Time: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Location: Unknown
We can see that Fumio is currently tucked up in a bed wearing what seems to be hospital attire. There are no machines present in the room so the only sound that can be heard is that of Fumio's breathing. A Nurse then appears and enters the room on what seems to be her rounds, but all of a sudden Fumio starts to stir gaining the attention of the nurse as she walks over to see if there is anything wrong.
"mmmmm…..mmm uhhh… ugghhhh did someone get the plate of that truck" I said aloud as I struggled to open my eyes, but when I did open them properly I noticed I was somewhere completely different then my home. I started to move my head slowly and when I looked to the right of me I locked eyes with a Nurse who looked back and smiled at me before leaving the room.
I decided to sit upright and so I started move very slowly as I still ached all over. When I finally managed to get into a sitting position before seething in pain as I grabbed my head to stabilize it. 'Man this sucks!' I yelled inwardly to myself.
It took me a few minutes before the pain started to subside, So I decided to then find out where I was. Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention so I turned my head and saw a combination clock and calendar. I leaned over and picked it up and I saw what was displayed on it, 15:00 and it was August 10th.
With this information now know to me I went wide eyed in shock, it had been six days since I passed out. I started to panic but with a few deep breaths I managed to calm myself down. 'It could be worse, I could have been out for a month' I said to myself before I started looking around the room some more.
I next decided to open the bedside window and let some fresh air into the room and the sight I saw was well worth it. Lilies of every type and colour were planted in the courtyard overlooking the bay, the sight stole my breath away not only because of the beauty of the sight but that fact that the Lily was my all time favourite flower.
After taking the sights in for a little while longer I looked back into the room and another object caught my eye, It was a full length mirror. So with some difficulty getting out of the bed I walked over slowly over and I expected to see my normal self but what I saw instead was a beautiful young girl wearing hospital attire staring back.
"I'm so sorry" I said bolting away from the mirror, but when no voice returned my apology I realized that something was really wrong. I walked back over to the mirror and saw the girl again, but now that I looked a little closer she seemed really familiar for some reason and only when I raised my arm to wave and the girl did the same thing, It was then that everything fell into place.
'I'm the girl' I stuttered in horror as I backed away from the mirror and stumbled back onto the bed 'How, why?' I started to question it was then that I grabbed my head in pain once more as memories with the consistency of a freight train came back revealing to me what had happened. 'It was that blue light' I said now knowing the cause.
It was at this point that I couldn't hold it in anymore as I curled up into a ball and had a breakdown. My tears just wouldn't stop flowing as I just kept wondering why on earth this had happened to me causing me to cry even more at my predicament.
It was a good few minutes of crying, as I kept glancing at the clock, before a voice snapped me out of it "Fumio…." I looked up to see three people that I recognised and two that I didn't.
"Kaa-san, Onee-chan, Oba-san" I croaked out before starting to cry again as they rushed over and bear hugged me all at once with them starting to cry as well.
After roughly 30mins had passed Emika, Yoko and Aria had managed to calm down Fumio before Yoko took her to the bathroom to freshen up before Helping her back into her bed. It was then that Emika introduced the two people that Fumio didn't recognise and their names were Maxine and Zuihou. Emika then noticing that It was close to Lunchtime asked the two of them to go and get some lunch to which they Happily obliged and left the room.
Once they had come back and started to eat, Emika filled Fumio in with what had happened over the past six day since she passed out. Fumio was thankful for the information as now she was caught up with current events.
She still decided to ask how she had become kanmusu in the first place, but all she got in response was that no one had any idea as to why it had happened. Which made Fumio depressed again before being cheered up by Yoko.
With all of this new information that had been gathered Fumio decided to go to the restroom in order to think to herself for a bit. Even though she was still upset with what had happened to her, Fumio decided to take each day as it comes and eventually she hoped that she would ease into her new life as a Kanmusu even if she was now the most powerful one to date.
Fumio then returned back to her bed and looked out of the window at the lilies again in order to improve her mood a bit and it did but when she looked back at the others her eyes landed on Zuihou. She felt something very peculiar from the girl and it seemed familiar….
'Could Zuihou-san be like me? I guess there is only one way to find out' I thought to myself before asking
"Zuihou-san, are you by chance a kanmusu as well?"
"Yes I'm a kanmusu, I belong to the Shouhou class aircraft carriers and I'm second in the class" she replied with me nodding in response "I'm also your Kaa-san's secretary ship" She added
"Cool, well it's nice to meet you Zuihou-san" I said holding out my hand to which she shook.
After we broke contact we all started then to have a bit off small talk and at one point nee-chan dragged me off to the Bathroom in order to teach me how to put on a bra properly as well as giving me some panties. Even though it felt weird putting a bra on I was grateful to the support it gave. I tried a few times with getting the bra on and off, I quickly managed to get the hang of it.
I then hugged my sister and thanked her for the help she gave me before I put back on the hospital gown leaving the bra and panties on seeing I was now comfortable wearing them, we left the bathroom and I hopped back into my bed with nee-chan sitting back down. It was then that Kaa-san decided to speak….
"Okay everyone we've had our fun but it's getting late and we have one more job to do before we leave" She then turned and looked at me before continuing
"Well, my dear what do you want your new name to be. The reason that I'm asking is that we can't call you Fumio anymore seeing as you are a girl now and we can't keep calling you A150 either"
It took me a few minutes to think of a new name but I finally decided.
"Kaa-san, I want to be called Izumi from now on" I said
"I see, you remembered didn't you about the fact that if you were born a girl in the first place that is what I would have named you"
"Yep" I smiled
"Well, Battleship Izumi has a nice ring to it as well seeing as the Izumi province was pretty close to the Yamato province and knowing that you are in the same class as Yamato it just makes sense" Auntie Aria said
The rest of us then looked at her weirdly before she looked up and noticed our starting.
"What?"
"Wow nee-chan didn't know you were such a history buff, but you are right it is a fitting name from that perspective" Kaa-san said
"I like it" I said
"Well then it's settled, from now on you are know as Battleship Izumi 1st ship of the Super-Yamato class!" Kaa-san exclaimed as cheers erupted all around.
"Okay now we really have to leave my dear. Tomorrow will be a big day for you as the Doctor is going to perform a full range of physical tests in the morning and then when we arrive in the afternoon we'll go and start basic Kanmusu training in order to get you started. So get a good night's sleep Izumi you hear me"
"I will Kaa-san" I said smiling
"Okay then goodnight my dear" Kaa-san said getting out of her chair and kissing me on the forehead.
"Goodnight everyone" I said as the group left the room and closed the door leaving me alone once more, but I was happy knowing that I had their help and support getting through this and with that thought fresh in my mind I got out of my bed and had a nice long soak in the bath before the nurse from earlier came in with some dinner for me.
I then hopped in bed and started to drift off into a blissful sleep already wanting for tomorrow to come with all of the excitement that it will bring.
The next day
Time: 07:00
I decided to wake up bright and early so as soon as some sunlight peeked through the curtains, I immediately sprang into action and opened the curtains and windows and took in a very deep breath of fresh air. After seeing the field of lilies once more I decided that the was the best start to a day that I'd had in a good long while.
It was then at this point I heard the door starting to open, so I turned my head and saw a doctor come in and I recognised her as the doctor Kaa-san mentioned to me before she left yesterday.
"Good morning, Doctor Mizu" I said in a cheerful tone
"Ara, ara well a very good morning to you too my dear" she replied walking over and handing me what seemed to be a bag of clothes
"Now Izumi could you please change into these clothes, before we get on to the tests. we don't want to keep your family waiting for this afternoon no do we?"
"Nope!" I said jumping out of my bed and heading into the bathroom to get changed.
It took me a few minutes before I came out and what I was wearing consisted of a pair of black thigh high socks, a blue pleated skirt, and a white t-shirt, as for my underwear they stayed the same. I also decided to put my hair up in a spiral side ponytail.
"Wow, you look adorable Izumi" Mizu said causing me to blush in response.
"Well let's go and do those test now shall we" she said starting to walk out of the room
"Right" I said happily putting on some slippers before following the doctor out of the room.
Well I must say I am most certainly surprised. The tests that I asked Izumi to perform seemed weird to her, but then I reminded her that these tests were for Kanmusu not regular humans. Once she got that into her head Izumi went along with it and despite the fact she had been inactive for a few days, she performed brilliantly. Once again proving to me that she was a very healthy girl.
I'm now currently waiting in the observation room waiting for the results of the tests to come through. I let Izumi leave seeing as I didn't want to bore her sitting around doing nothing.
The results then came through and as I looked through them, I could only say that I was utterly shocked, Izumi nevers ceases to amaze me. You see the first time a new ship girl performs these tests, It is within expectations that they would fail some parts of it on their first go, before they were encouraged to keep trying with the those parts of the test.
But Izumi on the other hand I can see why she is now known as the most powerful Kanmusu to date, she aced all of the tests with flying colours!
I decided to then go and find Izumi and tell her the good news, so I left the observation room and went to go and find her. Thankfully a nurse directed me to her location and I giggled to myself realising where she was.
I entered the courtyard at the rear of the hospital and just as the nurse had said there Izumi was sitting on a bench amongst the flowers. I made my way over to her and smiled at how peaceful she looked. I then decided to speak up…
"You seem happy Izumi"
"Yep, I asked one of the nurses if I could relax out here and well here I am" she replied cheerfully. I then sat down and put the papers on my side but as I went to look back at Izumi I saw her staring intently at the papers I had just put down.
"Curious are we?" I asked to which I got a vigorous head nodding in response
"Well you will be glad to know my dear, that what I have here is your test results"
Izumi then tensed up and I saw her become very anxious. I giggled at this getting a raised eyebrow from her
"Now, now don't worry. Your results came back all clear, you are perfectly fine" As I finished speaking Izumi then got up and did a little dance to show how happy she was. I then got her attention….
"Calm down my dear, remember that you have basic training this afternoon with your family and we wouldn't want to get you hurt now would we?" Izumi then went red faced in embarrassment. 'my god she is adorable' I thought to myself "Let's go and get some lunch now shall we?"
After I heard the results of my tests coming back all clear from Doctor Mizu, I simply couldn't hide my excitement. But I had been calmed down by her in order to, as she put it, not hurt myself again.
The Doctor then suggested that we go to the cafeteria for lunch and so we did. when we arrived she said she'll go and get a seat as she had already had hers ordered earlier in the day for pickup. So as I was looking at the various menu's to decide what to eat, a poster had caught my eye.
It described the 10kg food challenge, I had to eat 10kgs of food in under an hour. I could add more if I wanted to but decided against it, as for the food that the challenge would be comprised of. That would be kept secret until the start of the challenge.
I then looked at the leaderboard to see what the rankings were like and to my surprise there was only one person that had completed the challenge. The name of this person was Akagi and she had a time of 56 mins 32 secs. This lit a fire in my belly so off I went to the cafeteria staff and said I would like to take the challenge.
They were shocked to say the least that another person wanted to try it, so they asked if I was sure that I wanted to do this. So I explained that I hadn't eaten properly in 6 days and was starving like mad. They understood this and told me to go and sit down for a bit whilst they prepare the food.
Once I sat down with the doctor I told her what I was about to do, she called me crazy and demanded me to call it off. But once she saw the fire in my eyes she knew I wasn't going to let this go, so she gave me her permission to take on the challenge.
It was a good half an hour before the food was ready and it seems word had traveled fast about my challenge as a massive crowd had gathered in the cafeteria. The food was then brought over by one of the staff members and what I saw was a huge pile of chicken curry that was then placed in front of me.
The timer was set to start as soon as I took my first bite. The tension in the room could almost be tasted as I took a deep breath and digged in. Due to how hungry I was I attacked the food with the voracity of a wild dog and by what seemed to have been only minutes had passed, to me anyway, the plate was empty.
When the time was revealed, since it was one of the rules that the timer had to be hidden, everyone roared in excitement seeing as not only had I beaten the current record I had smashed it by 13 mins with a time of 43 mins 23 secs.
The celebrations had then died down and my picture was put on the leaderboard in the no.1 spot, I had beaten this Akagi person and I was filled to the brim with pride over my victory. But alas the fun times had to end and know I had to go meet Kaa-san the others and start my Kanmusu training.
So I followed the Doctor to the main entrance where my family were already there waiting for the two of us. Doctor Mizu then told them about the stunt I pulled in the cafeteria and I saw to my surprise that Kaa-san, Auntie Aria, Max and Zuihou went wide-eyed in shock as their jaws hit the floor.
"EHHHHH! SHE BEAT AKAGI!" they yelled with doctor Mizu nodding in response, 'Just who is this Akagi person anyway, is she a Kanmusu too?' I thought to myself.
Time: 13:30
Location: Kanmusu Training grounds
It took awhile before the shock finally wore off and by this time Zuihou had mentioned that we should be getting on with my training. So as a big group, Doctor Mizu included since she had never seen a Kanmusu train before, we all headed over to the training grounds.
Once we arrived my eyes went wide in shock and awe at just how big this place really was. There were static targets on a ground section and on the water there were tracks dedicated to speed and maneuverability, as well as more targets to shoot at.
It then dawned on me how hard this 'basic' training would be, especially for someone like me who had only become a Kanmusu recently. I pretty much froze on the spot refusing to budge, but with a little coaxing from everyone they managed to get me moving again.
Before the training could actually began however Kaa-san had asked me to change into my proper uniform, so to speak, that she had gotten made for me whilst I was knocked out. So off to the changing room I went, besides as Yoko had pointed out I needed to get used to wearing it anyway seeing I will be wearing for most of the time when I'm active on missions.
My new outfit comprised from top to bottom, a headgear in the shape of a lily in bloom with my hair in the same style it was earlier going through it on the left side of my head, my bra and panties remained the same, around my neck was a collar that had a solid bit that was level with my chin and it had a golden button adorned with a cherry blossom.
The rest of the outfit surprised me though, as it was something that I had worn in the past *Grumbles* Yoko *grumbles* but to be honest I really liked it seeing as it was a red and white lolita style Kimono dress with inverse coloured swirls across the dress with the look being finished with a black and red Obi going around my waist with a bow on the rear with the strands going past the bottom of the dress.
The theme continued down below with my just below knee length leggings except the bows were on the front, there were a few of them too, underneath that were a pair of calf high white socks and finally on my feet I had metal zori sandals coloured the way ship's hull was with a grey top and a red bottom. According to Zuihou who had come in to check on how I was doing the zori sandals reminded her of a shorter version, heightwise, of the ones that Akagi and Kaga wore.
Yet another person I didn't know, this time it was someone called Kaga. Man I really have to learn who these people are before I make a mockery of myself if I ever meet them.
After leaving the changing rooms with Zuihou and heading back to the training grounds, I was immediately glomped by Yoko with her squealing in glee on how cute I looked at the moment. She then left and I looked where she was going and took notice that Kaa-san and the others, minus Max-san for some reason, had gone over and taken positions in what seemed to be an open air observation platform. Zuihou then went to the sidelines whilst I went to the position marked in front of me and then I waited a bit before my mom spoke.
"Okay now Izumi the first part of the training is going to be outfit testing, so when you are ready my dear please summon your outfit" It took me a few tried but with some advice from Zuihou I managed to successfully summon my outfit and then I saw them.
Everyone in the room including myself went silent in shock, wonder and quite a bit of fear at the firepower I now had in my possession. I was especially fearful due to the fact that this was the first time I had seen my outfit up close. It also had something to do with that whilst I was becoming a Kanmusu, I was in too much pain to really take any notice.
But eventually I dug down deep and gulped as I knew I had to press on with the testing. All I had to do thankfully was making sure that every part operated smoothly without any restraint, especially my turrets and gun barrels.
After a good few minutes of turning my turrets in all directions, It was now time to move on to the next part of the training. This was the part of the training that I feared the most, learning how to move and fire on the water.
Once again I had to be coaxed by the others with Zuihou doing some arm pulling and eventually I was on the water, but to be honest it felt I was wearing roller skates for the first time again as I had no sense of balance as my legs had buckled a bit in order to keep me steady.
Eventually though, with the help of holding out my arms to steady myself, I managed to properly stand up straight and I knew that it was time to move on to the next part. This time with the mental image of myself learning to roller blade I started off moving slow at first, but I eventually started to gain speed and pretty soon I was moving across the water like a pro.
But I was starting to get weary and I knew somehow that I was low on fuel, so I called for a break to which Kaa-san permitted so that I could relax for a bit and refuel.
As I sat down Zuihou passed me a beer sized can of fuel, seeing as I needed it, and I thanked her as she took her own seat beside me. I decided to strike up a conversation with Zuihou about what it's like being a secretary ship. She told me it was mostly mundane stuff such as paperwork, but things got really lively whenever Kaa-san did some really silly, to which she yelled over the radio in embarrassment.
It was now time for the firing part of the training, but just before I went back on the water Yoko mentioned to me that there seemed to be a catapult on the back of my outfit. I got curious and seeing as there was a catapult there must be some planes as well and sure enough I sensed four planes on either side of it.
As I thanked nee-chan for the information, I made a mental note to ask Zuihou about the planes after the shooting part of the training. So back on the water I went for the last, or should I say second to last, part of the training.
As I got into a suitable Firing position, Auntie spoke over the radio….
"Now Izumi there is four targets within your line of fire, one for each turret. It doesn't matter if you don't hit them all but please be careful okay" hearing this made me relax a little and so I started to concentrate on a loading a full salvo of rounds.
Once I heard the satisfying clunk of 8 barrels being successful loaded, I took a few deep breaths before taking the shot.
And sure enough with the word "FIRE!" coming from Izumi's mouth, the thunderous roar of eight 510mm cannons came to life as they released their payload toward their respective targets. Everyone present had to cover their ears at the sound that was produced. Yoko even had to roll out of the way as a pane of glass in front of her shattered, just like many others had, that made up the training room. Thankfully much to her own relief she didn't get hurt.
Once the sound had finally died down, everyone peered out of their hiding places and looked around. When they saw Izumi she was trying to stand strong, but they all saw that her legs were betraying her as they were shaking as if they were jelly.
Everyone then decided to look over at where the targets should have been but all they could see was white smoke. It took a while before the smoke had cleared and what they saw made their jaws drop and their eyes go wide, even Izumi was stunned silent as she saw the carnage she had wrought. as the targets were not only destroyed but the stands they were placed went along with them.
Silence had fallen upon the room, no one dared speak as what they saw before them was a truly terrifying but also a very awe inspiring sight. Izumi had not once, not twice but now three times that she was the most powerful Kanmusu to exist at this point in time.
Eventually though everyone started to go back to some semblance of normalcy and decided to give Izumi the praise that she deserved for pulling off what she had done today. With that part of the test concluded Emika decided to it was time to pack up and leave, but for Izumi she had other ideas.
"Kaa-san, we can't leave just yet"
"And why is that my dear" she replied turning around
"Well thanks to Yoko-nee pointing this out to me earlier before the firing test, I have a question for you Zuihou" I said
"What question would that be Izumi" she replied
"Could you please teach me the concept of launching and retrieving planes, seeing as I have my own to use"
"You have planes Izumi?" nee-chan asked
"Yep, sure do" I replied before turning around and showing them what Yoko-nee had described to me earlier.
"Yep, she sure does have planes alright. Any idea what type they are Izumi?" Zuihou asked
"Type-0 observation planes" I replied
"Well she is a Yamato-class after all, those planes were pretty much present most of the time" Auntie Aria said
"Okay then Izumi, this is the last part of your training. Lets launch some planes" Zuihou said cheerfully.
She then instructed me on how to launch my planes, which involved the raising of the catapult, then using a crane to place one of the planes on it, waiting then for a fairy to appear, letting her enter the plane and then start it up and finally with a simple mental flick of a switch the plane was then launched.
We watched the plane fly around for a while before it landed on the water and thus the retrieval part of the training began. For this part I had to use a crane that was attached to the end of the catapult to bring the plane up, before another took over and put it safely away in the outfit, then lastly I folded the catapult back down and made sure it was secure. I then breathed a sigh of relief as the training was now finally over.
By this time however it was starting to get pretty close to dinnertime, so once I freshened up in the bathroom Kaa-san took us to what seemed to be the conference room that they had mentioned to me yesterday.
But before we ordered our food Max had come back to join us seeing as she had to leave before my training had started. So whilst Auntie Aria made the phone call to order the food, mainly for me due to my appetite but also Zuihou as well, the rest of us filled her in on what happened during the training she was absent for.
"Wow, you are over powered Izumi!" Max said
"Yep, I think I'll call you pint sized pocket rocket from now" Yoko-nee teased
"Nee-chan!" I yelled
"Alright you two calm down, food will be here soon" Kaa-san said
""Hai"" we said in unison before calming down.
It was roughly 20 mins before the food arrived and we all immediately got stuck in. We mostly talked about random stuff, but what caught my attention was that Auntie Aria had remained silent for most of it. But what she said next to me would be nothing that I would have imagined.
"Okay, I know we're all enjoying ourselves at the moment. but there is one last very important thing that we need to take care of before we turn in for the night" She then turned towards me and said "Okay now Izumi, I'm going to be pretty blunt with you It's time for you to decide which fleet you want to be assigned to"
When those words left Auntie's mouth I was pretty speechless, I never had thought that far in terms of what fleet I wanted to be assigned too and now thanks to her questioning about it, I was in a really tough spot.
It was then, thankfully, that Zuihou had noticed my troubles and decided to speak about my Kaa-san's fleet, Max then followed telling me about the various fleets she had visited whilst on patrols.
Then lastly Auntie Aria then spoke about her own fleet that she was the admiral of and pretty told me what the others had said but from her own fleet's perspective.
With all of this information now in hand, I decided to leave the room for awhile in order to mull over what I had learned and also to make my final decision on where I wanted to be assigned.
After thinking things through for a good 30 mins I headed back into the conference room and took my seat, I pondered for a few more minutes before I decided to speak up.
"Okay everyone, before I make my decision I have a question to ask if that's okay"
"Of course my dear, we'll answer to the best of our abilities" Kaa-san said
"Okay then, which fleet has Yamato in it?" I asked
"That would be mine, I have Yamato, Musashi and a recent addition Shinano" Auntie Aria said.
Hearing that all of my sister ships were all in one place made me go starry eyed in excitement and as as result of my Auntie's words my decision was made. So I got out of my chair and walked over to where my auntie was sitting.
"Then I officially request that I Battleship Izumi be assigned to your fleet, Admiral Miyanaga" I said saluting her causing everyone else in the room to go wide-eyed in shock
"May I ask why" Auntie said as she composed herself
"Well the main reason, is that I want to see my sister ships and get along with them, I also want to meet and get to know more ship girls in general. The second reason I have is that I would be like to be close to family and be comfortable with someone I know, rather being in a fleet where I don't know the person in charge" I replied looking at my aunt with hope.
It took a little bit before Aria spoke up once more.
"Well big sis, it's your call" she said smirking as she put her sister in the spotlight.
Emika could only sigh at her sister's antics, she was just as bad as Yoko teasing Izumi.
"Well Izumi, is this what you really want?" she asked
"Yes, I want to help beat back the Abyssal threat" Izumi replied
Seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes, she chuckled to herself remembering the same things that the ship girls of her own fleet had said when they first started out. Emika then thought long and hard and then finally came to a decision.
"Okay, Battleship Izumi from this moment forth you are hereby assigned to Admiral Miyazaki's Fleet, you have one week to get your affairs in order before being sent out to the front lines. Do I make myself clear"
"Yes Ma'am" she replied saluting once more
"Admiral Miyanaga, do you accept these conditions?"
"I fully accept and take responsibility for Battleship Izumi joining my fleet Rear-Admiral" Aria said also saluting.
"Good, we will start taking care of the paperwork tomorrow, so for now let's celebrate by eating some god damn deserts, I've been waiting all day for this" she barked
"Yes Ma'am" all of them said before resorting to laughing with Emika joining in.
The celebrating didn't last very long after that with everyone starting to feel quite sleepy, so after a quick clean up of the room, Kaa-san's group went back to the hotel whilst I went back to my room in the hospital seeing as I hadn't been fully discharged yet by Doctor Mizu. As I climbed into bed and started to drift off to sleep, I smiled at that fact on how well today had gone for me and the others and now I was looking forward to what the future may bring.