Kashino entered the medical bay of the Norfolk after a late night dash from the California. Winded and slightly sweaty, she knocked on the door, only to have Musashi be the one who answered the door.
"L-L-Lady Musashi!" Kashino yelped as she blushed bright red.
"Kashino, dear. How are you feeling? Is everything well?" Musashi asked as she slipped a hand behind the back of the Bovine Kansen, drawing her into the medical bay.
"I…I came to see Miss Alice… is she here?" Kashino asked as she quickly looked around, only seeing a few Kansen remaining in the medical bay.
"Alice is currently sleeping. But Arizona and Vestal are on duty." Hood said as Kashino looked over from her bed.
"Ah. Good evening, Lady Hood." Kashino said with a slightly pained bow. Kashino groaned slightly at the pain.
"Kashino? Is everything okay? You sound like you're in pain." Musashi said as she looked around before herding Kashino to an empty bed.
"Here. Lay down. I'll fetch the American Battleship." Musashi said as she headed off, closing the curtain to give Kashino some privacy.
Kashino blushed brightly.
"I'm still so sore… dang it, Ben… still… I can't be too upset." Kashino whispered as she rubbed her stomach.
Several minutes later, Arizona walked through the curtain with Musashi and a limping Yamato in tow.
"L-Lady Yamato!" Kashino cried as she tried to hide her body.
"Kashino." Yamato spoke as she made her way over to the bed and cupped Kashino's cheeks with her hands.
"Lady Yamato, you should be resting… I see you're not up to full strength yet." Kashino tried only to be silenced by the battleship placing her forehead against Kashino's own forehead.
"Hush now. Musashi said you were in pain. I cannot lay around here while my most loyal helper is in pain. I will be here too." Yamato said as Kashino felt like she could pass out.
"I-it was really nothing, Lady Yamato. I was simply doing my duty." Kashino spoke.
"And you, a supply vessel, joining the fight that Apollyon put up to save me? Was that your duty? I think not. You are by far my most loyal helper… and a friend to rival even my sisters." Yamato whispered as she gave Kashino a tender yet chaste hug.
"To rival… Lady Shinano and Lady Musashi?" Kashino asked.
"You raised your blade to save me. As a ship never designed for combat, you threw yourself into the fires of war to save me from the Wolfpack that had enslaved me. For that… I will forever be in your debt, Kashino." Yamato clarified.
"I… I was only doing what I thought was right." Kashino said as a sharp pain ran up her side, causing her to clutch her side.
"Arizona, please, tend to her." Yamato spoke as she backed off with help from Musashi.
"Kashino?" Arizona asked as she got closer.
"Yes?" Kashino asked, still breathing through her teeth at the pain.
"What seems to be the issue today?" Arizona asked.
"I… I wanted to come see Miss Alice about something Lady Shinano told me. I was hoping… she could test me." Kashino spoke softly.
"Test you?" Musashi asked.
"Have you taken a man, Kashino?" Yamato asked, noticing the ring on her finger. Yamato herself was hesitant in thinking about the possibility, but she wouldn't allow herself to bring the room down with her own inability to find comfort in the situation.
"I… I have, Lady Yamato. The American who tended to you and helped us escape your vessel. The big strong one. I… I accepted his proposal of marriage." Kashino said.
"Oh that is wonderful! We must begin preparations for a ceremony!" Yamato spoke, her excitement outrunning her pain for just a moment before a wave of pain knocked her down a few pegs.
"Easy, dear sister. You are not yet fully healed." Musashi reminded her sister.
"Yes… I know this, Musashi." Yamato said.
"Anyway… by tested, you mean a pregnancy test?" Arizona asked, causing all three Japanese women to blush brightly.
Yamato and Musashi both looked at Kashino with wide eyes as the Bovine nodded slowly.
"I… I have a feeling that I may be dealing with the same things that Lady Shinano was describing." Kashino said as Musashi and Yamato both grabbed a hand.
"You're expecting?!" Yamato cried, waking the medical bay.
"Lady Yamato… please. Not so loud… It's still embarrassing." Kashino said.
Arizona smiled softly as she took a stethoscope from around her neck and placed it in her ears before placing the small pad on Kashino's stomach. Kashino and the Yamato sisters held their breath until Arizona smiled.
"Well. Good news, Kashino." Arizona said.
"Am I?" Kashino asked as Musashi squeezed her left hand.
"You are expecting. There is a tiny little heartbeat in there." Arizona said as a tear ran down Kashino's cheek.
"I'm gonna have a baby?" Kashino asked as more tears came forward.
"Yes. The fact that you have a second heart pumping away in your body means you're expecting a calf… pardon my pun." Arizona said as she giggled a bit.
"Moo?" Kashino tried, causing the three battleships around her to laugh.
"Kashino is Pregnant. The marriage ceremony can wait. We must prepare for another birth." Arizona said.
"Did… did we learn anything from Lady Shinano?" Kashino asked.
Arizona nodded.
"Yes. Contrary to what we thought before. You should be ready to give birth in about a month or so. Kansen don't function the same way humans do, so we won't require the full nine months. Alice, Otto, and I have talked at length about this, and we believe that since we Kansen command warships of massive scale, we can speed through the process of pregnancy. We have more power and regenerative ability due to our… unique predicament, so any children we conceive will grow at an exponential rate while in the womb." Arizona explained.
"What do I do until then? I can't be laid up in bed… I have to help the fleet." Kashino said.
"I'm sure the Admiral will understand." Arizona said.
"I'll go and have a word with him on your behalf, Kashino. Do not worry." Musashi said.
"As will I. I can use a nice walk." Yamato said as the two Yamato class battleships left the small room.
"B-but…" Kashino tried.
"No buts, Kashino. You are now on a reduced workload until you have the baby. Patty and some of the other girls can handle moving troops and equipment for a month." Arizona said as she looked over Kashino.
"While you are here, I'd like to perform a physical. I saw you were in pain earlier." Arizona said.
Kashino nodded.
"My back and sides ache a lot. I am sure it's just a product of last night. It will pass." Kashino said as Arizona turned Kashino on her side and felt up her back.
"Your spine seems to bow out a bit. Do you hunch over a lot?" Arizona asked.
Kashino looked confused.
"I don't think so… I try to stand up straight. It's proper form." Kashino said.
"Do you think it might be something to do with your chest?" Arizona asked.
"They are quite heavy… now that you mention it." Kashino said.
"Do you wear anything to help support that weight?" Arizona asked.
Kashino shook her head.
"I usually wrap them so they are a bit more manageable." Kashino said.
"I see. Well. Why don't we try getting you a bra? One that can help support the weight." Arizona said as she rolled Kashino on her back.
"A bra?" Kashino asked.
Arizona nodded before pulling open the top few buttons of her uniform to show Kashino her own.
"They help keep the weight off your neck and shoulders, keeping you from hunching forward." Arizona explained as she buttoned her uniform.
"Where do we get one?" Kashino asked.
"We have a few ladies onboard who can make some for you. They just need to measure you to get the right fit." Arizona said as she pulled out a tape measure.
"Okay…" Kashino said softly as her cheeks turned rosy.
Arizona helped Kashino undress herself to the point where Arizona could accurately measure her.
"Good lord, Kashino…" Arizona muttered.
"I know… it's embarrassing… but Ben said he really likes them… so maybe they're not so bad." Kashino said.
"I'll say. They're quite tender this evening." Arizona said as she continued measuring.
Kashino remained quiet with that statement.
"Good lord, Kashino… 130 centimeters! The girls will have to custom make every single bra." Arizona said in astonishment.
"Is… is that uncommon?" Kashino asked as Arizona measured her torso.
"Very much so. I don't think there's a girl in the Union that even comes close. Maybe Bremerton… if we are considering her trailing behind by almost 7 centimeters close…" Arizona said as she wrote down the measurements.
"Are you sure this will help?" Kashino asked, her face practically glowing red from sheer embarrassment.
"Yes. I am going to have the girls here work on making a bra that will help correct your posture, so you won't have this hunch. If you leave it unchecked, it could lead to back problems." Arizona said.
"Well… then I trust you." Kashino said as Arizona helped her redress.
"Now. Do you want me to come with you to tell Ben the good news?" Arizona asked.
Kashino nodded.
"Please do… I think I'll die of anxiety if I go alone." Kashino said as Arizona smiled.
"Alright. Let me hand these numbers off to one of the girls and we'll be off." Arizona said as she looked around and spotted a nurse tending to Hood. She gave the clipboard to the nurse before returning to Kashino, who had managed to get out of bed on her own.
"Come along. Let's get you to Ben so you can give him the good news." Arizona said with a smile. The positivity of the American Battleship gave Kashino the strength to muster a genuine smile.
"Yeah. I think he'll be happy." Kashino said as they headed out.
Isaac now sat on the edge of the tub. Shinano had joined them and was relaxing with him, Omaha, Lizzy, and 13. They all sat on the side of the tub watching Yume splash around in the basin that Isaac had gotten her.
"She really is adorable." Isaac said as Shinano looked at him.
"She is your daughter after all." Shinano said as she poked his chest.
"She is our daughter. Remember, she came out of you." Isaac said as he poked Shinano's belly. She squirmed a bit.
"Cut it out." Shinano said as a knock came to the door of the bath.
"Come in." Isaac said. Before he could cover himself fully, Yamato and Musashi opened the door.
"Wow. Impressive." Musashi muttered as she caught a glimpse of Isaac before he pulled a towel from behind him.
"Sister!" Shinano barked.
"What? Is it bad taste to compliment the man?" Musashi asked as she looked around the bath. Seeing everyone naked made her feel overdressed.
"Give us a moment." Musashi said as she helped Yamato get undressed behind a curtain before undressing herself. They both came out wearing towels and went straight to the tub. Easing themselves in before removing their towels, the water and steam helped conceal their bodies.
"To what do I owe the honor of all three Yamato class sisters being here?" Isaac asked.
"I'm your wife, so that's a given." Shinano pointed out.
"Yes… but the other two are here as well, Love." Isaac said as he kissed Shinano's cheek.
"Well… we have come for two reasons. One, Shinano is the only one of us with a functioning bath house at the moment. During the unwanted tenure of the Wolfpack… they managed to completely destroy our bath houses. So, this is the only way to have a comfortable bath." Musashi stated, rubbing Yamato's back softly to help the heat ease her muscles.
"And the other reason?" Lizzy asked.
"We have a request for you, Admiral." Yamato spoke up.
"A request? For me?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. Kashino, you know her, yes?" Musashi asked.
"Our wonderful Munitions ship. Cow ears, tail, horns, the works? Dedicated to her work?" Isaac asked.
"That's the one. Well… we have just confirmed that she is pregnant. Arizona did the exam, and it came back positive…" Yamato said before being interrupted by Isaac.
"Kashino is pregnant?!" Isaac asked.
"Yes. If I may, allow me to make my request." Yamato spoke.
Isaac stopped short and listened.
"Continue."
"Thank you, Admiral. With that said, I know that she will be under a lot of pressure. She works very hard. And has always worked very hard. I request that you use my hull for transporting troops and equipment to allow her to reduce her workload. I may not be fully combat efficient at the moment, but I can carry troops and protect the support ships as well." Yamato requested.
"If it helps, I offer my own hull as well." Musashi said.
Isaac scratched his head.
"You two… came here because you thought I'd work her just as hard if I found out she was pregnant?" Isaac asked.
"Were you not?" Yamato asked.
"Of course not. Just ask your sister." Isaac said as Yamato and Musashi turned to look at Shinano.
"My dear husband relegated me to transport duty to keep me off the front lines until after I had Yume. He is not in the habit of being unreasonable." Shinano said.
"So… this was a futile effort?" Yamato asked dejectedly.
"Not at all. You came with goodness in your hearts. We have a pregnancy within the fleet. This is wonderful news, and wonderful timing. We're likely stuck here until Akashi arrives. We have too many ships to build before we can move on towards Japan. So, we will instead turn our efforts on helping rebuild the Island of Cebu. As well as sending men to the surrounding islands to help these people get their lives back in order. We won't bother doing anything too drastic until Akashi arrives anyway, so you two won't need to burden yourselves with transport duty. As for your orders, I only ask that you assist Kashino should she need it. If she needs a hand getting somewhere or wakes up feeling unwell, I ask that you help if able." Isaac said.
"That is doable. Thank you, Admiral." Musashi said as the two girls made to leave.
"You two don't have to leave. I know it probably took a lot to get over here, Yamato. Please stay and enjoy the bath. I can leave if me being here makes you uncomfortable." Isaac said.
"I wouldn't chase you out, Admiral. Thank you. I think I'd like to stay and be with my family… I guess that would include you now considering you have married Shinano." Yamato said.
"Well… thank you." Isaac said as he looked at Yume.
"Yume. Look. It's auntie Yamato and auntie Musashi." Isaac said as Yume looked at him, then followed his finger to see the two majestic Kitsune sitting a few feet away.
"Ya-to. Mushi." Yume said as the collective gasp of the bath almost made Isaac fall in.
"Her first words!" Shinano squealed happily as Yume tried to move towards Yamato and Musashi.
Isaac smiled.
"She seems to like you two." Isaac said as he walked over and picked up Yume from her basin and walked her over to Yamato. Yamato reached out and collected Yume.
"Who's that?" Yamato asked as she pointed at Isaac and Shinano.
"Papa… Mama…" Yume squeaked happily.
Isaac nearly fainted due to the overwhelming emotion.
"She can talk." Isaac said as Shinano hugged him. He could see tears streaming down her face.
"She's growing so quickly!" Shinano cried as they all looked at Yume who had fallen asleep in Yamato's arms.
"That she is… That she is." Isaac said as everyone continued to enjoy themselves in the bath.