Where the light goes, the darkness follows. Where the darkness goes, the light does not follow. All the darkness wanted was to not be alone again.
A hand reached out to grab someone, but was just left emptiness in their heart. The warmth of everyone around them angered the soul. Such trust and happiness she could never achieve, no matter how many lives she lived.
She was always alone. Even when surrounded by people.
Further away was another soul that did nothing but watched the other. She always watched from afar but went close. Scared, afraid. She knew so much about the angered soul, yet the other knew nothing about her.
What was stopping her from approaching?
The curious one saw a light. With that, she was gone. Stepped into the unknown, the warmth of the light.
Into The Abyss - Chapter VIII
In the dark time of loneliness, she sits in solitude. Darkness. It was always like this. So peaceful yet so unnerving. Every time she started to enjoy this kind of thing, she was brought back—into the light, and into the fight. She knew her name, her country knew it, their enemies knew it.
B̸u̶t̷ ̶w̷h̴o̴ ̶w̶a̷s̴ ̵s̴h̷e̸ ̶r̴e̵a̶l̴l̸y̷?̷
Her name, embedded with the hopes and dreams of mankind, has been passed down for generations. Each time with a new number, a new designation. Numbers used as an ID but show the growth in such a short time period.
Yet, her memories are carried with each new life. Her with each new life.
T̷h̸e̵ ̴G̸r̶e̵y̴ ̵G̵h̷o̸s̷t̷.̵
She knew she was being watched. That provided some kind of sense of reality. However, that feeling disappeared, she forgot when. It merely stopped showing up one day, and never came back. It left her feeling…lonely.
Tell me, lost soul, would you like another chance? A different life. Your friends and sister are waiting.
The voice boomed in her head, breaking the peaceful quietness. She shivered, a gust of cold air came with the loud noise. It hurts. The sound wouldn't leave her alone, it bounced around the walls of her head.
Come back and fight for Uncle Sam once again, as a human with free will.
The light appeared in front of her vision, blinding her. It steadily began to dim to where it was still noticeable but not blinding. Audible music played. A song familiar to every single American, Star-Spangled Banner.
America, land of the free. She's seen the modern-day government systems. Everyone adopting the democratic system. Soon, the land of the free wouldn't be purely America. She was getting off-topic.
The light flickered for a while.
What will be your choice, lone one?
Nothing moved, the song continued until its end. There was a notable pause until Anchors Aweigh started playing. She was skeptical. After all, miracles don't come for free. The lone one hesitated. Was trading peacefulness for life again really worth it? She was tired, her mind was tired, her body was tired—despite being born with a new one each time.
She had forgotten what she was fighting for.
This was what was waiting for, the afterlife. But why? She can't remember anymore, she simply couldn't. She looked down at where her hands would've been and yet, they somehow felt like they were still there.
The ghost was scared. Not of her enemies, coming back to life, or her friends and family. Was she scared of change, of the truth? She thought about all her loved ones, would they be disappointed if she stayed? She was scared of herself. Why? She wouldn't know.
After all, she was the one running from the answer in the first place.
It stood clearly obvious in front of her, yet she still ignored it. She wanted to cry, to yell, to scream. To run into the abyss, forever. This place…wasn't merely some dark room with boundaries, it was an endless spiral of a space. When she had first arrived, she ran. Moved as far as she could, but it stayed all the same. Running in circles for all of eternity, alone.
She…could no longer take it anymore. She had wished for rest. She had wished for a world where she no longer needed to fight. And yet…here she was, wish granted.
Gradually, she walked towards it, curious. A force started to push her away from it. She stopped, hesitating once again. A deep breath—in…and…out.
She went against the invisible force and kept trying to advance into the light. Her hand that she didn't know she had, reached out and grasped it. That was when everything faded to white. There was nothing else.
Being in the light…isn't any better than being in the dark. Either way…you're alone. You'll understand that one day.
The white faded to black, but for a split minute. It all started to form multiple colors. Those colors forming objects, light, and people.
Wait, people?
The band finished their performance and watched the Gate wordlessly. Not a single peep, even from the citizens. They almost ordered another song to play but the Gate interrupted them. A girl emerged, the mist covering up when she passed through and what lies beyond.
Dressed in a white shirt with black highlights stood a young woman. The black sleeves were detached from the rest of the shirt. A black scarf covered her bare shoulders and draped down her back, the ends of the scarf were turning wider and more like a split cape the further down they were. Around her waist was a black pleated skirt and under that were some black leggings covering her legs. The kepi over her eyes matched the color of the scarf.
Still, no words were spoken. The Admiral came up to her. She instinctively saluted but he put a hand up to stop her. Instead, she bent a knee to the ground, bowing. The Admiral scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, this might be an overwhelming first few seconds of your new life."
She simply nodded.
"What's your name and hull number?"
"Enterprise." Her voice struggled. It felt sticky and gurgled, like she had overused it or never used it at all.
The Admiral blinked in surprise. "What destination number?"
"I'm not being given one?" the shipgirl responded, confused. The Admiral shook his head. "I have the memories of CV-6, CVN-65, and CVN-80."
"If that's the case, from now on, you'll live the second life of CV-6, okay?"
"Affirmative."
"Well then Enterprise, I welcome to the land of the living again!" he shouted.
One person couldn't hold it anymore and they cheered. Everyone followed their lead and they too, cheered. Some yelled their hearts out. The Admiral tugged her sleeve, signaling her to follow him. She obliged.
She was led into a rather large building and up its stairs. It was definitely less crowded than outside, she could still hear their cheers, cries of joy, and excitement. Enterprise was caught in her daze when the Admiral started talking again.
"We'll be asking you questions and testing your memory if it's okay."
Once again, she simply nodded and continued following him. He led her to one of the many rooms in the hall. The inside of the building had been lightly decorated, not too overbearing. The room was dull, with white tiles, white walls, white everything. Against the wall was a plain patient bed. The only lighting in the room was provided by a window, the light bulbs were off. She slid her rigging down on the floor against the legs of the bed.
"Lay down here." the Admiral said and gestured toward the bed. "A nurse will be with you shortly, I'll be waiting outside if you need anything from me." he left the room and closed the door behind him.
The carrier laid down on the bed. It was firm, yet soft. She then looked at the machinery around the room. Technology had advanced at a constant rate with her previous lives. There was nothing too new but nothing was the same.
After a few seconds, she heard faint chatter in the hall. Soon enough, a young nurse came in—well she assumed she was. It was a different kind of uniform and usual hairstyle than she was used to, but the Admiral let her in for a reason, that being because she probably is the nurse.
"Hello Miss Enterprise, I'll be checking your vitals and doing a normal check-up on you."
Again, Enterprise plainly nodded. The nurse began examining her vitals, nothing out of the ordinary with the process. Inspecting blood pressure, body temperature, heart, and respiration rate—everything seemed normal.
A man wearing a white coat entered the room. The carrier assumed that he was a doctor because of the coat and stethoscope. The nurse heard the sound of the creaking door and turned her head, noticing the man.
"She's perfectly normal, doctor." she said, now waiting on him for directions.
"Alright, thank you." He pulled up to a chair and dragged it near the bed. He sat on it and focused on Enterprise. "I'm going to ask you some questions, if you don't mind. Of course, you don't have to answer a question if you are uncomfortable with it."
Instead of talking, she nodded for the fourth time today.
"Let's start." He cleared his throat. "When was your launch date?"
"Which?"
"Erm, what do you mean which—? Oh, right. For all these questions, we're going with CV-6." he cleared up.
"Third of October 1936, sir."
He wrote some notes down on his clipboard. "What class are you a part of, and name any sister ships."
"Yorktown-class carrier. My sisters are Yorktown, Hornet, and cousin Wasp." As she said their names, memories of the times they've shared came back to her. Such joyous times—oh how she wanted to see them again.
The doctor repeated the same process as before, jotting down notes. "How many battle stars did you have and what decoration were you given, making you the only American to get this award?"
"Twenty battle stars and the British Admiralty Pennant." Enterprise answered robotically.
"When was your refit?"
"July twentieth of 1943."
"What was the biggest naval battle during the war?"
"The Battle of Leyte Gulf."
"What island is exactly in the middle of Hawaii and Japan?"
"…Midway Atoll." she answered a bit more carefully this time. The sounds of his pencil hitting the paper became more evident.
Pushing up his glasses, the man paused. The nurse still stood by them, not uttering a word. "What happened with that Atoll in the war?" he asked, knowing full well of the can of worms he now opened.
"It was a decisive victory for us…but not without sacrifice." The doctor continued writing as she continued. "We were able to take out four carriers, at the cost of one. My sister Yorktown. My other sister, Hornet, was there with me as well. We both came out unscratched."
He took note of the expressions she put on display on her face. Hesitance, to anger, then to sadness. The next emotion caught him utterly off-guard. His brain had established Enterprise to be a hard-working and stoic girl who blindly follows orders. Her sadness shifted to complete, undeniable utter fear.
Enterprise hid how loudly her breathing was picking up, and the thumping of her heart. She steadied her breath to a slow pace, attempting to calm herself down. Her hands reached up to her head and grasped it. However, the memories hit the ashen girl like a kamikaze. The burning sensation set off her emotions—her mask was eradicated, all it left was a tangled mess of a person. The uneasy feeling in her stomach and heart…scared her.
The carrier could remember it all. From the first wave, her older sister lecturing Hornet about searching too far North, the anxiety of the situation, it came back to her all at once—despite already lingering in the dark corners of her mind. The cheers from everyone when she sunk Kaga, to Yorktown's final goodbye.
"Enterprise, Hornet, please stay safe…" the voice stabbed deep in her heart.
"Big sis!" the youngest of the class shouted. The oldest responded by simply patting her on the head. Her body already laid almost entirely in the ocean depths. "We can still tow you out! We can…" Hornet was interrupted by her own sobs.
The lead of their class, Yorktown laid dead in the water. Her clothes were burned, exposing her skin which was charred. Blood seeped out every inch of her. Her face, stuck with a pained smile of her last few moments before resting into a blank expression. To state the facts, there was nothing they could do to save her. The small attempt to save her was taken away by a submarine that slipped right under their hulls.
Hammann was taken by the waves that day as well. One torpedo split her into two. She never had the chance to scream nor say any goodbyes. The destroyer never saw what hit her.
The sea, the once beautiful ocean, was stained with the blood of her loved ones—and her enemies.
Enterprise put a hand on Hornet's shoulder. Her sister turned around, teary-eyed. "I'm sorry…it's all my fault. I was in charge of fighter duty…"
"No…it was my fault." the blonde sobbed. "If only I followed you all, we could've…taken them all out in one wave."
"It's okay. Everything will be okay." the older one reassured. She pulled Hornet into a tight hug—the younger's tears wetting her clothes. Enterprise knew she was lying, and right to her sister's face. She didn't know if Hornet was aware or not, but she didn't say anything.
At least she still had Hornet.
"Enterprise…"
"Enterprise!"
The man's voice took her out of her daze. The nurse rushed to her side and held her arm. She pushed her down, making her lay on the bed. "Listen to me. Breathe in." The carrier took a deep breath. "…And out." She let out a shaky breath.
"Enterprise!"
Her head snapped up, but it wasn't the plain white room that greeted her. It was the vast empty seas that did.
It was the sight of her younger sister Hornet.
Laying in the water as Northampton attempted to tow her. Enterprise felt utterly helpless as she watched them. She had literally watched her sister get bombarded with a hundred or so Japanese warheads while she watched safely from under the clouds at the time. She was the older sister damn it, and she let the one who she was supposed to be protecting get hit, just like that.
They had to get out of there. Now, the only operational US carrier left in the Pacific…was her. It had finally set in with her.
A member of her faithful escort tapped her shoulder, South Dakota—the only battleship present. "E, we have to go." The said girl only continued to stare at the sight. Enterprise was bleeding badly. Oil was leaking out of her, staining the waters.
It wasn't the end of the battle. There will be another wave to finish her off.
"Scuttle her." she had heard the orders from the commanders. Destroyers, those that were protecting Hornet, killed her with their own guns. They had no choice, they couldn't disobey an order. "It is for the better." they had said. They didn't want her to be captured and used against them by the Japanese. However, Enterprise still clung to the small amount of hope she had. The hope that her sister was still savable. They couldn't save Yorktown, but she wanted to at least save her dear little sister.
That hope was cut off and thrown into the ocean when the orders came loud and clear which pierced through the silence.
After all that, she still refused to die. Hornet didn't want to sink and be left behind. It was only until some hours later, long after they left, that she sank.
She looked up at the blazing sun overhead. The ball of light remained the same as the area around changed back to the ordinary room again. The two other people in the room occupied some part of her perception, both shot her concerned looks.
The shipgirl couldn't control her breath. They came in rapidly and wavering, unconstrained. It was too bright and loud for her liking, she would've preferred the darkness from before. The sounds of all their voices mixed together, becoming nothing but an imperceptible mess. Her throat was tight, the ever itch of her tie rubbing against her neck. The light sounds of a pencil scratching against a clipboard didn't help either. She snapped her eyes shut to block everything out.
Enterprise heard a scream—no, it was her scream. An absolutely blood-curdling scream. It was so bad that the Admiral burst through the door.
Her blue gaze bounced around the room, looking for something to distract herself. She wanted to run, yell, escape, back into the abyss once more. Her eyes landed on the single window in the room. Temptation and fear took over her. Hastily sitting up, her eyesight disappearing for a minute. She grabbed her rigging and dashed straight to the window, she jumped.
Ignoring the yells from the others, she felt the air of jumping from the second floor. It was a strange sentiment, perhaps a sensation of freedom or plainly doing something on a whim for once. Landing on her feet, the shipgirl let her feet take control, which took her to the seaside.
The carrier stopped and realized she wasn't a ship anymore. She was a human now, but something told her that it was possible, that it was safe to touch the waters once more.
She simply stood there, contemplating. The sounds of footsteps pushed her to hurry up and to step onto the ocean.
It certainly was a strange feeling, and yet, familiar. The problem now was—where was she going to go? Why did she leave again? Adrenaline took her further away from the shores. There was nothing ahead, that was normal for sailing. Although, Enterprise saw something strange.
It seemed like a fleet of shipgirls, however, they didn't look like any normal human. Pale as the moon, eyes whose glow could slice through the blackness of the night. Strange blackened out rigging that looked like it was infused with some sort of sea creatures.
[Hmm…such negative energy. Wo-thought it was one of us. Guess not-wo.] the Abyssal carrier announced.
Another member of the fleet spoke out, [True, but that doesn't mean we can't turn her into one.]
The Yorktown-class carrier didn't have any time to react before a knee violently slammed into her stomach, sending bouncing on the waves. She hit the water a few times before fully coming to a stop flat on her back. Enterprise was lifted from the water by a grip on her neck.
[How gruesome…Even though we're Abyssals, you're going to choke her to death?] a voice in the back said.
[I mean, not the entire time.]
The grip on her neck tightened and she was slammed into the water. The Abyssal's guns turned towards the carrier's head. She closed her eyes and suppressed a scream. Something splattered on her face, a strange thick liquid. Her eyes slowly peeked open.
To her surprise, she was still alive. Meanwhile, the enemy Abyssal—was not. A gun was manifested in her hand, seemingly came at a rather convenient time. The liquid on her face was the other's blood. The head of it was gone, destroyed, exploded—whatever happened, it detached from the body and disappeared.
The gears of her brain stopped turning, her eyes were wide.
The body slumped down onto its knees, lifeless. It dropped dead into the water, fluids leaking out and staining the clear blue pool. Enterprise completely stopped, the other Abyssals gawked at their fallen comrade.
Did she do that? What did she do? How did she do it? She gaped back to the weapon in her hand.
This wasn't any game. All of this was real. The shipgirl had not too long ago, murdered an unknown person—out of self-defense?
You jumped right into the middle of a war.
Why was she feeling bad when she has massacred more than a handful before, fully acknowledging the repercussions of it all?
The answer was simple.
They hadn't given her a reason to. But she did.
[What the…] a destroyer managed to squeeze out. Even she was shaken and terrified.
The flagship yelled, [What are you idiots doing?! Kill her!] She fired a barrage, which Enterprise miraculously dodged through pure luck.
Blood rushed to her head, thinking of ways to get out of this situation. She could run all the way back to base, but wouldn't that just endanger everyone else?
Another feeling approached her. It was like an extra limb, an attachment of some sort. Looking up, a blue plane flew clear in the sky. Rounds of anti-air ammunition danced in the sky, the plane from before set on fire and crashed into the sea.
Enterprise looked at the gun and back at the spot the aircraft landed. The two pieces connected in her head. Pointing her gun directly up, she fired. The bullet launched in the sky, its velocity dropping before transforming into Dauntlesses. Now, the problem was that she was absolutely vulnerable to attacks while she attempted to control this new feeling.
Her head whipped around to face her back to notice one approaching her. The carrier felt like her chest exploded—technically she was half right. HE shells from the destroyer slammed into her chest, exploding in her face.
That was where everything ended.
It was the final straw for the one inside of her.
There was no sense of reality anymore. Enterprise went into a deep slumber while the other awoke. Bubbling with hatred and vengeance. A soul hungry for blood, one who can't see the clear line between friend and foe—who doesn't know when enough is too much.
Everyone in the area noticed the air become a freezing blizzard. They blinked and missed a few stages of the storm. The Abyssal fleet exchanged glances with each other and the shipgirl. It didn't take a detective to know what was wrong.
[We were right…there's something strange definitely happening.] the flagship observed.
Another spoke as well, [We need to tell the Princesses immediately.]
[Listen up! We only have three choices; kill her, be killed, or capture her! It doesn't matter which just attack!]
The ghost rushed forward, catching them off-guard. She jumped and lifted off the surface of the water, her feet kicked one of them directly in the head. After she knocked them down, the Grey Ghost placed her gun straight to the other's head and pulled the trigger. This time, no planes came out.
Another one down.
They kept firing at her but it seemed that she always dodged last second. Enterprise rushed up to another one at flank speed. The Abyssal thought she was attempting to ram her so she started reversing. Instead, the kanmusu grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, right against her gun. Her eyes widened when realization struck her.
A blast erupted her body which tore a hole in her abdomen. The carrier shoved the rifle deeper into the Abyssal until it fully pierced through her, making a gaping hole in the smack middle of her body.
Three to go.
The water beneath her swirled and swished. Some kind of object accelerated through it, quickly approaching her feet. A torpedo exploded at her side, suppressing her yelp. She violently coughed and hastily glided backward, losing her control and falling in the progress.
Plunging headfirst into the water, slipping under the waves—but not truly sunk yet. She came face-to-face with a submarine.
Thankfully, it was an ally.
Albacore headbutted her upwards to the surface again. A shipgirl came to her aid and pulled her back up and slung Enterprise's arm around her shoulder.
"Jeez, why did you run away."
The carrier looked at the girl next to her and then down again.
"I'm Northampton, nice to see you again E." The cruiser smiled. That was all she saw before the world turned black once more.
For the second time, Enterprise awoke, met with a white ceiling. The air was cold, the light wind whistled in the light atmosphere. She sat up, feeling heavy to the core of her bones.
"Please rest Enterprise. Your body is massively fatigued." a motherly voice rang in her ears. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face—or was it? Recognized her, yes, but not enough to remember her name.
A woman with light blue hair in a half-side braid style and royal blue eyes approached her.
"Repair ship…" her voice croaked out dryly, quite literally. It was parched. On cue, the petite woman handed her a glass of water. Her brain couldn't attach a name to the voice nor the face. She scratched her head, still trying to remember if anything would come up.
"I'm Vestal."
"Ah." she snapped her finger. "That's who I was trying to think of." Gulping down the glass then putting it down on a small table nearby.
"How are you feeling Enterprise?"
"Tired, heavy, mainly confused."
"Is anything making you feel uncomfortable?"
Enterprise shook her head hesitantly. She thought about telling Vestal about the strange experiences early but decided against it.
"I see the spirit still remains."
"Hm?" the carrier looked at the smaller girl with curiosity and perplexion.
Vestal put a hand to her chin. "Well, the first thing you did here was go out onto the water immediately and fight. I'm glad we have a strong and eager leader."
That is a lie. Enterprise was no leader, no brave person busting up the frontline as the papers made her out to be. All she was, was a frightened child—who just so happened to be extremely lucky. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time a lot, yet that, in turn, saved her. However, she didn't have the heart to tell Vestal the truth.
Her tone changed. "But please don't make reckless mistakes! If you disregard your health, I'll be doing more than just patching you up. Oh yeah, the Admiral has a surprise for you." the repair ship recalled.
What would that be?" She had half-expected the Admiral to be furious for jumping off the two-story building and escaping.
"They'll be here in a second—. Wait Enterprise, what are you doing."
The said carrier had one foot on the window frame and one on the floor. She had turned around for just a bit for Enterprise to already be right next to the window.
"Jumping off the second story again…?"
"We're on the first and only floor of this building." Vestal pointed out.
"Ah, thanks." She paused. "I'll be taking my leave now."
"Wait!"
She was on the verge of jumping when the repair ship pulled violently on the scarf around her neck. It was so tightly wound around her, that it managed to pull her to the floor. Vestal grimaced and muttered a quiet apology, although she didn't let go.
"Why are you trying to leave?"
"I…" the ashen-haired girl stopped. "…forgot."
Vestal smacked her own head. "Jeez, do you want me to make you take memory pills?" She let go of the scarf. Technically Enterprise was free to run away, she didn't know if the repair ship had a higher speed than her or not.
At the moment, the Admiral came in, two girls following in tow. The instant she saw them, she knew who they were. Maybe it was because of how similar they looked or just intuition. They too, remembered her.
For hair, the first had a deep blond color. There was a large black coat over her shoulders and was open, revealing the same style of white shirt as both Enterprise and the other shipgirl—tie and all. The ends of the coat reached all the way down to her legs, almost touching the floor. The insides were a crimson red color. However, unlike the two of them, her shirt had a belt that divided her shirt from her skirt but they were still one piece of clothing.
The second one was dressed in a simple grey bolero jacket over a white collared dress shirt topped with a matching tie. A black belt separated her shirt from her asymmetrical skirt, which had the same colors as her jacket. Under that she wore tights. Her blond bangs were mainly swept to her right side and the hair stopped around her back.
Yorktown and Hornet.
Tears had flown out of Yorktown's eyes the exact second she saw Enterprise. Hornet looked at her then back at the oldest of the bunch. Not too long after, she started crying. While Yorktown was frozen in place—tears dropping onto the tiled floor, Hornet ran up and glomped her. Soon after, the eldest sister trapped them all in a strong embrace. In the middle of the pile was a very quiet carrier.
Enterprise had no words. her head was full yet her mind was empty. She had missed this warmth…when was the last time she felt something like this? During the war, her only reason to continue fighting was that she was needed. After it was all over, Enterprise was lost. There was no reason for her to still be alive, she had lost her purpose—her worth.
And yet, she came back a second time. A third time. Now, a fourth time.
Her older sister attempted to contain her crying while Hornet was balling her eyes out. Enterprise could melt in their embraces if she really wanted to. This was why she decided to come back again in the first place. While she cared about her other sisters in the Gerald R. Ford-class, these two were the closest. Her abdomen area started hurting and she discerned that it was becoming harder to breathe.
"Hck…!"
Her younger sister let her go and ducked under Yorktown's arms. "Sis, I think you're crushing her…and her lungs."
"How can I not? I missed her so much." she responded and hugged the other even tighter.
"She can't breathe."
Yorktown reluctantly released her. "What took you so long? We were waiting forever for you!"
"Saratoga came back around two weeks ago." Hornet informed. "Plus you took your sweet time too, Yorkie."
"Hmph." the carrier pouted. "Well, let's go tour the base! What are we waiting around for?" Yorktown pulled something out from her pocket. It was a leash. She had already attached it onto Enterprise before the other could react.
"What." she deadpanned.
Yorktown smirked. "It's so you don't run away. Admiral told me about your little adventure."
Enterprise looked at Hornet who turned her head away. "Her idea, not mine."
"And you didn't think to stop her?"
"Now, now." Yorktown cut in. "Enough chit-chat, come on!" She tugged on the leash, causing the younger to be pulled forward. Hornet followed behind them, smiling.
"Yorktown! I can walk myself…" That only caused her to pout more.
"Call me sis or any nickname. I thought we were closer than that."
"Okay…" the middle sister sighed. "Egg-town."
Her older sister whipped her head around and glared at her. Enterprise sweatdropped.
"Er, sorry sis?"
"That was a bad joke. Four out of ten."
The trio passed by a pair of two battleships hanging by the wall chatting. One of them noticed the sisters and shouted out.
"Hey, Yorktown! Who's that?"
The carrier offered a small smile in their direction. "She's my younger sister, Enterprise."
"Ah, nice to see you again E! It's me, South Dakota."
"Nice to see you too, South Dakota." Enterprise tried her best and forced a smile that seemingly seemed to work. It's not like she wasn't happy to see the battleship again or anything but she still wasn't comfortable with the basic understanding of "human emotions".
Of course, her sisters saw right through her even though they technically just met. On the other hand, South Dakota didn't seem to notice—or just didn't care.
"Hm? What's this, York? Why do you have a leash on your sister?" the other battleship present said. "Oh~? Don't tell me you're into incest—."
"No! No, Alabama what the hell—!" Hornet interjected before she was interrupted.
"Language, Hornet." she calmly stated. The youngest of the Yorktown's cleared her throat while she continued. "Also, wow. Aren't you one to talk, Alabama?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" the youngest of the Dakota-class scoffed.
"I'm not sure what I mean. Someone who is named after Sweet Home Alabama, surely they would know, right?"
"Oh come on. Enough with the Alabama stereotypes already! Besides, SoDak and I aren't like that. We're more like homies than anything."
"Ow, rejected by my own sister." the older battleship remarked sarcastically.
"Now's what this about rejecting?" Alabama slung an arm around her neck and grinned. "We were about to go to the beach, wanna come along? Indiana and Massachusetts are taking their sweet time."
"No thanks, we'll pass on this one."
They waved off the battleships and continued walking.
"Welcome to our dorm!" Yorktown shouted as she flung open the door. It was the standard carrier dorm, furnished with basic necessities. "The door to the left is my room, the right is Hornet's."
"We tried sharing a bigger room together and well…" her younger sister scratched the back of her head.
"Hornet kept hogging the bathroom."
A knock found itself on the door but it was already open. It was Northampton, knocking to get their attention.
"What's up North?" Hornet said.
Yorktown cut her off before she could answer. "Any parties?"
"You know there's going to be a ball right?"
"What?" Yorktown questioned. "So we're not having a drink-off nor any beer?!"
"What's the occasion?" the middle sister asked.
"It's a celebration between the Japanese and us. Well, there are going to be civilians too. Yorktown, no drink-off but there's beer."
"Why the Japanese?" Hornet asked.
"Apparently we're going to make an official announcement that we're on better terms now because some stubborn shipgirls won't accept it. It's scheduled in a day or so, it depends on when they're coming. You also need formal wear." the cruiser responded.
"Before you go, same time tomorrow Hammy?" Northampton blushed at the nickname.
"Sure." she said as she scratched her cheek awkwardly and left.
The two sisters met gazes and both looked at Enterprise.
"What…?" She knew they were planning something and it didn't sit well with her. The feeling would shake off. Hornet went over and closed the door. With a clink, it was locked.
"Oh we're so getting you in a dress." Yorktown grinned.
"No…" Enterprise said nervously.
Hornet smirked.
"Iya da."
They both grabbed one arm each and started dragging her to Yorktown's room.
"Nein!"
Completed: April 1, 2021
A/N: Welcome to the first part of the backstory arc, not sure if I mentioned this before or not. Yeah, these next few chapters or so will be taken place on the American base, before they came to Japan.