Hello folks! This is my first Arpeggio fanfic and I wonder what you'll think of it. Let me know your thoughts if you'd like to! Have a nice day! Enjoy!

The I-401 was sailing the blue, clear, sparkling waters of the Pacific. The flagship of the Blue Fleet and its crew were on a patrol, controlling the area east from Iwo Jima. The sky was clear and bright shone the sun.

They left the island on which they had a fortress three days ago and nothing happened since then. The activity of the Fleet of Fog decreased since the mass use of the vibration warheads, especially between Iwo Jima and the Japanese mainland. Since then the war turned into a bit more equal fight. However shipping was still far from safe for humanity.

Now the I-401 was patrolling the sea east from her base, she was in the vicinity of Wake Island where many years ago the Japanese destroyers Kisaragi and Hayate sunk in 1941. Takao, Kirishima and Haruna whose ships have been restored were anchoring at Iwo Jima.

"Looks like we'll have a boring trip Captain." Kyouhei said as the crew was sitting in the control room.

"Don't say that too early!" Shizuka warned him. "Unpleasant things always happen when we think we have nothing to worry about!"

"Why? Can you see any chance to meet with enemy right now?"

"Both of you are right." said Gunzo. "Don't let our guard down but also don't paint the devil on the wall!"

"Gunzo! What does that mean?" Iona asked.

"It means you'd better not talk about things you don't want to happen because if you do they'll happen." her captain explained.

"How?"

"I don't know Iona. This is what they call superstition."

"Superstition…" And just as she said that an alarm sounded.

"You see? I've told you!" Shizuka said as she sat before the sonar.

"It's coincidence!" Kyouhei argued as he also took his battle station.

"Dive to 10 meters!" Gunzo ordered the ballast tanks filled with water and the blue submarine went below the waves. Silence lapsed between them as they were waiting for the unknown ship to get close enough to be identified.

"Iona. Can you tell what kind of ship is this?" Gunzo asked.

"Fog battleship and I feel a mental model. She is alone. Nothing more. I can't find her in my repository."

"Strange." Gunzo whispered. "What's the distance Shizuka?"

"25.000 meters and closing!"

"What are your orders captain?" Sou asked.

"Wait until it gets closer. Let HER take the first step! Count it down for me Shizuka!"

"Hai! 24.500 meters and closing. 24.000. 23.500. 23.000."

She must be aware of them by now.

"Prepare!" Gunzo said. "Iori! Are the engines alright?"

"Currently yes." the engineer girls replied.

"Great. We may need them."

20.000, 19.000, 18.000, 17.000, 16.000, 15.000, 14.000, 13.000, 12.000, 11.000, 10.000, 9000, 8000, 7000, 6000, 5000, 4000 meters….

Nothing. The Fog ship continued her way towards west ignoring the 401 heading towards southeast.

"What is your wish Gunzo?" Iona asked. The captain was thinking.

"Try to contact her!"

"WHAT?" The rest of the crew yelled.

"Are you serious captain?" Kyouhei asked confused. "It has never worked well!"

"Maybe now." said Gunzo. "Iona, call her and bring her to screen!"

"Affirmative."

After a few seconds the large scree started to glow. After another second the battleship's mental model appeared. Now they understood why Iona couldn't identify her. She wasn't at all Japanese. She had long, blond hair, glowing blue eyes. She looked totally European, a european girl or young woman in her early twenties. She didn't say a word, just looked at them with a bored, scornful look on her face.

"Greetings!" Gunzo raised his hand. "My name is Chihaya Gunzo, admiral of the Blue Fleet in the…"

"Really? Fantastic." The model replied shortly. "If you forgive me now, I'm busy. By!"

"Wait!" Gunzo said quickly.

"For what?"

"Forgive me, but I am responsible for these waters and what's happening on them. I have to interrogate you. So again, my name is Chihaya Gunzo. May I ask yours?" The battleship didn't reply immediately.

"Battleship Bismarck, North Atlantic Fleet. Are you satisfied now?"

"Sorry but I have to interrogate and engage any Fog ships here if it's necessary. I'd like to ask you to stop. We are surfacing."

Bismarck didn't reply, only Iona's sensors showed that the german battleship was slowing down.

"Thank you." Gunzo said. Slowly the submarine came to the above the waves just near the enormous grey hull of Bismarck. The model was already standing at the railing, her hands behind her back. Gunzo and Iona climbed out of the turret waiting for the other girl. Glowing platforms appeared in the air and Bismarck started to walk down to them. Seeing her closer Gunzo could tell that she looked pretty dead beautiful. She was tall, much taller than him. She wore a white shirt, a short black skirt accentuating every curve of her hip, black pellucid stockings and black heeled shoes with red soles. The words that could describe her were possibly among the lines of attractive or sexy. Even though her cold impression didn't change.

She reached the deck and stopped about two meters from our friends.

"May I ask you how did you get here from the other side of the planet?" Gunzo started. "And why you are here, furthermore why you didn't…"

"I've come here on the sea, what I'm doing here is my business only and you'd better thank your so called God that I don't attack humans instantly anymore." Bismarck interrupted in a cold tone causing Gunzo to be surprised.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"That's still none of your concern. Can I leave now or you'll continue to hold me back? Do not be afraid, I wouldn't assault anybody out here." she said. "And why are you too on a Fog ship as a human?"

"Too?"

"Never mind." Bismarck shook her head. "Auf Wiedersehen!" She turned away intending to go back to her own ship. "If you ever meet with a certain battleship called Hiei, tell her…"

"Hiei? Actually, we know her." Gunzo said perplexed.

Bismarck stopped after hearing this. She looked back. Now she looked interested.

"Wirklich?"

"Excuse me?" Gunzo asked. German language was left out of his life.

"Really?" Bismarck repeated.

"Maybe it's an overstatement that we know her, but we already had engagement and a short and not too great conversation with her."

Bismarck just stared at them for a few seconds.

"Then perhaps you could be useful for me." she said. "Can you help me to find her?"

"Not impossible but why?"

"Like I said: my business." said Bismarck in a serious tone.

"As you think." said Gunzo. "In this case come with us to our base Iwo Jima. There we can figure out something."

"I want a plan Japaner, not a "something"."

"No worries Bismarck, we'll make a plan and it will be a good plan."

"Great. Can we go now?"

"Of course. Please follow us."

"You are somehow different than other mental models." Iona who was just listening until now said.

"O, yes?" Bismarck asked with an excitable look. "Someone has already told me that. And as I see the same applies to you as well. I'm coming Herr Chihaya."

The two massive hulls started to move again towards Iwo Jima. The I-401 led the formation Bismarck followed her closely.

"Do you think it was a good idea captain?" Kyouhei asked.

"Iona was right. She is somehow different." replied Gunzo.

"I hope she has right captain. I hope so."

Iwo Jima

"Hey Takao! Will you use up all the detergent from the storages or you'll leave a little for the base too?" Hyuga said annoyed as the heavy cruiser already spent three hours with her ship's cleaning.

"But I have to keep my ship clean! What would the Captain say if he sees it in a dirty condition?"

"It was already sparkling before you started this stupidity!"

Meanwhile Haruna, Kirishima and Makie were roasting beef and vegetables for lunch nearby on a grill.

Hyuga and Takao argued on for a bit until Haruna spoke up.

"They are coming." she stated in her neutral tone. "They have somebody with them."

The group on the beach looked up and they surprised over the enormous battleship following the I-401.

"What the… Who is this?" Takao asked.

"No idea, I never met her before." said Hyuga.

The two arriving ships stopped at the pier. Iona's human crew got off from the submarine. They were followed by Bismarck who walked in a pretty elegant way. Still her expression didn't change at all. Cold and disinterested toward everybody.

"Who is this Captain?" Takao asked Gunzo but before that a little twinkle appeared in her eyes.

"Battleship Bismarck, flagship of the North Atlantic Fleet of the Fleet of Fog." Bismarck replied instead of Gunzo. "Do you know where the fast battleship Hiei is?"

"…No, but why…"

"So you don't. Understood. Can we start the searching Herr Chihaya?"

"Well, I thought that we could settle down and learn about the other's intentions first."

"Typical human. Alright. You are the host." said Bismarck but it was visible that she would have preferred to send him flying with a canon blast.

After a walk through the base they settled down in the meeting room.

"This was the last point we saw her. North from Midway." Gunzo pointed at a map on the table. "However, it was a pretty long time ago, since then she could go anywhere."

"So you simply don't know where to search after her." Bismarck said in a senseless voice.

"Bismarck, I guess both of us know that the ocean is one of the greatest places on Earth to hide. I can say you now that we can locate her current sojourn place somewhere in a triangle between Japan, Midway and the Bering Sea."

"That's not too specific, is it?" Bismarck said sitting on the sofa with crossed arms and legs.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

The battleship was silent.

"So she can be anywhere within that area?" she finally asked.

"Technically yes."

Bismarck looked again on the map. Then she stood up and slowly walked to the long window which was showing the underground dock.

"No matter." She said looking out clenching her fists. "I'll find her. I'll find her if I have to rummage every square meters of the sea and the coasts!" she said in a more hard or even angry tone. Then Gunzo was almost sure that she said quietly: "I'll find him."

"You still didn't tell us why you are searching for Hiei." Gunzo noted respectfully. Bismarck turned back with an annoyed face then she simply stormed out without even saying a word.

"What is wrong with her?" Hyuga asked. "I've never seen a model acting like this."

"I don't know." Gunzo replied looking at the door where Bismarck disappeared. "But she surely has some rare reason."

After leaving the residents of the base behind Bismarck walked down to the beach. Exhausted she sat on a rock and watched the waves of the Pacific Ocean, painted red and orange by the sunset. She was completely motionless. However her face changed this time. It showed sadness and loneliness.

"Wo bist du Kapitän?" she asked in herself. "Ich vermisse dich." (Where are you Captain? I miss you.)

A teardrop was streaming down on her cheek. It was not a long time ago when she thought that this was unimaginable for her. And now here she was.

"Wir werden wieder zusammen sein. Ich verspreche das." (We'll be together again. I promise that.)

She stayed on that rock for a while and when it was late at night she returned to her ship. As she walked through the stairs she arrived into a large room in the core of the battleship which was completely dark now. On the left side of it was a door. She opened it and she got into a nice styled, comfortable cabin.

Bismarck removed her heels and fell into the large bed. It was unnecessary for her to sleep but now it was her only wish to wander the land of dreams. There she can meet him again. She grabbed the bedclothes as if she was hugging that special someone, then she put her system into reduced mode.