Gliding on the sea, Fubuki stared at the setting sun, now a gleam in the distance. The lapping of the waves resounded softly as she idled her engines, she breathed in the salty sea air that had been her birth and life. Stars lit up the sky, and she stared at them both, taking in the majestic sight in front of her.

The moonlight shone on the water, reflecting off the surface. All in all, it was a majestic sight to see, especially for a destroyer kanmusu who would be readily dwarfed by every her best friend—whom she'd only met a few days earlier.

Only for an Abyssal battleship to break the water surface, it's eyes glowing.

She woke up immediately with a scream, darting up to a seated position as her haunted eyes darted throughout the room. It took her a few minutes for her to realize that she was looking at a ceiling and four walls, not an Abyssal Ru-class ready to turn her into red mist.

Taking a few deep breaths, she remained in place for a few minutes.

I'm not at sea. Relax.

Stepping out of bed in her nightgown, she quickly dressed herself, and got out. She'd learned from experience that the nightmares would keep pestering her, time after time, continuously.

Walking outside, and onto an oceanside railing, she stared at the sea. It had been a while since she'd been able to see this majestic sight, other than night warfare, which was a literal nightmare as she would have to rely entirely on radar, which seemed fair enough, exept that the radar of her time was ludicrously inaccurate and she had to rely on audio to properly pinpoint enemy positions, and fire.

That seemed fair enough until anyone smart would immediately point out that your ears would be ringing from the shots, ruling it out, too.

A rustling sound roused her from her thoughts, as she turned towards the small pendant she held in her hand.

All too soon, the memories returned.

She would be there, on the sea, waves rolling. Rain pelted down, and thunder and lightning struck. The boom of cannon fire in the distance would constantly repeat. Beside her, was the green skirt of her sister, tattered and fluttering.

Tracers lit up the air as her anti-aircraft battery began to pepper Abyssal divebombers with flak. Many went down, never to go up again, but one managed to slip through and let off its payload of doom. Fubuki could only remain frozen in shock as a plume of smoke and flame covered her sister, never to rise again.

A click rose her from the flashback. Staring down at her hands, she could see that they were trembling. Wind rustled throughout the area, waving her hair around. It did little to calm her nerves, though.

Just like that day...

"Up early, destroyer?"

Turning around, Fubuki saw the appearance of the sudden intruder. Auburn hair flowed down to her jaw, with the glasses that glistened in the moonlight, she looked almost supernatural.

"P...Providence?" asked she. "What are you doing here?"

"Just stargazing like you," came the curt reply. "Guess I can't sleep like you."

Staring out at the sea, she let out a despondent sigh and removed a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. Lighting one, she handed the other to Fubuki, who accepted it and took a long drag. Letting out the smoke, they slowly crept closer, until they were a few inches apart. Staring out at the sea, Fubuki finally broke the silence.

"Can I ask you a question? But, please answer it honestly..." she asked, her voice trailing off.

"Yes?" came the reply.

"Will...will I die?"

There was a few moments of silence. Providence eventually lowered her gaze until it met hers, the steel irises filled with sadness and pain.

"I don't really know," she said. "I've seen friends fall, sisters killed, even my admiral..."

Taking her hand, Providence nodded.

"If there's one thing that's troubling you, it's okay to tell me..."

Fubuki then shuffled a little closer towards Providence, less than an inch from the latter.

"It was on the 22nd of May, two years ago," she began. "It was a stormy night. We were both patrolling against enemy activity. Then, we were jumped by a whole carrier battlegroup." she said.

"We tried our best to get outta there, but then divebombers came...and...and they fired...and she...she didn't...she didn't make it...and she...she...she was my sister..."

Fubuki put her head in her hands as she began to quietly sob. There was a mild shuffling noise, and she suddenly felt two arms wrap around her, as Providence pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay...I'm here for you..." she said.

There was no further noise as Fubuki continued to cry into Providence's chest, tears wetting her uniform. The latter simply held her in tightly.

She's just like little Fubuki...

After a while, Fubuki slowly stopped crying. Providence's hand began to gently brush her hair, just like she would with the little Haldberd-class destroyer. Fubuki's relaxed hazelnut eyes cast a smile on her features, as she sat down on a bench, and placed Fubuki on her lap. She immediately lit up, the gesture being completely unexpected. She tried her best—and failed—to stop the sudden rising heat in her cheeks. Providence kept brushing her hair, bringing further heat to her cheeks as she eventually gave up and turned to enjoying the hand brushing her scalp.

A/N:

I'm sorry for the late update, and for this short length. While I won't be telling you stories about that damn loudspeaker (yes it's still there), but recently my family is having financial issues, and that coupled with a writer's block...

I'm also working on a minor side story. Since it is intended to be the sequel to this story, though, I'll hold it until the finale, which I hope won't be too far away:)

While this chapter is kind of short, I also intend this to be some sort of a filler chapter to fill in the gaps. No spoilers, the true depth of the Fubuki/Providence relationship you figure it yourself or wait until I disclose it for you:)

Also, some answers to the reviews:

Placeitaway (sometimes usernames get creative):

Physics wise, the slug acts similarly to an oversized dart. It is designed to have minimal shockwaves for atmospheric use, but yeah. I'm working on a codex explaining everything, and will release it bundled with the sequel, so stay tuned:)

Alexdel27 (sounds like a redditor to me):

That is classified information, you'll know when it gets there, I won't be the spoiling bitch:)

Anyways, 次回まで!