Day 2: Engagement

It had been, give or take, twelve hours since they got engaged. Not much time at all, especially considering Kirishima had slept through no small part of it.

Still, she couldn't help but marvel at the ring, the way it sat on her finger. The gems on the ring shone marvelously, color changing with the angle the light but it. Of course, the gem wasn't the important part; it could have been made of scrap metal and it still would have had the same meaning.

She held her hand a bit above her face as she reclined in bed, the gem shimmering like a little star just overhead…

"Are you going to stare at that thing all day?"

"Maybe I will."

Kongou chuckled. "You know, every second you spend staring at that thing is more time until the wedding proper."

"Suppose you're right." Kirishima sighed, turning in her bed and standing up. "We don't even have a date in mind…"

"Spring could work?" Kongou mused, "Though you'll need a dress. Hiei and I could help you find something?"

"After last summer's fiasco?" Kirishima scoffed. How she had managed to go outside wearing that outfit, she wasn't quite sure…

"It worked, didn't it? You and the Commander are getting married."

Kirishima laughed. "We are. But no heels."

"I think they'd flatter you…"

"But I need to be able to dance."

"You and your dancing, Kiri."

"What? It's my wedding, I'll dance all I want. No, you have to let me dance as much as I want."

"Design for ergonomics, then…" Kongou hummed. "Are you thinking of a more eastern style?" Kongou figured this wedding would already be a motley of cultures, just by taking place in Azur Lane, so a bit of disparity in the couple's outfits wouldn't be too strange… Or maybe they could get the Commander to wear a wedding kimono? Kongou had managed to adapt to Japanese culture well, there's no reason the Commander couldn't do the same.

Kirishima smiled thinly. "I was considering something western? With a veil?"

That was a bit of a strange request. Kongou's eyes flicked to the mask that covered her sister's mouth and wondered if the request was something as silly as… well, no matter why, her sister wanted what she wanted. The problem with a veil, she figured, was the horns. You'd have to work around those, either letting them hold the veil up like a tent or you'd next to cut holes…

Maybe some pearls wrapping around the horns, adding a bit of contrast? Still, removing a veil like that sounded like a real hassle.

"Western would be a bit unconventional," at least for a Japanese ship such as herself. "Are you sure?"

"Yep. All I need is big sis's sage advice." Kirishima grinned.

"You sound like Haruna." Kongou was more flattered than she'd admit, to think that her sister would trust her like that. It was a big responsibility.

"No need to say something like that," Kirishima joked. "I thought we were friends!"

"She's going to be one of your bridesmaids."

"She is?"

"She is."

"Remind me," Kirishima said, "What exactly is a bridesmaid?"

Right. Kongou did occasionally make very English assumptions about what people knew. It made her one of the best when it came to communicating with the Royal Navy, but it did occasionally lead to things like this.

"Bridesmaids help the bride prepare for the wedding, and they are typically relatives or friends. Haruna, Hiei, and I make three, at least."

"I don't get to object?"

"Object to Hiei."

Kirishima gulped. "Right."

"See if you can convince the Commander to pick that boy from logistics as one of his groomsmen."

"Oh?" Kirishima grinned. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Haruna likes him."

"Really?"

"Yes. I expect the wedding will give her the push she needs."

"I never took you for a matchmaker, Kongou."

"I'd rather see Haruna happy than not," Kongou said. She almost thought to explain the concept of the bouquet toss to her sister, but that could probably come later.

(Stick a pin in that, maybe. Kongou figured some Japanese flowers could be a nice counterbalance to the western-style wedding.)

"You should probably talk about this with the Commander."

"And Hiei!" Kirishima grinned. "The party we'll have…"

"I'm already dreading it."

Kirishima chuckled. "Love you, Kongou."

"Love you too."

"Haruna and Hiei are coming back from their mission soon, aren't they?"

"They are…"

Kirishima held up the ring. "And this is objective proof that I'm more marriageable than Haruna, isn't it?'

"You really want to start a fight with her the day after you got engaged?"

"Start a fight? I've already won."