for a few weeks so I can focus and finish other fics, so that I may focus my attention on only a few fics instead of a half dozen.
I hope everyone has liked this fic and will look forward to the next one thati do. Thank you everyone for your support and for reading this story.