Arizona gave a tired yawn as she turned back to Kongou, who had just finished getting Haruna ready for the docks. She watched as the oldest of the battleship class wrapped a towel around her younger sister before looking up to Arizona and nodding her head.

"She ready?" Arizona asked. Kongou nodded in response, her eyes struggling to stay open as she looked at the battleship. Arizona only nodded as she patted the battleship's head. "Don't you fall asleep now. You still have to eat something before you can rest.." She replied as she picked up Haruna, slowly and carefully. Kongou only smiled in response as she nodded.

"I promise nothing Arizona-San..." She responded with a bit of a small laugh mixed in. Arizona only chuckled as she began to carry Haruna towards the exit of the changing rooms. As she did so though, Kongou spoke to her again.

"And thank you... For taking care of Haruna-San... It means a lot to me.... It really does..." She said in a quiet tone. Arizona only returned her claim with a smile before carefully carrying Haruna into the docks, where some of the other Kanmusu were socializing as they put their out cold into their own baths.

Finding the bath in between Nagato and Takao empty with Atago and Mutsu standing by, talking with one another, Arizona decided that would be best. But as she began to walk that way, the battleship within her arms began to stir, her eyes slowly cracking open, much to Arizona's surprise.

"Haruna?" Arizona asked, looking down at the battleship. The Kongou Class only replied with a small smile in response, her eyes trying to adjust to the light of the unfamiliar docks.

"Mhm.... Where are we....?" She asked, turning her head slightly. Arizona nodded as she continued to walk along the row of docks to the one she was planning to put Haruna in.

"Pearl. We made it, but you've been out cold for a few days. We haven't even been on base for an hour so you haven't missed too much..." She replied. "I've got to go report to Hayfield still so that gives you some idea.." She explained. Haruna nodded as she stifled a yawn, allowing the American battleship to carry her.

"And the others...? Did they make it...?" She asked, looking up to Arizona. The woman nodded at the question as she approached the dock.

"Yes, all of us are safely here at Pearl. We almost lost a few. Midway was by far the worst though." She replied as she stopped in front of the dock she was planning to put Haruna in. But as the Kongou class got a look got a look at the specific dock, she shook her head in response.

"This won't do. I wish to have a dock where you can settle down next to me when your duties for the day are dealt with." She said. Arizona only paused momentarily before nodding, not slowing down as she walked past the previously planned on dock. Instead, she walked to about half way down the right side, this time settling on a dock with either one to the side empty as well.

"How about this?" She asked, letting Haruna get a look. The Kongou Sister took a look before nodding, giving Arizona a smile.

"This will do nicely Arizona-San." She replied. Arizona nodded as she carefully stepped down into he dock, still carrying, the battleship. Bending over, she slowly lowered Haruna into the water, prompting the Kongou class to give a contented sigh. Arizona only chuckled as she made sure Haruna was set in the bath to her liking before pulling her hands away. As she did so, the American battleship leaned forward, placing a kiss on top of Haruna's head. The Kongou class girl only giggled in reply, earning her a small grin from Arizona as the woman stepped out of the bath, her clothes drying almost instantly thanks to her fairies.

As she stepped away from the dock, she found Dr. Rushman still at the center console. Not only that, but she appeared to have a visitor if the simple fact that Yuubari had found her way into the console with her, the good Dr. Seeming to be explaining various things to the cruiser.

Chuckling, Arizona walked over to the console, tapping on the glass. Just like two goldfish in a bowl, the resulting tap seemed to cause the two to jump slightly if the look of surprise on Yuubari's face was anything to go by.

A few moments later, Yuubari opened the sliding window as she glared at the American.

"Was that really required?" She demanded. Arizona shrugged in response as Haruna chuckled in the background as she leaned against the window.

"What are you doing in there anyhow? I'm sure Dr. Rushman has everything handled.... You do, don't you?" Arizona asked as she looked at the woman.

The good doctor nodded, chuckling as she did so.

"Yes, I've got everything handled. I was just giving Yuubari here the basic rundown of how everything worked." She replied before directing her attention back to one of the screens. Yuubari nodded at that, taking it from there as she looked at the battleship.

"The docks here are a godsend compared to what we have back in Yokosuka. Built in X-rays for broken bones, heart monitors that work through the water. Hell, each dock knows what girl is in each one without any problem. See, it even registered that you stepped in to put Haruna down." She said. "These things are an engineering marvel. All for our use!" Yuubari said excitedly. Arizona only chuckled at the cruiser's boundless excitement before she turned her attention back to the Doctor.

"What about you? What's your story?" She asked. Dr. Rushman looked at her with an arched brow before looking back to the screen.

"And what about me? What's there to know about little old me?" She asked. Arizona shrugged as she looked at the woman.

"Well, you are the one in charge of making sure we recover. I'd like to have a general idea of who you are." The battleship replied. The good doctor nodded in reply.

"Fair enough.... Well, I grew up in Maine, like your Admiral. Actually lived just down the street from her family. I knew her and her siblings rather well. Went to high school with Cynthia and Anya. I was a year ahead of Anya.... Oh, that brings back memories..." She mused. Both Yuubari and Arizona arched a brow at this.

"Memories? Like what kind of memories?" Yuubari asked, rather curious at this point. Rushman started to say something, but suddenly thought better of it as she looked to the two.

"Better not. I don't need Anya coming after me. Since she more than likely has that kind of pull to do so..." She mused. Yuubari only chuckled in response as Arizona looked to the woman.

"Memories aside, you're not dressed in a Navy Uniform. You're not apart of the Navy are you?" She asked. Dr. Rushman shook her head at this.

"No, I'm not. And that goes back to the whole story. After high school, I split ways with the Johnson Family. I already knew where Anya would end up. She's a military child and I wasn't going to bet she was going break away from that. I wanted to be a doctor. So I began to prepare for that. Well, while I was in college studying, I met who would've become my wife, Lydia. She was probably one of the most gentlest beings that has ever walked this earth." She replied. Yuubari looked at her strangely.

"Would've...?" She asked. Rushman nodded.

"Would've. We met each other in 2014. She was on route to become a great surgeon. Brain Surgeon to be exact. Well, around 2017, I was in the middle of a residency in Chicago. Well, the next year, she got an offer for a residency as well. New York..." She explained. Yuubari winced at this while Arizona shook her head.

"The Abyssals?" Yuubari asked in a small voice. Rushman nodded at this.

"The Abyssals. I don't think they even had five minutes notice before those... Things... Started shelling the city. She was in one of the first buildings to go down... I was on the phone with her when it happened..." She said. Both Arizona and Yuubari suddenly found themselves unable to look at the woman, something that didn't go unnoticed by Rushman.

Shaking her head, she looked at the two.

"That's not your fault. Neither of you were here to do anything about it. And no one has even heard of an Abyssal a week before that. No reason to make yourselves sick over something so trivial. Well, after New York happened, I realized that the Navy may have a better use of my skills rather than the scared of Chicago. Well, skip three years, and I'm one of the resident Doctors here at Pearl. Six months after that, I'm being told that I'm being taken away from the normal sailor and instead put in charge of a special kind of sailor." She replied.

The two Kanmusu nodded at this.

"Anyways, it would seem that most of your girls are now within my care. So you should probably go find Whitney so she can go give you the grand tour of our fine establishment here." She replied. Arizona nodded as she backed away from the center so Yuubari could make her way out of it.

After Yuubari had done so, the two gave the doctor waves of their own before turning and leaving, soon finding themselves in the main lobby room with the other still rather ok Kanmusu.

As they did so, the rather nervous looking Hibiki didn't go by Arizona unnoticed. Ruffling the girl's hair, she gave the destroyer a confident smile when the silver haired girl looked up.

"They'll be alright. You know that right?" She asked, looking down at the destroyer. Hibiki only nodded, offering the smallest smile possible back to the battleship. Arizona only smiled in response as she ruffled the girl's hair once again before fixing her hat for her. Hibiki offered a quiet thank you as Tenryuu and Tatsuta approached the two.

"You doing our job for us?" Tenryuu asked with a small laugh as she looked to the battleship. Arizona only shrugged in response.

"Just making sure she's comfortable." She replied in an easy tone. Tenryuu nodded as she placed a gentle hand on the destroyer's head in response. Hibiki offered her own nod of the head as well, looking up to Tenryuu as she did so. As she did so though, Kongou walked out of the docks, stifling a yawn as she held a hand in front of her mouth.

"The almighty dessboat is tired for once...." Maryland mused as she watched the battleship walk in. Kongou only offered a small nod in response as Arizona approached the girl.

"Are you gonna be able to stay awake through dinner...?" She asked. Kongou slowly nodded her head, looking at the battleship as she stood fully.

"Yes, Arizona-San... I will be fine..." She said quietly before stifling a second yawn. Arizona only nodded in response, watching the battleship a moment before turning her attention back to the others. As she did so, Whitney was just coming down the stairs packed along one of the walls of the lobby.

"Everyone settled in then I take it?" She asked as she looked over the group of Kanmusu. Arizona nodded as she looked to the woman.

"Yes... For the most part, they're settled in the docks. Dr. Rushman is keeping an eye on them." She replied. Whitney nodded as she stopped on the bottom step, leaning against the railing of the stairs as she looked to the battleship. Even with standing on the first step, the woman was struggling to meet the height of Arizona and the other American battleships present.

"So... Now that we have a minute, I'd like to actually welcome you all to Pearl. Both Japanese and American. And like I explained earlier as well, this is your building. But if you'll come up stairs with me, I'll show you ladies your actual rooms and beds. Because some of you look like a few hours of shut eye could do you some good." She replied. Giving a nod, Whitney began to walk back up the stairs, eliciting Arizona to follow, and so on and so on.

Walking up the stairs, Arizona now found herself in a round hallway as she stood next to Whitney, looking around at the doors that decorated the opposite wall.

Soon opening one as more of her fellow Kanmusu stepped onto the second floor. Shaking her head, Arizona looked back into the room, flipping on the lights. And she found herself surprised.

Not like what she had figured, the rooms at Yokosuka were not bigger than the rooms here. Arizona had figured that the rooms would be typical Navy sleeping quarters. Small, confined, making use of all available space.

This however was simply not the case.

Unlike the rooms at Yokosuka, these only had two beds each. But also unlike Yokosuka, these beds were full sized kings. One on each side of the room, the space in between gave access to the large full wall window opposite the door.

Stepping into the room, Arizona now noticed the dressers as well. Situated at the foot of each bed, they gave the room a homey feel.

At the head of each of the beds, put directly in the corners, were lamps, attached to the wall on either side. Low enough, they allowed whoever was laying on the bed easy access quickly and efficiently.

"Quite the nice little living space here..." Arizona mused. But as she turned, she yet again found herself surprised as she found desks, one on either side of the door as they sat against the wall. "And the surprises continue to come..." She mused as she ran a hand over the desk.

As she continued to inspect the room, some of the smaller girls pushed their way into the room, looking around in wonder.

This didn't impact Arizona's inspection, as she simply waited for the Gleaves class sisters to move around her without issue.

And as they did so, Arizona looked back to Whitney, who was still standing in the door. Absent though were the other Kanmusu, who had presumably left to look about the other rooms for themselves.

"Are all of the rooms like this..?" Arizona asked, soon enough looking back to the window at the sight of Pearl Harbor. Whitney nodded as she entered the room.

"For the most part, yes. Not many expenses were spared when they were building this place. So it has that going for it." She replied as she looked around the room. Arizona nodded.

"But why the large beds? Our beds back at Yokosuka aren't even this big..." She replied, looking to one. Whitney nodded.

"Once again, no expense was spared. They wanted you ladies comfortable during your time here.... That, and some of them figured you'd be coming in... Pairs... Rather than just a fleet..." She mused. Arizona offered a small nod at that.

"That... That explains a lot actually..." She answered. Whitney only nodded in reply.

"So what about you...? You've got anyone special?" Whitney asked. Arizona couldn't help but nod, a small smile coming to her features.

"Yeah... You might call it that..." Arizona replied. Whitney only smirked in response.

"Is it your Admiral?" She inquired. Arizona gave the woman a dirty look in response. Whitney only put her hands up in a defensive motion. "Heh, sorry. Just had to wonder. But I can see that was wrong." She replied. Arizona arched a brow at this.

"Wonder? What? Did are both we get both lesbian minders? Not that that's a problem. It's just.... Curious..." She said. Whitney only laughed in response as she looked at the battleship.

"Well, you'd be wrong there. I'm not lesbian. But when you have pretty much the literal definition of goddesses walking around, you can't help but wonder...." She mused. Arizona arched a brow.

"Goddesses huh?" She replied. Whitney slowly nodded.

"Not helping the whole 'I'm not a lesbian' am I?" She asked with a sly smile. Arizona shook her head in response.

"No, not really. You're really not selling it well..." She replied. Whitney only shrugged.

"Eh? What are you gonna do? I'm just trying to get you accustomed to what you might encounter..." She mused. Arizona arched a brow at this.

"Might encounter...? What? Here on base?" She asked. Whitney nodded.

"You see, the Kanmusu, while being a symbol of hope... Are also a symbol of less... Savory things... You give someone with any imagination and some decent drawing skills tend to eventually land on the topic of Kanmusu. And sometimes... It's less than P-G of what they come up with..." She replied. Arizona nodded.

"Yeah, we've gotten this chat before. It's why a lot of the Japanese girls don't like stepping off their base in Japan. Hell, a lot of the smaller a girls don't even know it exists... I would appreciate if you would keep that up during your time with them.." She replied. Whitney nodded.

"You've got it.." She answered. But before she could say anything further, her pathetically empty stomach made itself known by releasing a sound reminiscent of a whale. Looking surprised, Arizona gazed down at her stomach as she placed a hand upon it. Whitney only laughed in surprise at the noise.

"It would seem that someone is deeming it dinner...." She answered in reply to the noise. Arizona only nodded in reply.

"I've never heard a better idea..." She mused. Whitney only nodded in reply as she left the room, soon followed by Arizona, who was single handedly corralling the six Gleaves sisters by herself. But only because of the promise of food for their empty bellies as well.

Soon enough, the group of Kanmusu was now headed downstairs, following after Whitney and Arizona as they neared the front door. But before they fully exited the building, Whitney stopped the battleship as she directed her attention to a panel near the door.

"I said this before, but at least one of you need to be registered in the database in the building so you can get it. Preferably more than one of you though since Arizona will most likely be meeting with Hayfield after dinner." She explained. Arizona nodded as she reached up to place a hand on the panel.

"Like this?" Arizona inquired. Whitney nodded.

"Just like that. Just simply place your hand on the panel and I can get you input into the system." She replied. Arizona nodded as she laid her hand against the panel, soon watching as it lit up beneath her touch. After a moment, Whitney had the battleship step away as she began to tap at the screen, quickly and quietly.

Soon enough, she turned back to the girls with a thumbs up.

"It's good. Arizona's registered. Anyone else want to register as well while we're here?" She asked, looking between the group. She found takers in both Mutsu and Chicago.

Nodding, Whitney had Mutsu step up first. Gesturing for her to do the same, Mutsu soon enough placed a hand on the panel as well. And much like with Arizona, soon enough the Japanese battleship was registered.

"Alright... Now for you Chicago if you don't mind.." She said. The heavy cruiser nodded as she stepped forward, pushing up her glasses with one hand as she placed her other hand on the panel.

And just like the two before her, Whitney had the cruiser registered rather simply. But as she was doing so, Bristol hugged Arizona's leg as she looked up to the battleship.

"Food...?" The destroyer asked hopefully, her eyes slightly drooping from the girl's exhaustion. Arizona nodded as she placed a gentle hand on the destroyer's head.

"Soon. We're fixing to start heading that way." She replied. Bristol only nodded in reply as she yawned, nuzzling her face into the side of the battleship's leg as she and her sisters watched Chicago finish up.

Soon enough, the heavy cruiser stepped away as Whitney took over, finalizing the data before nodding to Chicago. After so, she looked to the rest.

"Onto food then." She said, a statement that meant no resistance from anyone.
-------------------------------------

They were nervous. Far more nervous than they should be.

They were fidgety. They didn't have any idea of how they were supposed to react. They had never dealt with something like this.

Micheal Jesse Sullivan, in all of his years as a cook of Pearl Harbor, had never once encountered such an overwhelming wave of nerves like the one he was fighting now.

The day hadn't started out that way. It had been a good morning, not too hot thanks to the overcast. His schedule hadn't been to overpacked that morning. Another good sign.

It had all been going great. It had all been going fantastic.

Until about exactly thirteen hundred hours.

Because at said indicated time, Fleet Admiral James Hayfield came strolling into the mess hall. And almost immediately, he sought out the cook presently standing stiff as a stone.

Well, to put a long story short, the conversation had ended with a nearly collapsing Micheal J. Sullivan as he watched more supplies be loaded into the appropriate storage areas. Enough produce and product to feed the total amount of personnel of Pearl Harbor for a week without a problem. He would've been fine with that. Would've been completely chill.

He would've been completely calm and collected.

But it wasn't to happen that way.

No, instead, all the extra product and food and stuff was to be prepared and served to the fleet of Kanmusu supposedly descending on Pearl Harbor later that day.

If that hadn't of astonished the sailor enough, the next part did.

All these extra supplies?

One meal.

That's all that it was good for when it came to the Kanmusu. That's all that it would satisfy them for.

That's why Hayfield had told the sailor to expect another delivery the next morning.

And as the cook looked out over the room of sailors talking amongst themselves, eating while they did so, he couldn't even imagine so much food going into one sitting.

The time was now sitting on exactly twenty hundred hours. He had been informed recently that the fleet had touched base with their handlers and were now getting everything settled before making their way to the mess.

Which if he had to guess, would be any moment now.

Shaking his head a moment, clearing his current boatload of thoughts, he turned his attention to the sailors currently going through the line, chatting idly while they selected their choice of dinner. If any of them noticed the fretting faces of the rest of the kitchen staff, they didn't say a thing.

He honestly didn't have a clue how the next hours were going to go.

And right about then. Right when that thought had entered the already fairly rough waters of his mind is when they finally began to trickle in. Though, not exactly as he had expected.

It had started off innocently enough. The entrance had been flung open, admitting one fairly small looking girl into the mess hall.

"Food! Food! Food!" She practically squealed as she sprinted in, drawing some gazes to her. At the level of noise the rest of the room compared to the newcomer, she stood out like a sore thumb.

The sailors already with their food, both standing to find a seat and already seated, watched the girl run in. Dressed in NWU's as well, she was peculiar sight alright. But none dared get in her way, mostly for the fact that most of them wanted to see what happened next.

And rewarded they were, as the girl, halfway across the room, began to apply the brakes. But to anyone watching from afar, they knew the girl had started applying the brakes to late. She was gonna make impact with the serving line and that was fact.

But it wasn't. As the girl continued to try and slow down, one of the sailors put his tray down on the line as he turned and physically slowed the girl down, one of his arms serving as a emergency brake so that the girl wouldn't have a crash landing against the stainless steel wall.

"You alright there, little miss? You were coming in there pretty fast..." He asked, looking down at the girl. The lady in question only giggled in response as she nodded.

"Yep! I'm good to go! Is this where the food is!?!?" The little girl demanded in response. The sailor looked surprised for a moment as a few chuckles sounded from the surrounding sailors at the sight. After a moment, the sailor nodded as he stood, releasing the girl.

"Yeah... This is where the food is... But shouldn't we find your parents instead? The fact that you even got onto this part of the base is a problem..." He replied. The girl only looked up at him for a moment before breaking out into giggles again.

But as she did so, five more smaller girls suddenly bursted in through the doors, coming in at about the same speed as the first had come in at. The first girl to run in only looked behind her for a moment before giggling again, soon breaking away from the sailor as she charged straight for the group before he could stop her.

The sailors around could only watch in quiet horror as the six girls collided with eachother, ending up in a pile of limbs and bodies on the floor as they settled. But much unlike what the sailors had expected for girls their apparent age, to start crying, they found themselves surprised.

Instead of tears, only giggles came from the pile of children dressed in NWU's. Some of the sailors only looked on in confusion at the spectacle.

But for Micheal, in all his years, knew exactly what was up with the six giggling girls.

He was sure of it.

"What in the world...?" Asked a female sailor in the food line, watching the group. Two male sailors only nodded their heads in response at the woman's statement as they watched. But before they could say anything further, the door opened, admitting two fairly older girls inside.

"Bristol!" One yelled. The girl now identified as Bristol only giggled in reply as she looked up at the girl.

"It's okay 'Lanta! We're alright!" She giggled. The girl only gave a sigh as she and the second one walked up to the group, starting to pick them up and put them back on their feet as she shook her head. But as she did so, one of the female sailors sitting on the end of one of the tables next to the commotion looked to the girl.

"Lanta...? As in Atlanta?" She asked, arching a brow as she looked at the girl. Atlanta nodded her head slightly as she continued to help the girls up.

"Mhm. CL-51, USS Atlanta. Nameship of the Atlanta class cruisers." She replied, although loudly enough to where enough in her general area could hear her. This of course received some fierce whispers and pointed stares. But Atlanta paid them no mind as she helped the last of the Gleaves sisters to their feet, which happened to be Ellyson and Fitch.

As she did so, some of the sailors continued to watch in silence. Some in doubt. Some in disbelief. For those doubtful, their doubt was strong. They'd seen the Japanese Kanmusu before. They had some idea of what to expect. Or so they thought.

But before any of the skeptics watching the happening could voice their doubt, the doors once again opened, admitting more into the mess hall. And with this group, in came two very recognizable members of the Japanese fleet.

The comparatively towering forms of Yamato and Musashi lead the rest of the Kanmusu inside, their hips swaying and their arms swinging as they walked inside. Taking a couple of glances around at the tables full of Americans, they only watched for a moment before walking on to the group of destroyers. And as they did so, more Kanmusu entered the building.

Mutsu. Kongou. Arizona. Atago. Yuubari. Chicago. Maryland. Oklahoma. Shigure. Tenryuu. Hibiki. Tatsuta. And so on and so on as the awake members of the fleet entered the mess hall.

"Are they alright...?" Whitney asked as she ran in after the group, looking at the six destroyer sisters. Arizona only chuckled in response as she nodded.

"This is a normal thing for them. I wouldn't give it too much thought if I were you. You'll just tire yourself out..." She replied as she followed the two Japanese battleships to where the food was. And with that, where the line was.

Taking no more time than what was needed, they got themselves in line. But as they did so, a problem already made itself known as they did so. And anyone with ears could guess what it was as Musashi's stomach proceeded to let out a low rumble, expressing its obvious discontent with how much food was stored within. Arizona and Maryland's stomachs offered similar objections to it as well.

As the sailors getting their food heard this, they couldn't help but steal a glance or two at the girls. Sure, some of them had been hungry before. Some even thought they had almost died of hunger before. But the sounds they were hearing. The noises that were filling the air. They couldn't believe it.

From the sounds of things, the girl's stomachs sounded practically empty. If they weren't far past that already. It only served one to wonder just how much they hurt at the moment.

Slowly, but surely, the rest of the sailors in line in front of them began to filter out, getting their food and sitting down. This let the Kanmusu finally descend upon the waiting food. And as they did so, the kitchen staff began to put up additional options as well, like chicken fried steak, triple stacked burgers, various versions of seafood such as fried catfish.

That and just about every other imaginable American comfort food item.

Musashi was the first to descend upon the items. Country be damned. Taste be damned. It was food. It was fresh. And she was starving.

And so the Japanese battleship did what any other self respecting Kanmusu would do in this situation.

She stuffed a fully loaded triple stacked burger into her mouth as she began to stack her tray with just about any food she could get her hands on. Yamato, however, was a little more refined with her choosing.

But not by much.

The surrounding sailors only watched in quiet thought as they watched what looked like college age girls and younger stack their trays with enough food to feed a small army before peeling off to a table, taking no time in enjoying their prizes.

The Kanmusu's minder, Whitney, was having much the same thoughts.

She couldn't understand how may one could think of eating that much, let alone actually doing it.

So, instead, Whitney only laid her head on the table as the ship girls began their refueling, paying no mind to the surrounding sailors.