The sky's clear today, nary a cloud to obscure its calming azure, and what little there are only compliments the heavens with their fluffy edges, providing a little variety here and there. Seagulls soar overhead, squawking occasionally, and a few had congregated around the fizzled bonfire, picking away at the scraps remaining from the Abyssals' breakfast. The sea breeze was comforting, instilling peace in the hearts of those relaxing on the beachside.

Rei sighed in contentment, glad that she decided to bring the group out here, and looked back down from the calming skies to watch Aki get gut punched in the distance.

'Ouch…'

'Eh, she's had worse. Kid's actually pretty good though, I'll give her that.'

'High praise coming from you.' The tailed girl thought while she continued to watch the sparring match, with Aki quickly recovering and throwing a few punches of her own, catching Evelyn's next fist and using the momentum to flip and throw her.

It was Evelyn's suggestion earlier during breakfast. It's been a long while since she's actually fought anyone and her body was particularly itching for some action today, so she suggested a sparring match between herself and Rei, just to get some exercise and see if the tailed girl was really as strong as she thought. No superpowers, no guns, just good ol' fisticuffs. Rei agreed with a little prodding from Plasma, she needed to get used to fighting in her new form afterall, and she too was curious how well the island's protector could do her job.

The answer to Rei's question was 'pretty well'. The answer to Evelyn's was 'YES'.

Much as Evelyn could evade her opponent's strikes, there were none she could throw that Rei could not defend against, and Rei had to hold herself back on top of the mutual handicaps to make sure she didn't hurt the kid too much, after an unrestrained punch sent Evelyn flying even without any active aura behind it. It became a nearly one-sided ordeal, with Rei defending and Evelyn attacking, an occasional counter-attack thrown in to keep the latter on her toes.

Evelyn ended up surrendering, the difference in power clear, though to Rei, it wasn't for a lack of prowess on Evelyn's part. For someone with no proper training whatsoever, she could give all but the most experienced destroyers in the fleet a run for their money. It's just that Rei was abnormally powerful to begin with, and becoming an Abyssal has only strengthened her even more. Her reflexes and agility got no worse, while her strength increased massively to the point of being nearly uncontrollable while riled up, she could probably punch Nagato and make her feel it. There's also her split personality that became an extra pair of eyes and a flexible limb. All that without even really pushing herself. It filled her with equal parts awe and fear at what she's become.

If Evelyn was dejected at all from her loss, it didn't have to last long at all as Nieve promptly challenged her to a match of their own afterwards. The submarine said she got hyped from watching the two of them duke it out, though Rei wondered if Nieve secretly wanted to lose on purpose to Evelyn to cheer her up, knowing her newfound imouto-complex. If Rei knew Evelyn though, the kid wouldn't have enjoyed an easy victory at all. Not that it mattered.

While destroyers all received basic close-combat training, submarines simply aren't supposed to fight in melee at all due to their specialized nature as stealthy underwater snipers. Even if Abyssalization strengthens a Fleet Girl's power, there's only so much it can do without a base to work on.

In other words, even if Nieve tried her best, it would've still been a curbstomp against her, as the submarine quickly realized when Evelyn flipped over her playful punch and delivered a stinging backwards somersault kick into the back of her head, sending her faceplanting onto the water. She might've persevered through the beating for a while if Evelyn hadn't called it quits because it was 'boring', which hurt Nieve more than any physical blow she took.

After a moment's respite (which Nieve spent sitting glumly off to the side looking dead inside), Aki offered a spar of her own, curious of her own fighting capabilities. Hence the current scene, the two Princesses exchanging blows on equal footing. As Rei had estimated, Evelyn's skill level was about on par with most destroyers of Tsubaki's fleet, though the difference in fighting style showed a lot about either side's training (or lack thereof).

While Harukaze was never on the strong side, the martial arts training gave her an edge in reading the enemy's movements and using their own strength against them, waiting for openings to strike a precise counterblow or throwing her foes with their own momentum. Becoming Aki has also enhanced her strength and toughness, letting her defend better and shrug off more mistakes. On the other hand, Evelyn favored a more aggressive style, attacking at any given opportunity and relying on reflexes and her small frame to avoid retaliation. The girl is constantly on the move, darting and jumping around the enemy in a white blur to disorient them, and some of her moves are unnecessarily flashy, likely things she saw on TV and managed to replicate. The unorthodox style might not be professional, but it's certainly effective.

Throughout the duels, the quiet Sasha watched her friend intensely, eyes sparkling with awe. Just because the girl didn't like fighting didn't mean she didn't like watching fights, apparently, at least a friendly match where neither side gets seriously injured. Her familiar stood on her head, shuffling about on occasion or taking flight for short durations. Rei didn't know too much about how the tiny Demon normally acts, but compared to yesterday it seemed to be better behaved than usual. Even Evelyn eyed it suspiciously during breakfast because it didn't try to snatch Sasha's food. Does it have something to do with the talk they had last night, Rei wondered?

'Don't give yourself too much credit, it could just be scared of us.'

'Then it'd keep its distance like last night, wouldn't it? Ah well, whatever the cause I just hope it sticks as well. …What's that muttering I hear?'

'It's Miss Disowned Onee-chan over there.' Her tail helpfully pointed out, snickering, and Rei looked over to find that the aura of gloom around Nieve had intensified, and the heart-broken submarine had started mumbling to herself after taking heavy emotional damage.

"She's found a better big sister… I've been replaced… haha…"

Confused and concerned, Rei looked back out towards the battle, specifically towards Evelyn, who was holding her side from a particularly mean karate chop. Despite the pain, the young Princess' wince soon returned to a determined grin as she lunged back towards her opponent to deliver vengeance. 'Ah, that's what she meant… Should I say something, or…'

'Oh forget about it, she'll just bounce back in a few minutes. You already know that too, or you wouldn't have asked me.'

Rei wanted to argue at first, but had to reluctantly accept that her other self was right. At this point she's pretty sure the submarine just naturally acts over-dramatic and is rarely as distressed as she lets on, but it's difficult not to fret a little. With some slight hesitation, Rei decided to follow Plasma's advice and leave Nieve be, going back to admiring the serene scenery and watching the two Princesses test their martial prowess. The low muttering soon died down to Rei's relief, though a few minutes later she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

Turning to look, she found Nieve with her hand drawing back, the aura of gloom around her largely dissipated, but she wasn't as cheery as usual neither. "Hey hey, I was wondering. Was I strong before I sunk?" The submarine asked.

A little off guard from Nieve's question, Rei considered her answer. "That… Well, we weren't that close back in the fleet, so I can't comment much on that, but I'd say you're definitely above average on the global scale. Our fleet was one of the best of the best afterall." She settled on a more diplomatic approach, which wasn't entirely false. Nimu certainly wasn't an underachiever, she simply lacked experience and had the misfortune of going on a sortie that turned out way out of her league.

Nieve hummed noncommittally, looking back out at the duel between Aki and Evelyn. "So were you and Aki really, REALLY strong?" She asked, idly kicking her feet in the air.

"Um, maybe?" Rei sweatdropped a little, "Aki had a lot of experience, though I wouldn't say she was really strong just in terms of direct power. As for me, umm, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but… hawawa…" A faint blush passed while the mutated destroyer avoided tooting her own horn too much, "Well, other people said I can be pretty scary when I show my serious side, I guess."

'Hey, no shame bragging a little when you took on four Princesses by yourself! Oh wait, I guess that was me, keheheh~'

'And you could do to be a little more humble considering they still killed you with no casualties.' Rei allowed herself a tinge of satisfaction at emptying the wind from her smug tail's sails before continuing the conversation out loud. "Why the sudden interest in power? If you're feeling inadequate then you shouldn't be, submarines weren't trained for nor expected to be in melee combat, so it's not your fault."

"Nah, it's not that. Well it's kinda that, but I'm just curious." Nieve shrugged, "We're supposed to be from the same fleet and all, but I didn't need Evie beating me up to know I'm not even close to how strong you and Aki are. It got me wondering if I even contributed during that sortie that got us all sunk. …Heehee, surprisingly dark coming from me, huh?" The submarine's subtle frown turned back to a more familiar grin as she noticed the odd look Rei was giving her.

"H-Hawawa, no! Uh, well, sort of." Rei shook her head frantically at first, embarrassed that she let that slip. "It's not the sort of thing I expected you to dwell on, that's all. But on that subject, I can assure you that you helped, but there's only so much anyone can do. I mean, if even me and Aki died, then you know how tough our enemies were. Please don't blame yourself over it."

"But that's the thing though! If they could sink you, then I was probably so weak they plowed through me like a piece of driftwood. But what if I wasn't so weak? If I was even on Aki's level, would I've made a difference?"

"Hindsight is always like that. If I did this differently, if I was better prepared; you could imagine a thousand different alternatives but it won't change what happened, unless a Fleet Girl or Abyssal somewhere develops time powers. We can only try to learn from our mistakes and deal with what we got."

"So what if one day that power gap might be the difference between us winning and sinking for good?"

"…Then you'll just have to get as strong as you can." Rei answered with a reassuring smile, "But that can wait, we're still on vacation and you're not gonna get much stronger in just a few hours, relax, we'll see what comes after we rendezvous with the fleet."

Nieve blinked, thought her friend's words over, and nodded satisfied, her bright smile returning in full. "I guess you're right! It's kind of an obvious answer, huh? Sorry about getting all weird all of a sudden."

"It's no problem." Rei said, glad to see the submarine back to normal. It wasn't long before Nieve got back into the swing of things and started cheering for the sparring duo, though she couldn't seem to decide who she wanted to root for.

'Really? All that just to say 'git gud'? I was expecting something more profound than that.'

'Not every answer has to be revolutionary. Also I'm both impressed and disgusted you managed to butcher my pep talk like that and still be sort of accurate.'

'D'aww, you're making me blush~'

Rei grimaced and stared up at the calming blue of the sky. Her steadily plummeting SAN meter isn't going back up any time soon…


"Are we there yet?"

"If I'm not wrong, we should see the island in another few minutes. Relax, that's the fourth time you've asked that."

"Can you really blame her though? Even I am quite anxious to see my sister again, whatever form she may now take."

"I'm not blaming her, Kamikaze. I want to hurry up too, but getting agitated won't get us there any faster. Let's try to stay under control for now."

Giving Ikazuchi a reassuring smile to show she's not mad, Tsubaki felt like a bit of a hypocrite nonetheless; even as she asked the others to stay calm, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach and the impatience gnawing at her own mind, each minute feeling like hours. That was only natural of course, considering she's heading towards a meeting that could change the very course of the world.

The High Admiral looked back from the pilot's seat at the other occupants of the cloaked VTOL. Most were survivors of the Philippine operation, and siblings of the deceased: The 6th Destroyer Division, Kamikaze, and Hachi, the last as a representative of the submarines as a whole, as she was there when Nimu was sunk. Tenryuu would've came along, but made an excuse to stay behind, saying she 'didn't do well with emotional reunions', though Tsubaki expected it was more to keep Tatsuta from going with her. In fact, many among the fleet wished to go with them, but it was ultimately decided to keep the party small as not to overwhelm the Abyssal trio, and the sisters deserved some privacy for their reunions too. Though, there was one more who came along.

Tsubaki's eyes finally landed on the raven-haired battleship, sitting tall and regal beside herself, a grimness peering through her stoic mask. It took some effort to convince Nagato to allow Tsubaki herself to make the trip and potentially risk herself, and even then she insisted on following as the Admiral's bodyguard. In fact, the battleship was the biggest opponent to the meeting at first, and for good reason. Afterall, the possibility of it being a trap was very real, whether the three really were who they claimed they were or not. But Tsubaki had spoken with Kenneth on the matter and got an unexpected confirmation, and she trusted Verniy's judgement based on her conversation with Inazuma. She's spoken to the Abyssalized girl herself too, and she trusted herself to know her daughters enough to recognize their behavior. It was enough proof that even Nagato had to relent, even if she still clearly didn't like it.

Still, Nagato was hardly the only one with worries. Inazuma, or Rei as she's started using once more, had hinted vaguely that there's been changes to the three beyond the physical during their phone call, and Tsubaki had relayed as much to those who'd be traveling with her. It wasn't anything truly surprising, considering the chaotic nature of most Abyssals, but that didn't make the news any less chilling. Inazuma should still be mostly herself, but what of Harukaze and Nimu who've lost their memories? Is Inazuma herself even really as stable as she tried to let on? Knowing her worsening schizophrenia that started even before she's turned…

Those same questions must be running through the minds of the sisters, none of whom showed the joy that'd be expected from reuniting with a family member thought lost. Akatsuki's been uncharacteristically quiet, keeping to herself, while Kamikaze was unusually antsy, fidgeting like a nervous schoolgirl waiting outside the principal's office. Hachi had a book opened in front of her as usual, yet her eyes were unfocused and the pages remained unflipped for the longest time. The only ones really acting themselves were Verniy and Ikazuchi, the former as quiet and unreadable as she always is, the latter talking the most, assuring her friends that things will be fine, trying to make small talk that never lasts… and of course, asking when they'll arrive. Tsubaki could notice though, the strained edges of her smiles, the faint desperation, the equal need to convince herself.

The Admiral felt relief that none but Nagato could see her own face right now.

A few more long minutes passed, the silence only broken by Ikazuchi pestering Hachi about her book. Tsubaki checked the monitors to make sure nothing was awry while the auto-pilot continued their forward course, and seeing everything was green, looked back up to find a most welcoming sight.

"The destination is in sight! ETA 5 minutes!" She called out to her passengers, who took the news about as well as she expected. The anticipation in the air turned up a notch, and Ikazuchi immediately ran up to the cockpit to take a look for herself, Nagato holding out a hand to slow her down in case she got too excited. A little more unexpectedly, Kamikaze soon joined her fellow destroyer, and then Akatsuki as well, each taking turns to catch a view of the approaching land. Only Hachi and Verniy remained in their seats as before, though not out of disinterest. Even the young half-Russian's starting to look visibly troubled.

Tsubaki steadied herself with a deep breath. This is it, the target's in sight. She's already made plans upon plans for every contingency she could think of, whatever happens, she and her girls won't go in unprepared. That doesn't make her any less invested in the wellbeing of her lost daughters.

Lost in thought, the Admiral jolted a little upon Nagato speaking up, after the battleship had remained silent for almost the entirety of the ride. "I see figures moving on the beach, but there are 5 of them." The battleship reported, to everyone's puzzlement.

"Five? Maybe it's not them, then?" Kamikaze suggested warily.

"Or maybe Inazuma-chan's found new friends along the way?" The more optimistic Ikazuchi offered. Tsubaki squinted her eyes to see, but her eyesight just couldn't compare to the enhanced vision of an elite Fleet Girl, so all she could do was wait to get closer while keeping the over-excited Ikazuchi and Akatsuki from squeezing forward to get a better look themselves. Thankfully, Nagato was diligently updating the situation for them.

"…One of the figures appear abnormal. I see some kind of large tail on them, which fits the description Inazuma provided of her own mutations. Other physical traits like white hair also confirm they are likely Abyssals."

"It IS them! It's Inazuma-chan and everyone else!" Ikazuchi cheered, her infectious optimism doing the rest of the fleet good as well. "What are they doing, Nagato-san? Are they waiting for us?"

"Give me a moment, we need to go closer, although I do not think they have spotted us. They are moving about on the beach, almost as if… they are…"

"As if what? What are they doing?"

At this point, the battleship herself had to lean forward and squint to make sure she's seeing things right, her companions waiting in nervous anticipation. What could they be doing? Could the two unknowns be hostiles and they're fighting each other? Could they be setting up an ambush? A welcome party?

"…Playing beach volleyball?"


As Rei bat the ball high into the air, she had to wonder for a second if she was getting too carried away, before jumping up and performing a spinning tail whip to spike the ball over the net. Impressively, Aki managed to narrowly intercept the spherical missile and smack it back up for Evelyn to counter-attack. Nieve, having learned her lesson from getting curbstomped by the young girl earlier, dove for the ball as best she could and shoved the ball back over the net for a frantic Sasha to respond.

After some lunch and rest to recover from the practice matches, it was Nieve that proposed passing the time with the sport, after coming across a collapsed volleyball net on the beach. With nothing better to do, the net was re-erected and balls salvaged from the hotels' supplies. Dividing the group of 5 into two teams became a minor issue, though a solution was quickly devised: Rei and her tail would simply count as two people.

Thus the lines were drawn, with Rei and Nieve versus Evelyn, Aki and Sasha, and since none of them really knew the rules of volleyball beyond the basics, they made their own ones up. Beyond not letting the ball hit the ground and not holding onto it, anything else goes, and to spice things up, the same person on each team cannot hit the ball twice in a row.

The score was 7-6 in favor of Rei's team before the match was interrupted by Sasha diving face-first into the net and falling over.

"Ack!"

"Welp, that's 8-6. You okay?" Evelyn asked while she helped her friend back up.

"Yeah, s-sorry… Ganymedes distracted me…"

"Of course it's that stupid bird again. Where is it? I'll shut it up for a few hours."

"N-No, no! I think this might be important! He says he sees something weird in the air, like something invisible's flying towards us. Gimme a sec, let me see…" Sasha closed her eyes and focused on her Demon's vision before pointing off seaward into the distance. "Over there!"

The rest of the group looked as directed, some squinting as they did; it took some concentration, but knowing where to look, they could indeed see the faint shimmering of imperfect cloaking technology protecting the incoming aircraft.

"Hmmm… Oh, I think I see it! Hey hey, Rei, is that our fleet?"

"Yes, most likely. They're here a bit earlier than I expected." Rei nodded, recognizing the cloaked craft. Looks like their friends have finally come to pick them up. She just hoped they really are still friends.


Slowly but surely, the VTOL lowered itself onto a clear area on the sandy beach, forcing the Abyssals to shield their faces from the miniature sandstorm kicked up by its turbines, until the personnel carrier finally came to a complete halt. From the shimmering mass, a door-shaped hole opened up like a portal to another world, revealing the interiors and a woman stepping out.

"Nagato-san?" Rei blinked in surprise, "I didn't expect you to be here, but I guess Tsubaki needs the best bodyguard she can get. It's good to see you again."

"…Likewise." The battleship returned after a pause, accepting the Aberration's handshake while her eyes carefully scanned the other occupants of the beach, from the two wary unknowns to the furrowed brows of Harukaze and the sparkling eyes of the awestruck Nimu.

"Whooaah, she's so tall! And kinda familiar! …So why do I get a 'stranger danger' kinda feeling about her?"

And just like that, the stoic dignity of the Big 7 battleship crumbled to dust. A giggling Tsubaki disembarked the aircraft to the sight of Nagato standing stiff as a statue, all color seemingly drained from her even as her face barely twitched a muscle, and the roaring laughter of Inazuma's tail, the girl herself unable to restrain a snickering fit. "Looks like Nimu still remembers you in her own way, Nagato! What a cause for celebration~" Tsubaki smirked devilishly while she watched the heavily damaged (internally) battleship stiffly break off from the handshake and back off a few steps to perform damage control on her wounded pride. …Of course, she herself shouldn't be laughing so soon, as the Admiral of an almost exclusively destroyer-filled fleet realized with a sweat drop, but the girl who was once Nimu didn't have any choice remarks for her yet. That must be proof that her preference for younger girls is entirely wholesome! …And not because she wasn't impactful enough on Nimu's life for the submarine to have retained an impression, no way.

Before the Admiral could approach the mirthful Abyssal ringleader herself though, a loud wail coming from behind distracted her, followed by another, as two of the destroyers disobeyed orders to stay put and ran past her, tackling Inazuma with a flying embrace. The tailed girl's footing withstood the assault, and the surprise wore off quickly while she returned the two crying girls' hug.

"…I'm back, Ikazuchi, Akatsuki. Did you miss me?"

"O-Of course we did, you dummy!" "We- We thought we l-lost you forever! Don't you d-dare do that to a lady again, you jerk!"

While the first sisters had their reunion, the rest of the fleet filed out as well, stepping off the carrier onto the sands. The white-haired half-Russian spotted her hugging siblings and calmly walked over, expression as impassionate as ever. It took some time, reassurances, and plenty of back and head pats from the recovered sister to convince the other two to let go, and it was only then that she really got to see the new Inazuma.

The reborn destroyer was about the same as she was in the photo: Her now snowy-white hair was allowed to drape loosely past her shoulders, and instead of a youthful sailor uniform, she donned an open black hoodie and a gray tank top and shorts, a stark contrast against her deathly pale skin; if she had a scythe, she'd look like a Grim Reaper in training. What wasn't shown as clearly on the photo were the less mundane mutations, such as the metal hooves that've replaced her feet, and the fleshy tail almost as thick as her torso that connected to the draconic maw of the monster in the photo, currently turning about in an almost awkward manner, as if avoiding involvement in the emotional moment. Really, to an outsider, the girl would've been practically unrecognizable; but her family knew where to really look. The kindness that still shown through her glowing violet eyes, the silver pin of the roman numeral 3; not that a sister such as her needed sight to know that this strange mutant Abyssal was and is Inazuma.

The two gazed at each other for a moment in silence, before Inazuma opened her arms and Verniy accepted the invitation without hesitation. Neither Ikazuchi nor Akatsuki hesitated to join in again neither, surrounding the cold Abyssal with the warmth she missed.


While the 6th Destroyer Division hugged it out, Kamikaze was much more cautious as she approached the kimono-wearing Princess who's supposed to be her sister. She could certainly see the physical resemblance to Harukaze, even with the much gloomier color palette and having only one side of her signature drill-hair style, the other side sliced off by the attack that sank her. Yet, unlike the Akatsuki-class who recognized Inazuma in a heartbeat, Kamikaze couldn't shake the feeling that her sister was different. Something about the way the Princess held herself, the coldness of her expression, told Kamikaze that there was a part of Harukaze, beyond the memories, that had stayed at the bottom of the sea.

Harukaze on her part was regarding the other girl silently, her brow subtly furrowed. The Fleet Girl she once was would've smiled warmly and greeted her sibling with tears in her eyes and a quick hug, assuring that she was fine and all will be well again. Still, the Princess' coldness held no animosity; if anything, she was just as uncertain as to what to do.

In the end, it was Harukaze who spoke first. "Thou art Kamikaze, yes?" She asked, to Kamikaze's mild surprise. Her manner of speech's become even more archaic, an odd change. Nonetheless, she nodded.

"Yes, I am. Inazuma's spoke of me, hasn't she?"

"Inazuma?" Harukaze looked confused for a second, until she looked over in the tailed girl's direction. "Ah, yes, she hast spoken of thee, albeit briefly. Mine memories of thee returned afterwards, though I am afraid many have been lost to time." She said with regret, "I only know thy identity and what thou means to me, and a few fragments of moments shared."

Kamikaze's heart sank as she listened. "Is that… so…" She muttered, eyes downcast, no longer able to face the girl in front of her. What was she expecting, really? That she'd come pick up Harukaze and just go on with life together as if nothing happened? Harukaze had sunk. Died. She had let her sister die. The fact any part of Harukaze came back at all was enough of a miracle, she has no right to be disappointed that her sister was different when she did this to Harukaze to begin with. She doubted she even deserved to be remembered.

Before she could say another word however, she felt a cold and comforting hand on her head.

"Thou hast no need to apologize."

Kamikaze's eyes widened, and she dared to look up again. "H-How did you-"

"That is what I felt you would have done." The pale girl said. Instead of the uncaring coldness she had expected, Kamikaze instead found a familiar warmth in the Abyssal's smile. "Though the memories of mine last moments have been lost, I know true 'tis not thy fault. Even if thou still believeth so, then know I forgive thee."

"…Even if you say that, I don't know if I deserve your forgiveness."

"Is that so?" Harukaze tilted her head, "Then, if thee wish to earn my pardon, I have but one request."

"A request? What is it? I'll do anything!" Kamikaze blurted out immediately, even as she wondered what Harukaze might want. Her mind quickly landed on the most likely answer: Cutting their sisterly ties. Those were ties from Harukaze's previous life, not this one. Didn't Inazuma even say they've made new names for themselves? Aki for Harukaze, wasn't it? It's not far-fetched that she wants to let go of the past and wants her sister to do the same. Ex-sister. That's… fine. Harukaze… no, Aki, deserves to be free from a past she doesn't even remember. Even if they're no longer sisters, maybe they can still be frie-

"Smile for me."

"…If that's what you want, then- Wait, what did you say?" Her morose acceptance quickly faded as Kamikaze blinked in confusion. That did not sound like 'Don't treat me as a sister anymore'.

"Thy sorrow doth not fit mine memories of thee, fractured as they are. Prithee, show me the smile that I remember."

Focusing on reality once more, for a split second she thought she saw red eyes and brown hair, until she blinked and found glowing blue eyes staring back at her once more, a vision that blurred until she wiped the tears away. Well, she heard the request loud and clear this time. It wouldn't do to disappoint her precious sister like this!

"Very well then! How's this?"

"Gracious. 'Tis even more brilliant than any I recall."


Once she's stepped off the aircraft into the open air, Hachi gazed warily at her compatriots and those they've come to meet. The Akatsuki class are being as diabetically sweet as usual, she's not sure how it's going for Kamikaze yet, and she was about to intervene when she saw the Admiral heading towards the two unknowns until Nagato swiftly caught up to her charge. They haven't been shot to pieces yet so that's a good sign, maybe things won't be so bad afterall.

Her eyes at last landed on the last unpreoccupied Abyssal on the beach, who'd noticed her as well and was waving enthusiastically, already approaching. To be honest, if it wasn't for the context she'd have a hard time guessing that was Nimu-chan. Other than her hair which has been tied up in similar twintails and the cheerful demeanor, the submarine was quite a bit physically different from her old self as she had become a So-class submarine instead of a Princess or Aberration, minus the hat, and the more maidenly sundress she's wearing.

That didn't stop Hachi from seeing the cloud of red bubbles or the dismembered hand. She shook away the vision and the sound of death.

"Hey, hey, hey! Blondie!" 'Blondie', really? "We know each other, right? I remember you! Kind of, sort of, what's your name again?" The Abyssal asked with barely a hint of embarrassment, and 'Blondie' sighed in annoyance. Well, this does remind her slightly of when Nimu first joined the fleet. Just as overly cheerful and tactless. Granted, she grew a little fond of that upbeat attitude with time, and she was an immediate hit with the others.

"It's Hachi. You're Nimu, ja?" The half-German submarine asked back, just to be sure. To her surprise, the So-class tilted her head in confusion.

"Nimu? That's…" The girl wracked her noggin for the source of that familiar name until her eyes lit up, fist on her palm. "Oh oh, right! That was my Fleet Girl name, right? Rei told me that before, but we don't really use those names much. Sorry sorry~" Nimu said with a 'whoopsies' face, complete with a wink and her tongue out.

Hachi's palm met her face. Nimu wasn't this much of an airhead before, was she? Though she herself did forget that the Abyssals were using new names. "It's fine. You go by Nieve now, ja?" "Ya!" "Why'd you all get new names anyway?"

"We didn't remember our old names, so we made new ones! Sure Rei told us our old names afterwards but we were kinda used to the new ones already so we stuck with it." Nieve shrugged, "Y'know, Nieve kinda sounds like Nimu doesn't it? Maybe I remembered something afterall~" She continued with a grin.

Hachi raised an eyebrow while she regarded the bubbly submarine. "You're awfully upbeat for someone who found out they sank and lost all their memories. Don't you care about your old life at all?" She asked. For Nimu, or Nieve, whichever, to reference her lost life so callously…

Hachi didn't like to be sentimental, but she couldn't help but wonder. Was the bond between Nimu and the rest of the submarine family that insignificant? The bond between Nimu and her? Sure, Nimu was a rookie who sank on her first sortie, the time they spent together was fleeting compared to the years of battle-forged sisterhood that veterans shared, but it was still over a month that they spent together, training, playing, laughing. She was even thinking of what she'd show the eager greenhorn if they got the Admiral to take them to Oktoberfest, after Nimu showed all that interest.

Even if all the memories were lost to the abyss, she wanted to think that that bubbly airhead she grew to accept would've still felt something.

The living ghost of Nimu blinked blankly as if she just heard the dumbest question. "Huh? Of course I care! I might barely remember a thing, but whenever I try to think back on it I always get this giddy feeling, like I was having a lot of fun! Even if I feel like the details are something I'm never gonna get back, just trying to remember cheers me up, and if I can never get my old life back, then I want to at least make sure this second life will be just as fun!" Nieve said with a radiant smile that almost made Hachi want to shield her eyes, "Of course, I really do wish I could remember more of all those fun memories, but that's where you come in!"

"M-Mich? I mean, me?" It was the blonde's turn to blink in confusion, after being stunned by the dazzling display of optimism before her.

"Yeah!" Nieve nodded, "Who else will tell me about my old life? I wanna hear about everything, about all my friends and everyone else in the fleet, all the fun stuff that we did together, I wanna knooooww~! And after you've filled me in on my old memories, we can start making new ones together! How about it?" She asked, beaming, and extended a hand.

Hachi gazed down upon the severed, bloody hand- the pale, intact hand reaching out towards her, and gripped it firmly. "…Heh, here I was all worried about what you'd be like. It's like you never sank at all."

"Heehee~ Wait, that's a compliment, right?"

"Vielleicht."

"Uhh… I'mma take that as a yes~"


Tsubaki Yamamoto breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her daughters' reunite with each other, glad that nothing has gone wrong so far, and the warm fuzzy sight of the 6thDesDiv brought a smile to her face. She can leave Inazuma alone with her sisters for now, she can wait. Instead, she directed her attention towards the two mysterious Abyssals standing in the back who've been watching quietly. It looked like both were Princess-class, yet both were also on the young side for even destroyers, and she didn't recognize either of them from the files of known Princesses. They're both adorable though, and it hurt the High Admiral to know that these children had been forced to wander the seas alone for who knows how long. Obviously Abyssals are not to be approached lightly by humans, much less Princesses, but her curiosity and protective instincts alike urged her, and if they were hanging out with Inazuma and company then they can't be too dangerous, could they?

Still a little nervous, Tsubaki nonetheless started approaching the two girls, gauging their responses. The taller horned one looked intimidated and hid behind her friend, while the younger one with the lifebuoy stepped forward with an untrusting glare. It wasn't long before the Admiral felt the presence of her bodyguard behind her neither, and while she was glad to have the battleship watch her back, she wondered if Nagato's presence would keep the two young Abyssals further on edge.

It was quickly proven that her worries were unnecessary.

"Hey ma'am, your bodyguard's staring at us with the eyes of a predator. If I promise we're not hostile, can she please go have a seat over there please?"

"I-I am doing no such thing!"

Under such a scathing accusation, even one of the Big 7 couldn't stay silent anymore, the battleship's face glowing red while she recoiled in embarrassment. The Admiral couldn't hold it in this time neither and chuckled heartily, observing the satisfied smirk on the kid's face. What coincidental wording too… It had to be coincidental, right? "You don't have to worry, this 'predator' can hold herself back if need be." She assured, to which said 'predator' flinched from the betrayal.

"You're one to talk…" The battleship muttered while she turned away to hide her shame, which only gave the little Princess more verbal ammunition.

"Oh I'm sure you can hold yourself back, miss, but I was talking about your bodyguard. Please try to focus, you can fantasize later."

To Evelyn's dismay though, the naval officer just returned a pleasant smile. "It'll take more than that to fluster me I'm afraid, I've built up a bit of immunity from my friends and daughters."

"And shameless too, the military's sure hit a new low." The kid shook her head in mock disappointment, before sighing and putting on a more serious face. "Alright, enough with that. You're the admiral Rei talked about, right?"

Seeing that the young one's started taking things seriously, the admiral did the same. "Yes, I am Admiral Tsubaki Yamamoto, but you can just call me Tsubaki. This is my secretary and bodyguard, Nagato. I'm glad to hear I've been spoken of, but I'm afraid Rei never told me about you or your friend."

"I'm Evelyn, and this is Sasha. We live here and we keep the locals safe from other Abyssals, it just so happens your underlings came our way and we had to keep an eye on them, that's all." The child answered calmly while her friend gradually calmed. "They told us about their situation and we have no reason to interfere, as long as you leave me and Sasha alone."

The role that the two Princesses apparently play on the island surprised the Admiral. "You protect the locals, you say? I asked Rei to check on their condition when she said she was coming here, and to be honest I was expecting grave news. To think the local populace has not only not been attacked by Abyssals but even protected by them…" Tsubaki mused thoughtfully, "Is there a reason you decided to become the island's protectors?"

"Yeah, but it's a long story and I don't feel like talking about it. Ask Rei if you have to, I gave her a summary of it and Sasha probably filled in the details last night." Evelyn said while the girl behind her flinched at the last part.

"It's alright." Tsubaki nodded, "Still, while it's a noble endeavor, I want to ask. Will you consider coming with us? I won't force you, but-"

"Nope." The young Princess interrupted immediately, "Even if you can get some navy to spare forces to protect the island for us, it's still a no. I know what you're gonna say, and I'm not interested in 'living a normal life', especially when that's impossible for an Abyssal like me. I mean, we've been here for over a year now, the locals owe us their lives, and they're still scared of us." She gestured grandiosely, "I mean, they try to be nice and I understand, but the difference in power is too great, and too much damage's been done by other Abyssals. You think we'll ever be treated as regular kids out there by anyone but you and your fleet? Or even as humans? It won't matter how much you vouch for us. At least here I won't be stuck in a glorified prison or have to hide what I am. So, long story short, I'm fine, thanks." The girl explained nonchalantly, complete with a big shrug and a face of indifference, but the Admiral saw through her guise. Behind the devil-may-care attitude is the cold hopelessness of someone resigned to their fate, and there's a longing for a happier past that doesn't make sense for someone who theoretically has amnesia. It's a feeling she recognized from a certain destroyer.

Does this girl…?

"…Of course, I can only speak for myself."

"Huh?" Evelyn's sudden continuance shook the Admiral out of her thoughts. The girl had now turned towards her confused and nervous comrade.

"If you feel like taking up the lolicon's offer I'm not gonna stop you."

Sasha's eyes widened in surprise. "What? W-Why would I want to go?" She asked.

"I dunno, the comforts of civilization? Food other than fish or whatever we harvest off the land, technology, other people… There's probably plenty of kids your age there you can be friends with, and as much of a stupid lolicon the Admiral is, I think she'd actually make a good mom. You can be one big happy family."

"But what about you? If you're not going, then-"

"What about me? I was already used to being alone before I washed up here, and it's… it's not like I need your help defending this place. Don't feel like you're obligated to stay here. Make your own choice." Evelyn said, even as her voice cracked and she turned away so her friend couldn't see her face. It was all Tsubaki could do not to sweep the girl up in a loving hug. Thankfully, her comforting would not be necessary.

It didn't take Sasha more than a few seconds to consider her words before her shyness gave way to determination. "I've made my choice then. I want to stay here." She said firmly, nary a stutter in her voice.

Despite the assurance, Evelyn wasn't ready to set her fears aside yet. "Why? What's there even for you here you can't get with Tsubaki?" The girl asked, still unwilling to face the friend she was almost certain would leave her.

This time, Sasha simply blinked in confusion and smiled. "Isn't that obvious? You, of course. E-Even if we don't get along all the time, you're still my best friend, and my savior to boot. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else." She said with a certain nod, though, still being Sasha, she could only keep her confidence up for so long before wilting back into a shrinking violet, fidgeting uncertainly. "U-Unless… You… actually don't want me here-"

"NO!"

All present flinched from Evelyn's sudden outburst, even the others who were busy with their own conversations, and even Evelyn herself only realized what she'd done after the fact, having spun around and screamed out the second she thought her fears might come to pass. The realization froze her like a statue, until the growing heat in her cheeks thawed her out and the girl stiffly turned away again, glaring off in the one direction without anyone while ignoring the prickling moisture under her eyelids. "I-I mean, I'd… prefer to have you around, so… just making sure you don't get the wrong idea. Plus, the Admiral's a lolicon anyway, it's better you stay away from her."

Still stunned, Sasha took a moment to process what she just heard, before she too breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness… I was worried you actually hated me…" She mumbled, forgetting they even had additional company until Tsubaki's voice nearly gave her a heart attack again.

"I guess I have my answer then. It's a shame, I really wanted to take care of you two, but it seems you won't be needing me." The Admiral nodded, smiling warmly. It was a struggle to maintain an air of professionalism after witnessing such a touching scene between two kids, and it filled her with all the more resolve to end the war between human and Abyssal as quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible, but she was still an Admiral on a mission, and she still had some military pride to uphold. "I'll make a record of the situation here and make sure no navies will mistake you for hostiles. I'd warn you not to wander far from this region just in case, but I don't think we'll have to worry about that. Well then, I still have my own daughters to attend to, so I won't bother you any further. If you want to say your goodbyes to Rei and the others though you're more than free to."

"Duly noted. Oh and, thanks for trusting us, despite us being Abyssals and all that." Evelyn responded with a polite nod of her own, regaining her cool, even as she quickly wiped away the little bit of tears that remained and her normally pale face was still flushed with color.

"Don't mention it. It's been a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn, Sasha. I hope we'll meet again."

"I… wouldn't mind that." "Yeah, l-likewise…" The two Princesses bowed lightly as well, and watched the two adults turn back towards their fleet, who seemed to be having a well enough time.

Watching Rei and company reunite with their friends, Evelyn leaned closer to her own friend. "Hey, wanna go over there and introduce ourselves? It's kinda awkward just standing back here now." She whispered, to which Sasha hesitated.

"I- I dunno… There's this feeling I'm getting, like I shouldn't interfere…"

"Yeah, true. Like they've got their own clique and we've got no good way to insert ourselves into the group." Evelyn nodded. It's a feeling she'd long forgotten having, unpleasant at the time, yet now she remembers it fondly. She really shouldn't be old enough to be reminiscing on her youth, she thought to herself. Still, even if it's unlikely they'll ever see any of these Fleet Girls again, she had to admit to a curiosity, as well as a settling awkwardness and boredom. If she's old enough to reminisce on the good ol' days then she's old enough to get over whatever social awkwardness she's feeling. Maybe Rei's group will be a good starting point, she does feel more comfortable around the tailed girl than anyone else in their group.

…Annnddd Rei's walking away from the rest with one of her friends in tow, the brunette, whatever her name was. So much for that idea. She considered sneaking off to eavesdrop on whatever the two were going to talk about in private, but there was an air of grave seriousness surrounding the two, and honestly Rei could probably detect her anyway.

As if detecting her mischievous intentions, the white-haired girl was dragging the purplette towards them, the latter seemingly just as curious about the private subject matter, as she protested and struggled to follow Rei and the brunette. Coincidence? Maybe, but at least they have someone to talk to now. Rei and her girlfriend can go make out in private all they want.


Author's Note:

So, to explain the HUGE delay I had for this chapter…

I ran into a brief period of demotivation in April so I didn't really write much for the chapter back then. Thankfully the writer's block passed eventually, but then I had two sets of exams to deal with, one in mid-May and the other mid-June, which meant I couldn't write even if I wanted to. Soon after the exams ended, Gaben came knocking with the Steam Summer Sale, and I've been interested in getting FFXIV for a while now, so I got it while on sale.

To put this in perspective: I killed Ultima within a week of starting playing, i.e. the entirety of ARR not counting post-ARR pre-Heavensward. That's how much I've been playing it. Don't do MMOs, kids, not even once.

Well, delays aside, as for the chapter itself, I originally intended for there to be more progress in this chapter, ending with the fleet leaving Guam, but the word count got surprisingly high before I got to that point and a few extra bits and bobs came to mind, plus the fact I REALLY want to just get a chapter out already, and even if the initial fervency for FFXIV has passed it's still going to dominate QUITE a lot of my time for a long while to come. So I decided to cut it off here for now, even if at risk of a shorter chapter next time.

It really isn't much in terms of plot progression, I mostly wanted to explore character interactions and finish off the Guam mini-arc properly. There'll be more on the 6thDesDiv next time. Hopefully I'll find the time to write another chapter within July, but honestly it's not looking too good. I'll certainly try though.

Until next time!