"Um, so, um, this other admiral . . .," Ru asked cautiously as all of Yin's ships sped ahead of his boat across the open sea.
Musashi looked over her shoulder to Ru and smiled. "Admiral Kyousuke of the Fourth Destroyer Fleet, he was Yuudachi's original admiral. This Musashi thinks that Admiral Yin and Admiral Kyousuke are acquainted already as well."
Ru looked at Musashi and swallowed hard. "This combined operation, will we be alright? I mean, there will be a lot of other fleets there right? And me and Wo are not exactly . . ."
"I'm sure the Admiral will keep us all safe. And I would not worry about, you and Wo may be a little different than others, but you are still our fellow ships."
Ru nodded and then looked forward, looking over her weapons that to some would seem like massive shields covered in guns. "But we're hybrid ships. We're not ship girls or abyssal."
Musashi smiled at Ru and slid over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know that some other fleets will not accept it, but we do, so do not worry. We are meeting with the Fourth Destroyer Fleet before heading out, so we should be ready."
"Um, about that. The ship that the Admiral mentioned. . . . ."
Musashi nodded slightly and looked forward," Tenryuu. . . she was one of the two first ships under Admiral Yin. She was a confident and strong cruiser, and an older sister to Wo."
"But, she was a cruiser right? How was she..?"
"She was a sister to Wo in name, but they were really close. Wo took it harder than anyone when she sunk." Musashi explained, knowing what was going to be asked next.
". . . Um, may I ask, how she was sunk?" Ru asked carefully, knowing it was sore subject from the way everyone had been acting since the Admiral had said her name.
Musashi shook her head, not denying her the answer, but to shake away her emotions on the matter as she spoke. "Tenryuu and I were sent to rescue the main fleet of the fourth destroyer fleet that had been caught by surprise. While saving them the enemy flagship went after Yuudachi and her retreating fleet. Tenryuu went after it to stop it. It sunk her, and then Yuudachi sunk it."
"I see. . . .What was the flagship? If it was able to sink her it must've been strong."
Musashi looked away from Ru and noticed the base of the Fourth Destroyer Fleet ahead of them. We're almost there."
"Um, what was the flagship?" Ru asked after waiting a second and speeding up so she was in front of Musashi, right in her view.
Musashi looked at Ru and sighed heavily, looking directly into her eyes as she spoke. "It was a battleship . . . . . . . . A Ru-class."
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"Admiral, Admiral Yin's fleet is almost here!" Tatsuta, Kyousuke's secretary ship, stated as she stepped up beside him.
Kyousuke nodded, causing his short hazel hair to wave slightly. "I can see that. It'll be good to speak with Yin in person again. I just wish it could've been under less extreme circumstance." He looked over to see all of his fleets on the docks, ready to meet Yin's fleet, and move at a moment's notice. "Everyone is ready then?"
Tatsuta nodded, her face never changing as she spoke. "Yes, all of the Mutsuki, Ayanami and Akatsuki class ship girls are ready, as is Murakumo, and Nenohi."
Kyousuke chuckled slightly in response to the way Tatsuta spoke. "I'm sure they're all looking forward to seeing Yuudachi again, and meeting Musashi."
"Yes, well, she did…Sir, I think I see a Ru-class and Wo-class within Admiral Yin's fleet, but I can't tell for sure. Do we prepare to fire?"
"Why?" Kyousuke asked calmly, showing no worry on his face.
"Well, if they are then that would mean the rumor of Abyssal admirals could be-.."
"Don't worry, they're not Abyssal ships, I'm sure of it." Kyousuke said as Yin's speedboat slowed down and stopped beside Kyousuke's, and all of his ships climbed up onto the dock. Kyousuke could not help but raise an eyebrow as he saw Yin's fleet. He knew that Yin had a Musashi in his fleet and had met her once before, but seeing all of his ship girls was something else, and not because of its small size. A Musashi, Shimikaze, and Yuudachi was a decent combination of firepower, but the other two ships, just like Tatsuta said, looked shockingly similar to abyssal ships in the design of their armour, but not from the coloring of it.
Shaking his head and ignoring that for the moment, Kyousuke walked over to where Yin had parked his boat and reached down. "Need a hand?"
Yin smiled and took Kyousuke's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up and onto the dock. Almost right as he had his footing on the dock he and Kyousuke embraced each other in one armed hugs before parting. "Good to see you, Kyousuke. It looks like I lose in fleet size." Yin said as he noticed just how many ships were present on the dock.
Kyousuke chuckled slightly as he placed an arm on Yins shoulder. "That I do, though I think you might win in firepower. . . . Let's head inside, we should keep our conversation low key until we have a plan." Kyousuke said grimly as he gestured toward the building.
"Musashi, I'll be heading into Kyousuke's office to speak in private. We'll likely leave within the hour though so be ready and get to know everybody, okay?" Yin said as he followed Kyousuke away from the dock and toward the buildings.
Musashi watched as Yin and Kyousuke walked away before turning back to the docks, and quickly being met with the scene of Yuudachi leaping nearly a dozen feet into a full on hug with Murakumo, both of them smiling happily!
"Murakumo, How are you, poi?!" Yuudachi asked with a giggle as the two of them parted.
"I am fine, and so is everyone. How are you doing?" Murakumo replied, making almost all of the rest of the destroyers to begin asking the same thing, completely oblivious to any other ship but Yuudachi for a moment.
"I'm fine, poi! You all worry too much!" Yuudachi answered as Musashi noticed Shimakaze talking with some other destroyers, Wo standing a few feet behind Yuudachi, and Ru sitting on the edge of the dock nervously; and Murakumo noticing Wo.
"Um, who's your friend back there behind you, Yuudachi?" Murakumo asked, nervously, likely because of Wo's shape.
"Oh! Right! Wo, come here and meet everybody!" Yuudachi called, causing Wo to look up and walk over, while all of the destroyers looked suddenly very worried. "This is Wo, our fleet's carrier and my friend!"
"Um, hello, it's nice to meet you all." Wo said nervously.
". . . Um, are you a..?" Murakumo began, being the only destroyer who wasn't so shocked by her name and form to speak.
"Wo's not an abyssal ship!" Yuudachi exclaimed loudly, "she's a hybrid ship!"
"What, you mean like, half abyssal!" Inazuma asked, being the first to speak up since Murakumo.
"Yes, exactly that!"
"But how's that possible?" Murakumo asked, asking Wo more than Yuudachi.
"Um ,well-." Wo started as she began to explain her existence with Yuudachi's help.
Musashi smiled as she saw the scene unfold, perhaps it would be alright. They only had to wait for their admirals.
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"Tell me straight up, Yin. What are those two ships? They look like abyssals." Kyousuke said as soon as he and Yin were in his office and the door was shut.
"They're hybrid ships. Half abyssal." Yin said simply as Kyousuke sat down behind his desk.
"How is that even possible, man? How did it happen?"
"Ru just appeared when we did some manufacturing. Wo was a little miniature level 0 Wo class first. Then a few days later she just, turned into hybrid class. I honestly don't know how it happened, or how it happens."
"I see. That's strange."
"Answer me this then. What did you mean when you told me over the phone that the new Hime could be Tenryuu. Ships turning into abyssal has never been proven. It's just a rumor, a myth."
Kyousuke was quite for a moment before opening one of the drawers of his desk. "I got an anonymous email that said so. It also had a picture with it. The email deleted itself, but I was able to copy the picture and print it out. Take a look." Kyousuke said as he dropped a sheet of paper on the desk.
Stepping up to the desk Yin picked up the sheet and looked it over for a good minute before dropping it back onto the table and looking at Kyousuke. "I'll admit it does resemble her, but who sent you such information?"
"I told you, it was anonymous. I tried to find out where it came from but I couldn't even get what email provider it came from, much less the sender's IP Address. You want to find out for sure though, don't you?"
Yin nodded. "Even if it is her, I don't know what could be done though. I expect you have a plan for that as well?"
Kyousuke smiled. "Partially. I had the maintenance fairies modify my speedboat with an underwater section that a single ship could be kept in, be it a sub for secret support, or for example, a captured Hime."
"You've been planning since before this then, haven't you?"
"And why shouldn't I. Over the twenty plus years of combat we still know next to nothing about the abyssals. And there are even secrets about our own ship girls we still don't understand. I've been hoping that the next time a Hime would surface we could capture it, even just its corpse, but when I got the information, I knew I had to help you first."
Yin nodded, a smile crossing his face. "Thank you. What's the plan then?"
Kyousuke looked to the side, averting his gaze momentarily. "That's the problem, there isn't much of one on how to actually deal with Bladereef Hime. Other fleets have already engaged her, but from the information coming in, though it's slightly slow, I can say with surety that not a single fleet has been able to sink her, and she has backup now."
"What kind?"
"Hundreds of I-class and dozens of Chi and Ri-class's. Her armour is just so thick that nothing seems to hurt her. And nothing can get close enough to even evaluate any damage. I'm nervous about sending my girls in; some still aren't that high a level, and watching Tenryuu sink for some of them was hard for them."
Yin walked to the window of Kyousuke's office and looked through it, a smile appearing on his face as he saw his fleet getting along with all of Kyousuke's. Wo and even Ru seemed to be talking with everyone as well. "Kyousuke, in the academy you designed a new shell type, that high density smoke shell. Did you ever build them?"
"Yeah, right after, um, that close call where you lost Tenryuu. I began manufacturing them for the flagships to use in case of emergency, why?"
"Because," Yin said as he turned from the window and looked at Kyousuke with a grin, "I have a plan!"