Kirishima just finished a full turn together with Atago and Takao west of Savo Island. Admiral Nobutake Kondo - commanding from the bridge of the Atago – wanted to wait until the ships of the vanguard - that has already engaged the Americans – explore the area before them, so he could see through the situation better.
Based on the incoming reports, it seemed that the battle was going well, and the enemy got already defeated. The Ayanami reported that she sank a cruiser and a destroyer, while another destroyer was heavily damaged by her. The other ships reported sinking and burning American cruisers and destroyers as well; and because of that Kondo was certain that he'll not have to engage the enemy with his main forces, so he turned his fleet to the northwest, so they could wait at a safe distance for the light cruisers and destroyers to break the American resistance for good and clear up the way towards Henderson Field.
Kirishima was standing in in the bow of her ship with crossed arms, waiting for the order to start the bombardment. Though it seemed that everything was going well, she had many reasons to be nervous. First of all, she didn't know what happened to Hiei. A day before Kirishima crippled the cruiser USS San Francisco, but in mean time the enemy fleet concentrated its fire on her sister, badly damaging her and destroying her steering. Ever since then, Kirishima got no news about her older sister.
Secondly, she was worried about her friends, the ships of the destroyer screen. She heard that Ayanami was targeted by a big American ship after revealing her position by opening fire. The Japanese destroyer suffered serious damage, her propulsion machinery was destroyed and was heavily burning.
And thirdly, they just got warnings that the watchmen aboard the Takao spotted an American battleship, backlit by the flames of a burning destroyer; and soon Admiral Kimura also sent a sinister report from the Nagara: "At Cape Esperance two enemy battleships are heading to the west, along the northern coast of Guadalcanal."
Could it be possible? But according to the previous reports the Americans had only heavy cruisers.
Like any other ship, Kirishima could also feel what her crew was feeling. And right now, they were full of uncertainty. She would have liked to step to them and encourage them, telling them that everything is going to be alright, that she'll always protect and take care of them, no matter what. But she couldn't. She was invisible and inaudible to them. A ship can't speak to humans, can it?
"Kirishima-san!" she heard the voice of Takao. Her comrade was waving to her from the stern of the heavy cruiser. "Keep a sharp eye, they might be close!"
"Yes, I know Takao-san. I was just thinking."
"I understand that Kirishima-san, but we have to be cautious now. I promise that you can talk to me as much as you'd like later, when this is over."
"Thank you very much Takao-san." said Kirishima gratefully. "I think, I'll need it."
"Come on, keep your head up!" Takao tried to cheer the battleship up. "You don't want your sisters to worry about you, do you?"
"Not by any means." shook her head Kirishima, and she hoped that she could still meet with all of her three older sisters. "Hiei-neesan... I hope you think about us still from this world..."
It was ten minutes before midnight when Kondo ordered his ships to turn back toward Guadalcanal and prepare for the bombardment of the airfield, ignoring the warnings.
Kirishima could only hope that their commander made a good decision. They didn't even finish the turn, when suddenly...
"Enemy battleship southwest from us! Range ten kilometers!" The watchmen of Kirishima, Takao and Atago spotted the South Dakota almost at the same time.
Kirishima's captain, Iwabuchi Sanji didn't even wait for the command of Kondo, and he opened fire.
The Imperial ship's eight 356-millimeter main guns roared up with huge flashes, together with the 152-millimeter guns of her secondary armament. However, the cannons were loaded with high-explosive shells, meant for Henderson Field; so the crew had no choice but to shoot their opponent with them, for it took minutes to get the armor-piercing shells from the magazines to the guns.
Atago illuminated the South Dakota with her searchlights, and when they were sure that it was an American battleship, the two Japanese heavy cruisers commenced firing as well.
It was only the first salvo, but the South Dakota was already hit by numerous shells; one of them damaged the main rangefinder on top of the foremast.
The control room was also hit multiple times and was soon filled with fallen and wounded sailors. The radar- and radio antennas got damaged, and fires started in the superstructure.
One of Kirishima's 356-millimeter armor-piercing shells hit the rear turret's barbette, ricocheting from it and exploding in the hull, causing yet another fire.
Kirishima was not a cruel person, not at all. She was a fair, fighter, who had respect towards her enemies. Yet, it made her satisfied to see her opponent in raging flames and getting forced to her kneels.
It was exactly midnight. If it goes on like this, that ship will not see the morning ever again...
"There's another ship in front of the first! A battleship!" One of Atago's watchmen shouted suddenly. The leading cruiser was quite stoic until now, but it lasted only until she heard this.
Mere seconds passed before another sailor yelled: "The Kirishima is surrounded by impacts!"
Kirishima was shaken awake from her thoughts by huge columns of water that erupted around her and fell back on her hull, flooding even the bridge. "Whaaaat?!" she screamed in shock. She ran to the railing and looked where she thought the salvo came from.
The night was dark, but she noticed the silhouette of an American battleship, merely 7600 meters from her starboard side. "Gods..."
Then came the rain of 127-millimeter shells; the enemy ship was firing her secondary armament both at Kirishima and Atago, while in mean time one of her secondary turrets was firing star shells above her targets to illuminate them.
Kirishima's crew didn't even have time to react, before the next salvo of 406-millimeter shells arrived, and this time one of them tore through the armor of the fast-battleship.
"Aaaahhhh!" Kirishima fell on her knees and grabbed her side with a painful cry. She could feel everything that happened to the ship, and the pain, caused by the impact was nearly unbearable.
The grenade exploded inside the ship and incapacitated the foremost gun turret.
The next seven minutes were like hell itself...
Washington's POV
"You think I can't see you, just because it's dark?You are very wrong little japs. I see you all very well." thought Washington, standing in the bow of her own ship, looking out to the sea.
She indeed couldn't see a thing with her eyes, and yet she knew about the Japanese ships; she could feel exactly what her radars detected.
There were three targets on her starboard side, and one of them, the last ship in the line was bigger than the other two. Yes, it must be a battleship. Washington really hoped that her crew will choose that one.
Like any other ship, Washington could also feel what her crew was feeling and thinking. Now she felt the thoughts of Admiral Willis Lee and her captain Glenn Benson Davis. The two officers were not sure if the big target was the South Dakota or not, as the allied battleship was in the blind spot of the radar, and so they didn't dare to open fire.
"Come on! It's them boys, send them to the coral!" thought Washington impatiently.
She didn't have to wait long, the Japanese opened fire at the South Dakota, and the muzzle flashes and the Atago's searchlights made them well identifiable for the Americans.
Washington's wish was fulfilled, her crew targeted the battleship, making her to grow a satisfied grin.
After five salvos the radar lost the target, so the guns stopped shooting, but the watchmen soon reported that the Japanese battleship was still afloat and firing three of her turrets.
The guns of Washington breathed fire again for four more minutes, before Lee ordered them to stop.
The Japanese ship was now burning, her guns went silent. She was trying to escape to the north when suddenly she turned to port and started circling. Washington's guns followed her for another ten minutes but didn't fire, that ship seemed to be doomed.
"Good night."
Kirishima's POV
She was flaming, listing and helplessly circling around. After the first impact, Kirishima was struck by projectile after projectile. In total, she was hit by nine of those terrifying 406-millimeter shells, three of them holed her below the waterline.
The 127-millimeter guns of the American battleship hit her forty times.
Her state was more than desperate. Because of the fires, the crew had to flood the aft magazine, so only the B turret remained operational.
Another hit jammed the rudder, forcing Kirishima to circle around.
But the worst part was that she felt what her crew was going through. She could feel their suffering, their fear, their desperation as they were trying to escape the flames and the water, their struggle to save her, their pain as they got blown to pieces by the enemy shells or burnt to death.
For Kirishima it was like a stab to her heart; she loved her sailors as if they were her sons, and now she was experiencing every ship's worst nightmare as she heard their screams and death rattles. If only she could hold their hands, and tell them some words of comfort, helping them through their last sufferings. But of course, she couldn't...
She now realized what a fool she was. She knew now what South Dakota has gone through minutes ago; she must have felt the same. That the American sailors on her who were unlucky enough to be in the way of her grenades suffered just like this. That she wasn't killing Americans, but sailors, the fellow humans of her own crew.
Images came back. Images of allied ships Kirishima shelled and sank. But those were not just ships, but crewmen on their boards, with families that were waiting for them somewhere. Kirishima remembered Edsall, Helena, San Francisco and now South Dakota. And suddenly she became very sorry...
To compensate the list to starboard Captain Iwabuchi ordered a counter-flooding in the port engine room. However, the water that got in through the hull breaches flooded the upper decks, not the bilge, therefore Kirishima became top-heavy, and every time her crew flooded a compartment, she listed to that side, sometimes so much that the sailors couldn't stand on their feet without holding into something.
But despite all of these, there was still a little hope that she can be saved, or at least beached; the fires were dying out and one of the engines was still working. However, the repair teams, couldn't get to the steering gear as it was already under water, so the battleship was still unsteerable.
Kirishima was lying against her railing, panting heavily, her mind fogged by the pain and trauma of the serious damage. She barely understood what Iwabuchi was doing. Her captain told the Nagara to tow his battleship away, but the cruiser's captain refused to provide assistance, due to danger of submarines.
Instead of the Nagara, it were the destroyers that tried to tow Kirishima, but the tiny ships were way not strong enough to move the giant body of steel, filled with water around.
This was when Captain Iwabuchi gave up the fight...
Kirishima was still sitting on the bow deck, with her back against the railing. She was still stunned and couldn't fully understand what was going on. Why is her crew gathering on the deck? Why is the captain thanking their efforts? Why are they lowering the flag? Why are they singing the Japanese anthem as shouting "Long live the Emperor!"? Why are two destroyers standing on either side of her?
Her eyes then grew wild when she realized. "No... No no no no please don't! Don't leave me here!" she mentally begged them.
First, her crew put the Emperor's portrait and the wounded into safety, then started boarding the destroyers and getting in the lifeboats while she was watching helplessly.
It was happening; Iwabuchi gave order to abandon ship.
Kirishima was scared, very scared. Scared of being left alone and scared of the cold and dark abyss.
But then she remembered that her crew, or rather, those who survived will be safe now, and this thought calmed her. As long as they are alive and alright, she'll accept her fate. She made a quick counting in her head. 212. 212 have fallen out of her crew of 1360.
"It's alright." thought Kirishima, surrendering to her destiny, hoping that at least the deceased will hear her. "You'll be safe with me; we'll be together down there."
The proud, strong battleship, that served for many long years, and saw even WW1, will now turn into an underwater cemetery, protecting the bodies of those who perished with her.
At 03:23 a.m. Kirishima capsized and sank in Ironbottom Sound. The last thing she saw and heard was the pitch dark and the bubbling of water as the sea engulfed her...
X
She woke up and sat up in her bed, gasping for air. Kirishima was trembling, pale and sweaty, her hair and pajama were completely soaked.
She looked around with widened eyes. She was in her room she shared with her sisters; Kongo, Hiei, and Haruna were all peacefully sleeping. It was the middle of the night, the room was dark, only the streetlamps gave some light from outside.
A dream. It was all a bad dream. But this dream has actually happened once.
Kirishima sat on the edge of the bed gagging, trying not to vomit; she was still full of stress.
"Hm? What... Kirishima?!" Haruna was the first to wake up, and she immediately run to Kirishima, kneeling down before her and grabbing her hands with a worried look on her face. "Kirishima, what's wrong?"
"Mm... Haruna... What are you doing?" Kongo was now also awake, rubbing her eyes.
"Onee-sama! Come, Kirishima is not well!" said Haruna.
"What? What's the matter Kirishima?" In the blink of an eye Kongo was sitting next to her youngest sister, hugging her shoulders.
"Kongo-oneesa..."
"Hiei! Come!"
In the moment Hiei saw Kirishima she also jumped out of her bed and sat on her other side and hugged her.
"Kirishima, what's wrong?" asked Haruna again, still holding her sister's hands.
Still shaking, Kirishima looked at all three of them. Feeling them close calmed her down a little bit. "She's here." said Kirishima weakly.
"Who?" asked Kongo, tilting her head worriedly.
"... Washington." said Kirishima, barely finding the strength to form the word.
"You mean that Washington?" asked Hiei, to which Kirishima replied with a nod.
Kongo, Hiei and Haruna exchanged knowing looks, knowing exactly what happened to Kirishima.
"You saw her?"
"I met her." whispered Kirishima.
"Did she hurt you?" asked Kongo.
Kirishima shook her head.
"Or did she say something mean?" asked Hiei.
"Nothing." said Kirishima, looking down. "It's just that the memories came back. Yet, she doesn't like us at all, I saw it on her."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Listen, she can't hurt you again. First, because we are on the same side now, and secondly because even if she tried to, the three of us are here to protect you always." assured Haruna the youngest sister.
"She's right-desu!" added Kongo.
"No one can touch me dear little sister!" stated Hiei.
"Girls..."
"Cheer up Kirishima. As long as we are here, everything is going to be alright-desu."
"Thank you. Thank you all." wiped Kirishima her eyes, and she finally able to smile again.
She felt safe again. They were right. None of them will ever let anything to happen to the others.
AN: Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks to: "NCWriting, "anthonyapodaca63", "axissoldier" and "rattler2431"; thanks for the Follow! Welcome on board!
Again, if you like what you read, feel free to leave a Follow, a Favorite or a review!