Shiranui's eyes cracked open and registered the light as it illuminated the hospital ward which she was placed in after being revived in the docks.
It was a boring little room which had no other hospitalized ship girls inside, and in the state she was in, this was something which she was glad about, because making a mistake and dying was something which got on Shiranui's nerves since it meant that she was a hair's breadth away from sinking.
That missile could've sunk her.
Was it by some miracle that it didn't?
Shiranui shook her head as the feeling came back into her limbs, and even though most of her body was still numb and unresponsive, the feeling in her body slowly returned to her as it booted back up, allowing her to resume her train of thought.
She didn't like depending on luck or miracles in her battle plans, or even in her life, for that matter.
Ever so fickle and inconsistent, it was an unreliable element in life which she avoided like the plague, and while she understood that certain ship girls like Shigure, Nagato and Yukikaze were genuinely lucky (that was one of many reasons why ship girls were banned from casinos or gambling dens), but she wasn't one of them.
And even if she were, her luck would still be a wild card since it couldn't be influenced by any external factors and could fail her at a critical moment, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She allowed her internal systems and HUD to run through startup diagnostics in order to determine the condition of her body, ignoring the programming lines which meant nothing to her since she wasn't a programmer, and the final diagram showed the repairs done to the first to third-degree burns on her body, dozens of broken bones, internal damage, blown-out eardrums and blinded eyes.
The displayed time was 10.56 a.m..
The date was the 28th of May, year 2015.
That was all she needed to know as she turned it off and tried to move her arms.
Something weighed her right arm down and restricted the movement of said arm, and she looked down at whatever was gripping her right arm as it occupied part of her hospital bed.
Shigure's peaceful sleeping face was what greeted her as her sleeping friend hugged her right arm like a bolster and pressed her soft cheek against Shiranui's shoulder, and she was wearing what Shiranui assumed was her pajamas, a long-sleeved light blue top with a similarly-colored knee-length bottom.
Her top had a white sailor collar, and on the blue pajamas was a pattern of dark blue tear drops which occupied a large portion of her pajamas, the Shiratsuyu-Class's hair undone as it was was strewn all over Shigure's side of the bed, and Shigure looked at ease as she snuggled up to what amounted to a human body pillow that was Shiranui.
Shiranui expression soured slightly as her eyebrows furrowed, not because she had a problem with the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer in particular, but with people starting to talk about them possibly getting together due to the amount of time they've spent with each other…
She didn't let things like rumors and small talk get her down, but when even her sisters (especially Kagerou) seemed as if they wanted to make this pairing come true…
Wait.
Shiranui looked away as she heard Shigure's barely-audible snore as a sign that her ears were working and that the healing properties of the docks had worked their magic.
If she knew Shigure to be the ship girl that she was, and she was an obstinate ship girl with a broken heart of gold, she'd probably try to stay in the hospital for as long as she could in her damaged state before being forcibly dragged away and preferably into a dock under protest, and she likely wasn't the kind of girl to overstay visiting hours and try to get in bed with an unconscious friend.
Yep, very unlikely, but Shiranui didn't discount the possibility entirely.
And seeing how Kagerou toyed with the idea of them both getting together romantically…
Now, she wasn't the kind of girl to entertain any thoughts of romance ever, especially given her stoic demeanor.
So why.
Why was her heart beating so much quicker when lying together with Shigure?
Noticing this made her feel somewhat self-conscious as her cheeks started to feel a little hot despite the air-conditioning keeping the ward cool.
And looking down at a sleeping Shigure again, Shiranui noticed how peaceful she seemed right now, since Shiranui always felt as if Shigure always looked somewhat sad whenever she was awake, and considering her past, it was perfectly understandable if she felt something which was a few steps away from outright depression, but to think that even someone with a blood-soaked past like hers could still make such a serene face when sleeping…
Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she thought dryly to herself.
'No way.
No way it could be her, of all people.
I thought it'd be Kagerou, some other ship girl, the Admiral or even a random sailor in the base.
But her?'
Their inbuilt bisexuality explained how they were able to fall in love with anyone of either gender, and this sexual flexibility explained the sis-con behavior of ship girls like Chiyoda, Ooi, Hiei, Chikuma and Yamashiro, yet allowed them the possibility of finding love elsewhere and with someone of the opposite (or same) gender.
But… her?
Impossible.
Nowaynowaynowaynowaynowayno-
Oh, she was waking up.
Shigure's closed eyes pried open sleepily, and she laid down underneath the blanket with Shiranui as she tightened her hold on Shiranui's arm since she likely felt that the room was too cold, the destroyer feeling that something was amiss as she felt Shiranui's arm while Shiranui herself shifted a little, since Shigure's arms tickled her arm, sides and armpit.
Finally registering what she was hugging, Shigure blinked several times before looking up at who this mystery arm belonged to, and looked right into Shiranui's blank eyes with a confused look on her face as her mind tried to understand the situation mere seconds after waking up to find herself next to the Kagerou-Class destroyer.
And as she swiveled her head to take in her surroundings, Shiranui could see some form of panic set in, not the kind which was felt in a threatening situation, but a skittish kind in which one was unsure of what to do as she turned back to the only person in the room, her face blushing as she stuttered and tried to come up with an explanation for her being there.
"U-Um, Sh-Shiranui-san…
I-I clearly remember falling asleep in my bedroom, and I'm unsure of how I ended up here…"
Shiranui closed her eyes in exasperation as she exhaled through her nose, coming to the most obvious conclusion about how Shigure landed in Shiranui's bed.
"Don't worry too much about it.
I bet this is Kagerou's asinine way of pairing us together for some inexplicable reason, and it's entirely possible that all my sisters are in on this too."
Shigure's blush intensified as she hugged Shiranui's arm defensively, but not before realizing what she was doing and letgo in order to scooch away from Shiranui, making sure not to entangle herself in any wires as she awkwardly turned around and brought down the bed railing which was brought up in order to prevent either of them from rolling off the hospital bed, finally freeing herself from the clutches of the hospital blankets as she stood by Shiranui's bed and patted her pajamas down, asking nervously.
"Um, why would Kagerou-san do that?
Our relationship is purely platonic, right?"
Shiranui's mood soured for no particular reason as she contemplated her failures in the Battle of Twelve Navies, speaking offhandedly.
"Good.
It had better stay that way."
But her heart felt something upon seeing Shigure's expression turn slightly gloomy upon being told something like that, fighting against the urge to mirror her expression as she maintained a poker face and tried to salvage the situation while moving on to the next topic.
"Find a chair and sit down next to me.
I want to talk about what we're going to do next."
Shigure's expression perked up upon hearing that, nodding obediently as she did as she was told while speaking up,
"Yes!"
Shiranui waited for her to get a chair and settle down, and eventually, a sitting Shigure looked down at a supine Shiranui as she started the discussion about their plans.
"Now that the Abyssals have played their next hand by boldly displaying their new technology before everyone, I think that we need to step up our game.
I predict that with the incoming world war, they'll have to mass produce light cruisers and destroyers, the former of which are the most cost-effective in terms of manpower, especially since land combat will be a whole new playing field."
Shigure nodded, commenting on how their ship girl weapons would be all but useless on land, and how Anti-Abyssal firearms would be the new in-thing.
"I understand.
Everyone will be forced to use Anti-Abyssal weapons, and with a light cruiser's relatively developed body compared to us destroyers, they are capable of handling assault rifles and various firearms which are too bulky for us children, and this would elevate their importance in terms of land-based combat.
But with the Abyssals attacking from the skies, land and sea, they'd still need a sizable navy to protect the seas.
In that case, they'd probably get the less experienced ship girls in the current navy to join the army as an elite squad, simply because they've lived longer and are thus more used to modern combat, be it land or sea, and this explains the land assault training session.
The more experienced seniors would likely remain in the ship girl navy, and they'd have to craft more ship girls to make up for the loss in numbers."
Shiranui agreed with her thinking, since newly crafted ship girls would be trained as infantry, but they certainly needed ship girls who knew what they were doing, even if they had to be re-trained to either adapt their sea-based tactics or adopt entirely new ones for land-based warfare.
And since they already had a taste of war in this life, the existing ship girls were hardened to war and could take on more stressful roles and are expected to perform significantly better when compared to freshly-crafted units.
"Yes.
Should this new army come to fruition, I wish to enlist in it in order to make more of a difference in the Abyssal War, because as a destroyer with no Kai Ni remodel as of now, I know that land-based combat is a place where my stealth abilities can be utilized to the fullest potential.
I always find that the ocean, despite its vast size, is ultimately just a flat terrain to us ship girls, and any attempts at stealth could be easily discovered if an underwater Abyssal notices us.
But on land…"
Shigure looked at Shiranui, and she could see that the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer understood where she was coming from.
"The playing field is overturned.
If the skills in which you specialize in does not fit the playing field, sometimes, instead of training up another skill, change the playing field.
In war-torn regions, destroyed buildings, concrete walls and debris, trees and other radio waves in the air can interfere with land-based radar, so you wouldn't be detected too easily by the enemy before you even get close."
Shiranui nodded, building off of Shigure's line of thoughts by adding her own.
"And unlike the sea, which possesses no cover since it's a flat terrain to us ship girls who sail on it, land-based combat consists of buildings, forests, sewers and bridges.
It provides plenty of entrances and escape routes which I can use in my endeavors."
The both of them seemed rather excited about Shiranui finding a new way to apply her skills in combat, but not before they realized that they were giving each other strange looks and turned away in haste, Shiranui now feeling conscious about how they communicated on the same frequency, which allowed them to understand and add to each other's thoughts, continuing in a subdued voice.
"Well, my point still stands.
I'm off to join the army, because that's where my talents will be best utilized.
Now, to think up of a way to enlist myself in Project Psyche…"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shigure look away, and as she considered various approaches to convince Admiral Mako to let them perform the procedure on her without raising any suspicion, which involved highlighting her expandable nature as a destroyer as well as her well-trained abilities, but she put the brakes on her train of thoughts as Shigure spoke up.
"I'd like to join in the army as well.
And as to joining Project Psyche, I suppose I can ask Admiral Mako about it."
Shiranui turned to look up at her, Shigure fidgeting nervously in her seat as she explained herself.
"W-Well, I was thinking.
I'm in Tenryuu and Tatsuta's fleet, right?
I theorize that they'll have to come to a compromise in which they either have to reorganize the fleet composition in order to maintain their secret, let the 1st Fleet in on the secret, or order them not to use their powers at all in front of others.
And in the case of the last scenario, I can engineer a situation in battle where they'll be forced to use their newfound abilities in front of my fleet in order to protect us, and from there, I can feign ignorance about knowing Project Psyche before that incident.
I'll recommend you as a potential applicant, and I'll use the aforementioned reasons in order to appeal to Admiral Mako."
Shigure continued her monologue as she became entrenched in her own thoughts, Shiranui feeling as if she were at a loss as to what to say in this situation.
"W-Well, I mean, I don't want to deceive them like this.
But to think that they'd receive new powers, I suspect that they would be deployed as amphibious units in order to assist in land and sea-based combat, especially the former since we're at a disadvantage as an unprepared and outnumbered defending force on land, even if the humans have the upper hand of fighting on their own terrain.
And besides, my fleet's pretty inexperienced, so I suppose we'll be shipped off to boot camp sometime soon to prepare us for land-based warfare.
I mean, there's so many experienced fleets in Yokosuka alone, so our reassignment as a land-based fleet won't affect our capabilities too much.
But if we hypothesize that - "
Shiranui just stared at Shigure as the Shiratsuyu-Class assumed a Thinker pose, simply dumbstruck at how well-positioned Shigure was.
To be in a fleet which had so much potential in the form of Kai Ni remodels (and Project Psyche), was signing herself up to serve in an admittedly life-threatening land-fighting unit, but would net her so much more experience in order to earn her remodel, and was fleet mates with both of the ship girls who had been through Project Psyche and could whisk them onto the waiting list without raising too much suspicion…
It removed the need for her scheming to try and worm her way into Project Psyche when Shigure, who had all the luck in the world, could simply breeze through everything without incident.
The only thing she could bring herself to comment on was that by Shigure's standards, manipulating her friends like this would probably mean that she'd deliberately place herself in mortal danger in order to force them to use their abilities, and that was calculating, even for someone like Shigure.
"You know, I suppose you're likely going to put yourself in life-threatening danger since I know that you're too much of a goody-two-shoes to allow anyone else to stand in the cross-hairs, but not enough of a good girl to the point where you're above manipulating your own friends in order to find out their secrets, especially by placing yourself on the spot and forcing them to bail you out.
All of a sudden, I fear you a little more on the inside."
Shigure got out of her slightly moody thinker pose as she leaned down to plant her face right before Shiranui's, causing her to flinch as the demure, dark-haired little girl's eyes drastically brightened with an intellectual fire behind them, speaking up enthusiastically.
"Why, Shiranui-san?!
I want to know more about their newfound powers, and I understand that normal means won't get me there.
The fact that I'm willing to stake my life on the possibility of getting to know their hidden abilities just proves my dedication to gaining knowledge of their powers, the acquirement of which means the world to me, but doesn't come easy!
That's the kind of knowledge worth knowing about!"
Shiranui sweatdropped as she saw Shigure breathe in and out loudly, thinking to herself in a tone of realization.
'Oh, so she's one of those people who're genuinely nice, inside and out.
But dangle the one thing they want the most before them and they'll become an entirely different person who'd do anything to get the object of their desire.
All of a sudden, I feel a little more justified in fearing her.'
But Shigure's priorities were elsewhere as she suddenly drew back as though ashamed of her words, but she covered her mouth and whispered like a schoolgirl speaking shyly to her crush,
"Ah!
I forgot to brush my teeth!
Sorry!"
Shiranui's expression became deadpan again as she thought to herself, this time with a more sardonic tone.
'Right.
Scheme to emotionally manipulate your comrades into revealing top-secret abilities to you by putting your life at stake, and the most important thing to her right now is her oral hygiene.
Truly, the master of prioritizing.'
Shigure turned to leave the room in a hurry, speaking up in a determined voice about what she was doing by leaving Shiranui alone with her thoughts.
"I'll be back, Shiranui-san!
I'm hungry, and I understand that you need nutrients in order to make a full recovery, so I'll go and get us some food after washing myself up!"
Shiranui wanted to say something, but the destroyer had already exited the room, and she sighed at how the quiet little Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer could be so excitable.
It took almost fifteen minutes, in which the sheer boredom of waiting in the hospital ward threatened to drive Shiranui up the wall were she not as occupied with her thoughts as she was the entire time, thinking about how they were going to go about things with Shigure's absurdly on-point positioning.
After a while, she concluded that Shigure's plan was for the best, because she wasn't a part of Tenryuu and Tatsuta's fleet, and she couldn't bear witness to their abilities and claim to know anything about Project Psyche when she wasn't even affiliated with any of its elements.
If she tried to raise the topic of Project Psyche to anyone, she would be placed on some watchlist which she may never be free from, and she had no illusions about relying on luck and hoping that she'd get chosen as the next partipcipant.
No.
There was a way to get herself in, and she was going to take it.
Hopefully, her abilities would help enhance her stealth attributes instead of being granted some kind of fodder power which had no practical uses.
But then again, even if she did get a shitty power by some inexplicable stroke of misfortune, that wouldn't stop her from trying to push it to the limit.
The soul provided power to the body, and the body was a piece of hardware which could be modified to best utilize that power within reason.
It was entirely possible that the power could radically modify their bodies and enhance their physical abilities, or be transmitted into an Anti-Abyssal weapon to create a super weapon of sorts.
There were too many unknowns about how Project Psyche worked, but she was letting her mind run a little wild today to prevent herself from going stir-crazy in this sterilized and plain little room, and this would allow her to prepare herself for whatever power she would be granted.
Assuming she didn't die, of course.
To Shiranui, the possibility of dying hardly deterred her from wishing to receive a new power which only a handful of ship girls in the world possessed.
Wait.
Wouldn't that mean she was like Shigure in terms of willing to put their lives at considerable risk in order to gain something which they desire, the only difference being that Shigure desired knowledge while Shiranui desired power?
She blushed upon coming to that realization, lightly reprimanding herself for thinking this way.
'I have got to stop drawing parallels between me and Shigure.
She and I are not getting together.
Ever, ever, ever-'
And finally, Shigure burst back into the room and startled Shiranui, but she relaxed as soon she saw Shigure wearing her black-and-white school uniform, and she was carrying a tray of hospital food which was separated into two servings of breakfast as well as several snacks which she must've grabbed from Mamiya's canteen, speaking up as she sat herself down beside Shiranui.
"Breakfast is here!"
Shiranui attempted to push herself up with her feeble arms while Shigure assisted her, but as she tried to relieve Shigure of the food tray, Shigure instead took up the fork and spoon and drew away, Shiranui furrowing her eyebrows as she gave the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer a look which demanded an explanation.
Shigure responded with a weak smile as she answered nervously, speaking from her past experiences with hospitalization.
"U-Um, if you don't mind, I'd like to spoon-feed you, Shiranui-san.
In the few times which I've been hospitalized, my sisters or teammates were always there to feed me, because they said that recovering bodies were weak, and they didn't want me to push myself too hard.
And since I'm the only one here, I'd like to do this as a friend.
It'll be my first time, so I-I'll give it my all!"
The Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer looked quite enthusiastic about this, her eyes twinkling in apprehensive anticipation as a confused Shiranui sweat-dropped, thinking to herself.
'What's up with her?
It's just food, and I can feed my-'
Feeling her body betray her at that very moment by feeling sore all of a sudden, she mentally relented as she changed her mind.
' - Alright, so I can't feed myself.
Screw this weak-as-hell body.
But it's alright.
It's just a feeding session, nothing more.'
She maintained her poker face as she exhaled sharply and answered, realizing at this point that her pink-hair wasn't in a small ponytail like it usually was, and was instead let down.
"Fine.
Just this once."
Shigure's face broke out into a radiant smile, and Shiranui's heart threatened to melt at how her moody, contemplative and even quasi-emo little friend was still capable of making a face like this…
She cringed a little at Shigure sweetly saying while holding up a spoonful of food,
"Open wide!
Ahh!"
But she brought her blush under control as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, parroting,
"Ahh…"
And felt the flesh of microwaved salmon stimulate the taste buds in her mouth for the first time today, thinking to herself.
'I am not in love with this… this…
What word doesn't sound too condescending to use on someone like her?
This dweeb.
Yep.
You nailed it, Shiranui.'
But another thought flashed through her mind as she looked at what Shigure wore, this train of thought originating from a dark corner of her psyche as it spoke out loud in her head.
'Wait.
Shigure's wearing black and white, and you're wearing a gown, albeit a hospital gown.
Too bad it it's light blue instead of white.
If that were the case…'
Shiranui silenced the squeal in her mind as she maintained her poker face, shouting out loud in her mind for her mental audience to hear.
'NO, NO, NO!
I FORBID ANY SHIPPING IN MY MIND!
I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF, BUT AM NOT SWINGING THAT WAY FOR HER!
NNEEEVVVVEEERRRR!'
But not before realizing she likely jinxed it by denying it all in her own mind, prompting the start of another mental tirade at whoever was listening on how she was not gay for Shigure.
On the outside, she said nothing, and her poised expression revealed nothing as she continued opening her mouth to allow a smiling Shigure to spoon-feed her breakfast, the air-conditioner humming silently in the background as the peaceful day continued on without incident save for Shiranui's vehement mental denials of her sexual orientation and romantic attraction towards Shigure.
Sendai felt something shift underneath her hand, waking up to find a hospitalized Jintsuu waking up after being thrown into the docks in order to repair the injuries which were sustained from her battle with the Northern Water Princess.
According to the medics, a large-caliber shell clean punched through her right breast and set her on fire.
But since she collapsed onto the ocean right after that, the burn injuries weren't severe and they only had to contend with replacing a missing limb and part of her chest.
Sendai noted that Naka was sleeping on a chair opposite Sendai's side of the hospital bed, with Jintsuu herself lying on said bed and was dressed in a blue hospital gown.
Sendai called out to Naka whilst grasping Jintsuu's hand,
"Naka!
Jintsuu's awake!"
Naka jolted awake, having had enough time to find a change of clothes immediately after the battle, but her dishevelled hair was an indicator of how hurried the change was as she chose to stay by her sister's side the entire night, and Naka zipped over to Jintsuu's side as the only hospitalized Sendai-Class light cruiser of Yokosuka calmed down, Sendai leaning forward in her seat and placating Jintsuu just as she woke up with a startled look and scanned her sectors for any threats.
Naka spoke with barely-restrained concern lacing her voice,
"Jintsuu?!
Are you alright?"
Jintsuu relaxed as she brought her breathing under control, and managed a retort which was meant to alleviate the seriousness of the situation.
"Well, I'm here in a hospital after dying in battle.
I think that 'alright' is a slightly inaccurate word to describe my situation and how I feel right now.
But sure, whatever makes you feel happy."
Sendai sighed in relief, wearing a tired smirk as she voiced her concerns for her little sister, especially since she was the name ship of their class and only wanted them to be safe and happy.
"Jintsuu, what happened that day?
I heard from Naka that you got shot through the chest, but I know that you're better than that.
It's rare for you get caught off-guard like this, and with the Re-Class sideswiping you with her beast-tail and taking you out in the sortie to Aogashima Island…"
Jintsuu nodded solemnly, understanding Sendai's question as she thought about it for a while, Naka also looking concerned about Jintsuu's sub-par performance.
And finally, she got the answer she asked for, but not the one she was sure she wanted to hear as Jintsuu answered.
"I…
I just can't seem to focus.
I'm not sure why, but whenever I think about fighting and dying, I somehow freeze up in battle, and…"
Jintsuu shivered in terror as she hugged her elbows and leaned forward with a ghastly expression on her face, and Naka leaned closer in order to awkwardly hug a frightened Jintsuu while Sendai inhaled, reconsidering her options since the complexity of this problem had now increased and involved another angle of approach.
But with that meant possible complications should she fail to console and counsel her sister in any way, and since she was affiliated with Jintsuu, it was possible that she might be blinded by her familial bond with Jintsuu and make decisions based on emotions rather than logic.
She decided to try her hand anyway, because Jintsuu was her sister, damn it.
Leaning forward while placing a comforting hand on Jintsuu's back, she chose to coax more information from Jintsuu before doing anything else as she asked, using a more serious tone without making it sound as if she treated Jintsuu like a weakling.
Because if she knew how some ship girls worked, it offended their sense of pride when others acted as if interacting with them was akin to walking on eggshells, and would close off their hearts as a result.
"Jintsuu.
I can't say I understand what you're feeling or going through, but because I may be experiencing something somewhat similar to your plight, I want to know more.
Please."
Recalling the Kai Ni Jintsuu who was burnt by the immolated Wo-Class and suffered extensive third-degree burns on her chest as a result, she felt a chill run up her spine as her expression darkened, praying for the safe recovery of Jintsuu's doppelganger while feeling tired all of a sudden.
Jintsuu relented, and she started shakily by opening up to the two ship girls whom she knew best, namely her sisters.
"You all know about how I sank while fighting, right?
Well…"
Jintsuu inhaled as she looked down at the knees which she brought up to her chin, and Naka chose to interpret her words in a way which she could understand.
"So…
You feel terrified of feeling that same fear which you felt that night, where you fought harder than almost anyone else in the war while coming under heavy fire?"
Jintsuu shook her head, planting her face in her knees as she hugged her legs, unable to look both of them in the eyes as she answered meekly.
"I can't quite explain it, but…
It's not.
The problem isn't how I fear combat and the threat of dying.
It's the thrilling feeling of being consumed by the excitement of battle, and dying as a result of going all-out.
Oh, I'm so ashamed…"
Sendai scrunched up her face, thinking about how her sister said that she was addicted to the thrill of battle, fighting harder and putting herself in ever greater danger and feeling alive in the process, and should she miss a step in her dance with death, she'd lose her life and sink.
She intoned,
"Alright, that's definitely different from my problems.
So, you found out that you're essentially an adrenaline junkie?"
Jintsuu nodded, explaining the conflict within her as she elaborated.
"Yes.
I can't help but remember feeling something that night when I sank, that I was performing my duty as a warship by fighting to the best of my ability.
And unlike others who likely never got to experience it to such an extreme, I had the dubious honor of dying in the heat of battle and feeling alive before sinking, and I've yet to experience anything like it again.
Sometimes when I sortie, I want to feel like that again.
To feel… fulfilled as a weapon of war who performed at its best in its last moments, under the threat of death.
But when I try to throw myself into the fray, I remember you two, and how the both of you would feel so devastated if I sank again, and I freeze up over the indecisiveness in my heart, and…"
Sendai nodded even though her mind was sent into disarray, but she managed to utter out a simple,
"Alright."
Before the three sisters lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, Naka finally speaking up about how training might not able to fulfill that need for adrenaline-inducing excitement.
"And…
Training doesn't fulfill that need, am I right to say that?
I mean, you attend and conduct them all the time, so I'm a little confused…"
Jintsuu shook her head, lifting her head up to show the shadow which clouded her face as she pointed out despondently, looking ashamed about coming out to her sisters regarding her desire for adrenaline-inducing thrills at the very real risk of sinking.
"No.
Hardly anyone ever dies, much less sinks during training, and there's no excitement to be found in a controlled environment like that.
I use that time to train up my skills and teach others, but not to fulfill my need for a rush which you feel in the heat of a true battle, never a mock one.
Out there, it's life or death, and although I understand that sortieing is a solemn affair and is treated as serious business by everyone, to feel like this when everyone is suffering around me…"
Sendai looked down as she was unsure of how to respond to this new development, but she at least understood Jintsuu's viewpoints, and that was a plus.
Jintsuu wanted to feel alive and fight to the death (or at least, come close to it) but was held back by her love for her sisters and a sense of shame which she felt when secretly enjoying herself while everyone was fighting for their lives.
Thinking about how to best approach this situation, Naka was surprisingly the first one to start the counterargument by speaking up with her signature idol voice, and yet it possessed a rarely-seen no-nonsense tone this time.
"I-I don't think you should worry too much about this."
This got Jintsuu and Sendai's attention as Sendai wanted to see how Naka advocated and even justified the indulging of this need, and Naka provided that as she spoke up.
"I think that a wish to feel the thrill of battle doesn't automatically translate to being a death seeker.
And I think that if you fight even harder not just for the sake of getting your kicks but also as a means to keep yourself alive and return back to home, I… I don't think that there should be a reason why you have to hide this side of yourself from us, Jintsuu."
Huh.
Sendai built off of what Naka said, voicing her own thoughts in the process.
"I agree with Naka.
We don't share the same past or the same personality, and you are your own person.
Sure, I think that we have to brainstorm a way for you to overcome this mental block of yours, but it's not as if you're constantly sortieing with no intentions of ever coming back."
Getting off of her chair in order to sit on the bed right beside Jintsuu as her crestfallen sister turned to look at her, she continued.
"Besides, I suppose everyone has their own thing, and we have no right to judge you for feeling this way in battle.
I know that battles in general are supposed to be serious and solemn and all, but that's because a great majority of people feel this way when sortieing.
You'd probably feel this way too if everyone went into battle with smiles and a cheery attitude, and you're the only one who feels like taking battles seriously and fights with a somber tone."
But instead of looking relieved at her sisters voicing their support, Jintsuu looked as if she fell even further into depression as she revealed another piece of vital information, dropping a bombshell on them all.
"Then there's something else.
I… I've been scouted by the 8th Fleet.
They've taken an interest in my … needs, and want to help me become stronger by joining them in order to fulfill my potential."
Sendai's expression froze as she sharply inhaled, and Naka's expression morphed into a difficult one as Jintsuu continued.
"I, I went to Akashi for help sometime before the Battle, and she referred me to the 8th Fleet.
They…
They said that they wished to bring out my smile, which they predict would be most radiant in the most dire of battles.
To do anything less, they said, was to deny myself and hide my inner beauty from the world."
Ok, ok, ok.
This completely blew every plan she had out of the water, and she turned to give Jintsuu a serious look, grabbing her sister by the shoulders and lightly shaking her while asking gravely.
"And did you accept the offer, Jintsuu?
Did you say yes?!"
Naka stood up and intervened in order to stop a panicking Sendai while Jintsuu looked bewildered at why her sister was acting out like this, Naka grabbing Sendai's arms and calling out,
"Sendai!
Stop scaring Jintsuu!"
And finally, Jintsuu managed to find it within herself to come up with a weak, yet sincere response.
"S-Sendai.
I haven't given them a reply yet."
Sendai deflated upon hearing that, feeling relieved yet somewhat fearful of the dreaded 8th Fleet as they were getting their blood-soaked hands on her sister, of all people.
She weakly replied,
I-I'm sorry…
I just…"
But Jintsuu expressed her understanding side by speaking up in Sendai's own defense by pointing out.
"No, I understand your concern, Sendai, Naka.
I know that the 8th Fleet is infamous for their tactics and attitude in battle, and them wanting to recruit me into their fleet will definitely raise red flags and objections from the both of you.
That's why I didn't want to tell the both of you about this, you see…"
Exhaling and looking more tired than ever, Jintsuu explained herself as she leaned on Sendai's right shoulder.
"To be honest, I'm also rather conflicted about this offer as well.
To be in two fleets means I get to sortie twice as often, and that would mean I get twice the experience and can get my Kai Ni remodel sooner.
Besides, they say that I would replace Hatsuzuki, who was always meant to be a temporary member of their fleet, so…"
She continued, sounding a little more comfortable with sharing her inner thoughts with her own sisters.
"Although I can try to make the argument that I'm nothing like them, I know that it's not that simple, and the 8th Fleet knows it too.
I'm genuinely nice and polite to everyone, but I understand that everyone fears my instructor side because of how harsh and unrelenting I can be."
Naka sweat-dropped upon hearing that, giving her an awkward smile as she spoke up about Jintsuu's radical shift in personality whenever her instructor side reared its ugly head.
"W-Well, some of the destroyers and even light cruisers did cry after your training.
And to hold them all at gunpoint, even if it's loaded with training shells, and demand that they call you 'coach' might be a little too much for some, especially with your intense training regime."
Jintsuu blushed a little at how her dark side manifested as the infamous 'Dark Instructor Jintsuu' as she elaborated.
"W-Well, I know how to keep my personal and professional lives separate, so I'm not like that all the time.
And besides, I just want to push everyone further and harder so that they can outperform the Abyssals in battle.
Because in the end, that's what battles boil down to in my opinion; whoever plans and performs better than the opposing side wins."
Sendai nodded, asking grimly.
"But personally, do you wish to join the 8th Fleet despite knowing what they're like?"
She heard Jintsuu gulp nervously, before answering honestly.
" … Yes."
Naka sighed resignedly, but before either Sendai or Jintsuu could say anything, Naka broke out into a relieved smile and voiced her support for Jintsuu's desire to join the 8th Fleet (without leaving her current 5th Fleet).
"W-Well, it isn't all bad.
You may be sortieing with the 8th Fleet, in which the mental states of its members can be considered rather… questionable, but I trust you to be the heart of the team.
Because…"
Naka leaned in to place a comforting palm on Jintsuu's shoulder, giving her a weak yet genuine smile as she continued.
"If there's one thing I know about you, Jintsuu, it's that your morals are unshakable, and not even the 8th Fleet will be able to influence, much less change that.
That's what I choose to believe in, even if you were to hang out and sortie with them all the time.
You keep yourself safe out there, stay alive and stay true to yourself, alright?"
Jintsuu blinked in surprise, but Sendai chipped in as she slung a shoulder around Jintsuu's shoulders and chipped in with her own words of encouragement, despite her deep-seated concerns.
"You know, I am a little worried about you and your desire to fulfill your need for adrenaline-induced thrills.
But…
I believe that you have the potential to be able to fulfill your need and keep yourself safe at the same time, and to that end, I want to say this.
I'll be aiming to get my Kai Ni remodel as well, and even after that, I'll keep striving to become even stronger so that you never have to worry about me on the battlefield.
That way, you have something to fight for and to come home to, so don't worry your pretty little head about us, allow yourself to be a little selfish and think a little more about yourself, alright?
After all, everyone on Earth's living on borrowed time, and while living for the sake of others is great, it isn't fulfilling in a lot of ways.
And in our line of work…"
Jintsuu looked rather surprised at the amount of support which she received from both her sisters, looking down with a smile for the first time today as she replied gratefully,
"Thank you, both of you…
I was worried that the both of you would reject me - "
"NO!"
"No!"
Jintsuu jumped from the sound of two voices shooting down those morbid thoughts, Naka leaning in with a concerned look as she explained both her own and Sendai's thinking.
"Jintsuu, we'd never reject you!
Sure, we're not oracles or prophets and can't see into the future, but right here and now, this need for adrenaline which is sated in battle is barely enough of a reason for us to even consider it!
We're here for you!"
Before pouncing on the bed and embracing both Jintsuu and Sendai in a double hug, Sendai flinching from shock while Jintsuu squealed in surprise, all three of them falling back on the hospital bed as Naka weighed down on them, apologizing for her rash action while Sendai felt like a body pillow in the tight embrace of her sister.
"Oh, sorry!
I didn't mean to hurt you two!"
But they heard Jintsuu burst out into soft laughter, chuckling good-naturedly as she patted Naka on the head before bringing her breathing under control, speaking up in a relieved tone.
"Looks like I was worried for nothing.
I was right to open up to the both of you, and it now feels as if a weight's being lifted from my chest.
And although Naka literally weighs down on me right now in lieu of said emotional weight, I don't mind it one bit."
Sendai turned to her side, and she could see that the most silent and polite of her sisters was emoting a genuine smile and was laughing together with Naka, and she couldn't help but do the same as her cheeks stretched out into a smile, embracing both her sisters as she spoke up and expressed her love for them.
"I love you two, Jintsuu, Naka."
In which Naka responded heartily, returning the hug and snuggling up to them both in the process as she brought the three of them closer in order to rub their cheeks together.
"Aw, I love the both of you too!
We'll do our best to become stronger in order to stand by you, Jintsuu, so don't worry about the both of us and move forward without hesitation!
So long as you keep yourself alive out there on the battlefield in your pursuit of the thrill of battle, we'll always be waiting for you back at home, wherever that is!"
Jintsuu smiled, a rare phenomenon in and of itself as she nodded and sighed in relief while she enjoyed the intimate moment shared between the Sendai-Class trio, Sendai feeling a little more convinced that everything was going to be alright.
Even if Apocalypse came and plunged their world into another world war, something within her wanted to believe that they all could come out the other side unscathed, and although some would dismiss that as a fool's wish in a war as bloody and as costly as theirs, the difference was that she had the potential within herself to protect everyone around her.
But on days like this, after a large-scale battle with so many deaths, it was also nice for her to stop and smell the roses in her race to obtain Kai Ni, to remind herself just what she was fighting for.
Myoukou was relaxing in the docks, having waited for a while for this as the medics prioritized saving either the dead or the dying with quick-repair buckets, stabilizing their conditions before allowing the medium and light-damaged ship girls to take a dip, and since she was a senior and the motherly sister of the Myoukou-Class, she took the bullet by waiting for everyone to finish their repairs before taking a dip herself.
She had completely undressed before this and felt the warm embrace of the bathwater on her skin, and she only knew that only a few ship girls like Hiei, Musashi, Yamato and Unryuu, amongst others, were in the docks and were healing up in tubs which were situated further away from her.
The heated battle with Dyson the Battleship Princess was a close one, and although she managed to get some good hits in, she had to leave most of the heavy-lifting to Yamato.
And to see the demure Yamato-Class battleship go so far to take Dyson down before they had to drag her dead body back to Yokosuka while trying in vain to pry her katana out of the death grip she had on her weapon, it really pulled at her heart strings at not having done more to help her out.
As a fellow lover of Admiral Mako, she was proud of Yamato for being able to clinch this victory and arguably play the most important role in this battle by baiting, tanking and dealing damage back to the Abyssals all throughout the battle.
It inspired Myoukou to do better next time and not be outdone by the youngsters, who managed to showcase their talents and determination this time.
Cracking her stiff neck as she dipped back into the bathwater, she felt the strain of the Elite Ne-Class's tail slam into her body return as a dull ache in her side, sighing as she felt these rare pangs of muted pain get purged by the healing properties of the bathwater, mostly due to the nano-machines in the bathwater as they used minute amounts of steel to patch up the damage.
It always hurt to sortie, although living for so long in this second life helped her become accustomed to it, and as she lived longer and longer, the amount of things and people she wanted to protect grew in number, driving her to grow ever stronger in order to do so without fail.
Her Kai Ni body was healing up nicely, lean muscles and a shapely body the result of countless training sessions and sorties which improved her skills and physical capabilities via trials by fire, but her mind now shifted onto more important matters.
Namely, Apocalypse.
When she sat down with Ashigara, her little sister explained why the air around the naval base was so heavy, because everyone suspected the dawn of a new age of warfare without knowing the specifics, and Ashigara had gotten permission to discuss Apocalypse with Myoukou due to her trustworthy nature and importance both as a senior in this base, and as one of her lovers.
Upon learning what the Abyssals were likely up to, it hit her hard and dampened her spirits, especially since it came immediately after winning the hard-fought Battle of Twelve Navies, but it explained the existence of the Flying Dutchman and the Abyssal knockoffs of existing human jet fighters.
It was like she was watching history repeat itself, remembering when she was constructed in Yokosuka and had to deal with the ensuing chaos which followed the introduction of the Abyssal Princesses to the world, changing the meta-game of the war forever.
Now that she had some time to herself and was now alone with her own thoughts, she wondered how everyone would be on edge and were reluctant to celebrate their victory, mostly because the Abyssals had blatantly flaunted their military might on the world stage.
It seemed to be a foolish move.
But to know that the Abyssals had been silently developing new war vehicles and weapons for the sake of Apocalypse, they had nothing to lose by getting them on edge and force them to lose sleep over the question of when the other foot would drop before the next phase of the Abyssal War begun, it now began to make sense to the Myoukou-Class heavy cruiser.
Sighing tiredly again as she flexed her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling whilst noticing the steam which rose from the piping-hot bathwater and wafted towards the ceiling, she noticed someone wearing a peaked cap approach her as she had her Admiral blazer draped over her shoulders and was wearing white jeans, Admiral Mako coming to visit her in the docks much to Myoukou's pleasant surprise.
She had known herself to be a wallflower compared to the rest of Admiral Mako's many girlfriends, from the well-endowed and outgoing Atago to the Yamato Nadeshiko Yamato and the Admiral's 'best girl' Nagato, but she had already been perfectly content just to receive Admiral Mako's love, and she half expected her Admiral to be hanging out and (probably) groping either the Yamato and Nagato-Class battleships or even the Takao-Class cruisers in the bath.
Well, knowing the Admiral, with such a radical development being thrown their way, she'd be too busy doing all she can to prepare for what was to come next, and she'd certainly be stressed out even after the Battle of Twelve Navies had ended.
Sure enough, she could see bags beneath Admiral Mako's eyes, and as she leaned in, Myoukou could see that she hadn't been sleeping, likely staying up throughout the night to ensure that her ship girls revived and healed up without a hitch.
Endearing, yet heartbreaking.
Admiral Mako took off her peaked cap before sitting down next to Myoukou's dock, sitting herself down in a ladylike position and placing her peaked cap on the tiled floor.
Myoukou looked up at her with a concerned glance, leaning forward as she felt her long, undone hair float on the surface of the bathwater within the tub which she sat in, feeling drops of water roll down her unblemished skin as she asked.
"Admiral?
Is there a reason why you wished to visit me?"
Admiral Mako shrugged, lying parallel to the docks in order to lean in close and support her head with her left elbow and palm in the position of the Sleeping Buddha as she answered honestly.
"Not sure.
Everything's been thrown into chaos after winning the Battle of Twelve Navies, and I just needed some time away from all the paperwork, the military panicking and activating every protocol under the sun as the entire world prepares for an imminent world war, and the subdued fear which has seeped into this base and wormed its way into my girls' hearts."
Myoukou nodded solemnly, looking down dejectedly at her breasts as they floated on the surface of the bathwater, seeing where Admiral Mako was coming from and how the end of this naval battle was only a harbinger of worse things to come.
"It's understandable.
To think that the Abyssals had been working on something like a jet fighter, which can compete with mankind's air forces…
And according to Ashigara, the Abyssals have been developing land combat vehicles along with building the Flying Dutchman as an oceanic vessel of war.
Things really are going to go downhill from here, yes?"
Admiral Mako said nothing even though her troubled expression revealed everything to Myoukou, the heavy cruiser lifting a hand to hold Mako's idle hand as a way to comfort her, taking the initiative by asking.
"And what are we, you and the world, going to do about it?"
Admiral Mako looked down at the hand contact, thinking to herself before choosing to answer.
"They're in the process of creating a ship girl army which will solely specialize in land combat, but I think that they're coming to a consensus on conscription, which will focus on recruiting existing ship girls into the ship girl army.
There, they're discussing forming something akin to the Storm-troopers of World War 1, getting to go in hard and fast since they're more experienced than the infantry after having lived longer lives in this era.
They also need amphibious units who are nicknamed 'Frogmen', who can sail on the seas and fight on land, amongst many more specializations.
It's all a mess, and I can't tell you too much about it right now because everything's so important that I just blank out at what to say and focus on.
Which is why I'm here."
Clasping Myoukou's hand, she could see that her presence helped to ease Admiral Mako's mind about such things as she broke out into a tired yet sincere smile, because she was ultimately human and was still fallible.
It was being able to help her commanding officer out in the smallest of ways which made her happy to have formed a romantic relationship with Admiral Mako all those years ago.
Myoukou spoke up about how her headstrong sister Ashigara would likely be interested in joining this ship girl army in order to make herself useful,
"Well, knowing Ashigara's personality, I'm sure she'd want to sign up in the army in order to protect the inexperienced and weaker ship girls in intense firefights with her armor and skills.
She's a warrior, inside an-"
"She won't be joining.
Or rather, she won't be allowed to join."
"Eh?"
Myoukou looked up at Admiral Mako with a confused look, and Admiral Mako looked crestfallen about the next piece of news she was about to reveal as she continued, looking into her own reflection in the bathwater.
"Almost none of the existing Kai Ni ship girls will be allowed into the army; we need them to maintain the standard we have set for the international ship girl navy right now.
If every existing ship girl is to transfer from the navy to the army right now, our naval power would be drastically affected, and the oceans are the first line of defense against the Abyssals."
Now craning her neck to look Myoukou in the eye, Admiral Mako shared her personal thoughts on the matter.
"We're getting too good at naval combat, and the Abyssals know it.
The Battle of Twelve Navies proves that, since we suffered significantly lower casualties than any other time this kind of invasion has occurred anywhere else in Japan.
Our quality is beating their quantity, and that's why they're upping their game by invading us on land in their attempt to stretch out our forces thin and overwhelm us with sheer quantity, despite mankind's advancements in land-based combat.
I want to protect everyone, but this time…"
Myoukou's heart broke upon seeing her Admiral look so despondent and disappointed in herself about not being able to ensure everyone's safety, but that uncertainty was part and parcel of the whirlwind of destruction that was war, Myoukou sniffling and blinking away the tears which started to form at the corners of her eyes as she changed the subject and wished to move out of the docks in order to better comfort her Admiral, asking politely with a slightly forced smile plastered on her face.
"Admiral, I'm feeling alright now, and I wish to leave the docks and find someplace private in which we can continue our conversation.
Since you don't seem as if you're leaving anytime soon, would you mind bringing me my towel so that I can wipe myself down and cover myself in order to get my clothes?"
Admiral Mako's expression brightened up somewhat, reaching into her pocket and slightly confusing Myoukou as she broke out into a relieved smile over the change in the subject.
"I got something better for you."
Taking out a packet of tissues, Myoukou's confused expression settled into a flustered and somewhat annoyed glare at her Admiral as her commanding officer expected her to clean and dry herself with only tissue papers.
And then it got even better.
Admiral Mako let go of her hand and took out a single piece before offering it to Myoukou, her glare now morphing into one of disbelief as she held up the piece of limp tissue paper with her fingernails, the bathwater which was dripping from her hands being absorbed by the tissue paper as it became damp.
Myoukou started to blush and panic at the fact that she would have to get up from the docks and get to her towel and clothes while sopping wet and almost entirely naked while her Admiral watched, lowering herself further into the docks as she handed the thoroughly-soaked and thus useless tissue paper back to Admiral Mako, who pocketed it with a gleeful grin while Myoukou meekly spoke up, feeling her blush color her face even more than the bathwater did.
"On second thought…
I think I'll stay here until you leave, Admiral."
Her Admiral sighed as she got up into a sitting position, speaking up in a lackadaisical manner.
"Never mind, I believe you when you say you feel fine.
But as your Admiral, I need to ensure your well-being by personally performing a… thorough physical checkup.
And if you don't want to come out of the docks, I guess I'll have to get in, then."
But before Myoukou could realize what her Admiral was up to, Admiral Mako shrugged off her Admiral blazer as her hands reached up behind her to reach for the back of her tank top collar before deftly slipping out of it, revealing her clean-shaven armpits and her baby-pink bra which was wrapped snugly around her chest, laced cups pushing up her decently-sized breasts.
Myoukou was shocked at her commander-slash-girlfriend's indecent actions, managing to sputter out a disbelieving,
"A-Admiral?!"
As Admiral Mako continued her undressing streak by kicking off her shoes and hurriedly tearing off her socks before lowering herself into the bathtub, causing the steaming-hot bath water to overflow and wet her own discarded clothes as a result, the excess water crashing onto the tiled floor and slipping into the grated drains as a result of Admiral Mako's mass displacing it.
Myoukou let out an excited yelp as she made space for her Admiral while Mako got used to the heat and lowered herself in further before getting closer, Myoukou feeling the electric touch of their skin coming into contact with one another as she squeaked,
"Admiral!
The tub's overflowing!"
And her commander's goofy grin matched her excitement as she retorted in a matter-of-fact way.
"So am I!"
Her smile was contagious as Myoukou found herself mirroring Admiral Mako's smile while feeling quite conscious of her face reddening as a result of the bathwater's temperature as well as the intimately close proximity to her lover as a partially-drenched Admiral Mako leaned in.
The bathwater sloshed all around them as they got ever so closer to each other, Admiral Mako pressing her bosom against Myoukou's with only Admiral Mako's drenched bra separating skin from skin contact as her commanding officer's expression turned from an excited into a highly sensual and even hungry one, speaking alluringly.
" … And I bet, so are you."
Myoukou's heart was threatening to burst out of her rib-cage since she could feel it beating a mile a minute while in such close proximity to her lover, but she managed to compose herself in order to think up of and fire back with a retort.
"Of course, Admiral.
I am thoroughly soaked down under, after all."
And not in the way that you think, Myoukou demonstrating that by cupping her right hand and scooping up some bathwater in order to let it fall back into the tub, Admiral Mako blushing nonetheless at the insinuation as Myoukou giggled and spoke up dryly with no ill intent behind her words.
"What, Admiral, did you really think I was so helpless as to be unable to strike back with a retort the second you made your advance?
You are not as charming as you think you are."
And to that, Admiral Mako leaned in and closed her eyes as her lips met Myoukou's for a mouth-to-mouth kiss, and she could feel her nether regions tingling in excitement even after Admiral Mako broke off the passionate kiss, the both of them breathing heavily as Admiral Mako gasped for breath before speaking up again.
"Yes, I am."
Her Admiral's expression then darkened as she looked downwards and lowered her entire body, using Myoukou's sizable chest as a head rest before continuing.
"You know, Myoukou, I know I can't create a world where none of you get hurt, not when this war still goes on.
But I at least know how to make the pain go away.
It's the best I can do for you all."
Myoukou nodded as she looked down at Admiral Mako's sopping wet hair and patted her on the crown of her head, comforting her Admiral with reassuring words.
"I know, Admiral.
I know…
We are forever grateful to you for showering us with so much affection and attention, and I…"
She leaned in close to her Admiral's ear and spoke from her heart.
"I personally thank you for granting me the honor of being your girlfriend.
To allow me to feel … love, the romantic kind of love towards you."
Admiral Mako nodded as Myoukou felt her commander's exhaling breath tickle her bare cleavage, but she then chose to ask about something which had been on the back of her mind, speaking up while she snuggled up with Admiral Mako.
"By the way, Admiral.
My clothes are in the changing room, and your clothes are completely drenched with the closest change of clothes likely being in your office.
What are we to do in this situation?"
She could feel her Admiral shrugging nonchalantly, offering a risque solution.
"Well then, we'll just have to make do with a little streaking now, hmm?"
Myoukou's eyebrows furrowed a little, giving her opinion on how others might talk should someone spot them.
"It'd be scandalous if someone saw us, though."
But Admiral Mako's response made all the sense in the world, especially considering the setting they were in.
"Honestly, I don't think anyone would bother giving us a second glance when we're in a ship girl naval base, where beautiful ship girls eat, sleep and live while getting into weird hijinks pretty much every day, hmm?
Besides, considering the clothing damage which you all sustain on your sorties and the amount of skin which it reveals, I think even the staff are desensitized to your sexiness to some extent.
They are paid to deal with weirder shit, after all."
Myoukou's expression softened as she reluctantly lifted an eyebrow in agreement, but yelped as soon as she felt a hand slide down her lower back and grope her butt, splashing bath water everywhere as she convulsed from the euphoric sensation taking her by surprise, a shiver running up her spine and stimulating her body in all the right ways as she heard a re-energized Admiral Mako whisper.
"But not me, though.
I want it all.
I want to savor your taste, your smell, to memorize your curves as well as the silky sensations of your skin.
I. Want. Everything."
Myoukou felt something within her awaken despite her best attempts to remain rational as she felt everything within her accumulate, which included the stress of war, the hefty responsibility of upholding the image of a mighty and respected senior of Yokosuka as well as being a motherly elder sister to the Myoukou-Class, near-death experiences which plagued her nightmares with 'what if's as well as the sexual frustration which had piled up over the course of several weeks if not months, in which she had either been carrying out administrative work or was relentlessly training for the Battle of Twelve Navies.
Myoukou was stressed out, but Admiral Mako promised that she'd make it all go away.
She knew of her Admiral's sexual appetite, which could easily devour two slow battleships whole as she thoroughly wore them down throughout the entire night and could still lust for more the next day, and she expected herself to be completely drained of her strength, yet also completely satisfied by the end of their make-out session.
Myoukou made her choice, gulping nervously and licking her lips in anticipation.
She then stood up.
While still naked.
Feeling her Admiral's eyes hungrily roam over her bare and well-crafted body while her blush reached critical levels, she felt the ticklish sensation of the bathwater drops roll down her soaking-wet figure as the beat of her nervous heart reverberated throughout her warm body, simultaneously feeling ashamed of what she was currently doing yet feeling reassured that what happened between her and Admiral Mako right now would stay between them.
She'd never show this perverse side of herself to anyone else, not even her sisters, since she at least possessed some sense of decorum and grace even when she slept together with Admiral Mako along with another lover.
But the stress of war and death as well as the responsibility and expectations which she shouldered for so long were too much, even for someone as experienced as her.
She allowed only her Admiral to see this side of her, what with her prominently-displayed erect nipples, bare body and dripping-wet nether regions, sitting herself on the tub's rounded ledge and folding her shapely legs before doing her best to enchant her own Admiral by playing up her feminine attributes.
Slightly puckering her lips, she pressed her upper arms and shoulders together while puffing out her chest and leaning forward in order to emphasize her jiggly assets, narrating her fantasies which she secretly entertained in her most private of moments and in the darkest recesses of her mind, baring her body, mind and soul to her one and only Admiral.
"Admiral Mako, I now present to you the Myoukou-Class's unique three-course meal.
The appetizer…"
Sensually swiping her lower lip with her left thumb, she moved on to her bosom as she pulled apart her shoulders as though performing stretches before she sensually rubbed and squeezed her larger-than-average breasts together while pushing them up in order to seduce Admiral Mako.
"The main course.
It won't be as… filling… as the Yamato and Nagato-Class, but I assure you that the exquisite taste more than makes up for it.
And finally…"
Unfolding her legs in order to spread them erotically whilst boldly thrusting her hips out and running her slender finger over her folds enticingly, her blushing face was practically glowing as she began to stutter at the sheer ridiculousness of her words as she hungrily licked her lips and finished her little monologue, choosing to address her Admiral by her first name.
"F-Finally, this here's the dessert, w-w-with the little cherry on top…
Please, M-Mako, taste-test every part of my body and eat me out to your heart's content."
But instead of behaving as she expected, Admiral Mako instead responded with an absolutely deadpan expression,
"That was rather cringy of you to say, Myoukou.
Did Ashigara put you up to it?"
Myoukou broke character as she clamped her legs shut and shielded her chest with her arms, looking more embarrassed than anything else after having narrated her fantasies out loud as she exclaimed.
"N-No!
It was all from me, I fantasized the entire thing, and although I understand that it may feel as if it was a bit forced when coming from me, of all people…"
Myoukou squirmed where she sat as she puffed out her cheeks, feeling quite humiliated by her own actions and wished that the both of them could simply forget that this ever happened as she meekly finished her sentence.
"I… I truly wanted you to see me for who I am.
Even this part of me, which never sees the light of day and is hidden from even my sisters, I want you to see and understand every facet of me and my personality…"
Admiral Mako looked down at the bathwater, contemplating Myoukou's inner desires as she voiced her thoughts out loud.
"The quiet ones really are the kinkiest ones behind closed doors, hmm?"
Myoukou shrugged nonchalantly, now wishing to disappear from Admiral Mako's sight after that fiasco as she responded, looking away in embarrassment while Admiral Mako stood up from the docks.
"W-Well, I wouldn't know about anyone else, but…
If you wish, I could go- hyah!"
Only for her to be cut off by her own squeal of pleasure as Admiral Mako quickly leaned over and kissed Myoukou on the curve of flesh between her neck and shoulder while using her soaked thigh in order to rub against and stimulate the leaking orifice between Myoukou's tightly-clenched thighs, the quivering heavy cruiser huffing lustfully as the humid docks and piping-hot bathwater warmed up her body and sent her into heat.
Reaching around in order to rub her bare palms down Myoukou's tingling spine as their breasts pressed against the other's, Admiral Mako whispered seductively into her left ear as her gasping breath tickled Myoukou's ear, causing climatic shivers to reverberate throughout her now-sensitive body.
"I never declined your offer, Myoukou.
And since you went the extra mile to offer yourself so graciously to me, I shall now gladly and heartily partake of you."
Admiral Mako drew back before lowering herself as her head disappeared beneath Myoukou's breasts, Myoukou's entire body shivering in anticipation as she felt her girlfriend's breath on her lower abdomen where her womb was and was slowly getting lower, her Admiral's tender voice uttered just loud enough to be heard by Myoukou alone.
"Don't worry, Myoukou.
To the both of us, this next part will come naturally.
Itadakimasu…"
Myoukou threw back her head and shoulders as lip-to-other-lip contact was made, the Myoukou-Class heavy cruiser arching her back and inhaling sharply through her 'O'-shaped mouth as all her concerns, fears, responsibilities, burdens, frustrations, stress and pain were all slowly but surely washed away by the waves of pleasure which overcame her senses and engulfed her body, causing her knees to buckle and her pulse to quicken, her breath condensing before her very eyes while she felt as if raw electricity ran up and down her excited steel spine.
Her section of the heated bathhouse was filled with the gasps, sighs, moans, cries and squeals of sheer delight and ecstasy, her delirious mind barely capable of controlling her volume as she called out in an increasingly intense fever pitch.
"Yes…
Oh yes, Mako… Mako!
Oh! Ohh!"