It took only moments for Haruna to realize the voice that had yelled out for Arizona had been her own.

It took only moments for Zuikaku to shoot a squadron of planes skyward, intent on bringing down the bombers they had somehow missed.

It took only moments for Mutsuki and Kisaragi to realize exactly what had been done for them.

"Arizona-San....?" Mutsuki asked, watching as the billowing tower of smoke rose skyward, becoming a blotch against the clear blue sky. Tears lined the destroyer's eyes as she watched the smoke continue to rise, as if a mocking sign that she had been the one meant for it.

Kisaragi could not believe it. She could not fathom that someone would do something like that. Especially an American ship girl. Especially the first American ship to fall during the Old War. She couldn't believe it.... Yet, the evidence was in front of her.

Arizona had given her life. She had given up everything. To save them.

Why...?

Before Kisaragi could contemplate it any further however, a string of foul mouthed words echoed through the air, showing no sign of slowing down.

"Oh, fuck that hurt. Didn't feel any better this time than it did the last time...." The voice said in a pained tone. With a few short coughs, the voice emerged from the smoke, looking a lot worse for wear than she did a few moments prior.

"Arizona!" Enterprise yelled she slid over to the battleship. Arizona offered a weak wave in return, her breath still ragged. Her legs were slightly shaking as her fairies that were visible ran to and from on her rigging, armed with mini fire extinguishers as they attempted to snuff out any remaining flame.

Her uniform had scorch marks all over it, up and down. One side of her face was covered with blood, keeping her left eye shut. All in all, she looked like death itself. She slowly turned her gaze to Enterprise, her one open eye focusing on the carrier the best it could.

"Hi there...." Arizona said with a weak smile. Enterprise just looked surprised for a moment before her face turned to that of anger.

"THAT WAS STUPID! You could've gotten yourself sunk doing something like that!" The carrier yelled. Arizona gave a small, weak laugh as she shrugged.

"Could've. But I didn't. Anyways....." Arizona trailed off as she turned to the two destroyers. "Are you two alright?" Arizona asked the two as her fairies continued to scurry about her rigging. Kisaragi gave a small nod, Mutsuki as well, the tears still present in her eyes. The American Battleship gave a nod.

"That's good...." Arizona said as she tried to open her other eye but found herself unable to do so because of the blood. Seeing that the battleship was having trouble, another slid forward to offer assistance

"Here Arizona-San, let me...." Haruna said in a soft voice as she reached up with a piece of cloth, slowly but surely cleaning the blood that dominated the right side of Arizona's face. After a few moments of carefully wiping away most of the blood, Haruna looked at her face.

"Is that okay...?" Haruna asked, looking up at the taller of the two. Arizona slowly opened her right eye, blinking a few times before giving a nod in response.

"It is. Thank you, Haruna." Arizona replied, her brown eyes now gazing down at the Fast Battleship. Haruna gave a small nod in return, a small smile on her lips.

"You're quite welcome Arizona-San." Haruna replied. Arizona gave a nod as the two watched eachother for a moment before Arizona eventually looked away, towards the South.

"Are we gonna go back to Yokosuka, Arizona-San?" Fubuki asked, looking at the battleship. Arizona gave a confused expression to the destroyer, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Go back? Why would we do that?" Arizona asked, looking to the destroyer. Fubuki suddenly looked unsure as she answered.

"Well... You're hurt... Badly. And we got most of the Abyssals...." She reasoned. Arizona gave a nod.

"True. But we aren't going back, not yet. There's carriers somewhere out here and we're gonna find them. And yeah, I may be hurt, but oh well. I can deal with it. It'll make settling down into the dock that much sweeter after this is all over.... Plus, say the Abyssals do decide to attack... How do you think the residents of Miyake would fair against a couple of carriers when they're not prepared to? I don't think I need to elaborate on that...." Arizona said. Fubuki gave a slow nod.

"H-ai....." The destroyer replied as Arizona turned her gaze back to the South. That's when Lexington voiced her concern.

"That's great and all. But can you even still fight? Your guns don't look like they're in the best condition...." The carrier insisted. This caught Arizona's attention, turning her head to look at her guns.

"Damnit...." She muttered as she laid eyes on three of her guns, all out of alignment. She turned her attention to one of her fairies, offering a hand for the small worker to step aboard. Doing so, Arizona raised her hand to in front of her as the Fairy became livid, yelling in a inaudible voice.

"That's not exactly fair. And don't even go there, I already got the Mom talk from Enterprise. Anyways, what's the damage? ........ Damn, really? ........ There any chance of them being repaired? ........ That's... That's just great..." Arizona said with sigh. This only seemed to set the fairy off again as she began a new round of yelling, her little hands being waved in the air rapidly. Arizona put her other hand up.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! Cool your shit, hot stuff. Just let me know if anything changes...." Arizona replied. The fairy gave a nod as the battleship plopped the tiny being back down onto her rigging with a heavy sigh.

"So, what's the damage?" Atlanta asked, looking at the battleship.

"Two of my turrets are practically skewed. Chances of having them repaired before I step off of the water ain't good. A third is jammed, but they're confident they can get that fixed.... So right now, I've only got about three out of twelve guns operational...." Arizona finalized.

"Well damn....." Atlanta responded, taking a once-over the battleship's guns herself.

"Anyways, we need to get going. Are our air forces still holding it together?" Arizona asked, ignoring the fact that her body was all but screaming at her to take a break. The carriers gave a nod in response to which Arizona answered with one of her own. "Good. Let's get going then".

Arizona started that way, the rest of the fleet falling in behind her. As they made their way further South, the American Super Dreadnaught noticed that she was getting more than a few glances from the ship girls next to her.

Turning her head, her neck practically grinding half the way, Arizona looked at the two Heavy Cruisers that sailed next to her. "Is there something you two need?" Arizona asked.

"Just making sure you're alright Arizona-San. Can't have our flagship passing out due to pain in the middle of a fight." Atago answered in a cheery tone. Arizona gave a slow nod in return, her gaze shifting to Takao.

"Indeed. It would not be well of us to let our Flagship faultier now, especially after she has already been so injured." The older of the two reasoned. Arizona simply shrugged.

"Right... Well, I can assure you I'm not just gonna drop dead. I'm alright, so let's just focus on the mission. Only after will I see about tending to my wounds..." Arizona replied as they sailed on. She heard a cheer in response, finding the source of the noise to be Kongou. "Yes?"

"That's the way Arizona-San! Lead with your Burning Love, DESU!" Kongou declared, giving the battleship a thumbs up. Her sisters offered cheers of their own, Arizona giving a small nod.

"Okay..... Just be careful, or I might have to turn my 'Burning Love' towards you and your sisters...." Arizona said with a smug grin before turning her attention back to the Horizon. But the damage had been done.

"Arizona-San's.... Burning Love?" Haruna muttered as the four Kongou Class Fast Battleship's minds tried desperately to bring themselves back to normal.

"But Arizona-San! Don't you want to give your love to your Admiral?" Hiei reasoned, looking at the Pennsylvania class girl. Arizona shook her head as she answered.

"No. And I'm not having this conversation. Especially with you four.... Feels like I'm tempting fate just discussing this much...." Arizona mused as Tenryuu laughed.

"So, Arizona-San, you've got a sister right?" Tatsuta asked as she bopped Tenryuu upside the head, ignoring her older sister's expression as she looked at Arizona. The battleship gave a nod.

"Mhm. As the name implies, I've got an older sister. Pennsylvania." Arizona answered. "It's one of the things I worry about our fleet coming here in force...." Arizona admitted. Zuikaku arched a brow at this, holding her bow tight to her side.

"You're worried about more of your fleet coming here? Figured you'd be excited for that...." She said. Arizona gave a nod.

"Sure. Seeing my sister, yeah. But that can be a problem within itself...." Arizona explained. Yuudachi and Shigure traded a confused glance before Shigure voiced their befuddlement.

"But... The Americans had so many ships. I'm sure your sister will be among them..." Shigure tried. Arizona gave a nod, gesturing to Shigure.

"Repeat what you just said...." Arizona said. Shigure looked confused.

"I'm sure your sister will be among them....?" Shigure repeated.

"No, no. Before that."

"The Americans had so many ships?" Shigure recalled. Arizona gave a nod.

"That. That right there is what I'm worried about...." Arizona declared. Most of the girls looked confused at what Arizona was getting at as Shokaku spoke.

"But, Arizona-San so many ships couldn't possibly hurt our odds...." Kirishima reasoned. Arizona shook her head.

"Yes, yes they could. You're all focused on what we had, not what we didn't have." She explained. Shokaku knit her brow in confusion, looking at the Battleship.

"I do not understand, Arizona-San...." The white haired carrier said, looking at Arizona.

"Ok, ok. Back then, we didn't have a limit.... We didn't have a number of ships we couldn't pass.... We weren't restricted in what we could field against your country. This meant that we were able to produce and produce and produce, not even giving it a second thought. But America's Industrial power combined with that limit could result in our fleet being totally unbalanced...." Arizona reasoned. Enterprise let out a mutter as she realized what Arizona was getting at.

"Wait... I still don't follow. Why is that a bad thing?" Tenryuu asked, looking between the two. Enterprise looked at the cruiser.

"I know you know we had a lot of ships during the war, but do you know to what extent?" Enterprise asked. Tenryuu gave a small nod.

"I mean, I get the basic idea, but not the exact numbers...." Tenryuu answered. Enterprise gave a nod as she did the math.

"Well... For example. We have seven of our allotted sixty. That's fifty three spots still open. While that is a lot, those spots could alone be filled by just Bristol and Ellyson's sisters...." Enterprise explained. Tenryuu looked at Enterprise in silent surprise, mulling over this.

"Another example. Again, same scenario. Instead of fifty plus destroyers, try twenty plus carriers.... Although not as bad, that's still a third taken over by one type...." Enterprise said. Tenryuu gave a silent nod, along with the others, as they realized the point that was being made.

One of the U.S.'s main advantages during the war could very well end up being their main problem.

"Well, hell.... Guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it..." Lexington reasoned. Arizona gave a shrug in response.

"L-let's just focus o-on finding t-those carriers f-for right now..." Ellyson suggested. Arizona gave a nod.

"Well said. Anything shown up besides fighters and bombers?" Arizona asked, looking back to the carriers. Zuikaku gave a shake of the head as did Langley.

"No, Arizona. Nothing has been spotted as-" Langley abruptly stopped, her expression showing sudden focus on some unseen object.

"Langley?" Arizona asked.

"Fighters have discovered a fleet, traveling at maximum speed towards the South-west." Langley reported, looking to Arizona. The battleship gave a sigh.

"Composition?"

"At least two dozen destroyers, three or four light cruisers, six heavy cruisers, three battleships, and what looks like four light carriers...." Langley reported. Arizona gave a clap of her hands.

"Alright. Looks like we've got another dance coming up. Have your planes been discovered yet?" Arizona asked. Langley gave a shake of the head in response. "Good, very good. How are the rest of the planes doing?" She asked.

"Most of the fighters engaging our own have either been shot down or they pulled away from engagement." Enterprise reported. Arizona gave a nod.

"The second you're able to, pull them back for Repair and Rearm. Langley, I want your planes to keep following them. See if we can't figure out where they're going...." Arizona ordered. The two carriers gave a nod in response as the fleet adjusted course to one of pursue.

Arizona's body screamed in pain, all but begging her to stop as she lead the fleet. Keeping it together, she continued to lead the 23. But her facade wasn't full proof.

"Arizona-San? Do you need to take a break?" Tatsuta asked. Arizona gave a shake of the head, looking at the cruiser.

"No, I'm good for right now. Just some minor pain... But uh, I thought I was holding it together pretty well... How'd you know?" Arizona asked. Tatsuta gave a smile as she answered.

"I've caught all of our destroyers doing that at one point or another. Specifically, a certain special type destroyer..." Tatsuta said with a giggle, her eyes glancing to her side. It didn't take the Battleship long to figure out who when she found Fubuki's face caught in a deep blush. Arizona let out a small chuckle at the destroyer's expense before she turned back to the cruiser.

"Anyways, yeah I'm good for right now... My body's going to kill me for it tomorrow morning though, I'm sure..." Arizona said. Tatsuta gave a nod as the fleet sailed on.

A little while further on in the day, after a constant stream of reports made by Langley concerning the enemies movements, the Abyssal fleet finally appeared over the horizon. Sure enough, Langley's report proved to be accurate as more of the fleet laid eyes on their enemies.

"Let's let them know we're here. Can we do a full scale strike wave?" Arizona asked. The five carriers gave nods as each one proceeded to put up one squadron of fighters, and two squadrons of bombers. In all, a grand total of 90 Allied planes dominated the sky, the Sun and Star insignias easy to see. Atlanta let out an impressed whistle.

"That's a lot of planes...." The cruiser said as she watched the planes fall into one big formation, the fighters taking the lead. With a nod from Arizona, the planes began their charge over the ocean as they honed in on the Abyssal fleet.

The Ship Girl fleet watched as their opposition broke into panic, having not expected a sudden attack. Especially one by air that was so massive.

As the planes descended upon them, the Abyssals laid eyes on the approaching fleet. Letting out a roar, the Abyssal destroyers and light cruisers turned their course to one of intercept as they charged them. The Heavy Cruisers and Battleships part of their fleet stayed with the carriers, trying to keep on their current course.

"Don't let them get too far!" Arizona ordered as she let the Kongou sisters take the lead. "Kongou! Same as last time! The second they're in range, you and your sisters put some shells through their heads!"

"HAI!" The four answered as one as the fleet surged on. Over head, the Allied fighters were chasing Abyssal planes every which way. Atlanta had joined in on the fun, her guns creating new obstacles for the Abyss fighters to dodge.

Soon enough, the Kongou sisters fired off a full salvo, their 14 Inch guns sending off a new set of ammunition. The shells soared through the air towards the approaching destroyers. Destroyers in question jumped out of the water, seeming to laugh at the Fleet's lack of aim. But they weren't laughing for long.

They found themselves distracted as some took sudden hits to the side from something other than the fleet. They found their answer in the form of a wing of Corsairs that had dropped down, wreaking havoc on the Abyssals with their Wing Mounted rockets. Adding in machine gun fire for good measure, the Corsairs drew the destroyers attention long enough.

Long enough for a new set of shells to land among them.

The destroyers scrambled every which way as the shells landed among their group, effectively putting an end to a few. The destroyers renewed their charge, their sights locking onto the Allied fleet. This was only furthered as the light cruisers approached as well, more than 20 ships approaching.

"Oh no you don't..." Lexington muttered as she readied another squadron. Firing it off, the arrow split off into 6 Dauntless Dive Bombers, immediately training their attention to the approaching swarm. Taking no time, they gunned it towards the Abyssals.

Mere moments later, the planes had dropped their payloads, impacting more of the destroyers with devastating results.

More of the creature like destroyers exploded into flaming balls of metal as they slowly sank to the beneath the waves, giving way for more of their numbers to rush forward towards the fleet.

"They just don't quit do they..." Bristol grunted in frustration as she along with Ellyson threw a new round of torpedoes out into the water, watching as the fish made their way towards the Abyssals. Shigure and Yuudachi did the same, adding another line of torpedoes to the mix. This time however, the Abyssal destroyers returned the favor, throwing out their own spread of torpedoes at the fleet.

"Torpedoes headed our way!" Tenryuu called as she and her sister moved out of the way, returning the favor with a full salvo from the two of them. The rest of the fleet took Tenryuu's call to heart as they identified the oncoming torpedoes and called each out as they passed them, doing so until the entire fleet had passed safely by.

As they did so, Enterprise saw that the Abyssal Heavy Cruisers had peeled away from their carriers and were making their way across the water towards them.

"Their Heavy Cruisers are heading this way!" Enterprise warned, her voice struggling to make itself known over the constant firing, whether it be from planes or riggings. But somehow it did.

Arizona looked over to confirm it for herself, and found herself sighing as it proved true. Two Ri-Class flanked by four Ne-Class Heavy Cruisers were in fact heading their way, slowly but surely.

"Damn..." Arizona breathed as she counted their own Heavy Cruisers. Takao and Atago. This was gonna be interesting.

The Abyssal heavy cruisers made themselves known as they opened up with a full salvo, their shells traveling in a high arc over the water.

Arizona watched as the shells soared over her and the Kongou's heads with relative ease. She wasn't sure where they had aimed.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she snapped around, watching as the multiple shells landed among their carriers, Enterprise and Shokaku both taking hits from the Cruisers.

"You all okay back there, poi?!" Yuudachi yelled as she fired off her own guns, putting down the last of the destroyers.

"Shokaku-nee!" Zuikaku called, pulling up next to her sister. Shokaku gave a nod as she recovered from the hits, turning her attention back to the approaching cruisers. The two remaining light cruisers had linked up with them so now a total of eight approaching Abyssal Cruisers were raining down shells on the fleet, well focused on the carrier girls at the back of the pack.

"E, you alright over there?" Lexington called, looking back to the Yorktown class. Carrier in question gave a nod as she launched a squadron of TBF's towards the cruisers, intent on sinking them with extreme prejudice.

Enterprise's planes surged forward through the ensuing dogfights, some nearly knocked out of the sky as Abyssal planes attempted to out maneuver their pursuing fighters. One TBF was nearly ripped in two as an Abyssal plane plummeted to the ocean below, only to be saved as another Abyssal plane knocked it off course in its own free fall. The Hellcats responsible made a pass by the TBF wing, as if checking up on the squadron, before raising back into the sky, not taking long to rip into more Abyssal planes.

Soon enough, the TBF squadron dropped their fish, the six torpedoes catching the Heavy Cruisers at a disadvantage. But even with this, only a single made contact, severely slowing one of the approaching Ne-Class.

But having to dodge the torps slowed them down just enough. Just enough for a newly launched squadron of SBD Dauntless planes to land a new round of explosives ontop their heads.

One of the Ri-Class let out a howl of rage as her fellow Ri slowly sank beneath the waves, nothing but a blank expression dressing the deceased's face.

Enterprise launched yet another Squadron of SBDs, watching as these too rained down hell on the Abyssals, effectively putting an end to one of the Light Cruisers and a Ne-Class.

Kongou and her sisters joined in the carnage, the four Fast Battleships firing what was practically a point blank salvo at the cruisers. Arizona gave her own support, her one set of working guns pumping out the three 14 inch shells with the best accuracy she could manage.

The Heavy Cruisers did not hesitate to return fire however, shells striking various members of the fleet, namely Atago and Arizona. Letting a small grin show, Tenryuu looked to her sister.

"What do you say we kick this into high gear?" The light cruiser asked. Tatsuta answered with her normal angelic smile.

"My dear sister, I never thought you'd ask..." Tatsuta responded, summoning her weapon of choice to her right hand. A long spear materialized itself within the Light Cruiser's waiting hand, the jagged point glimmering in the sunlight. Tenryuu gave a smirk as she drew her sword, clutching it with one hand as the two waited for their moment, soon finding their target in the form of a Ne-Class that had drifted to far from the rest.

Waiting for the second that the Abyssal gaze was lifted from the two sisters.

The moment came.

The two charged.

Weaving through and around the shells thrown their way in a sudden panic, the two ran down their prey with absolute professionalism. Dodging another salvo from their target, the two began the job of cutting down the Heavy Cruiser.

Firing a few shells to gain the attention of the Heavily Classed Abyssal, Tenryuu charged right past the Ne-Class, with her bringing the attention that came with it.

As Tenryuu sailed past the Cruiser, Tatsuta brought up the rear, giving the Heavy Cruiser a few shots of her own as well as a slash from her spear, cutting the Abyssal across the face with expert precision. Letting out a howl of anger, the cruiser turned her guns towards the youngest of the two.

Firing off another Salvo, the Ne-Class turned her fury on Tatsuta, splashing water high into the air as she attempted to hit the halo bearing light cruiser. Tatsuta merely giggled as Tenryuu made herself known yet again.

Firing off another few shots, she slashed the Abyssal across her thigh with a swipe from her sword, before clearing the space next to the Abyssal as the Ne turned back to the older of the two.

This continued back and forth, Tenryuu and Tatsuta switching back in forth with their little game, the outnumbered Ne-Class taking the full force of their weapons. Eventually, the two sisters traded a knowing glance, giving a nod to eachother.

Charging the Heavy Cruiser head on, directly in the firing zone, Tenryuu let a smirk show as she did so, heading straight for the Abyssal cruiser. The Ne saw this and fired directly at the light cruiser, Tenryuu taking the full force of the hit.

Letting out a grunt of pain, Tenryuu altered her course ever so slightly, instead sailing right past the Heavy Cruiser. In doing so, she swiped her sword across the Heavy Cruiser's throat, drawing the black substance that was Abyssal blood.

The Ne-Class merely howled in anger, the action little more than an annoyance to her. She fired off another salvo at the agitating light cruiser, hellbent on sending the nuisance to the bottom. That's when she was hit with a volley from behind.

The enraged Ne-Class cruiser turned to find Tatsuta doing the same Tenryuu had done moments prior, surging towards the Heavy Cruiser. However, before she could offer objection with her guns, Tenryuu slashed at the back of the Abyssal's knees, her legs making her faultier as she leaned back, releasing a howl of pain and rage. However, her feelings didn't last much longer.

Tatsuta surged forwards, reaching the Heavy Cruiser in moments. With a twirl, she spun her spear with the most velocity she could manage. Continuing what her sister's sword started, Tatsuta's spear slid across the Abyssal's neck with so much force behind it, it resulted in not the kindest end for the Abyssal.

Watching as the Heavy Cruiser's head fell from the body, splashing into the ocean with a soft plop, the two light cruisers watched their handiwork vanish into the mighty Pacific. With a smirk, Ternyuu turned to Tatsuta. Who promptly responded with a bop to her older sister's head.

"Taking that damage was unnecessary, dear sister...." Tatsuta said. Ternyuu looked incredulous.

"What?! You freaking kiddin me?! Who cares! We Killed It!" Ternyuu stressed, waving both her hands and her sword in the air in a exasperated fashion. Tatsuta merely nodded, offering her usual smile.

"That we did...." Tatsuta responded, her spear vanishing from her grasp. Ternyuu dragged her sword along the water, cleaning the blade the best she could for the moment, before promptly sheathing it. She would have to perform a more thorough cleaning later.

"Glad you girls had your fun, cause we've got Battleships headed our way!" Lexington yelled, her vision landing on the three battleships pulling off from the Abyssal Carriers, wheeling about to face the fleet.

"Oh yay.... More Ru's... And what's that third one? The one in the middle?" Bristol asked, looking at the approaching battleships.

"It's a god damn Re-Class is what it is. That's the Class that sank Fusou and Yamashiro...." Zuikaku seethed, glaring at the Abyssal, as if willing it to sink just by looking at it. Re-Class in question just grinned, her tail twitching with the thought of bringing down one of the approaching ship girls.

Arizona chuckled dryly in response to that, she herself watching the approaching three. "Well... If that's the case, we'll just have to show them a good time. Pull back all planes from pursuing the Carriers. Sinking this Re is top priority now." Arizona ordered. Zuikaku and Lexington looked at the Battleship in surprise.

"But, Arizona, we've got them right where we want them. Just a few more hits and they're down..." Lexington reasoned.

"Won't mean a damn thing if this Re puts shells through our heads...." Arizona replied. "She's the more immediate threat at this point. Plus, I'd imagine those carriers are about empty at this point with how many planes have fallen...."

The five carriers traded a glance with eachother, not sure what to think before Enterprise shrugged in response, sending the order for her planes to fall back. Her order was met with questioning responses as her Fairies spoke to her through their connection. Enterprise waved it off and submitted the order once again.

The other carriers followed suit, drawing their planes back to them as the three Battleships approached.

"We need to be careful, Arizona-San! Re-Classes can take more than the normal battleship and their guns are not to be overlooked!" Kirishima called back to the Pennsylvania class girl. Arizona gave a nod as she issued an order.

"Let's see what they're made of! All fire!" Arizona barked in order. The girls nodded as all those that could lined up their opposition, and let loose, their riggings spitting up a torrent of shells. Arizona watched as the three battleships sailed right into their volley, not even bothering with adjusting their course. Sight of them was soon blocked by the ensuing smoke.

Their presence was soon registered again as the three opened up, throwing back their own shells at the Fleet. Fleet in question scattered, dodging every which way to try and spare a hit or too. But the Battleship's aim proved true, striking targets found in the form of Shokaku, Bristol, and Haruna.

"Shokaku-nee! Are you alright?" Zuikaku asked, looking between her sister and the approaching Battleships. Shokaku gave a nod as she looked down at her bow, the string having snapped from that last hit.

"My bow string is snapped... I can't launch any more planes, Arizona-San!" Shokaku called. Arizona cursed silently as she and the Kongou sisters returned fire, their shells doing little to the Re but more substantial damage to the two Ru-Class. Takao and Atago threw out their own volley, their main target being the Re-Class that seemed to be enjoying the ensuing encounter far too much for their liking.

Re-Class in question just grinned, her eye's haze burning brightly, as her tail snapped up again, firing off another full salvo. The twin Ru's followed suit, offering their own shells to the Fleet. This only served to hammer more damage home to the fleet, the shells primarily striking those who had already taken damage, Arizona included.

"Damn....." Arizona seethed, her body taking up a new round of pains as the impact settled. Her breathing was uneven, short ragged breaths taking what little air they could into the Battleship's burning lungs. She looked on, the Re still smiling just as devilishly as she had been before.

"Screw you too...." Arizona offered, firing off another three shells at the almost undamaged Battleship. The Re only grinned, the guns adorning her tail taking aim at the wounded Dreadnaught. Arizona closed her eyes, her breathing the only thing she focusing on at the moment.

"OUI!" Came the fearsome battle cry from behind the fleet, belonging to one speedy destroyer herself. The blonde, bunny eared destroyer snapped through and in between members of the fleet as she charged the three Abyssal Battleships.

"Shimakaze!?" Lexington asked, quite confused. Her, along with other members of the fleet turned. They turned to find a second Kanmusu fleet approaching, consisting of the Ise sisters, the Myoukou siblings, and Sendai and her sisters. And of course, one very fast stocking adorned destroyer.

Enterprise watched as the blonde destroyer charged the Re and fellow Ru's with no hesitation, staring the tailed Battleship down. Before the Battleship's could react, trying to bring their guns to aim at the ship girl, Shimakaze wheeled off, dropping what was a load of point blank torpedoes into one of the Ru's.

With a death screech, the Battleship flopped over to one side, the Ocean Reclaiming the foul existence. Shimakaze let out a roar of her own as Ise's voice sounded through the air.

"FIRE!"

The second fleet opened up, the 9 ships throwing shell after shell at the two remaining battleships. Arizona took the hint, giving her own order.

"FIRE!"

From there, her own fleet joined the slaughter, the Kongou's guns being the primary force. Ammunition of both Armor Piercing and High Explosive decorated the two Abyssals like a Christmas tree.

After a few moments, the volley stopped, silence settling over the water In a tense way. Eventually, the smoke cleared, and there stood one very wounded, and very alone Re-Class battleship.

As if taking a glance around to confirm it, the Re looked down for a second before looking at the Fleet with pure untouched malice, rage flowing through her veins.

As this went on, Arizona felt a second of her turrets begin to rotate, slowly and surely, as it fell in aim with the first. Looking back to the Re, she sat silent a moment.

BANG!

Arizona's six working guns exploded with all the fury of a raging rhino, her accuracy on point despite her wounded form. Her guns put an end to the Re-Class, the tail of the beast letting out a pained cry as the girl attached to it flopped forward, face down as she began to sink beneath the waves.

Arizona stood there a moment, other members of the fleet doing the same as they watched the Battleship sink. After a moment, she turned back to face the approaching Second Fleet.

"Hey guys... Wow, you don't look so good..." Ise said, a smile adorning her face as she lead the group. Arizona merely shook her head, a grin on her own face as she responded.

"Yeah... Feel like shit too.... What the hell are you guys doing out here?" Arizona asked. Ise laughed as her sister, Hyuga answered.

"We were deployed after the communications with you fleet went dead. Sometime close to when you were struck. It would seem they did a number on you..." Hyuga observed, looking over the battleship.

"Wait the comms went dead?" Enterprise asked. Jintsuu nodded.

"Mhm, I was in the room when it happened. After a few moments of silence, Admiral Johnson got quite nervous.... Even fidgety at points.... Admiral Ishigara deployed us to calm her fears...." Jintsuu informed them. Arizona gave a slow nod as Langley spoke.

"So what happens now? Do you all take over?" To which Ise shook her head.

"No. Our orders were to locate and link up with your fleet. After that, we are to assist in the mission. This is still Arizona's show." Ise informed them as she looked to the American Battleship. Arizona hesitated a moment before giving a nod.

"We'll make our way around Miyake, just to make sure there aren't any stragglers. If we run into no problems after that, we'll head back up to Yokosuka." Arizona ordered. The combined fleet gave a nod as Ellyson spoke up.

"What a-about the c-carriers?" She asked. Zuikaku was the one to provide the American Destroyer with an answer.

"Best guess is long gone. We trashed enough of their planes so they're probably scarce. Even if they hadn't of lost so many, they probably split when those Battleships tried to face us...." Zuikaku reasoned. Shokaku nodded as her last squadron touched down on her flight deck.

Arizona gave a nod as the fleet fell into one formation, making way for Miyake island.
-------------------------------------

It was 4:00 PM when the Fleet finally broke back into Tokyo Bay, members of the first fleet more exhausted the those of the second.

Another 35 minutes, and they were in sight of the base. And there, standing on one of the piers, were the three in command. Admiral Ishigara, Admiral Johnson, and Captain Algerona.

Anya looked at the fleet, her eyes darting from member, taking in the sight before her, before moving onto the next. She did this with each member of the First Fleet until her eyes rested on the beaten and wounded form of Arizona.

Bleeding in some spots, burned in others, Arizona looked more than broken. But the small smile on her face, the glimmer in her eyes told her Admiral otherwise. Anya adorned a small smile in response as she watched her girls approach the pier, the Fleet coming to a slow stop in front of the Admirals and Captain.

"Well... We did it I guess...." Arizona said, looking up to the woman she identified as her commander. Anya gave a nod in response, taking another look at the Battleship before her.

"It seems you did... It really seems you did... Good job. All of you, congratulations are in order but I'd imagine a lot of you would like nothing more than to lay back in the docks for relax and repair..." She guessed, which got more than a few nods. She gave a nod in response. "Very well. Dismissed."

With a nod, the fleet peeled away from the Pier, their new destination being the launching chambers to de-arm and de-equip. As they went, Sofia turned to the Admiral.

"Hm. Here I was expecting some big speech and all that jazz..." Sofia mused. Anya merely laughed.

"I'm just a states girl. I don't do speeches...." Anya replied. Sofia rolled her eyes, a smirk present on her face, as Ishigara turned to the American Admiral.

"Whether or not it was well said, congratulations are in order for you as well Admiral. That was the United States's first successful Sortie. Any thoughts that stick out to you?" The Admiral asked. Anya thought about it a moment before giving a nod.

"Paperwork."

Ishigara just laughed.

-------------------------------------

The Japanese ship girls knew it was coming. They knew it would be upon them faster than they could expect. They knew it and they still weren't ready for it. They weren't ready for the inevitable.

Seeing the American Ship girls in the buff.

The collective Fleet was now at the docks, preparing to enter the indicated location. But the Japanese ship girls found themselves stopped. Found themselves stopped at the apparent lack of American Decency.

Or, the over bearing issue of oblivious that the girls held.

It had started innocently enough. Zuikaku had been helping Shokaku get ready when she had been asked something by her fellow carrier Lexington. Trying to put an end to an argument she had been having with Enterprise. Turning, Zuikaku sought to answer the question.

Suddenly, question gone.

Zuikaku stared at a loss for words. She had meant to answer, she really did. But she couldn't possibly fathom an answer when she was looking at the two of them like this.

Enterprise and Lexington were topless, not a towel in sight.

Zuikaku simply stared, stuttering as her brain screamed at herself for an answer. But she couldn't. She just couldn't when she was getting a good idea of how the term 'Flightdeck Chest' did not apply to the two American Carriers. Could not apply to them.

It only got worse when the two Carriers began to shed their lower layers, giving Zuikaku a good idea of just how little Lexington considered adequate undergarments.

With a quick 'I don't know', Zuikaku snapped back around to her sister, her face going a new kind of red. Shokaku looked on in concern for a moment before a very audible 'eeep' sounded from the other side of the room.

The two sisters found the noise in the form of Fubuki and Mutsuki, looking quite surprised as they stared on. Turning their vision a little further, they found the source. And their faces went red.

Standing there, in their full glory, was a fully nude Arizona and Atlanta, conversing with each other as if everything were normal.

The Japanese Ship Girl's savior came in the form of Langley, who had the decency to wrap a towel around herself. Quickly shooing the six other Americans within the docks, she offered an apologetic smile to the Japanese Ship girls before vanishing within the dock herself.

Trading a startled glance between one another, the Japanese ship girls slowly and surely got back into order, soon getting themselves ready to enter the dock, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
-------------------------------------

The dock was silent, all but a few slow breaths, quiet breaths.

It was now 10:00 PM, the dock empty besides three individuals.

When the fleet had enter the docks, the repair times became clear.

Coming in third place, was Enterprise with a hefty 24:00:00 repair time.

Second place, was Shokaku, her magnet like personality racking up a 32:00:00 repair time.

In first place, came Arizona. She knew it was gonna be bad. And she was proved exactly that as the clock flipped to a grand total of 46:00:00.

At first, she hadn't thought it was that bad. That train of thought ended at 44:30:00.

She looked over at her fellow ship girls, Enterprise and Shokaku fast asleep. She wished she could do that as well, but her body wouldn't allow it. So here she sat, in the quiet of the silent dock.

She looked up at her repair clock, watching as the seconds ticked by. She hoped for something interesting to happen soon, whether it be someone to talk to or sleep allowed her its embrace.

She was soon answered by a pair of footsteps nearing the door to the dock. Looking over, she was surprised when her Admiral Entered.

Woman in question took a look around the almost empty docks, her eyes wandering to Enterprise and Shokaku. Her gaze then settled on Arizona, soon enough making her way to the Battleship.

Arizona sat up straight to greet her Admiral, watching as the woman approached, but thought better of it when she remembered her current status of clothing.

Which was none.

Instead, she elected to sink more into the dock, the water coming up to her neck. Luckily, with the steam being produced by the docks, the woman wouldn't see too much more than that.

Well unless she asked of course.

Arizona's mind suddenly flipped, trying to find out where the hell that thought had come from. What brought that on?

Shaking her head, she watched as her Admiral stopped in front of her, looking down at the repairing battleship.

"You bored yet?" Anya asked, her eyes studying the marks that still marred Arizona's face. Arizona gave a slight nod. "Figured as much. The second I heard you were in for Forty Six, I knew it might be a problem... Which is why I have this..." Anya said, producing a tablet from behind her back. Arizona stared at the object for a moment until she looked back at her Admiral.

"What is it?" Arizona asked. Anya chuckled as she handed the object to Arizona.

"It's an electronic tablet. Capable of doing multiple things. I ordered one for each of you seven, as illustrated on the back." Anya explained. Arizona rose a brow as she flipped it over to the back, holding the Tablet horizontally as she inspected it.

The tablet itself was a Navy Blue in color. On the back, along the top, sat 'BB-39' in gold. Under that sat a side profile shot of Arizona's former existence, her steel hull. Under that, also in gold, was 'U.S.S. Arizona'. Taking another look at it, she flipped it back over, pushing the button at the bottom. And she bit back a small gasp in surprise at what she found.

It was a picture of her. Or, her former self if you will. It was clearly a painting. Hand painted, clear to see in all its glory. Looking over it for a second, she looked back up to Anya.

"Not that I don't... Enjoy this, but why?" Arizona asked, careful to keep the tablet above the water. Anya nodded in understanding as she spoke, looking down at the battleship.

"Understandable. Do you remember that first night you were here, what you asked me?" Anya asked. Arizona thought a moment before she nodded, realizing what Anya meant.

"When I asked you what happened...." Arizona answered. Anya nodded, gesturing to the tablet.

"And I told you it could probably be answered by someone other than me. This tablet contains what is probably one of the most complete recollections of the years prior, of, and post World War Two in the world. Important people, dates, events. Journal entries, official reports and orders, pictures, and videos. All compiled together so you could know what happened after you went down." Anya explained. Arizona's eyes widened by a fraction as she looked back down at the tablet.

"I... I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything. I personally consider it your right to know what happened. It's your right to know what the world went through. Just like it is for everyone else. Plus, Hayfield was overjoyed at the aspect that at least one of you wanted to know exactly what happened. And don't worry about getting it wet, it's waterproof." Anya explained. Arizona nodded as she went to unlock the tablet, but was met with a passcode. Looking up to Anya, she got her answer.

"Code is 1914." She replied.

Arizona smiled. To anyone else, that might just be a year in the past. But to her? It was her birth year so to speak. When she was first laid down, only to be fully completed from there.

"Arizona, I will say this before you begin. World War Two was in no means nice or kind.... What you hold in your hands, it is a complete account of some instances of Humanity at its absolute worst.... But, also its best... Do not judge the multiples for the actions of a few..." Anya explained.

Arizona gave a slow nod.

"When you're done in the docks, Arizona, come to my office. There's something I want to discuss with you." Anya explained. Arizona gave a nod in return. With that being said, Anya turned to leave. But she only got half way down the path before she stopped.

"Arizona."

The battleship looked back up at her Admiral.

"What you did today... How you lead the fleet, it made me proud. It made me damn proud to be your Admiral. Hell, to even know you. But not just that. This whole time you've been on base, you've been what the ideal American Citizen is. Respectful, kind to those around you, even though that gesture wasn't always returned." Anya praised. Arizona nodded in turn, a slight blush coming to her face as she did so at the praise.

"And what you did today for Mutsuki and Kisaragi. That warrants more than just praise. But Arizona, you and I both know that you got lucky. You got lucky and that's not something I want to push. Otherwise, I'll die before the end of this war just because of stress. And I don't think either of us want that. But still, I thank you for what you did for them. And who knows, maybe you'll gain just a bit more reputation with them.... Goodnight Arizona."

"Goodnight Admiral."

And with that, Anya walked out of the Docks. Watching her go, and then where she had been moments ago, Arizona thought silently about what had just been said.

Her Admiral was proud of her. Her Admiral had praised her. Arizona couldn't keep the incandescent smile inside, it slowly creeping up on her face.

Watching the door a few more moments, Arizona looked back at her tablet, and began to read.