A Certain Lady Part 25
The summoning chamber was well lit for once, normally only being bright enough to prevent one from tripping over something in the dark.
Mutsu glanced about from the sidelines as Jintsuu directed the bands who had signed up to be a part of this attempt. With the titanic volume of Abyssal steel that had been sunk as of late combined with the latest battle, they were due for something. A destroyer at the very least she hoped. And the equally recent damages suffered had ensured that there were bands and composers popping out of the woodwork to lend their aid in making the ritual go as well as possible.
Some far more famous than others.
She didn't know who Uematsu-san was, but the mere mention of his name had sent quite a few people into a tizzy.
A crash to one corner of the chamber sent Kawakaze and Shigure running off to help and break up any potential scuffles. Which were bound to happen with so many groups of differing fame in one place. At the very least they were united in purpose.
To her left stood Richardson, leafing through a binder filled to the brim with notes, tallies, and the mission plan for today's attempt. One note that had been all but welded into the binder was a reminder about submarines written in his usual scrawl. He wasn't about to put another sub through what Albacore had suffered.
Mutsu would have pouted at having missed her chance to meet the girl for now, but there would be chances in the future. She seemed rather sweet and not at all like the Japanese submarines. A bit of a thief, but one of good heart according to Richardson and anyone else who had mentioned her. She'd have to arrange to take the girl out for a treat sometime. Maybe bring Arizona and Jane along as well.
Richardson turned the page and Mutsu realized she'd been staring at her Admiral.
She tried to turn away without drawing attention and to her fortune, Richardson didn't so much as twitch. Which was nice. The luminescent blush on her cheeks that she was trying to drive off with everything save her main battery was not something she wanted to explain right now. Not while everyone was running on high tension in anticipation.
With an imperceptibly unsteady hand, Mutsu began leafing through her own binder of documents. Mostly containing the guest list and a schedule of who was playing when. It differed from the list Richardson had in that her's had a far more detailed accounting. He didn't really need to know every minute detail unless it because pertinent. Otherwise she wouldn't really be assisting him, now would she?
And attempting to focus on something-anything-else helped to not let her mind drift back to last night.
"Lieutenant Commander, may I borrow you for a moment?"
Mutsu's already fading blush fled like the wind at Arizona's voice, slowly falling boiler pressure suddenly plummeting with it.
"I-" She paused to regain her bearings. She was genuinely not on point this morning. Hardly good behavior for her rank and position. "Certainly. What do you need?"
She spared a glance to Richardson who merely nodded without looking up.
"Please, this way." Arizona gestured with her hand, inclining her scarred chin ever so slightly at the same time. She began leading the way towards the edge of the summoning pool. Her footsteps would have echoed loudly were it not for the din of so much hustle and bustle.
Arizona gazed out over the pool from which she had come into this world anew.
Amidst the background noise, Yamashiro's exclamation of ire could be heard as she intervened in what was sounding like the brewing of a rather heated argument.
"Is something the matter, Arizona?" queried Mutsu. "Weren't you helping Takao with some of the heavy lifting?" She was almost certain Arizona wouldn't have abandoned her post without reason. And that reason would no doubt be a rather important one.
"Everything is in place. There was far less than expected as well. We were going to assist Lieutenant Yamashiro with peacekeeping, but it was insisted that I rescue you." Arizona raised one coppery eyebrow, but did not turn to face the Nagato-class. "I had a question regardless."
"My my~ My standard in shining armor," joked Mutsu with a smile. Her smile only grew when Arizona tried to fight off an amused look of her own. "I hadn't realized I was in such dire straits."
"The only one who had not yet taken notice was the Admiral. But his nose has been buried in that binder ever since you both walked in." And had it not been for the deft tugs on the Admiral's sleeve courtesy of his XO, he might very well have walked straight into one or more obstacles. Yet he never seemed to take notice. Regardless, it was well to avoid any mishaps or embarrassing moments. "I cannot recall seeing him so focused."
"Oh, you'll have plenty of chances to see him when he's focused. But it's a bit disconcerting when someone thinks a show of competency is rare..." Mutsu trailed off with a resigned sigh before shaking her head and focusing her own attention on Arizona, who still kept her gaze upon the pool. "But enough of that. You had a question for me?"
Arizona nodded and seemed to withdraw on herself as if attempting to draw upon some deep well of power. She reached up to grasp her cover and remove it with a slow motion. It was up to personal preference whether or not a member of the service wore their cover in the summoning chamber, and she far preferred to wear it when given the option. There was no deeper meaning to the action. But if she had to place one, Arizona did not want to seem as if hiding behind it.
A silly notion, but one the American did not wish to risk entertaining.
Mutsu waited patiently despite the growing ruckus.
"May I ask who came back first? You or your sister?" Arizona turned her steely grey gaze to Mutsu as she spoke, finally looking at her face to face.
"Nagato-nee did." The answer was simple and without pomp or hesitation. Mutsu was beginning to piece together where Arizona was going with this given the circumstance. But she would let the standard work her way through it. Both to be certain and to avoid leading Ari astray by accident. She beckoned Arizona to continue with a prodding look.
"I see. I suppose that makes sense... I suppose I could have learned that by looking up your service records." She cut herself off before she could give into the rambling train of thought. She had asked for Mutsu's assistance and she would not waste time with pointless babble. "This is a more... personal request. And I do not expect or demand an answer, but I would like to know regardless. How... How did she handle your return?"
Mutsu crossed her arms and gave a thoughtful pose.
"How did Nagato-nee handle my return?" Her usually mirthful green eyes took on a hardened look. Looks like she was right on the money. Fortunately any potential eavesdroppers or other errant ears were giving the pair plenty of space. "I'd like to know why you want to know first."
Arizona nodded after a moment's pause.
"I am worried about meeting others of my kind. Other standards. How do I greet them? Do I welcome them with open arms? With a salute? Will they even accept that? Will they resent the fact I was the one who was brought back and not them, ships with far more battle experience and capability than myself?" Arizona glanced away, a dark ire glinting amongst the gold in her eyes. "I don't even have a good showing in this life for them to judge me by."
"Hm... That's not a good enough reason for me to tell you." Mutsu leaned forward to eye level with the shorter warship as Arizona snapped her gaze up. The hardness in her eyes gave way to a more familiar kindness. "Not here. And certainly not now."
She raised her finger conspiratorially.
"But you asked about Nagato-nee and I specifically~" She grinned playfully, shooing away that pesky atmosphere of depression and gloom. There was enough of that elsewhere. They didn't need it here. And certainly not now. "Which means you're not really worried about Wee Vee, Queen, or the Spud."
"I am worried!" insisted Arizona with a huff while Mutsu's cheery laugh rang out.
"Ari, they're your family. Just welcome them back with a smile. And I know you can smile. Really smile." She placed her finger on Arizona's lips before she could reply, her smile looking as if it belonged to any number of trickster gods. "I see it all the time when you're with Jane~"
Arizona's shoulders sagged and she irritably donned her cover once more, ruffling her red hair in the process.
"You're incorrigible. Absolutely incorrigible. Why did I think it was a sound idea to ask you for advice?" Despite her harsh words, there was not a single sliver of bite in them. She did feel better. But she wasn't about to admit it out loud.
"You know you love me."
"I should have asked Lieutenant Hiei."
"Oh my. Now that's just mean."
Arizona harrumphed and crossed her arms under her bust, not letting her slight smile to creep out from beneath her displeased exterior.
"You do feel better though. No need to try and hide it. Try as you might, you're really bad at it." Mutsu leaned up against Arizona's side and poked the American's cheek, causing that hidden smile to dare show a shadow of itself. "And if she does show up, even if it's not today, just welcome her back with a big hug. I'm positive she'll be happy to see you again. I know Yamashiro is going to do the same when we finally call Fusou back."
"Fusou is..."
"Her older sister. You know, you two are kind of similar. You're both grumpy little sisters~"
"You are beginning to make me regret getting you a gift for Christmas, Lieutenant Commander." Arizona did not so much as budge as Mutsu leaned on her even further. "I may even still have time to return it before our next deployment."
"Try saying that again without a smile, Ari," laughed Mutsu openly at the empty threat. "You might even convince someone."
"I give up."
"Victory is mine. What do I win~?"
"I think some homemade cookies would be nice."
Both battleships whirled about at the new voice, openly surprised.
"M-Miss Jintsuu?" Arizona still had difficulty wrapping her head around Japanese naming conventions, so she had settled for the closest English equivalent. The cruiser hadn't minded in the slightest.
"We're almost ready to start, so I thought you might want to wrap things up." She smiled at the abashed expressions being worn by the battlewagons.
"Ooh, haven't I warned you about sneaking up on me like that?" pouted Mutsu. Her expression deepened when Jintsuu giggled. "One of these days I'll get the drop on you. One of these days. I swear on it as a member of the Big Seven!"
"We'll see."
"Ah, Thank you for letting us know. We'll return to our posts." Arizona took a moment to try and straighten her hair a bit before turning back to Mutsu. "And thank you, Lieutenant Commander. That was... a weight off my shoulders."
"Don't worry about it. Maybe I'll tell you more some other time." Mutsu waved as Arizona departed to rendezvous with Takao, who no doubt was wondering where she was by now.
"Save me a cookie, please?" asked Jintsuu after Arizona was out of earshot.
"Oh? You think she'll really bake some?"
"I would be surprised if she didn't. That was a very kind thing of you to do for her." The meeting of someone so dear who you never thought you would see again, whether in this life, the next, or even a second chance like their own, was a weight that could not be properly put into words.
"She's my friend. She's our friend. And I don't like the idea of someone else making the same expression Nagato-nee did when she finally had the chance to sit down with me." Mutsu crossed one arm under her bust and cupped her cheek with the other hand, a wistful look on her face. This war was such a cruel kindness. The opportunity to meet one another again, to live once more. But also a chance to say goodbye once again...
Jintsuu regarded Mutsu with a warm smile.
"Wh-what?"
"Oh, nothing," replied Jintsuu sweetly before smiling and walking off with a bit of a bounce in her step. "I was just reminded of something nice. Come on, we can't stand around chatting either."
Mutsu blinked in mild confusion before shaking her head and following the second Sendai.
It was showtime.
As she walked, the lights began to dim while the music began to play.
Medleys of patriotism. Ballads of war. Songs of courage. Hymns of valor.
All meant to stir the blood and set the heart aflame.
—|—|—
She ached.
The pain of inaction.
Of sloth.
It burned her.
It tore at her memories and at her decrepit, rusted hulk.
A morning wrought in fire and death. The blood of the little ones painting her face as they burned and screamed in pain. Her own roars of agony rising high into the sky as her world was undone by vile birds of war.
Her actions that morning had not been enough. Too little. Too late.
The dead mounted, both flesh and steel.
And despite her own resilience and dedication. Her nation's resilience and dedication. It was not enough to save everyone.
Not enough.
Never enough.
Her guns would never be silenced ever again. A finger always on the trigger.
And in her vengeance she wrought a streak of blood, of ash, of endless flames across the Pacific islands. Once vibrant and lush, she had glassed them in her fury. A fury that spared no tears. For they had all been burned away.
Her gaze was a sentence of death. As even those who escaped her were laid low by another.
In fire her world had broken.
With fire she sundered a nation.
Through fire the victors had attempted to let her rest.
And from her watery grave, she could hear her nation's call. Hear their invocation of need. It was a merciless foe they faced and it was a merciless soldier they would get. Tireless and timeworn. But never again undone. She would lose nothing ever again.
For Virtue.
For Liberty.
For Independence.
She would burn the world again!
—|—|—
As the final chord was struck, the already dim lights went out and plunged the chamber into darkness.
With the flight of the light, so to did sound and warmth abandon the halls.
The scent of smoke and ash filled the noses of all present. People coughed and choked, but their attention was drawn to the pool where amidst the darkness a pair of blazing red eyes remained. Eyes wide and furious with a madness not comprehensible in a time of peace.
The eyes moved forward, accompanied by the sound of heavy footfalls and metal clanging against metal.
Were it not for the return of the lights, the occupants of the room might very well have given into panic and fled. Even so there were still those who did not feel their safety would remain if they stayed in the presence of what had been called up from the deep.
The figure did not stand any higher than the already present Arizona.
But her presence dominated the room.
The powerful build of a battleship. Short and unyielding like a standard.
A Navy great coat, worn properly and yet tattered and smudged with ash. Its pockets bulging or spilling over with shells that never seemed to reach the floor.
Hands donning filthy gloves embraced a long rifle like it were both prisoner and lover. A finger over the trigger, held back only by the guard. The safety was noticeably broken.
Her cover was completely absent. Absent or reduced to nothing wearable. None could be bothered to think beyond that. Her dark crimson hair was left to fall freely save in the back where it was bound up by what appeared to be criss-crossing plates of metal.
She drew in a deep breath as she came to a stop, her gaze scanning the room almost sightlessly before finally deigning to speak.
And when she spoke, her voice carried through the whole of the hall.
A voice like a cannon. A cannon rife with rust and wear and refusing to die.
"Where is the commanding officer?"
Richardson stepped forward with all the authority his being entailed.
"Rear Admiral Lower Half John Richardson. Commanding officer of United States Fleet Activities Sasebo." He would never deny that the new arrival did not set him on edge in the very worst of ways. But so long as whatever guns she brought back were aimed at the Abyssals, he would sign them up without a second thought. "Your name, sailor."
She exhaled roughly, a small billow of smoke curling about her lips.
"Pennsylvania-Class Battleship. Hull number thirty-eight. U.S.S. Pennsylvania."