Blizzard

"You're a ship girl, Yuki!" was the first thing out of their mouths when they came for me at the orphanage. On the eve of my fourteenth birthday, they came. Men in white, pristine uniforms handed me a crisp manila envelope with orders, requesting my presence at Sasebo Naval Arsenal for my induction.

I would never forget that day. Priests from Shinto and Buddhist shrines circled around me, chanting prayer after prayer. The ominous noise still haunts my dreams at night. All over my body, they stuck talisman after talisman scribbled with illegible text. And there I sat, in the very center of their circle in nothing but a T-shirt and some shorts I had in my bag. The weight suddenly appeared on my body and dragged me down to the floor, nearly crushing my bones underneath it. Yet, despite this, I endured.

I guess it all started back in October two years ago. I was watching a news program as part of a school assignment. "Pick a news story to write a report on," they said. "It's an easy assignment," they said. I digress. I heard about the Abyssal War ever since I was born, so I decided to write about that. As I changed the channel to a program featuring the war, a lady in red caught my eye.

Akagi-senpai.

On the screen, she drew her bow back with an aura of fierce concentration. With ladylike grace, she released her arrow into the wind, causing said arrow to burst into five planes. The planes flew through the air, destroying the target abyssal on the screen. That grace, that power, that poise. From that day on, she was the kind of person I strove to model myself after.

I adored her.

I admired her.

I wanted to be like her.

I wanted to fight alongside her.

After turning in my report to my teacher, I studied hard. Harder than I ever studied before. Second World War history books were the most common things piled on my desk at school. Each night, I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I wasn't any good at sports, so my grades in my Physical Education classes were barely passing. To pass the time after school instead, I read about history, battles, and tactics. I figured, if I wasn't going to be a ship girl, I would become a commander. That was my goal for two years. When the SDF came out with ship girl applications, I was the first girl in my class to volunteer.

Then they came for me.

"Yuki Yamashita, we've reviewed your application. You passed with flying colors. You're a ship girl, Yuki!" one of the officers cried. "Your parents would be thrilled."

"My…parents?" I asked timidly. I haven't heard any mention of them until now. "I never knew them. All I know is that they were sailors that died fighting the Abyssals. I don't even know their names."

"Tell you what, Yuki-chan," a female officer kneeled in front of me and placed her left hand on my shoulder. "We'll let you use the service and genealogy records that we have. You'll be able to find your parents in no time. Deal?"

A small smile crept on my face. "Deal," I responded.

And so, there I was on the ground in the middle of the ship girl induction. The head priest said it was to awaken the ship spirit in me. The weight crushing me slowly got lighter and lighter, my weakened body finally being able to pick up the heavy backpack and weapons clamped onto me. I stood up with my newfound equipment, ending the ceremony then and there.

Congratulations. You are no longer Yuki Yamashita. You are the Special-Type Destroyer Fubuki!

My first days as a ship girl were difficult. At Kure, my newbie status kept me from sortieing. I was in reserve status the whole time, as I didn't have enough experience to fight on my own. I could understand. When I first went to practice there, I fell flat on my face before I even made it to the obstacle course. Then I transferred to Yokosuka. They gave me the chance to make something of myself. I made new friends. I became a flagship. I became one of the best anti-air destroyers in the fleet. Yet all of those accomplishments pale in comparison to the boon which I sought.

Akagi-senpai!

I had no idea she was stationed in this base! The elite of the elites, and I was in her base! And after all my effort, I got my Kai Ni remodel and joined her as her escort. Ah, the same fleet as Akagi-senpai! It's like a dream come true! Now I can stand by her side as equals! I'll be honest, I really feel a connection with her. Like, wouldn't it be cool if we were really sisters? That's impossible, though. I know she's a lot older than I am and she was actually summoned as a ship girl in the first place.

Yet, something's eating away at my heart. After all this time, I can't find information about my parents. Not even a name. Every chance I get, I would check the records on the base and on the Internet. And each time, I would find nothing. This morning was the same deal. After being frustrated enough with the Herculean task on my shoulders, I set out on my daily run.

Seriously, how was I supposed to find any records of my parents if I can't even get their names? I should probably check under children or dependents, see if my name was listed somewhere.

I ran lap after lap this morning. With beads of sweat running down my forehead and soaking my hoodie, I stopped to rest in front of the carrier dorms panting like a dog.

"Fubuki-san, here you go," came a voice behind me. I spun around to find the owner of the voice, where I found Houshou-san holding a towel in front of me. When I refused to take it, she forcefully made me lie down as she wiped the sweat off my brow.

"I still couldn't find anything, Houshou-san…" I groaned as I shielded my eyes from the sun.

"Fubuki-san, good things come to those who wait," she told me.

I couldn't help but agree with her, but some things I can't just put on hold. As I sat up to run more laps before Kaga would tell me to, I heard an all-too-familiar voice calling me to her.

"Fubuki-san?" came the voice of my idol, my senior, and charge Akagi-san. "How are you?"

"Ready to serve, Akagi-senpai!" I saluted her as I beamed my best smile.

And yet, Akgai-senpai's face fell ever so slightly, like every arrow but Cupid's was shot through her heart.

Akagi-senpai, please don't make that face. That face of longing, regret, and heartbreak. It reminds me of my struggle to find my parents.

Mom, Dad, I hope you're watching over me right now. I wish you were here. Your daughter is happy and healthy. She's made a new life for herself. Her friends are very supportive of her. She's standing side-by-side with the person she looks up to. Please keep protecting me, okay? I love you both. I, Fubuki, will do my best!

This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by lt_agn02