Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 124: S0ngD0g13

Jackson Graves was many things. He was a graduate of Ilvermorny's Thunderbird House and a MACUSA Auror, assigned as the 'Liaison' between the American Wizarding World and the US Navy's Shipgirl Command. Before becoming an Auror he'd been a Corporal in the United States Army's First Battalion, Seventy-Fifth Ranger Regiment, where he'd earned his callsign of 'Gravedigger' under the tutelage of Sergeant First-Class Eric 'Rattlesnake' McAmis. Before all of that, though, Jackson Graves had been, and in his very bones still was, a mountain-boy from the Bluegrass State...

The Boston bar where Jackson, Connie, the Maineacs, Samantha, and Anderson were sitting was called 'the Rat', and it was karaoke night. Graves was homesick and had consumed more than his share of Old Crow as a consequence; when his turn came, he borrowed a guitar from the house band, and watched Sam pull out her fiddle.

Graves started playing, and as flat-top and fiddle wove a melancholy strain, his honey-rich baritone rose up...

In the deep, dark hills of eastern Kentucky;
That's the place where I trace my bloodline,
And it's there I read on a hill-side gravestone,
"You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"...

My granddad's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains,
And he asked Tilly Hilton to be his bride;
He said "Once you walk with me,
Outta the mouth of this holler,
We'll never leave Harlan alive"...

As he sang, Jackson thought about how his daddy had worked the mines, and his grandfathers, and their fathers... None of them had left Harlan alive, and even after Ilvermorny Jackson had looked to follow them into the the mines and spend his life digging coal, just one more black-lunged miner...

Nobody ever knew there was coal in them mountains,
Till a man from the Northeast arrived;
Waving hundred-dollar-bills he said,
"I'll pay for your min'rals!"
He never left Harlan alive...

Granny, she sold out cheap,
And we moved out west to Pineville,
To a farm where big Richland River winds;
I'll bet they danced a jig and laughed and sang a new song,
"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive?"

At eighteen years old Jackson Graves had gone into the Army rather than the mines, first to the Third Infantry Division and later, after Ranger School, to First of the Seventy-Fifth. Gravedigger had grown into himself there, no longer just poor white-trash from the coal-fields, with his teammates becoming family to him close as blood; 'Irish' Li Ouyang from Frisco's Chinatown, 'Snowflake' Jones from New Orleans' Desire Projects and 'Tar-Pit' Taylor Scott from Iberville, Lieutenant Thomas 'Tommy' Gunn from Chicago... and Sergeant McAmis. Gods, he missed them...

Times, they got hard; tobacco wasn't sellin',
But ol' Granddad knew what he'd do to survive;
He went and dug for Harlan coal,
And sent the money back to Granny,
But he never left Harlan alive...

Where the Sun comes up
About ten in the mornin',
And the Sun goes down
About three in the day;
Where you fill your cup
With whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life,
Just thinkin' of how to get away...

Where the Sun comes up
About ten in the mornin',
And the Sun goes down
About three in the day;
Where you fill your cup
With whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life,
Diggin' coal,
From the bottom of your grave...

In the deep, dark hills of eastern Kentucky;
That's the place where I trace my bloodline,
And it's there I read on a hill-side gravestone...

You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Wanting to distract her and get rid of the awkwardness, Harry gave her a smile. "So... You really like Yūrei no kōkan gakusei, Myrtle-Chan!', huh?"

Quickly nodding, Hanako held the book close to her chest. "Like it? I love it!" Looking down at the book, she let out a sigh before smiling. "It's great to actually see someone like a Hanako portrayed well in a book."

Interested, Harry gave a blink. "Portrayed well?"

Glancing at him, the Yokai wagged her finger. "Have you ever seen how us Hanako and other washroom spirits are portrayed?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Harry eventually shook his head. "I... can't say that it's something that I've really thought all that much about." At her raised eyebrow, he chuckled weakly. "Um, sorry?"

Only sighing, Hanako looked down. "We don't really appear all that often. And when we do, it's pretty much in one of two ways." She held up a hand with one finger extended. "It's either horror in which we kill people... Not that Hanako really do that, just..." Pausing, a blush crossed her face. "Just some that are really mean."

Slowly, Harry nodded. "So like how there are good people, okay people, and bad people, it's the same with Hanako?"

Perking up, Hanako nodded. "Exactly! But, um... right! So either we appear in horror where we're really bad, right? Or else we appear as big jokes. An excuse for, well..."

Lips twitching, Harry nodded some. "Toilet humor?"

A grimace on her face, Hanako nodded. "Um, yes? I mean, I've seen Yokai Watch and how there's a Hanako there who uses her toilet as a stage to be an Idol in! And then she goes everywhere to scare people, which is not how Hanako act! Or something else that makes us look like a bunch of fools!"

With a glance at her, Harry scratched the back of his head. "Huh, I got to admit it, I never really thought of it that way. I mean, it can't be fun for Hanako when that's how they are portrayed, right?"

Just giving a huff, Hanako nodded. "Yeah!" Then she sighed and looked down at the manga in her hand. "But that's what makes Yūrei no kōkan gakusei, Myrtle-Chan! So great. She's a washroom ghost just like us Hanako, but she's the main character! And she's not treated as a big joke because she lives in a washroom. She's given respect despite it."

Considering it, Harry hummed. "That's true enough actually. She is given a lot of respect despite being a washroom ghost in the manga."

Silently, Hanako opened the manga to one page in particular which shows a screaming Myrtle kicking an Aka Manto who was being a pervert in the face. "She's soo cool though. I mean, she's the sort of being that many Hanako would want to be like. Kind of wish that I could meet her for real."

Deep in thought, Harry nodded and didn't realize what sort of reaction his next words might get. "Yeah, Aunt Myrtle probably wouldn't mind either." Not hearing anything, he came to a stop and blinked at the frozen Hanako. "Um, is something wrong?"

Jaw dropping, Hanako stared at him for several moments before rushing over to him. "A-Aunt Myrtle? Y-you know her? I mean, she's actually real!?"

Leaning back a bit, Harry thought back to what he said and then slowly nodded with an unsure look. "Um, yes? I mean, Aunt Myrtle is real and everything... though the manga is only sort of based on her?"

Hanako boggled at him for a moment before letting out a squeal that made Harry wince. Then she grabbed him by his shirt and, before he knew it, he was in the library seated in a chair with the excited Hanako in front of him bouncing in her seat. "Eeee! You know Myrtle-San? And she's real!?" When he nodded again, she bounced even more. "Eeee! Wait..." Pausing, the Yokai frowned. "Why do you call her Aunt Myrtle?"

Still shaking off his shock at everything, Harry stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Um, she was the sweetheart for my Great-Great Uncle way back before the Second World War and before she died in the washroom she haunts."

Pulling a notebook from nowhere, Hanako wrote down something and nodded. "So Myrtle-San died before the Second World War? And haunts the washroom she died in?" When Harry nodded, her smile only grew. "Oh! That is so cool! It means that she really is like a Hanako! Is it a school washroom?"

Very slowly, Harry nodded. "Yes? I mean, she haunts one of the girl's washrooms in the school that I go to in Scotland..."

By the time that Hanako was finally finished with her questions, it was getting on in the afternoon. Harry staggered out of the school completely out of sorts due to the rapid fire questions that were given to him by the Yokai. As behind him the door was locked by Hanako, she waved at him with a happy smile. "Thanks for answering my questions, Harry-San! Hope that you have a good day!"

Just waving back at her, Harry turned towards his bike and was soon leaving the school behind him. 'That... was really, really odd.' He then frowned some in thought. 'I wonder what Aunt Myrtle would say if I mentioned what happened to her?'

As he was biking near the crepe shop, he heard a voice call out to him. "Harry-Chan!" Coming to a stop, he noticed a smiling Shinano waving at him. "Harry-Chan! Over here!"

With a smile on his face, Harry made his way over and looked up at his much taller friend. "Hi, Shinano-Chan! Is something going on?"

There was a bright smile on her face as she nodded some. "Hm-mm. Actually... there's someone that I want you to meet." Grabbing Harry's hand, Shinano pulled him over to the crepe store and came to a stop. "I want you to meet my Imouto, Hana-Chan!"

Eyes wide, Harry looked at the girl in front of him. She looked like a nine or ten year old, except she was tall. As a matter of fact, Hana was actually a full head taller then Harry despite him being almost three years later. "Imouto?"

Said girl smiled brightly and Harry could tell it was similar to Shinano's own. "Hai! I'm Warship 111, or that's what they tell me." She frowned briefly before shrugging. "But I'm a Yamato class Battleship, or Carrier... Don't really know."

Adjusting her glasses, Shinano patted Hana's head with a hum. "Well, um, we won't know until you're older and more fully... built." However, the Carrier just smiled. "But I'm sure that you'll be great! Onee-Sama and Onee-Chan think so and so do I."

Beaming up at her, she then turned to Harry and tilted her head before walking around him. Once she did a full examination, she bowed some. "Hello, my name is Hana and I'm nine! You must be Harry-San, Shinano-Nee is always telling me all about you!"

Confused, Harry looked at Shinano who had a blush on her face and was looking away. "She does? Really?"

With a nod, Hana smiled even more. "That's right! She told me about how you helped her and everything! And that you're one of her best friends."

Now smiling at Shinano, Harry missed the look on Hana's face. Then he turned back to her and she was just smiling. "Well, she's one of my best friends as well."

And before he could react, Hana grabbed his hand and began to drag him along. "Great! I want to ask you all sorts of things!"

For some odd reason, Harry could not help but flashback to what had happened with Hanako. Thus he wished to whoever was listening that it would not be like that, not at all. He kept asking that even as he was brought to a chair and sat down.

It turned out that no one was listening, or perhaps were too busy laughing at him.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Once Hana calmed down in her questioning, Harry slumped back into his seat somewhat exhausted. As a matter of fact, he felt like he had just run around the base a number of times trying to answer all the questions that Hana shot at him, some of whom where just plain strange. For example, Hana spent nearly ten minutes asking him all about his plans regarding Shinano once he was an adult. Especially after he stated that he was going to become her Admiral. Oddly, for some reason, the questions made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Now that she had calmed down on the rapid fire questions though, Harry could relax some. Moments after he did though, he looked up as Shinano held out a crepe to him. "Is that for me, Shinano-Chan?"

With a nod, the Carrier softly smiled some. "Hai, Harry-Chan. I thought that you needed something to eat."

Grateful, Harry took it and sighed. "I do, actually." Taking a bite, he hummed happily. "I love the crepes from here."

Biting into her own, Shinano made happy noises as she nodded. On the other side of the table, Hana looked from one to the other before beginning to eat her own crepe. "This place is so good! And I remember Yamato-Nee bringing me here for the first time when I was on base." With a swallow, Hana looked down at the table in thought. "I was so scared then, but Yamato-Nee brought me down here and got me some crepes."

Inside Harry's head, he pieced together what he had gotten and blinked. "So, you're a Natural born then? Not a Summon?"

Hana shook her head quickly. "Yeah, I'm a Natural Born. And I woke up all by myself..."

Eyebrow raised, Harry looked at Shinano who was patting Hana's hand. 'She woke up by herself? I wonder what happened...'

Seconds later, Harry got his answer as Shinano turned towards him. "Hana-Chan was watching her brother working on a car when the car jacks broke and it fell on top of him."

A sniffle caught his attention and Hana wiped at her eyes. "Riku-Nii was yelling and everything with it on top of him. But Kaa-San wasn't around and only I was. So I tried to lift it off him. And I tried and I tried. I was so scared and I... I felt something happen and then I had the car over my head. Like a Superhero! But Riku-Nii was really hurt..."

Making her way over, Shinano hugged her before turning to Harry. "He's okay now, they got him to the hospital in time but, um... There was a lot of people freaking out. Until they made some calls and we found out that she was our Imouto. Then Onee-Sama went straight there as fast as she could."

Taking the offered napkin from Harry, Hana wiped her eyes and then gave another sniffle. "It was scary at the time. Everyone was yelling and shouting. Kaa-San was really scared of what was going on and wouldn't stop hugging me." A smile bloomed on her face as she leaned into Shinano's hug. "But then Yamato-Nee showed up. She gave this glare to everyone that made them go really quiet before walking over to me and crouching down."

Well into the story, Harry leaned forward. "That sounds like Yamato-Oba alright. So what happened next?"

If anything, the smile on Hana's face became brighter. "Well... Then she looked at my Kaa-San who nodded before she pulled me into a hug. It was a really nice hug and she told me that she was happy to meet me. And that she was really happy to have another of her sisters return as was Musashi-Nee and Shinano-Nee."

Quickly nodding, Shinano ruffled the younger girl's hair. "And we still are! Hana-Chan here is now the Littlest Yamato and I get to be a Nee-San!"

Smiling, Harry tilted his head and nodded. "And you're probably doing really great at that."

More then a little flustered, Shinano gave him a shy smile. Unnoticed by either of them, Hana was looking back and forth before shrugging and grabbing another crepe from the small mountain on the plate there. "Shinano-Nee is a great Nee-San! Though, um... sometimes it gets annoying."

Now blinking, Harry turned and looked at her in confusion. "Annoying? How so?"

Reaching down, the nine year old pulled her shirt down some more. "I started growing really fast! Like, super fast!" Arms spread out, she scowled a bit. "And all my old clothes stopped fitting me and I have to keep getting new ones. Also, I get really hungry, though Yamato-Nee sometimes gives me steel and stuff to eat with normal food."

Head tilted to the side, Harry considered the nine year old in front of him. Yes, she still did look like a nine year old in some ways, though upsized to someone taller then he was. It was an odd sort of youthfulness around her. At the same time though, she was also really atheltic looking for a nine year old, like she spent all her time playing sports and the like. Shaking it off, Harry scratched his cheeks. "Well, Yamato-Oba would know best for that. And I can sort of feel why it would be so annoying to grow fast."

A confused look on her face, Hana blinked. "You do?"

Just nodding, Harry leaned back as Shinano ate another crepe. "Hai, I do." He gestured at himself and shrugged. "I'm growing pretty fast and now a lot of my old stuff doesn't really fit anymore. And I'm going to need to go and get a bunch of new things too soon."

Scowling, Hana nodded as she crossed her arms. "I know, right? Growing so big is really hard." Then she perked up some. "But there is one good thing! One day, I'm going to be as big as Shinano-Nee, Yamato-Nee, and Musashi-Nee! And I know what I am going to do then!"

With Shinano giggling, Harry glanced at his friend to see that she was really amused about something. Turning back to Hana, Harry leaned forward. "So what are you going to do?"

On Hana's face was a big grin as she crossed her arms. "Nii-San used to tease me all the time about him being taller then I am! So when I am as tall as Yamato-Nee and the others, I'm going to get him back." Reaching up, she patted one of her shoulders. "I'm going to pick him up and put him right on my shoulder! Like a really big parrot! Then I am going to walk around with him up there all the time."

It took a few moments before Harry's face split into a grin as he imagined it for himself. "You know what, Hana-San? I think that we will get along just fine."

That got him a bright smile from Hana before she looked at the time and pulled Shinano to her feet. "We're going to be late unless we leave now, Shinano-Nee! Come on!" Looking at Harry, she gave him another smile. "We got to meet Yamato-Nee and Musashi-Nee, want to come?"

Somewhat suspicious of the smile on her face, mainly because it reminded him of Hoppou when she was up to mischief, Harry nodded. After all, he had a feeling that something really amusing was about to happen. So he hopped on his bike and followed the two to the Battleship Dorms. Making his way upstairs, he did blink as he heard Musashi arguing about something and made it to the top of the stairs in time to see Hana push said Battleship back inside the Yamato's Quarters. Confused, Harry looked at Shinano. "Did I miss something?"

While muffled voices could be heard inside the room, Shinano nodded. "Um, kind of?" Then she looked around and leaned in to whisper. "You might want to get a camera ready though."

Eyebrow raising, Harry did as he was asked and pulled out his phone. Turning on the camera function, he pointed it at the door. 'I wonder what is about to happen-'

Right then, his thoughts froze as the door opened and Musashi walked out. "Very well, Hana-Chan. This Musashi is wearing the shirt that you got her. So..."

Noticing Harry there, Musashi froze and saw his expression slowly shift from shock to extreme amusement. Poking her head out from behind Musashi, Hana smiled. "What do you think, Harry-San? Doesn't Musashi-Nee look better with a shirt like this on?"

Only taking in the bright pink shirt that had a lopsided pink bunny sewed onto it which Musashi wore, Harry slowly nodded as his expression became gravely serious. However, the sparkle in his eyes betrayed him. "It really does look very good on Musashi-Oba, Hana-San. Looks really, really good."

As he took a picture and Musashi slumped a bit, Yamato leaned in to whisper into Musashi's ear. "Perhaps, Musashi-Chan, you should not have made excuse after excuse not to wear any shirts that Hana-Chan got you. Or wear more appropriate clothing. Maybe then, you would not need to have had her go this far."

Musashi meanwhile only sighed and shook her head.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 125: S0ngD0g13

Kaylee looked across the patch of ground set aside for a new garden on Kure and grinned. "This is good ground, by the look of it. You agree, Jane?"

Jane Richardson nodded. "I agree, I think." The Admiral's daughter was in Kure visiting, and had asked to come along with the ironclad when Kaylee mentioned she was going to break a new field with her oxen. "Ships I know, but farming not so much."

Virginia smiled warmly and dropped to one knee, drawing her ever-present skinning-knife, and tapped the blade on the grass. "Well, I'll do my best to pass on a little knowledge. See how green the grass is, and how thick? That's one sign the soil's fertile." She used the knife to cut a small patch out and lifted the grass to show the soil beneath, which was dark black. "That's another; the soil here's black as the underside of a stove-lid; you could plant bootlaces and they'd grow here."

"Wow..."

"I know, right? So, ready to do some farming, Jane?"

"I sure am. What's first?"

Kaylee stood and wiped her knife off on her trouser-leg before sheathing it. "First, we unload the plow from the truck there, and then we prep the team." Kaylee dropped the tailgate of the Ford F150 she'd borrowed from one of her poker-buddies and climbed up, then carefully eased the single-furrow plow out. "Grab the handles there and ease it down, Jane."

"I've got it, Kaylee," Jane said as she helped lower the implement to the ground. "So next is the team, right?"

Kaylee nodded. "Yup, next is the team." Kaylee and Jane jogged over to the stock-trailer that held the oxen and Kaylee opened it, clipped lead-ropes to their halters, and brought Conn and Cullen out. "Here, Jane; hold the ropes while I arrange the tack."

Kaylee started laying out equipment, and as she did, she talked. "It's been said that the first animal ever domesticated, after dogs and sheep, was the cow. For certain, cattle were the first practical draft-animals we ever tamed, four millennia ago. There's a sledge in a museum that dates back to ancient Sumeria, that was ox-drawn. Oxen are slower than horses, but they can pull heavier and pull longer. The acre as a measure of land-area was originally defined as the amount of land one yoke of oxen could plow in a single day."

Jane whistled in surprise. "I didn't know that... That's pretty cool."

Kaylee nodded and rolled her shoulders. "Yup. Okay, time for the harnessing. I don't have one yoke for both, so we'll be using individual yokes on each. Watch how I do it." Kaylee fitted the yoke onto Conn and pinned the oxbow in place, checking the fit carefully. "Now, I'll hold the ropes while you yoke up Cullen." The ironclad watched as Jane got the ox into his yoke and smiled. "Perfect, Bravo Zulu, Jane. Now the traces. We'll work forward from the plow since that's simpler. There's two four-foot lengths of chain with snaps at either end; snap'em side-by-side to the hitch-ring on the end of the plow. Got that?"

"Got it, Kaylee."

"Good. Next is the double-tree; that's a three-piece affair. There should be three wooden beams with a ring at either end and a ring in the middle on the opposite side; the two short ones should have a short length of chain attached to the center rings."

"Found them, Kaylee," said Jane.

"Snap the hitch-chains to the center ring on the long beam, then the chains of the two short beams to the end-rings on the long beam. That's the double-tree; it distributes the load evenly between the oxen; if I had one yoke for both oxen we wouldn't really need it. Now we hitch the oxen themselves. There's five lengths of chain, four long and one short."

Kaylee backed Conn and Cullen into position and they started connecting chains. "Two oxen are a yoke; you always have them in the same positions. The left-hand ox is called your near-side ox, and the right-hand ox is the off-side ox. Also, you traditionally give a yoke of oxen names that start with the same letter, the near-ox with a one-syllable name and the off-ox with a longer one." Kaylee snapped two long chains to the end-rings of Conn's yoke and back to the double-tree as Jane did the same for Cullen.

"So Conn's your near-ox and Cullen's your off-ox?" Jane removed the lead-ropes as Kaylee ran the short chain between the two yokes.

"Precisely-so. Alright, we're in gear and ready to start plowing." Kaylee took hold of the plow-handles and barked out, "G'yap! Trek, Conn! Trek, Cullen! Pull, you lazy steaks!" The oxen let out a rumbling low and started forward; the plow bit into the ground and started turning the first furrow.

After the first few furrows, Kaylee stopped the oxen and stepped aside. "Wanna try, Jane? You've seen me at it."

Jane grinned and nodded. "Sure, Kaylee." She took the plow and, imitating the ironclad, shouted, "G'yap! Trek, Conn! Trek, Cullen!" Kaylee walked alongside the field's edge, watching. The oxen began to stray, pulling the plow a bit to the right. Jane called to correct their course. "Haw! Haw, boys!" After a moment of the bullocks' ignoring her, Jane barked out the command like an annoyed Master-Chief. "Haw, you hard-headed lumps o' rotten ground-round!" The oxen moved left and back onto the proper course. A few minutes later, Jane had to correct them again. "Gee! Gee, you staggering stubborn so-an'-so's!"

Kaylee, meanwhile, chuckled to herself and watched with a smile. "I believe, Jane, that if you weren't so set on bein' an Admiral, you'd make a mighty-fine bullwhacker."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Softly whistling to himself, Percy checked his pocket watch before hearing the crunch of wheels on gravel and looking up to see a car come to a stop. From inside stepped out a man in a British Army uniform. Walking forward, the sixteen year old gave a small smile to the man. "Lieutenant Richards, I believe?"

The twenty something year old nodded and held out his hand. "One and the same as a matter of fact." As they shook hands, the Lieutenant nodded. "And you must be Mister Weasley?"

A smile still on his face, Percy gave a nod. "I am." Looking around carefully, he was silent for a few moments. "You know what's going on here, right?"

With a snort, the Lieutenant gave a small grin. "Magic stuff right out of a fantasy novel. Or perhaps some science fiction fantasy. They gave me a debriefing back at the base, so don't worry too much about it. Still... the idea of walking through a door and finding yourself in Japan? Or in Allied Abyssal held areas? That's just..." Giving a shrug, Richards scratched his head. "I'll give you this though, living in this place where Abyssals can just pop up? You got some big balls."

Only tilting his head to the side, Percy gave a shrug and a smirk. "I'm a Gryffindor for a reason. But if this all works out, then it allows for Wanko as well as Nagato and others to come to Britain as needed. And from what I was told, Wanko having access to quick methods of travel here is important though people are taking things seriously." Not getting much of a reaction, he continued. "Which is why it is so out of the way."

Lips twitching, the Lieutenant only nodded. Both of them understood that if something went wrong, such as hostile Abyssals coming through the portals, then it being out of the way would be a good thing. Especially as the Royal Air Force would be making the house a new lake. Looking over the outside of the building, Richards raised an eyebrow. "A bit run down, isn't it?"

Just shrugging, Percy pulled out a key as they made their way onto the porch, the wood creaking. "A little bit, I suppose. But that just means that it was cheaper than it would have been otherwise. And the area was cheap to begin with. Besides, it'll look just fine once its fixed up."

Glancing at the teen, Richards coughed into one hand and looked around them. "Right, just fine. Then again, it is a Victorian style home, so I suppose it has... character." Trying to see in through the windows on the door, he snorted. "Might as well see the inside and get an idea of what we're dealing with then."

Simply unlocking the door, Percy opened it and walked inside. Behind him, the Lieutenant wrinkled his nose some at the looks of the hallway. Everywhere was a layer of dust that they looked and the floorboards creaked and groaned. "My word, this place is not in the best of shape at all." Turning, he have Percy a disbelieving look. "And this is the place that you want for this little project? I would say that you got scammed."

Rather amused, Percy pulled out his wand and made some movements while muttering. For a brief moment, the hallway was covered in suds. Then they vanished to reveal that there was no more dust to be seen anywhere. Even some of the stains had disappeared. "I think that I can do something with this place, yes."

Eyes wide with disbelief at what he just saw, he Lieutenant stared. Yes, he had been told that magic was real and such. But this? This was more then enough proof. As Richards reached out and wiped one finger along the wall, he shook his head. Not a speck of dust at all, even as he rubbed it together with his thumb. "Amazing." Still shaking his head as the two walked down the entryway, the man frowned. "Still, that does not solve all the issues here. How long since this place was last lived in again?"

With a glance at him, Percy frowned before shaking his head. "I believe that the real estate agent stated that it has been about fifteen years? And that it was fixer upper of sorts."

Only giving him a look, Richards shook his head. "'A fixer upper?' That would be something of an understatement. And that long uninhabited? There could be scores of issues that will not become apparent right away. Mold, dry rot, pests... the list goes on. Leaks might be another issue."

Interested, Percy raised an eyebrow at him. "You seem to know a lot about buildings and such."

Smiling a bit at the question, Richards nodded. "They wouldn't have sent me here if I didn't. My dad is a contractor and I used to hang out with him a lot when I was younger. Even got the education for such when I joined the British Army. Me and my boys and girls? We got carpenters, plumbers, electricians. This would be a far sight from building a base in Afghanistan. Or putting up shelters after an Abyssal attack. We can get a lot of work done, but this..." Scratching his neck, he frowned. "This is going to be a lot of work to say the least."

Now nodding as he thought it over, Percy frowned. "What if the worst of the problems were taken care of? Supprin sent enough Mother of Pearl and pearls that I could get some Dwarvish contractors in to give a once over and fix any real issues. Then at most you might have the smaller issues as well as the rest of the work."

Blinking, Richards frowned as he ran that through his head. "Dwarvish... Wait, you wouldn't mean actual dwarves, right? Like out of Lord of the Rings and such?"

A small smirk on his face, Percy only nodded. "I suppose in a way that they are very close to that, yes. At least in looks anyways." Now Looking around, he hummed. "The company in question also uses house elves and muggleborns. And from what my father told me, they are very highly regarded. Good enough that even some of the nastier Purebloods will hire them, even if they turn up their noses at them. They'll get this place fixed up quickly though they're not any good at modern plumbing or electrical items "

While he was walking beside Percy, Richards slowly nodded to himself. "Sounds like a good bunch. How fast could they get to work? And complete it?"

Hand wiggling back and forth, Percy frowned. "Not that long? Maybe a month with magic?" Not seeing the surprise, he continued. "I was just going to hire them for some landscaping mostly. Put up a nice, high stone wall for example to prevent people from looking over. Bill, my older brother, was going to put a spell over the property then. Sort of a reverse Muggle repelling charm, but directed at any witch or wizard not keyed in. Not exactly legal, but it hasn't stopped anyone before. And I can just give someone enough gold..."

That got him another snort from Richards as he looked into a room. Inside was a lot of dust, but he raised an eyebrow at the large fireplace. "I think that this must be the parlour... and right through that door might be the dining room."

Both of them shared a look and walked through said door. Sure enough, they could see that it was the dining room and though another doorway was the kitchen. But here was something else there which caused Percy to raise an eyebrow. "And right there is the Sunroom."

Walking over, Richards looked out through the dirty windows to the outside. He could just see the remains of gardens through them. "Once you got this cleaned up, it is going to be a nice view of the grounds. Especially if you make that garden nice again." Rubbing his chin, he looked around. "I wonder what else is on this level?"

As it turned out, there were a few more rooms there. One room, in dark wood paneling with a small fireplace, Percy declared he would make into his office. Another one, from the bookshelves had once been a small library. There was even a small water closet. Going up the stairs, they found several bedrooms, including a large Master Bedroom with its own bathroom. There was another bathroom as well on the same level. Above that, there were a few more bedrooms and the attic. Heading back down the stairs, Percy stretched a bit before looking at Richards. "Your thoughts?"

For several seconds, Richards considered all that he had seen and the question before shaking his head. "I have to admit, this was a good buy if those guys you mentioned can fix up any major issues. And my crew could wire this place without too much issue and let you have all the normal, modern comforts. But I do need to ask one question though..." As they reached the door that headed down to the cellar, the Lieutenant coughed. "Why did you decide that you needed such a big house? Surely you don't need it as it would be mostly you here keeping an eye on the... Vanishing Cabinets?"

To his surprise, Percy smirked some. "You're right that it's a bit big for what it's supposed to be used for. But I thought that I might need a good sized house as I would likely see a lot of visitors. I know that Miss Nagato would likely be through here often with groups to see Harry. Then you have Miss Wanko with her own business. Chances are that until they get a way set up to get to Hogwarts, they might need to wait here. Best to have a large place then." He did not mention the rest of the thoughts in his head. 'Also, if Supprin visits myself and Ooyodo as often as she hinted, then she'll have a place for her guards to stay while here.'

Not knowing what thoughts were going through Percy's head, the Lieutenant nodded to himself as began to examine the cellar. "Well, I suppose that is rather smart. Best to have the room and not need it, then to need the room and not have it." Digging a foot into the floor, he frowned some. "Now, hmm... dirt floors?"

Light at the end of his wand illuminating the cellar, Percy nodded. "I was told that the floor was unfinished, so dirt makes sense." Shining the light around, he shook his head. "Not a lot here though... But I think that I can use that trick that I saw Harry used to finish the floor. Maybe a nice granite..."

Eyebrow raising at that, Richards shook his head. After all, he decided not to ask. Of course, that was when he caught sight of the door at the end of the cellar and frowned. The area around it looked a lot newer then the rest. Obviously it was constructed far more recently than the rest of the home. "What in the world...?"

As he walked towards the door, Percy did the same and both looked into the large room just behind the heavy steel door. "I think that this is the bomb shelter that the real estate agent mentioned." At the look from Richards, he shrugged. "She mentioned that the person who owned the house during the Cold War had a fallout shelter built here. I think that I can put the Vanishing Cabinets here."

Just frowning, Richards considered that before slowly nodding. "It would be rather protected. And is also a choke point... also, since it seems to go outside the house's foundations, then it might be hidden from anyone looking from upstairs and trying to find it."

Expression dark, Percy frowned. "And if You-Know-Who comes back, it might give me time to get out if they attack. Doubt that the Death Eaters could get through this very easily."

Giving Percy a sidelong look, Richards shook his head. "Or perhaps get reinforcements here." For a moment, he had the image of someone breaking through the door. However, as soon as they did so, they were met by several angry Abyssals there. Needless to say, the Lieutenant shivered a bit. He had seen what happened to people who had come face to face with Abyssals. Part of Richards pitied any of those Death Eaters who had the unfortunate luck to do so. Then he shook his head and reminded himself that they were practically Nazis. Not people who should be pitied. Once they were heading upstairs, he glanced back at the door before turning to Percy. "You know, if you really don't want anyone knowing about it, perhaps hide it in some manner? Furniture might work to make it a bit more difficult."

Percy slowly hummed a bit. "That might work. I've seen some really lazy Aurors who don't really bother all that much when searching after all..."

Several minutes later, Richards watched as Percy locked the front door and shook his head. "Well, Mr. Weasley, I got to say... If everything you told me is correct then this place should do well. Personally, I would not be too sure about being somewhere that Abyssals could pop on by, but to each their own, I guess." As Percy nodded, he gave the sixteen year old a searching look. "What made you decide to volunteer for this?"

Instead of answering, Percy looked up at the sky before turning and smiling. "Well, I have always liked to help out. And there's some personal reasons here as well."

Not quite sure, Richards only nodded with a shrug before he walked back to his car. "Want a lift somewhere?"

However, Percy just shook his head. "No, I'm going to catch the bus. But thank you for the offer."

Eyebrow raised as he knew that there were no buses in the area, Richards shook his head and drove down the drive. 'Weird kid. Brave, but bloody bonkers he is.'

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Looking over the long building that now straddled part of a canal on the Greengrass lands, Tracy chewed her licorice stick thoughtfully. Turning to her best friend, she raised an eyebrow. "So... you wanted to show me some new building? On the canal?"

A grin on her face, Daphne shook her head. "Not just any building..." Opening the door, she waved for her fellow Slytherin to walk inside. "See?"

Now inside, Tracy stopped chewing as she looked around the building in surprise. "Okay, this is impressive..." Then she frowned as the pieces fell together. "So this is where your family is going to try and summon some ships?"

Much to her surprise, Daphne shook her head. "We're going to hold off on the ships for a bit. Instead, we're going to try and get some Narrowboats that our family has run first. Starting off with the ones we got which are still afloat."

Walking around, Tracy frowned as she looked over the various items that were scattered. "The ones afloat? Like the Daisy-Ann?" At Daphne's nod, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why? Your family probably got several sailing boats that they could call upon."

Only nodding as she walked beside her friend, Daphne nodded. "Actually, we do. Before the Statute, we Greengrasses even owned a small Galleon. But... Remember some of the stuff that Potter told us about? Especially in regards to summoning ships?"

Eyebrow raised, Tracy blinked. "Depends, Potter told us a lot. And I do mean, a lot."

Simply snorting, Daphne shrugged. "True enough, I suppose. I meant about spiritual weight, I think that he called it. Remember?"

Frowning, Tracy furrowed her eyebrows somewhat before crossing her arms. "Spiritual weight?" Her eyes widened a bit as it clicked. "Oh yeah! Ships that have been around for some time have more weight to them, right? Even if they are smaller."

Just smirking, Daphne nodded. "Yes, that is what he said. According to him, it also makes them a bit easier to 'Wake up', especially if you do so with their hull." Reaching the railing, Daphne looked down into the canal's waters. "So the Narrowboats that are the oldest will be our first attempts."

Thoughtful, Tracy looked up and down the building before pointing at the doors at one end near the canal. "So in other words, you'll be bringing in the Narrowboats though one of these doors? And then do the ceremony right here while the Narrowboat is tied up?"

Slowly, Daphne hummed. "That's the basic thought. And it would be a lot easier to wake one up then a larger sailing ship. Potter also mentioned about tsukumogami and how ships that have been around for more then a hundred years can be easier to wake up and summon as shipgirls. The Daisy-Ann is a hundred and seventy years old after all. And we got about three others more then a hundred years old."

Now frowning in thought, Tracy went over what she knew of her own family. "I think that we have at least two over a hundred. Considering our family's alliance..."

Daphne only nodded in reply before patting her friend on the shoulder. "Already covered. We're just testing it out and then we'll do the same with your family. Maybe see if the Longbottoms want to try once we have our shipgirls." Tapping the railing, Daphne then shook her head and sighed. "Once we got the Narrowboats summoned, we'll try and get a hold of any ocean going sailing ships that we have had. Pretty sure between the two families we'll have a good amount."

Leaning back, Tracy stared at the ceiling above them. "You think that this is a good idea? Considering what we're playing with?"

For several moments, Daphne was quiet before she answered in a soft voice. "A good idea? Maybe, maybe not. But one of the best bets we have in case what we heard from Potter is true and the Dark Lord comes back? They could be the difference between us being free and our families forced at wandpoint to join the Death Eaters or to practically sell us to one of their families. And with the Statute getting closer to falling every day, being in that situation when it does so..."

With a grimace, Tracy shook her head. "Reminds me of a saying that Mum told Dad. That we're stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Squeezing her friend's shoulder, Daphne shook her head. "At least we actually went and found out information on it from Potter and Miss Kaylee. So we'll do better then those idiots that went and tried summoning something without the first clue what they were doing."

If anything, that made Tracy's grimace grow as she shuddered. "Don't remind me. I saw his face when we described some of what we heard. Never thought that I would see a look that horrified on someone's face before who was our age, but there you go."

Almost a minute passed before Daphne looked at Tracy with a frown. "You think that Potter knows something? About what could happen if things go really wrong?"

Glancing at her, Tracy raised one eyebrow. "It's summoning spirits from beyond the veil. Do you really want to know what could happen if someone did it the wrong way? Or worse, did it the right way for something that they were not aiming for?"

Both of them shuddered at that. Quickly shaking it off, Daphne calmed down some. "Though I got to admit, he seemed interested in some of what he was hearing from our end. I thought that he was going to suffer from writer's cramp from how fast he was writing down various incidents that we told him about."

Tracy tapped her chin in thought before narrowing his eyes. "He seemed really interested in that rumor. You know, the one about the Veela commune in France having summoned some sort of Muggle 'Tank', whatever that is? By accident too."

Fingers tapping, Daphne nodded as she considered that. "We probably more then paid Potter back for the information. And also we've made a mint through what he's given to us to sell, even with fair amounts going back to him."

Lips twitching, her fellow Slytherin chuckled. "True enough. And I have to admit, it was... refreshing, dealing with someone who treated us seriously. Flora and Hestia are doing their fair share as well. Though we might need to talk with one of the Muggleborns about looking at banks on the Muggle side. Maybe Granger, she would be a good choice."

After a moment, Daphne agreed. "She would be a good choice, especially if we present it the right way. From how Hestia and Flora spoke, they would not mind a nice nest egg well away from where their parents might get to it. And Gringotts might allow their family head access or to seal any vaults. So we should bring that up next time that we meet."

Falling into silence for several minutes with their own thoughts, Tracy frowned and turned to her friend. "Enough of that." She then gestured around them. "Mind explaining some of these things? Pretty sure that I've seen that anchor over there in your garden."

Softly snorting, Daphne shook her head in amusement. "That's because you have. It came from a Schooner owned by my great-great grandfather. It got on the wrong end of a tussle with a group of Dakuwaqa and got dashed on a reef in Fiji. He brought back the anchor though as it was the only big piece left behind."

Pointing at a net, Tracy raised an eyebrow. "And that? Where did those come from?"

With a chuckle, Daphne shook her head. "One of my Squib relatives had that net made for him and it's magical. Spent a pretty penny, but he brought in a lot of fish over the years and gave it back when he retired. Not quite sure what he thought that we were going to do with it, but it should come into use. Then you got the sconces which we used in the house before they were replaced by gas lights."

Rather thoughtful, Tracy tapped her fingers on the railing. "Might ask Dad if we have any boating or ship stuff too. Might be useful to bring over here if both of our families are going to be making use of this place... Speaking of, know what songs you're going to be using?"

To her bemusement, Daphne laughed for several moments before shaking her head. Once she calmed down some, she gave her friend a grin. "As it turns out, there's all sorts of songs about boating along the canals. Folk songs mostly, but from the notes those should work out really well for summoning Narrowboats. Maybe some sea shanties as well..." Glancing around, she leaned in. "Also, kind of hilarious to see my father try and sing them. Mum said that an Augurey sings better."

Eyes sparkling in amusement, Tracy smirked. "So in other words... You'll be the one singing them?"

Daphne smirked right back at her. "Well, either that or someone who sounds like an Augurey dying of a sore throat..."

Sharing a look, both girls burst into giggles at that.

 

[darthcourt10]

SoulessScotsman

A/N: I have had the mother of all illnesses kicking me in the head and chest on top of my first ever allergic reaction to anything.
There is not enough Scotch ever.
...Wait, on meds, can't drink. FUUUUUUUUUU--

---

It's not a strip club!

---

Anderson felt his head spin, "Scáthach is still alive? The Queen of the Land of Shadows and teacher of Cú Chulainn. That Scáthach?"

"Yeah. 'Fraid so," Graves said, nodding grimly.

"And she runs a strip club?"

"It's not a strip club!" the Auror squawked indignantly, "Scáthach does not run a strip club! The door is just a portal to Dún Scáith."

The words left his mouth before the Lieutenant really had a chance to think about them, "Dún Scáith is an unlivable ruin."

The Ranger gave him a look. "Really?"

Anderson conceded the point, "Fair enough."

"So that hardly makes it a stripclub."

"Yeah?" Anderson challenged, "Then what the hell do you call a place full of women ranging from 'scantily clad' to 'choice ornamentation' that men and women can come to ogle?"

"I call it a different culture!" Graves shot back, "She's more than two-thousand years old! She doesn't have the whole nudity taboo. That her attendants and daughters tend to mimic her to varying degrees isn't really surprising."

All he got was an incredulously raised brow in response.

Graves took a deep breath, "Look, it doesn't matter. I need to grab something, I'll be right back; I'm gonna need more gear for this than what I have on me."

"Then grab one of my bags, too, Graves."

And with a thunderous crack, Graves was gone.

---

Fifteen minutes later, with two loaded duffle bags in hand, he returned to find Anderson leaning against a lamp-post and pretending to check his phone.

Anderson looked up at Graves, "Which bag did you grab?"

"The one with the blue stripe."

Anderson went very, very still.

"Well," he began, "I wasn't planning on committing any war crimes, but that works, too."

"What the hell did I grab?" Graves asked, warily holding the green bag with a bright blue stripe.

"A modified M1918 BAR with a shorter barrel and magazines of .30-06 explosive-tip. Extra mags of .45 ACP for my MK23. Unmarked uniform. Stuff like that."

The Auror gave him a long, horrified look, "...What the fuck?"

The Lieutenant took the bag from him, "You brought my worst case bag."

"Your worst case bag is a fucking war crime!"

Anderson rolled his eyes as he opened the bag and pulled out a vest and hooded jacket, donning them, "Yes, I said that already."

"Why do you even have this?!"

The Lieutenant grunted as he pulled a balaclava over his head and put on a pair of ballistic goggles, "You," was his succinct answer.

Graves stopped short in the middle of donning a dragon-hide armor-vest, dumbstruck, "What? But I'm on your side!"

Anderson hefted the BAR, "Yes, you are. But how many magicals see us 'no-maj's' like you do? How many even see us as people?"

The Auror was quiet for a long time, putting his equipment in order while looking distinctly uncomfortable,"...That's not fair."

"Yeah?" the Lieutenant snarled back, loading a mag into the rifle and yanking the bolt handle back, "Next time your buddy Jones talks about raping my mind, see if he takes how I feel about that into account. Spoiler alert; he won't."

Auror Graves was quiet for a long moment before he responded, "For what it's worth? I'm fairly certain that there isn't a wizard or witch alive that could obliviate you."

The dark goggles stared back at him as the other man turned his head to regard the Auror.

"Back during the Chief's last meeting with Connie, Jones did hit you with an oblivio, but you didn't even notice. Just kept walking out of Connie's office. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as angry as Connie was right then. Needless to say, Jones is... well. Not happy is putting it mildly. Not that I had anything to do with getting him reassigned, oh no."

Anderson snorted in dark amusement, "I bet that made your boss' day."

"After he got over the shock of you just no-selling a memory charm, he was all over Jones like ugly on an ape."

"...Thanks."

Graves clapped him on the shoulder, "You're welcome."

---

A/N: Holy balls how am I not dead?[/HR][/HR][/HR][/HR]

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

Well, this has been a long time coming. When I started writing the characters of the Twin Princesses, I thought that I would be presenting Ku-Tan as a stronger figure who was ironically weaker than the goofier Shi-Chi. Then I started writing things from her point of view, and that completely fell apart. Why am I saying this, you ask?
A Minor Setback

-----

"This is a horrible idea," Ku-Tan insists, slowing as Shi-Chi, Ruri, and Nemo keep on speeding. Shi-Chi spins, gives her a goofy smile and a "come on" gesture, and turns back around. Ku-Tan groans and adds a little speed.

She doesn't know what else she was expecting, she supposes, when the Admiral brought up the idea of them visiting one of Japan's coastal cities, to gain some idea of what was to be gained by allying with the humans. Shi-Chi had pounced on the idea when the caveat was made that a representative would go on a tour of sorts to get the lay of the land prior to their visit—it seemed that someone among their possible allies wanted Nemo to spend time with her boyfriend. Ku-Tan found the whole thing silly and a risk—what if you're not there, what if you can't save her—but ended up going along with it as a show of good will. And that, in turn, led too…

"I still don't think we should have left Renata in charge," she attempts, searching for a way that she can head this foolhardy venture off. There is a Shipgirl or two still on the tanker, that might help if someone tries to invade, they might be helping with the anchor chain or something, but they really need to head back before Renata does something.

"Princess?" Nemo asks, turning to look over her shoulder. Usually, the cruiser speaks to her princesses with some degree of nervous respect. Today, the emotion is joined by flustered worry. "You're acting weird… is something wrong?"

Yes! Something is very wrong! What if something happens on the island? What if they commit some sort of faux-pas that destroys the negotiations? What if SHE is there? Ku-Tan opens her mouth, trying to speak her worries, but Shi-Chi cuts her off, instead.

"She's just a little nervous, is all," she explains. "We've never done something quite like this before, and she's thinking about all the ways it could go wrong—which it won't," she adds, cutting off Ku-Tan's attempt to voice her concerns. "Everything will go fine, and I for one am very excited to meet your… what do they call it, significant other?" Nemo flushes and sputters, and Shi-Chi laughs.

They continue to speed over the blue water, watching as the tiny black line on the horizon grows larger, more defined. Nemo corrects their course by a few degrees, and they continue on. The thought that Ku-Tan might be concerned appears to be the farthest thing from their minds—but why? Why isn't Shi-Chi listening to her, considering the possibility that this could fall apart in their faces? Was Ku-Tan the only sane one among them?
-----

The Admiral is waiting for them at the docks. Surrounding him is a collection of Shipgirls, battleships and carriers that are introduced one by one as Nagato, Akagi, Kaga, and the other two they already know—Kongou, who stays close to her admiral, maybe a little closer than would be proper between subordinates, and Musashi, who once again draws Ruri's eye like a magnet.

Nemo shies away from Akagi, a movement that unsettles Ku-Tan. Is there some kind of history between the two? Did Akagi try to hurt her? Is it a trap? Will they have to fight their way? She feels a hand close over her shoulder. Shi-Chi, she thinks, telling her to keep it together, secure in the knowledge that she can do it. But can she? If the Admiral wanted to trap them, all he needs to do is give the word.

On the other hand, she supposes, the Admiral wouldn't have greeted them himself if it was a trap. It looks like things are fine. Things are fine. They're fine.

Fine.

"Well," the Admiral says, "Now that the formalities are out of the way, shall we be going?" And somehow, walking down city streets, under streets and around gawking humans, Ku-Tan realizes that she's been so caught up in her head that she didn't notice when they arrived in a park full of trees. Sitting on a bench near a small stall of some kind, a young man stands up and waves to them—or rather, it occurs to Ku-Tan as Nemo picks up speed and runs toward him, to his girlfriend.

She glances over at Shi-Chi, and isn't surprised to see her features split in a massive grin. Akagi brings her hands together and begins cooing, which is not a little disturbing, but Kaga elbows her companion in the side, stifling her down to a squeak. Ku-Tan catches the blue-clad carrier's eye for a brief moment, and nods respectfully.

"Everyone," Nemo says, stepping back towards them, holding her boyfriend's hand, "This is Inoue Takumi-kun. My…" She smiles, an embarrassed, awkward look, and trails off. "… You know."

Everyone takes a closer look at the Inoue boy. Ruri even takes her eyes off of Musashi, which seems to be a miracle in and of itself. Shi-Chi steps forward, and looks him over. She turns surreptitiously back to Ku-Tan and raising both arms, proceeds to give her a pair of thumbs up. Ku-Tan brings her own hand up to massage her forehead. Akagi begins to make the cooing noise again, but subsides under a series of glares from all directions.

"How interesting," Shi-Chi says conspiratorially. "You'll have to tell us all about it—is there, perhaps—"

And with a readiness that seems to almost be a prank, the curtain on the stall slides open, revealing a young boy and a destroyer looking out at them. There is a click, and something hums to life inside the stall—a metal surface that seems to have… is it human food?

"That'll do," Shi-Chi corrects herself, amused. Takumi shrugs.

"Personally," he admits, pulling out a bottle of some kind of liquid, "I just would have handed out some Ramune, but I guess you've gotta put out the good stuff for visiting dignitaries." Ruri walks over, taking the offered bottle.

"Ramune?" she asks. "That sounds… interesting—"

"You don't eat the bottle," Nemo cuts her off. Ruri blinks, looking back down at the bottle and examining it.

"Really? But then, why… Why is it there?" she muses.

Ku-Tan tries to ignore it, walking towards the stand instead. Is it food? She has always been a tiny bit curious about human foods, maybe now she can learn a little more about them. Nagato is already standing there, conversing with the boy.

"And you're all three sure about this?"

"Yeah! I figured that something like this would be the best way to help with the tour, and Fubuki and Hoppou both agreed to help out."

"Fubuki?" Nagato responds, and the destroyer nods. "Hoppou?"

"Po!" a voice comes from down behind the counter, and as Ku-Tan comes to stand beside Nagato, she leans down and sees the tiny… little…

northern island oh no she's here has to be here where is she what's happening no don't touch them don't touch them don't touch her don't hurt her please please please go away don't please no no no no no no no no no nononononoNONONONONONONONONO

"Ku-Tan!" she hears a voice cutting through and she down on her side, curled into a ball, who's been screaming and why are her lungs burning? "Ku-Tan! It's okay! She's not here! She. Isn't! Here!"

And Shi-Chi is down on hand and knees beside her, shaking her, and everyone is standing around them, and she… she isn't here…

And a burning lump forms somewhere in her throat, crawling up, starting her eyes watering, and she breaks down whimpering.

-----

Shi-Chi supports Ku-Tan as she stands. Well, that blindsided them rather severely, didn't it? She looks between the Naval people, her own girls, the boys and the Princess, who has climbed over the side of the food-stall-thingy to scrutinize her. Breath deep. Collect your thoughts. Make your decision.

"Ruri," she says, and the stunned battleship snaps to attention. "Take her somewhere a little ways off. Far enough that she doesn't have to listen."

"Princess?" Ruri asks. "What's going—"

"Ruri," Shi-Chi repeats. "Take your mother, help her get some space. She's not in a good place to talk." She turns to Nemo. "Why don't you follow her, with Takumi…kun? This could take a little while."

Nemo looks uncertain, but she responds better than Ruri. After a moment of hesitation, she reaches out and takes Takumi's hand, walking away. Ruri hesitates, but gets Ku-Tan's arm over her shoulders and follows. The Admiral glances at the two in the food-stall, and they nods, running around and making various clicking noises. The pleasant hums that must have come from cooking implements fade away, and they run after Nemo and Ruri.

"Hoppou," Nagato is saying to the tiny Princess, but Shi-Chi waves her off.

"It's okay," she says, "she's involved in all this anyhow." Nagato turns and looks her in the eye, and Shi-Chi finds herself grateful that she has never faced the renowned battleship in combat.

"So," she says.

"So," Shi-Chi agrees. "All things considered, our reasons for allying are more practical than ideological. Resources, not having to worry about attack from one at least one front, that sort of thing. This won't affect negotiations too severely… or I hope not," she adds in a low voice. As things stand, it will probably set negotiations back. "I've been trying to figure out how to discuss this, to be honest, it was going to come up sooner or later no matter what we did." She pauses. Collects her thoughts.

"Our Princess, way back when, was not what one might call… Kind, I suppose, or friendly. And when I tell you that's being charitable, well." She crosses her arms, looks up at the sky. "She was our maker, but… no one ever considered or respected her as such.

"It was towards the beginning of the stalemate, or maybe it was a little before… Honestly, we were traveling so often we lost track of the days. Our Princess was warlike, driven to attack human cities and traders, and she surrounded herself with the like-minded. The problem…"

As she's spoken, the Shipgirls and the Admiral have been giving her looks of askance, or just blank gazes. As she moves to her next thought, Akagi and Kongou's eyes widen, narrow. Ah, good. They've figured it out. "… was that there were other Princesses who, while not strictly benevolent towards humans, weren't all that interested in making war on them. Live and let live, I suppose. So, one day, our Princess takes a few divisions and heads out. It turns out, she's part of a plan too—"

And all of them have it then, Nagato stepping between Shi-Chi and… Hoppou, she might as well call her. "You were—"

"Part of the home guard," Shi-Chi emphasizes, keeping herself calm. She raises her hands to chest level slowly, palms out. "Ku-Tan was, too. None of us really understood what was going on. Why were we attacking our own kind? What possible reason could there be? And as it turned out, we didn't get the chance to really consider what it meant."

The Shipgirls subside slightly. Shi-Chi pulls up her shirt slightly, giving them a brief view of the ugly discoloration on her side.

"When the Harbor Princess attacked, I was knocked unconscious in the opening volley," She says, almost wryly. "Ku-Tan… didn't have that luxury until the end of the battle, and for far shorter a time. She was the one who had to go through the bodies to find me. And she remembers that day. It's at the back of her mind, in her dreams, she's carried it with her ever since the attack. Losing her family, having all that she knew destroyed around her… the one who carried it out. I suppose she's come to associate her with you," and she nods down at Hoppou. "It explains why she reacted to you like that, at any rate."

"As you can imagine, we came out of that more than a little disillusioned. We had imagined ourselves as some sort of great force that would destroy everything that stood in our way, but we destroyed our own kind and were destroyed in turn. Ku-Tan and I… we didn't want any part in that. We still don't."

She shrugs, looking in-between the members of her audience. "And there you have it. Our life story."
-----

Like I said above, this has been a long time coming. I knew that, at some point, Ku-Tan would run into someone and have a massive freakout, but for a while there I thought it would be Regina... on the other hand, she wouldn't have reacted nearly as well to that.

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

Two snippets in one night? How is this possible?
Questions Answered

-----

After picking Ichika up from Mamiya's house, Rin had to stop at a convenience store to grab a cup of coffee. It was late and dark out, and she needed caffeine to keep her going at this hour. Ichika supposed they looked an odd couple—a pasty, hooded girl just this side of a hikikomori, and a leather jacketed bleached blonde yankee sitting outside a store next to the later's Ducati, sipping drinks quietly.

"So hey," Ichika said, shaking her cup lightly, "one of my old schoolmates asked me 'bout how I was doing. Asked me if I was ready to talk about it, which was kind of nice."

"Really?" Rin replied, raising an eyebrow. "How's that?" Ichika shrugged. She honestly wasn't sure.

"Can't really say," she replied. "It's… I've thought the whole mess over, and I want to talk about it—You're basically the only reason I'm alive today, so I oughta at least tell you, ya know? It's just… I'm not really sure how to put it in words. I've got so many feelings I don't even know where to put them all, I—I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear this." Rin took a long sip of her coffee.

"Can't say I don't," she said thoughtfully. At Ichika's look, she reached over and poked her on the nose. "I stopped you from dyin', remember? Always figured that made you my responsibility. Not sure how it works, but there's some kinda honor thing in there." Ichika looked back down at her drink dejectedly. So basically, Rin felt she should listen, but she didn't want to listen. Right back where they were in the beginning. "Hey," and Rin's knuckled rapped against Ichika's temple. "'M over here, Chika-chan."

"But you just said—"

"Ichika, you need ta talk ta someone, don't ya? I told you I'm here for you, and I mean it. Stop actin' like no one wants ta listen to ya, an just speak up." Rin grinned audaciously. "Whoops, coffee's gettin' cold." Ichika laughed, running her hand over her eyes.

"Thanks," she said, slumping over. "I… it's her. I just keep comin' back to her somehow or other, and I can't figure out what I'm supposed to think of her. She… she wanted the best for me, I know it, but… She destroyed me to do it. I mean, seriously, what the hell kinda parent destroys their kid like that to make 'em better? It's Goddam stupid is what it is! She's a bitch! And every time she tries to call me, or mail me or whatever the hell, it's like… It's like I'm there on that rooftop all over again. But… but I understand what she wanted for me, and try as I might, I can't tell her off. Can't tell her to mind her own damn business." Ichika groaned, pressing her palms to her temples. "Can't even tell where I'm goin' with this. The hell."

"I see," Rin nodded sagely. "Well, can't say I've been where you have." She planted her hands against her knees. "But, maybe you should try talkin' ta her." Ichika stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

"What th—You know what she did to me, don't you!"

"Kinda hard not to, livin' with you. Chika-chan—" Rin dropped to a crouch in front of Ichika. Gently cupping her cheek, she brought her eyes up to her own. "—you're stuck in place. I've seen people like that. I've never been where you are—hell, I don't know who has been where you are. But if you don't talk ta her, you'll spend the rest a your life like this, waitin' for nothin' at all to happen. Ain't healthy."

Ichika smiled awkwardly. "Sure it ain't. But… I tried, before. Punched in her number. Waited as the phone rang. She shrugged mournfully. "Couldn't say anythin'."

"Yeah," Rin replied, "but that's what I'm here for. Now come on—we're still in the next prefecture."
-----

Saki stared up at the ceiling. She was lying on top of her futon, dressed only in her nightshirt with her hair (freed from its elaborate braids and buns) splayed out over the floor. By now, she imagined, Namiko must have made her peace with Umi. She raised a hand, ran it through her hair (still a bit wet from her bath earlier that evening). That… That had felt good.

It wasn't the part where Namiko had trouble talking to Umi that felt good, she felt like she had to remind herself. It was how she had come to Saki, how she had leaned on her. She had felt better than she had in years—and maybe a little vindicated? It was something that Namiko had relied on her for, instead of Umi, something that she had shared before the JMSDF officer.

Maybe she was jealous? Or just starved for attention? What would happen if she called home, just to hear someone's voice—she was certain she had four younger siblings who hadn't reached college yet. It had been a long while since she last called home, anyhow. Maybe there was no time like the present, huh?

She had heard what Namiko said to her that night. How she had told her off for thinking she had no place near her. But she had been thinking about it, over and over again, and she couldn't figure out where she stood yet.

"Maybe I'm just being selfish," she said to herself. Her head throbbed briefly, and she pressed a finger to her temple, willing it away. It was a mild headache that had been flaring up on and off over the whole day, and it was starting to maybe drive her to distraction. She'd already taken medicine for it earlier, hadn't she? Stupid brain.

"Oyasumi," she muttered, rolling onto her stomach and closing her eyes. Then she began hacking and coughing, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. She felt phlegm spatter over her palm and groaned, struggling to get to her feet without stepping all over her hair so that she could wash her hands. This happened from time to time. She wasn't sick or anything.
-----

"Kagamine-san, are you awake?" Reiko asked. Benio grudgingly opened her eyes.

"Not willingly," she replied. Reiko was quiet a moment before answering.

"Ah. I'm sorry," she said. Benio sighed.

"Don't be. Might as well get this done sooner rather than later. What's on your mind?"

"I was wondering… A few days ago, I was trying to kill you and Tatsuya-sama."

"Believe me," Benio said, voice as dry as the Sahara Desert, "we haven't forgotten."

"And yet, this evening, you both said that you would help the people of my home. You said you would help me, despite what I did. Why?"

"Eh, what can I say? We've got a bit of a white knight complex between the two of us. Probably accounts for 'bout half the trouble we get in. That any help?"

"I don't know," Reiko sighed. Benio pushed herself up on her elbow, facing the full-blooded yokai.

"Mind answering a question for me while we're up? What's up with your whole problem child deal? You looking for attention or something?" Reiko was silent, pulling her comforter up over her nose.

"Maybe," she admitted, voice slightly muffled. "Jorogumo families are… large, and rarely include a father. My mother was good enough at what she did, raising us together as fine sisters, but… but she never looked at any one of us. It was always a group. Always "my daughters did well on the test at school," or "my daughters are good little children who would never hurt a fly."" Her hands began to twist at the comforter. "I wanted her to look at me, and only me. I wanted her to say my name. She's my mother, is it too much to ask?"

"And then one day you took some candy without asking, or skipped school for a day," Benio surmised.

"She yelled at me so loudly it shook the rafters," Reiko confirmed. "It was scary, and I cried my eyes out, but… she was finally looking at me. Not me and my sisters, me. As far as I was concerned, the punishment was a small price to pay. And it… snowballed from there." She lifted a hand from the comforter, raising it up towards the ceiling and examining it. "Of all my sisters, and all the Jorogumo children I know, I'm the only one who wanted her mother to pay more attention. Do you think maybe I'm broken or something?"

"So when you ran away…"

"I got caught shoplifting," she admitted. "Some magazine, I don't even remember what it was. Mom was louder than ever, and Yoko—one of my sisters—started crying and begging her to stop. Mom just told her to go to her room, I guess she was tired of putting up with me and snapped harder than she meant to, but… it was the first time I ever got angry at her. First time I ever yelled back. 'So you're angry with me not being like all the rest of them, now you're taking it out on her, too?'" Reiko tried to chuckle, but it came out a sob. "We must have woken the neighborhood."

"And you ran away after that?" Benio asked, lying back down. Reiko rolled over to face her.

"Yeah. Figured I'd show her how it hurts losing even one child out of the whole. I thought maybe, just maybe, it would make her care. Take a little of her edge off. I don't know, I was just angry. And then I got set on fire."

"Yeah," Benio agreed, remembering, "I was there for that part."

"I suppose you were, but… didn't you pass out?" Benio laughed bitterly.

"Manga make a big deal about han'you getting superpowers from their yokai parent," she mocked. "Me? I get the biggest, most glaring weakness and nothing to make up the difference. Can't even make snowflakes." She feels the bitter tears start. "Can't even go in the kitchen. My nee-san doesn't have any trouble with it, she's got the weakness, but she's got enough ice in her to balance it out and maintain her temperature. She's a wiz in there, could probably open her own food stand if she wanted. I can't even go near a hot oven without starting to get woozy."

"And Tatsuya-sama…"

"He never made fun of me for it. Was always running back and forth to get me ice, or a fan, or whatever I needed at the moment. I…" Benio choked. "When we were nine, I got dragged off by some weird dude in a robe, I think he might have been a rogue wizard or something. He wanted to use my blood as a potion ingredient, went after me instead of Nee-san because I was basically helpless in the summer sun. Tatsuya… he saved my life. Somehow, some lucky unimaginable how, he saved my life. After that…" she wiped her tears away. "After that, weird stuff started happening to him. He spent his tenth birthday fighting a horde of vampire squash. No kidding, that's what happened. All the crap he's been through since that day… It started with me. It's my fault."

"No it's not," Reiko replied almost blithely.

"What do you even mean? It was the first time something like that had ever happened to him! I—"

"If you hadn't been kidnapped," Reiko cut her off, "would I not have run away?" Benio paused, thinking back over her conversation.

"I… I don't…"

"In my case, the circumstances were within my control. You're just beating yourself up for things that would have happened with or without your presence. It's ridiculous, you shouldn't do it."

Benio groaned. "Whatever," she replied, rolling to face away from Reiko. Though… Tatsuya had been telling her the same things for years. Having someone else reiterate his words… it didn't feel so bad. "I hope you figure things out with your mom."

There were a few seconds of silence. "Thanks," Reiko said.

And then they were silent until Benio's awareness faded away, leaving her floating away into her dreams.
-----
I don't like swearing, and Ichika wanted to use much stronger language, so we compromised.

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

smthng

Hanako's face was as red as her dress, as she sat in front of her computer. The emotional high of realizing that Myrtle-chan was a real person had finally calmed down and it had finally really sunk in to Hanako that Myrtle-chan was real. Somewhere in Northern England there was an actual washroom ghost called Myrtle, who was the model for Myrtle-chan the manga protagonist.

That meant everything people did with Myrtle-chan was based, more or less, on a real person who might one day see all of it. The dojinshi. The cosplayers. All the stuff in Pixiv. The on-line debates.

The blush on Hanako's cheeks deepened from 'red as her dress' to 'red as an overripe tomato', as she almost involuntarily glanced at the minimized browser window. She should really reopen it. Even if she closed it, that would not change the reality of the situation.

But…

Hanako's face turned almost black and she buried her head in her hands.

But she didn't know Myrtle-chan was real when she started her Myrtle/Kitaro/Nekomusume love triangle/shipping fic! Now her magnum opus was ruined! RUINED! No way she could continue it if the REAL Myrtle might one day see it!

* * *

Search your feelings, you know it to be true. Of course she'd write Myrtle-chan/Gegege no Kitaro crossover shipping.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Only fifteen feet above the waves, Harry was keeping an eye out as his broom flew. After all, he did not need for someone to see him yet. Part of the reason was that he was not alone on the broom. In fact, Taigei was right behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist as they made their way to Ōkamashima.

Things were especially not helped by the fact Taigei was holding onto him tightly enough that he could feel her body pressed into his.

Needless to say, his entire face was rather red and he was trying to distract himself in any way that he could. Something that he only partially succeeded at as every time the Submarine Tender moved, he knew it. Internally, he was cursing puberty and the "Talk" that his adoptive mother had with him recently. It made him a lot more aware of things after all. For example, just how nice it felt to have Taigei holding tightly onto him.

As she did not know what effect she was having, Taigei kept a close hold onto the boy in front of her as she looked around. Here and there her eyes caught glimpses of things as they were pretty far out to sea. Suddenly, she saw a spout of mist break the surface and smiled brightly. "Look, Harry-Chan! Iku-Chan! Whales!"

With a look in that direction, Harry smiled himself as he saw more spouts in the air. "Hai, must be a pod of them." Simply watching as they passed them, the black haired boy kept looking around. He did not want one to breach underneath him after all. But Harry did enjoy the sight of the whales as they flew. 'I suppose that is one good thing about the Abyssal War, with less humans out and about the whales are coming back.'

Part of Harry mused on the fact that, somehow, the whales always managed to avoid Abyssals. No one was sure how they did it, but they were rarely caught by the Abyssals and fed upon. However, no one denied that the population had recovered greatly and was now well on it's way to growing. Other endangered species in the oceans were much the same as well. In fact, Harry could remember Alaska posting pics of one of the abandoned islands with a small horde of baby sea turtles heading down the sand to the water. Both her and Atago having their fairies help them reach the ocean.

Eventually though, they left the whales behind them and continued onwards on their journey. Turning to Harry, Taigei raised an eyebrow and then hugged him closely. "Harry-Chan? Is something wrong?"

Turning his head, Harry was about to say something only to pause as he noticed that the shipgirl's face was inches from his own as she placed her chin on his shoulder. "Uh... Not really?" At her raised eyebrow, he blushed. "Um, just that the broom is a bit of a tight fit now."

Now blinking, Taigei thought that over as Iku placed her own chin on Taigei's head. "Iku thinks that it might be getting to be a bit of a tight fit as well." Then she shrugged some, not bothered in the least with how she was pressed into Taigei's back, with the Submarine Tender not showing that she even really noticed. "But this is the fastest way to Ōkamashima."

Grimacing, Harry shook his head. "Unless I get permission to take a boat anyways. And Mum is not so sure that she wants me to be able to at the moment." Shrugging, he glanced towards Taigei. "Besides, I'm pretty good at flying, so..."

Both shipgirls considered that before nodding. After all, his broom was a small object and a lot less likely to be noticed. Once more smiling, Iku giggled a bit. "Besides, it's always fun to be up on your broomstick."

Harry did not see the look that Taigei gave the sheepish Submarine as he nodded. "Hai, it is pretty fun to fly around. And it's a nice day out." All three were smiles for several moments before Harry tilted his head. "I might look into a bigger broom though. Mine really is not made for more then maybe two people tops."

More then a little thoughtful, Taigei looked at him. "Is there a lot of brooms out there for that? I wouldn't think so, but..."

Considering the question, Harry frowned. "I've been looking around at some. There's a few made for up to four people and from what I heard, the Nimbus Company might be working on one that can carry five..."

Eyebrow raised, Iku blinked at him. "Just four people? I would have thought that if you could fit more then one person, you would have a lot more..."

Softly snorting, Harry shook his head. "No, a flying carpet is a lot better for that sort of thing. And, well..." Looking around, he tilted his head back some. "Natsumi-Chan found one in that room which can seat ten. I'm learning how to use it, but... it's going to take some time. Once I have though? It's going to be a lot better to take around."

Only nodding, Taigei and Iku agreed. Moments later, Iku pointed ahead of them. "I think that we're almost there actually! There's the Tear."

It took only a few seconds for Harry to spot it as well and he nodded before making his way for it. Entering through the tear, he smiled a bit as the caldera opened up before them. Within a few minutes, he was landing on the wharf that was jutting out into the water. Almost as soon as they landed, the sound of footsteps could be heard and Harry turned and smiled as the Twins appeared. "Ume-Chan! Sakura-Chan!"

Walking forwards, both of them bowed to him and the two shipgirls. "Harry-San, it is good to see you again. And the same with your friends."

Moments later though, Harry hugged them both which made them blush slightly. "And it's good to see you too!" They did return the hug though which made the black haired boy smile a bit. "Sorry for not coming sooner but... some things came up."

To his surprise, they just shook their heads with Sakura speaking for them both. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Harry-San. We can understand that life can get ahead of oneself. Besides, you are here now and that is what matters." She then tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Are you going to be staying long?"

Chuckling, Harry gave a nod. "Actually, I was thinking about staying the whole day. The three of us could then talk and get caught up with each other... if that's okay with you?"

Eyes wide, Sakura and Ume rapidly nodded. "That would be fine, Harry-San."

Simply smiling lightly, Harry gave a small shrug. 'They seem to be pretty happy actually. Must be lonely.'

None of the three noticed the thoughtful look that Iku was giving them as they pulled somewhat out of the hug, but the Twins stayed with Harry's arms around them as they turned to Taigei and herself before speaking as one. "Welcome to our island."

Bowing back, Taigei smiled at the two. "Thank you. I am Submarine Tender, Taigei. It's lovely to meet the two of you after having so much told to me."

At her side, Iku also bowed. "And I am Submarine I-19. But you may call me Iku." She then scratched her head a bit with her lips curling upwards. "There wouldn't happen to be a place where we could sit down, is there? My cooks have made up some food that you can have after all."

Taigei also nodded. "As has mine and we have plenty for you if you wish for some more. Neither of us would mind much."

Both spirits swallowed a bit and nodded. This was an offer that they were not going to turn down unless for a very good reason. "Please, follow us back to our home."

As they walked, they watched Harry beside them before Ume spoke up. "Harry-San?" Seeing him look at her, she continued. "Before we do reach our home, there is a place that we wish to show you."

Only nodding, Harry rubbed the back of his head. "Sure, I don't mind seeing something."

Moments later, he blinked as Ume took one of his hands and Sakura the other. As usual, it was a bit odd feeling their cooler then normal skin. But it was not exactly unpleasant. And their hands warmed rapidly as they were touched by Harry's hands. With that, they began to lead the group down another ruined street.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

It was not too long a walk before they reached a spot that overlooked the dock yard. Harry could see the hulls of the ships from where he was as they slowly rusted away in their berths. But looking around, Harry could see rubble which made him raise an eyebrow. "Where exactly are we?"

Sharing a look, Ume and Sakura became slightly uncomfortable before Sakura took a deep breath. "This place, Harry-San, is special. It was the main administration building when the dockyards were built... The first building built here as a matter of fact with this section being the first part."

Harry's eyes widened as he looked down. "Wait, if this is the first spot built on... Does that mean...?"

Only nodding, Ume looked down herself. Her gaze was far off as if she could see something that no one else could. "Hai, this is the spot where Sakura-Chan as well as myself are buried." With a shudder, she shook her head and walked to a spot. "In fact, this is the exact spot. Twenty feet down, beneath the foundation is where our remains are."

Now looking down, Harry blinked before frowning. His eyes glowed slightly as he stared and seemed to glaze over for several moments. It was brief, but he had a vision of sorts. To him, the ground seemed to part and he could see what looked like a shroud made of fabric surrounded with stones and dirt. Through it, he could see something...

And then the shroud parted and he gave a start at what was inside.

For inside the shroud were two skeletons with mummified bits of flesh still clinging to them stubbornly. Black hair fell from dried, rotted skin that stubbornly clung to their skulls while rotted remains of clothing hung from the bones. However, more then that, was their position. The two skeletons seemed to be clinging to each other, as if trying to protect and offer comfort to the other. Both skulls laid cheek to cheek with their jaws partially open, as if they spent their last moments whispering to each other, trying to drive away their mutual fear.

Suddenly, Harry was back where he was and blinking with Sakura looking at him with an unsure expression. "Harry-San? Are you... are you okay?"

Blinking, the black haired boy looked up and opened his mouth as if about to say something. Then he closed it and looked back down in thought. Finally, he gestured for Ume to walk over to him. Doing so, she tilted her head in concern. "Harry-San? What seems to be the-"

Then, before she could react, Harry pulled both her and Sakura into a hug which made them blush. It was his next words that stunned them. "I... I saw."

Unsure, Ume and Sakura shared a look as the two shipgirls looked on in confusion. Then the two spirits spoke as one. "Saw? Saw what, Harry-San?"

With a deep breath, Harry shook his head. "I... I just had a vision, I think." At their somewhat shocked, though confused looks, he swallowed. "It was like the ground parted and I was down... there. I could see what looked like a shroud, I think it was made of silk." Both Ume and Sakura stiffened and their eyes widened. "And... and then it pulled apart. I could see two skeletons, I think that they were yours. They were holding each other close, trying to protect the other and... and their jaws were open and next to each other's ears. You were so scared, weren't you? You spent your last moments trying to comfort each other..."

Moments later, the two spirits clutched tightly onto him and he could feel wetness on his shoulder. Ume and Sakura shook a bit before they nodded and quietly whispered. "Hai... it was... it was scary. We were in the dark with everything pressing on us. And... and there was not enough air there. Every time we took a breath, there was less and less and..."

All Harry did was hug them tighter and then both Iku and Taigei joined in. Unknown to the Twins, Harry and the shipgirls were internally cursing those that had convinced them and put them there. Rubbing their backs, Harry just let them cry a bit until they began to pull away. Looking from one set of eyes to the other, the black haired boy gave them a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry."

However, they just shook their heads with Ume speaking up. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry-San. It's not your fault what happened to us."

Frowning, Sakura looked at the spot where, deep below, their mortal remains laid. "But I do wonder one thing. Why did you have that vision? It... it sounds like how it does appear."

Now also looking, Iku furrowed her eyebrows some. "Iku does wonder herself..."

When nobody said anything for a few minutes, Harry glanced around at the area. The spot was pretty ruined with where the walls having been nearly invisible. Around them, what had been the concrete floor was pretty cracked as well and crumbling. Later on in life, Harry would not be able to say what gave him the idea that rolled around in his head, but he would say it was one of his better ones. Slowly, he let go of the Twins and pulled out his wand to everyone's confusion. Head tilted to the side, Taigei frowned. "Harry-Chan? What are you doing?"

Only humming, Harry began to wave his wand. "Just... had a bit of an idea." All of them watched as he muttered spells and the rubble moved back until it reached the edges of the small area. With another mutter, the stones seemed to begin to melt into each other, bit by bit until a solid, stone wall now encircled the area. Still more rubble moved until it formed stone boxes at the bottom of the walls. Wiping his brow, Harry motioned with his wand. "Repario."

The cracks and holes in the concrete sealed themselves. Sharing a look, the Twins frowned a bit with the same thought in their minds. 'What is Harry-San doing?'

Several minutes later, they blinked as Harry filled the stone boxes with dirt and pulled out some small bags of seeds from his pocket. At their looks, he shrugged. "I thought that you might like some flowers near your hut. But... I think here would be better." Turning, he missed the shocked expression on the faces of the Twins and the knowing ones on Iku's and Taigei's as he planted the seeds and then gave them a water. As a final bit, he used the last of the rubble and made a small, stone pillar right where Ume's and Sakura's remains laid. Clapping his hands, he gave a small bow to it before turning. "There we go-"

He did not get any further as both spirits tackle hugged him tightly as they cried. When Harry brought his arms up, they only clutched at him tighter as they spoke as one. "Y-you... You made us a monument... For us..."

Blushing some, Harry only shrugged a bit. "Um... it seemed like the right thing to do? So that you're honored?" That only made them cry harder though and he looked at Iku and Taigei. 'Help!'

However, he did not get any help from either of them as the two shipgirls only shook their heads. They could guess what this meant for the Twins and kept their silence. Eventually, the two spirits let go and gave Harry a smile that nearly outshone the Sun itself in sheer brilliance. Then they bowed to him deeply. "Thank you, Harry-San. From the depths of our hearts, thank you."

Still blushing, Harry scratched his cheek. "Um, you're very welcome? I mean, it's not much..." He got headshakes from the two spirits as they continued to smile before he decided to just leave it lie. "Well... thanks?"

Chuckling, Iku decided to come to Harry's rescue as she could see that he was somewhat uncomfortable with things. Patting the Twins on the shoulder, she gave them both a smile. "How about we go and have something to eat now? My crew has everything ready."

With a shared look, Sakura and Ume nodded. "That sounds good, Iku-San. Thank you."

Before anything else could be said, they walked over until they stood on either side of Harry and grabbed his hands with theirs. Somewhat confused, Harry tilted his head before they began to walk away with a shrug. He missed the amusement from Iku and Taigei. What Harry also missed as they walked out of view was the spirits of the Americans watching him with amused and exasperated expressions. "Those kids..."

Softly snorting in amusement, their leader shook his head. "Yeah, but then again it's sort of nice. And pisses off some of the Japs." Frowning, he looked down at the monument in thought. "You know... I never did consider what those two went through. I mean, buried alive? That's..."

Another one of the Americans nodded with a grunt. "Yeah, that's beyond messed up. Especially since they're freaking kids."

They were all silent for several more moments before they shook their heads and faded away to leave the area once more in silence. Unnoticed by all of them through, in the dirt of one of the boxes, there was a small bulge where one of the seeds were. And through a crack in the wet soil, there was a small amount of green to be seen.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts Omake: "Ultimate Shipping"

Anyways... going to try and fit some updates in today, but for now... enjoy an Omake:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sipping his coffee, Richardson was humming to himself in thought. It was summer and Harry had come over with both him, Jane, and their Smols having gone into Jane's room. Oddly, there had not been a peep out of them besides them making various runs for food or drink. However, as he was about to pass Jane's room, he paused.

Mainly because Mutsu, Arizona, Jinstuu, and Pennsy were all looking into the room with various expressions of disbelief.

Already feeling a headache coming on, John considered not saying a word. But then he sighed and cleared his throat some. "What is going on-"

To his surprise, almost as one, the shipgirls all brought their fingers to their mouths. "Shhhh."

Eyebrow raised, Richardson blinked as they motioned him over. Peeking in, he froze at the sight that met him. It was not the fact that he could see Albie, Archie, Zuihou, as well as Shimakaze and her sisters also in the room. How they managed to fit in there was beyond him and he would rather not think about.

Nor was it the fact that the walls were covered in white boards, which themselves were covered in calculations. A number of said calculations went way beyond him. More then a few made his head hurt and he swore were changing as he looked at them. No, what caused him to freeze was a design that was also there.

One that, oddly, looked like a nuclear bomb.

It was then that he tuned into the rest of the conversation and stared. Harry was pointing at one of the calculations on the board. "... And as you can see, the most important part of this is this equation right here. L=SC2. Or Love equals Shipping Squared. With this, we have finally cracked this."

Jane then pointed at the design, in particular the part that looked like the warhead itself. "Which goes into this. Here we got the fast shipping fuel and the slow shipping fuel in the bomb core. The geometries of both is what would cause it to either work out or to fizzle. But we have finally done it, I believe."

Upon one of the desks, Minagato nodded. "Gato."

Pointing at her, Albie frowned. "She has a point. What are we using for an initiator? That's the most problematic part of this."

Hand waggling back and forth, Harry hummed. "We thought about a normal love potion for the initiator. But it might not be enough, so by our calculations, amortentia would be best for the initiator to set off the shipping fuel portion by compressing it with Attraction."

Lightly laughing, Jane spread her arms out. "We have become Love, Shipper of Worlds!"

Slowly, very slowly, Richardson pulled back and then turned and walked away. He was not going to pay attention to this. No, he was going to walk away and put some alcohol into his coffee and try to forget about what he just saw.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

As they walked into view of the Twins' hut, Harry had to smile a bit. From what he could see, more of the debris had been cleared away from the area around said hut. More then that though, he could also see that it was painted in a soft pink color. Tilting his head, Harry looked towards the Twins. "So who came by and painted?"

Blinking, Ume turned to him and softly smiled. "It was actually Enterprise-Sama. A few weeks ago, she arrived with Yamato-Sama and the two of them painted our little home. They even asked us what color we wanted for it."

It took a few moments, but then Harry smiled himself. "Light pink on the outside and purple on the inside... Pink like the sakura and purple like the ume, right?"

Needless to say, both spirits blushed but then nodded some. "Hai, that is right. We thought that since it was our home, it should have something of us both in it."

Only nodding, Harry chuckled a bit as he continued to examine it. Another thing he noticed was that there was now a small roof there with shingles and the windows also had shutters. All in all, the place looked like a small home, which, he supposed, it was. More then that, he was happy that for something that was so cheap, it was still in perfect shape. Something that he hoped would continue to be true for some time yet.

Upon entering, Harry's smile only grew. Up on the shelf by the window, he could see the solar powered dancing sunflower. Catching his look at it, Ume blushed some. "Sakura-Chan and I... We like to watch it as it dances."

Harry simply shook his head some. "Nothing wrong with that, Ume-Chan, nothing at all." What he did not notice as he was looking at the woodcut replicas that Tatsuta had given them was the blushes that both spirits had. Something that amused Iku to no end. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Harry turned to find Sakura with an unreadable expression on her face. "Hai? Something wrong, Sakura-Chan?"

Even though she could feel the blush on her cheeks, Sakura tilted her head some. "Not a problem, just... Chan?"

Now it was Harry's turn to blush and he chuckled weakly. "Sorry about that, it's just, you know." Both Twins blinked and tilted their heads to the side like curious owls which nearly made him snicker. Nearly. "Well, you're both good friends and we're close, right? So... Chan, instead of San, but if you want-"

Before he could get further, both of them waved their hands. "N-no, that's fine, Harry... Chan. You are friends of ours and, um, it's just been so long since someone used that for us." From where Harry was, he could see small blushes on their cheeks as they softly smiled. "We do not mind it if you call us such. Especially if we may return the favor?"

All Harry did was shake his head and give their hands a squeeze. "I don't mind that at all." Several moments later, all of them were seated on the floor as Iku brought out some tea and Taigei began to hand out plates of snacks. Something that the Twins began to eat much to the three visitor's amusement. "Hungry?"

Washing down a mouthful of food, Sakura frowned in thought. "I... do not know if one could call it hunger as such? We could look at food but not feel hunger. In this case..."

She trailed off and Ume also became thoughtful. "It is not so much a need as a... want?" Making a grasping motion, she hummed. "Perhaps... like how one can see a candy and while not hungry, they might still want it?"

Head tilted to the side, Sakura nodded at that. "That is about the closest that we can come, I suppose." The spirit then gestured at the food. "No matter how much we eat, we don't really feel full. Not like when we were alive, but there is a feeling there. As if we are being filled with... something. As if our very bodies are becoming... more filled in? I do not know how to explain it."

Even though she was interested, Iku only smiled and filed it away for later. "Huh, that's actually interesting. But that means that you can eat as much as you want then without feeling full?"

Just blinking, Sakura nodded. "Hai, that is true..." Her face lit up in a blush as she remembered how, on their last visit, Enterprise and Yamato both plied them with food. By the time they realized it, they must have eaten enough for more then a dozen people... each. And all the two shipgirls had done was smile and state that their crews did not mind sharing the food. Shaking off her thoughts, as well as how filled in the two felt after the shipgirls had left, Sakura frowned. "But we don't really feel hungry either. It is simply something to enjoy."

Lips twitching, Taigei brought out another plate of treats and placed it in front of the two. "Well then, there is only one thing to do and that is to eat up. Especially since we have some things to do."

Confused, the Twins turned to Harry who only smiled and then held up something. "I brought my laptop and a solar power charger for it. I did promise to show you both the Mothra movies after all." He then frowned a bit and hummed. "Wasn't sure about showing the original Godzilla though."

Both spirits had wide eyes for a moment. "More films, Harry-Chan? And you brought them for us?" At his nod, they smiled with watery eyes and bowed a bit. "Thank you."

Waving his hands, Harry just stared at them. "Hey, hey! Enough of that, it's not that big of a deal. Besides, I did promise."

A smile on her face, Ume bit into another piece of food before frowning a bit. "Um, Harry-Chan? May we ask a question of you?" Getting a nod, she continued. "A few weeks back, my sister and I had this feeling that something horrible happened. And it involved you..." Having seen the stricken looks on Iku's and Taigei's faces, Ume's eyes widened. "Something did happen...?"

There was a grimace on Harry's face as he nodded. "Yeah, something did happen." Looking between the interested Ume and Sakura, he cleared his throat. "Remember how I told you about the Chamber of Secrets being opened? And there being a monster released?" At their nods, the black haired boy continued. "Well... a few weeks back my friend Ron's sister was apparently taken by the 'Heir of Slytherin' and brought to the Chamber..."

Now serious, the Twins listened as Harry told what happened down in the Chamber of Secrets. At various points, their eyes widened in shock or horror. But when he told them of the Basilisk and how he slew it, they suddenly became very interested and thoughtful. Once he was done, Ume and Sakura turned to each other and had a silent conversation. Briefly, Sakura looked back at Harry. "You stated that you have a scar, Harry-Chan?"

Only nodding, Harry pulled up his sleeve to reveal the large scar in his arm from where he was bit by the Basilisk. Reaching out, Sakura and Ume ran their fingers along it. Eyes narrowed, Ume glanced at him. "And this is where the Basilisk bit you, Harry-Chan? When you slew it?"

When Harry nodded, the Twins once more looked at each other in silent conversation. Eventually, they turned back to him and spoke at the same time. "That is... It is as if it was something from the old tales. You, a brave hero, went down into a dark place, a lair of darkness and evil, to rescue an innocent maiden. There you met and fought an evil sorcerer who had an army of monsters under his command. And his greatest monster, a creature like an Uwabami, or perhaps an Orochi, you slew."

Blushing, Harry scratched his cheek. "Well, um... I also had help? I mean, Fawkes pecked out it's eyes. And the Sorting Hat gave me the Sword of Gryffindor..."

Rather amused, the Twins nodded. "Hai, you had help from a Hō-ō who blinded the serpent. And a mystical artifact and helper who gave you a legendary weapon with which to slay the monster. But you were poisoned by it's death throes, and were dying with the Sorcerer looking to kill you. However, then an yūrei, one who was murdered by the Sorcerer, appeared and fought him as a distraction. Which gave time for the Hō-ō to cure you with it's tears. Then, together, you and the yūrei slew the Sorcerer!"

If anything, Harry's blush increased. "I guess when you put it that way..."

Clapping her hands together, Ume shook her head. "It is a tale that if this was a few hundred years ago, would become a true legend. And it should, even in this day and age." She gestured at one of the woodcut reproductions. "Hai, it would have appeared even in a wall scroll."

Iku decided not to tell them, or Harry, that she had heard that Natsumi may be making a drawing in that style of artwork. 'That will be so amusing to see when she gives it to Harry-Chan.' Sipping her own tea, she put it down. "That is what we keep telling him." Needless to say, all the girls shared a giggle as Harry sighed and shook his head. Reaching into her swimsuit, Iku hummed. "If you want, I have some pictures of the Basilisk..."

Heads twisting to look at her, Ume and Sakura nodded. Several moments later, the two spirits were staring wide eyed at the pictures. Very slowly, they looked from Harry to the pictures and back. Mouths working, eventually, the Twins shook their heads. "This would be a legendary feat. Not an Uwabami, but perhaps an Orochi..."

Ume touched her finger to the picture of Harry with the Sword of Gryffindor and looked up. "Is this the blade with which you slew it, Harry-Chan? Truly?"

Slowly, Harry nodded some. "Hai, that's the Sword of Gryffindor." Rubbing his chin in thought, he frowned some. "It was used by him a thousand years ago and was made by the goblins. Their finest blade... though they claim he stole it from them." At the looks he got, the wizard shrugged. "According to goblin law, anything they make belong to the goblins. Even if you pay them to make something, they believe that you do not actually own it, but only lease it for your lifetime, at which it goes back to the goblins."

That brought a scowl to Ume and Sakura. "That is distasteful. If a swordsmith produces a sword for a Samurai, it belongs to the Samurai. The swordsmith cannot come back once the Samurai is dead and then declare that the family must turn it over to them as they own it."

Deciding to just shake her head, Taigei frowned. "Hai, you are right about that. Though I wonder what they will do when the Statute falls? Can you imagine them trying such now? Or using force?"

Everyone shared a look before Sakura changed the subject. "Though this does bring up a question." Seeing that the others beside Ume were turned to her, she glanced back at the picture. "Have you considered learning to use a blade? Some of the Officers for the Navy from the War had swords."

For several moments, Harry was quiet before he shrugged. "I won't say that I haven't, because I have. What sort of boy doesn't imagine using a sword? Especially nowadays?" That got him nods from Iku and Taigei, their minds going back to when Harry was much younger. Iku especially remembered one time when they all used foam swords in a "Battle" in the Submarine Pen. "Mum brought it up to me, though she had a... different idea of how to learn then Kendo."

Raising an eyebrow, Iku looked over at him. "Oh? I would have thought that she would have you learn from one of the dojos... Though I suppose she considered her crew?" However, when Harry shook his head, she blinked. "She didn't?"

Arms crossed, Harry chuckled a bit. "Nope! Apparently Haru-San knows where there are some Samurai yūrei that could teach me. And there are others on the older Shipgirls like Kōtetsu and maybe Mikasa-Oba who were taught as Samurai. Mum said that if I want to learn to how to use a sword, then I might as well use the opportunity and learn directly from those who best know how."

Unknown to Harry, all the girls suddenly had the image of him standing there in Samurai armor. For Iku, the image had her beside him in a kimono. Ume and Sakura though had them both there on either side of him. Blinking, Harry just shrugged off how they suddenly were all blushing. Soon the conversation turned to other things and they ended up spending most of the day watching Mothra films.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Humming to herself, Louisiana checked the time on her internal clocks before nodding. With practiced ease, she opened the lid to her barbecue smoker with smoke escaping and smiling as she looked in on the meat being cooked. 'Ah, the rabbit is coming along good, as is the chicken. And the pork looks good as well.' Reaching for the bowl of barbecue sauce, the Battleship nodded. 'A nice dinner, and mon chéri could have whatever is left along with Shinano and the others.'

Continuing to smile, Louisiana soon closed the lid and went back to waiting.

Elsewhere on the base, Sakuya was sipping some tea along with Haru, her husband, and Hoshi. Putting down her cup, she raised an eyebrow at Haru. "May I ask you something, Haru-Chan?" At said Kitsune's nod, she continued. "Why did Louisiana-San ask to be allowed to cook for the whole family as a going away dinner before we leave tomorrow morning?"

For a few moments, Haru was silent before she spoke up. "I believe that, as the parents of Natsumi, she hopes to impress you as well as the rest of the family." She then tilted her head at Hoshi who had a interested expression. "You, she knows is important to the family and Natsumi. Whether she knows how important..."

As Haru shrugged, Kensuke blinked. "Louisiana-San wants to impress us? But why..."

Trailing off, he shot a look at Haru who nodded. "That's the reason, pretty much."

While she sipped her tea, the four tailed Kitsune watched as her sister's and brother-in-law's eyes widened. Then Sakuya choked a bit. "Wait, she was serious? I thought that..."

However, her younger sister shook her head. "No, Louisiana-San is serious about it, very much so. To her, Natsumi-Chan shares a similar spot in her heart to Harry-Chan. Both seem to be equal there." Lips twitching, she shook her head. "She has also made no secret of her feelings for the both of them."

Silence descended on them as the other three Kitsune considered that before Hoshi spoke up. "She has made no secret of it? Though looking back on her behavior from what I have seen regarding Natsumi-Chan... I suppose that you would be right. I simply thought that she wanted to be with Harry-San by having Natsumi-Chan's approval."

Rubbing the side of her head, Sakuya sighed. "My question is... How did this come about now?"

Once more, Haru was quiet for several moments before humming. "Because, like Harry-Chan, Natsumi-San is seen by her as a... knight in shining armor in a way." All of their ears perked as Haru took a sip of tea and then continued. "A few years back, a number of us had an odd dream. Not just Harry-San, but also myself, Natsumi-Chan, and those shipgirls who's hulls had never been built."

Now interested. Hoshi frowned. "A shared dream? That is odd... Were the Kami trying to tell you all something?"

Slowly, Haru nodded with a frown of her own. "Hai. In the dream, we were trapped in some sort of liquid filled coffin, unable to move much. Each time we had it, we were trying to escape or let someone outside know. But... It never worked. The end of the nightmare, I suppose one were to call it, would be us falling into the oblivion of unconsciousness. What we did not know at the time was that we were experiencing what Louisiana-San was going through."

Eyes widening, Sakuya held her hand against her mouth. "She was trapped in some coffin?"

There was a haunted look on Haru's face as she nodded. "Apparently, the wizard who brought forth the unbuilt shipgirls used coffin-like containers filled with an alchemical liquid. Said liquid basically built them their bodies in the process. I cannot go much further into it then Louisiana-San was the last, but was not quite... complete, when he died." Sighing, she shook her head. "While I had the dream, there were several issues that had my attention. So Natsumi-Chan and Harry-Chan went to an Officer who was in charge of Yokosuka while Goto-San was in Tokyo. However, he did not believe them and dismissed it as all an odd dream. Which meant that Harry-Chan and Natsumi-Chan..."

Kensuke ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Decided to take it into their own hands and perform a search?" At Haru's snicker and nod, he closed his eyes. "Sometimes, she's way too much like her grandmother."

All Hoshi did was flick his ear. Then she turned to Haru with a frown. "How did they track where Louisiana-San was down though?

With a small smile, Haru glanced at them. "If I was you, I would be quite proud of Natsumi-Chan. Her and Harry-Chan pooled together their abilities and divined where she was. Then they got together several shipgirls and headed there, though they did send an email to Ooyodo-San explaining things... which she did not read for several hours." Waving a hand around, the Kitsune shook her head. "They managed to find the secret room and Harry-Chan opened her... coffin. So you can imagine how it effected her, both Harry-Chan and Natsumi-Chan were the ones who came and lead the rescue for her. To her, the two are her heroes."

Leaning forward in thought, Sakuya frowned. "Do you think that she does love them both? Louisiana-San, I mean."

Also leaning forward, Haru became thoughtful. "Does Louisiana-San love them? Both of them? Now that is an interesting question really. My belief is that she does, or it's close enough to the fact not to really matter. After all, she's dropped plenty of hints, though it's only in the past year that she has really begun to be more open about it."

There was a considering look on Kensuke's face before he sighed and shook his head. "You know, when I allowed for Natsumi-Chan to come here and be trained by you, I never expected for her to have a Battleship fall in love with her and her crush." Then he snorted. "Or for someone who looks like an American model to be one of those."

Her lips curling, Haru chuckled. "The Kami work in mysterious ways, Kensuke-Kun. How this will sort itself out in time will be interesting to see. And quite possibly extremely entertaining."

While the three female Kitsune snickered, Kensuke sighed. "Poor Natsumi-Chan..."

Said words only got him another flick to the ear, this time from his wife. Then Sakuya turned to Haru and tilted her head. "Speaking of, this dinner that Lousiana-San is making us, which according to you is to impress us? What sort of thing could we expect from it?"

Now blinking, Haru thought back to other meals made by Lousiana and licked her lips. "What can we expect?" At the nods, she smirked a bit. "Have any of you ever had American Southern barbecue before?"

Confused, Natsumi's parents shook their heads while Hoshi perked up some. "Once, on a visit to Tsuki-Chan, I went with them to a place with her boyfriend that stated it had southern barbecue like how you're speaking of. It was actually quite good."

Head tilted to the side, Sakuya blinked. "Really?" At the nod, she hummed a bit. "Sounds rather interesting. The only things that we have had are Yakiniku and meat that was cooked on a grill by some of the American soldiers back during the occupation. That was rather good."

To their surprise, Haru shook her head. "Then you are in for a real treat. As it turns out, Southern barbecue takes time to cook. From the one time I watched? It takes hours for Lousiana-San to make it in a special barbecue she calls a smoker which has wood chips burning in a separate canister, which sends the smoke over the meat. As well, she uses a special sauce for it." Eyes closing, she licked her lips and rubbed her belly. "By the time she is done, the meat practically falls off the bones and is extremely flavorful. Louisiana-San's chicken and rabbit are especially good and Natsumi-Chan adores it."

Needless to say, the other three adult Kitsune were practically drooling. And unknown to them, out of sight, Taichi also had a similar look on his face as he imagined what he had just heard. It was just enough to make him forget the annoyance he felt at the fact someone else was hitting on his sister.

Just enough.

Later on that night, Natsumi did wonder about her parents though. Especially with how her father nodded at Louisiana while her mother gave her a hug. The smile that was on Lousiana's face afterwards also puzzled her, thugh she soon put it out of her mind. After all, the Kitsune had a belly full of Lousiana's good barbecue, so she didn't want to think too hard about things and just enjoy it before sleeping it off.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

One by one, Tanya's boilers relit. And with each one, she became more and more conscious until her eyes fluttered open to show her the ceiling of a hospital room. A quick glance around showed that her expectations were exactly right, it was a hospital room. It was not exactly an uncommon sight for her either as sometimes Norihara would take her to one. Or that one time that Norihara took a tumble and had to go to one herself.

Tanya shuddered a bit and shoved that memory out of her mind, she did not want to remember that.

A sound beside her made her turn and blink at the sight of Hoppou there. Said Abyssal Princess recalled the last few of her shades that were left in Tanya. Once they returned to her, Hoppou's eyes crinkled in happiness. Granted, that was the only sign as Hoppou was wearing a surgical mask that clashed with her outfit. An outfit that for some odd reason reminded Tanya of that children's show from America, Bob the something or another. Hoppou then blinked some. "Hoppou all done! Tanya is now all healthy and strong. Hoppou made sure of it!"

Head tilted to the side, Tanya's eyes widened. "It... worked? I can... move again?"

Just smiling, Hoppou nodded some. "Yup! Tanya can now move as much as she wants!" Smiling happily, Tanya once looked around before her smile fell. Spotting that, Hoppou tilted her head. "What is the problem?"

With a blink, Tanya looked down some. "Was wondering where Norihara... was. Said that she would be here..."

Blinking, Hoppou pointed to the other side. "Norihara is right there though. She did not leave the whole time and helped out Hoppou as much as she could."

Shocked, Tanya whipped her head around and boggled. Sure enough, there was Norihara asleep in a chair. The doctor's upper body though was laying on the bed as she muttered in her sleep. Needless to say the reaction from Tanya amused the little Abyssal Princess as her eyes widened. "Eeeeee!?

Norihara, having felt the jerk, startled away and looked around. It took her a few moments before she spotted Tanya awake and her own eyes widened. Expression brightening, Norihara gave the Ta class such a big smile that her face hurt. "You're awake, Tanya!"

Very slowly, Tanya came out of her shock. "Yes, I am... Norihara. But... what are you doing there?"

Partway through rubbing a bit of sleep out of her eyes, Norihara blinked and then shook her head. Smile softening, she gave Tanya a look that made the Abyssal's cheeks heat up. "I thought that when you woke up that you might want a friendly face to be here. And, well..." Norihara gestured with her head towards the clock. "You only got out of surgery about an hour ago and it's rather late."

Not sure what she meant, Tanya turned to the clock and froze a bit. Right there, on the clock, it stated it was past Midnight. The Abyssal's jaw dropped as she remembered what Norihara had told her. 'I will stay with you the whole time.'

Stretching, Norihara groaned a bit. "A fifteen hour surgery's always long, but..." There was a small smile on her face. "At least that's over now." Gaze sweeping over Tanya's legs, the doctor gave a raised eyebrow. "Can you move them?"

A frown on her face, Tanya pulled back the covers to reveal two pale legs. Slowly, with some trouble due to no practice, she moved one and then the other. Then her expression brightened as she wiggled her toes slowly. "I... I can move them!" The smile on Tanya's face as she turned to Norihara was one of the brightest that she had ever seen. "I can move them!"

Lightly laughing, Norihara nodded and gave her friend a hug. "Yes, yes you can." After several moments, she pulled away and patted the side of the bed. "Now then, can you move over here for me? Since you're awake now, I need to run some tests first."

Much to the doctor's amusement, Tanya quickly did so as Norihara pulled out some tools. She went through various motions and at one point pulled out a plastic Wartenberg wheel. Slowly, Norihara traced it along the various parts of Tanya's legs and watched her reactions. Once that was done, after using it on her feet, Norihara smiled which made Tanya blink. "So is everything... good?"

Simply chuckling, Norihara nodded. "Yes, everything seems to be in working order. You got the right reactions from what I can see." Getting to her feet, she walked over to where Hoppou had been watching in interest and then bowed deeply. "Thank you from the deepest part of my heart, Hoppou-San. Because of you, Tanya is now healed."

Blushing a bit, Hoppou gave a small bow back. "Hoppou is very happy to have healed Tanya. And now, Tanya can walk again with Doctor Norihara." With a look at Tanya, Hoppou patted one leg before nodding. "Hoppou needs to go now and sleep. But Hoppou will see you in the morning!" Running to the door, she gave a small wave. "Bye!"

And, with that, Hoppou vanished from sight which got a chuckle from Norihara as she shook her head in amusement. "That girl..." Hearing a gasp from Tanya, she turned and had to hold back a giggle at the sight that met her. "Now what are you doing?"

Looking up from where she had been running a piece of ice from the pitcher beside her bed, Tanya gave her a smile. "I can feel it... Norihara. I can feel the ice."

With a chuckle as she walked back to her chair, Norihara smiled. "Yes, you can." Reaching over, she lightly grasped Tanya's leg which made the Abyssal suck in a breath. Head tilting to the side, Norihara smile grew a touch. "See?"

To her surprise, Tanya stared at her hand before reaching out with her own and placing it on Norihara's. "Yes... I see." Gently, she ran her thumb along the doctor's hand, which made the human shiver slightly even as tears sprang to both their eyes. "Yes, I see."

Eyes softening, Norihara looked down at their hands. "Heh..."

After a few moments, the Abyssal frowned. "Norihara? Why so sad?"

Only shrugging, Norihara shook her head. "It's nothing really. Just thinking about things, this changes a lot after all. Now this chapter of our life is closed and it's time to move on."

Tanya blinked and frowned even more. "Move on? But... I don't want to move on, Norihara."

It took a few moments, but then it clicked and Norihara's eyes widened even as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh! Oh... um..." Then she shook her head and chuckled. "I suppose so." Rather then say anything else, Norihara began to work Tanya's legs like she had done many, many times before to try and prevent the muscles from atrophy. This time though, the Abyssal could actually feel her friend do her work and leaned back with a smile on her face. Eventually, the doctor spoke up. "It's not going to be easy, Tanya. From here on out."

Curious, Tanya looked down at her even as she chewed her lip as Norihara continued her work. "Not going to be... easy? What do you mean?"

Glancing up at her, Norihara returned her attention to her work. Mainly to distract her from what felt like millions of thoughts running through her mind. "Well, now that you are no longer paralyzed, we have a lot of work to do. Mainly physio and such." At Tanya's blink, she shook her head. "Even with what I did, there was still some atrophy of your leg muscles. Which means that we need to build them back up to where they were. And the way to that is going to be through Physio... We might need to ask for someone to come up to our house and do it though. Even with people around Lake Biwa knowing about you and seeing you, some might be nervous at you going to any physio clinics. I think that one of my old friends might be willing to show up though. It's going to be hard though."

For several moments, Tanya was quiet as if deep in thought. Then she shrugged and when she spoke, the human froze. "Not easy, but I... do not care. Norihara will be there, which makes it better."

Once more, Norihara felt her cheeks blush before she shook her head. "Tanya, you do realize how that sounds, right?"

All Tanya did was blink and stare down at her. Then she shrugged again. "Sounds like it... sounds." After a few seconds, she smiled. "Tomorrow we have some ramen? To celebrate?"

Unable to help herself, Norihara nodded. "We'll have some ramen to celebrate this. I have our favorite Instant cups back at our temporary quarters. And while we're here, I'll try and get some quail eggs as well that we can put on them. How does that sound?"

Eyes wide, Tanya rapidly nodded. While she loved 'Ramen', especially when Norihara added to it, there was more to it then that. Having ramen meant spending time with Norihara. And maybe... maybe this time she could feed Norihara. That thought made her warm her boilers as she laid back in her bed and continued on into her dreams. Meanwhile, the doctor smiled down at her looking so happy and at peace before pulling a cot over close by and laying down herself. Soon enough, she followed her friend into dreamland.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

You know, I think that this story is starting to come in towards a close of sorts.
A Few More Words

-----

Kaga scowls, trying to stare down the White Princess. The Princess, for her part, is casually disregarding the looks both dark (Nagato in particular, who hadn't moved from her protective position) and lighter (Kongou's seemed to have softened after recounting the Black Princess' trauma). She can respect that—especially since in the events that Kaga had encountered the Twin Princesses, she had come across as cheery and laidback, seemingly the lesser of the two. It was her mistake, she supposes, and one that should have been readily obvious to her.

"Where were you, before recently," she asks. The White Princess gives her a measured look. She seems to be measuring, judging the question before she decides it was safe to answer.

"Here and there," she replies. "We were in the Atlantic for a little while. Then we tried the Florida Gulf. Finally ended up back out that way." She nods out east, probably pointing the general direction to her territory. "We wanted out of the whole war, and we weren't going to do to our fleet what others had done."

And there it iss. Make or break, the Twin Princesses have made it abundantly clear that their goal is maintaining their neutrality. Whatever grudge or fear that they hold against Wanko, Kaga easily believes that they wouldn't act on it if it went against that goal.

"So," Nagato says, voice just short of threatening. "Your old Princess—"

"WAS A MONSTER!"

The White Princess's sudden outburst causes everyone to jump back. Kaga can feel her heart thudding in her chest (or maybe it's pistons? She has trouble telling, sometimes), and she has to force it into her mind that they are negotiating with her, she is a prospective ally, and that a fight with a Princess, outnumbered or not, is something that cannot happen in a populated area. The Princess groans, and clenches her fists briefly.

"God… she was a monster. And we were so sure that if we ran… if we looked for someone who would be better to us… Well, we were all Abyssals. They'd probably be just as bad." Everyone shifts slightly, looking at anything but the White Princess. Silently, Kaga comes to the decision not to mention the Twin's old Princess anymore.

"… I see," Nagato says uncomfortably. The White Princess nods and shudders.

"Any more questions?" she asks.
-----

When Harry and Fubuki catch up to the Black Princess, she is huddled over on a bench standing in the shadow of one of the shops bordering the park. Ruri is next to her on the bench, hand resting against her shoulder and whispering quietly to her. Nemo and Takumi are standing to the side, watching them uncomfortably. Looking between the two pairs, Fubuki walks towards the couple. Harry in his turn goes to stand by the Princess. Looking up at the cruiser, Fubuki catches her eye and glances towards the Black Princess. Nemo shakes her head.

"I've never seen her like this before," she admits. Her voice trembles, she seems shaken. Looking back at the Princess, Fubuki is reminded of the first time she saw Enterprise as a Shipgirl. Rather than riding into battle to some rock song, or engaging in some good-natured ribbing with Yamato, she was sitting on a pier, knees tucked under her chin looking so much smaller than Fubuki had ever imagined she could. This must be something similar for Nemo and Ruri. Takumi responds by pulling Nemo in against his side, and she shifts to fit better against his side.

Harry looks over at them and then back at Ruri and the Princess. Turning, he half-hops onto the bench, sitting opposite Ruri's side. Reaching up, he places his hand on her other arm. The Princess starts, jerking over to fix him with a sudden stare. She draws a long, shuddering side, and brings her arms in to hold herself.

"… the Northern Island Princess," she says in a voice so small that Fubuki nearly doesn't hear it. She's grown so used to hearing and referring to Hoppou by name that she almost doesn't recognize her title. It seems to take a similar moment for Harry to pull the name up from his memory, but when he does he leans forward to try and better look the Princess in the eye.

"Yes?" he says.

"Is… is She here, too? The-the other one?" Harry mouths the tremulous whisper back to himself, face scrunched up in confusion.

"Wanko?" he asks. The Princess jerks and whimpers. "Ah-no. She's not here, but she does—I mean no. She isn't here."

Fubuki finds herself shuddering in sympathy. It's odd, she's used to Wanko as Hoppou and Harry's older sister figure, the one who keeps Revina in line when the oddball Re-Class makes too much of a problem of herself. As foreign as the idea of it seems, she reminds herself, Wanko too is an Abyssal Princess, capable of great and terrible things.

"… But she comes here," the Princess continues. Harry finds himself caught. He stammers slightly, trying to put something reassuring into word but nothing comes out.

And then by some bizarre coincidence, a dog barks.

Everyone casts about, confused and startled by the almost random intrusion into their somber moment by some creature that doesn't seem to care about their drama. Everyone casts about, and then the culprit rounds the corner—two girls, walking aooohmygosh so fluffy! A dog. Fubuki turns to make sure that the others are aware that she did not squeal like the schoolgirl she appears to be, but stops at the look on Takumi's face.

"Of all the times," he says, shaking his head, but stops. "Wait. Maybe this isn't so bad." He takes Nemo's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Look after her," Ruri calls, and Fubuki turns to see her glare halfheartedly at the high-school boy. He raises a hand high, giving her a thumbs-up. Then he steps forward hand-in-hand with Nemo. Maybe it's some kind of personal thing? The dog barks and runs forward.

"Akk! No! Yamamoto-San!" one of the girls cries out, losing her grip on the dog's leash and stumbling as the dog shoots forward, dancing around Fubuki briefly before running over towards Harry. Fubuki turns and looks at the dog-walker.

"And you are?" she asks. The girl winces.

"Tachibana Haruka," she admits. "Sakurada—Sakurada Yakumo—she wanted to talk to Inoue, asked if she could borrow my dog to track him down."

Fubuki has so many things that she could say about that, but for the moment, she settles for: "You do know that only works if the dog's been trained as a tracker, and if you have some kind of personal effect. Right?" Haruka flushes and looks away, mumbling under her breath. The dog—Yamamoto-San—barks again, and Fubuki looks over to see that it's standing paws in the Black Princess's lap what

The Black Princess seems dumbfounded, staring down at the large, hairy animal that has invaded her personal space. Harry reaches up, takes her hand, and gently runs it over Yamamoto-San's head down to his back. The Princess pauses, and Harry nods at her. She repeats the motion gingerly, then yelps as the dog darts up and licks her face.

Maybe this is a good thing. Moving away from the uncomfortable and obviously painful subject that had plagued them moments earlier. Calm down, get their wits about them.

Fubuki wants to pet the dog.
-----

"So," Yakumo says, looking at the unnaturally pale girl standing at Inoue's side. She smiles shyly back. "This is her, then? Your girlfriend?"

"You found out?" Inoue replies, smiling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck. Yakumo responds with a more apologetic look and holds out her phone. A slightly blurry vision of a young man escorting an Abyssal adorns the touch screen.

"It was pretty hard not to," she admits. Inoue laughs, and Yakumo tries not to feel like a shard of glass has been driven into her heart. It's ridiculous to feel hurt here, she knows that as well as anyone, but now she feels like she could have been the one to stand beside him. But no, the Abyssal was with him first, and just looking at them Yakumo feels like there's nothing she can say. Whatever they share, it has an aura of happiness that she has never seen from Inoue before. Whatever else she feels, Yakumo can't stomach the idea of taking it away from him.

"Sakurada-san," he says, gesturing to his girlfriend, "This is Nemo. Nemo, this is the girl from my school I told you about." The freshly named Nemo steps forward, reaching out toward her.

"Hello, Sakurada-san," she says. "Would you like to be friends?" Yakumo blinks. This isn't entirely what she was expecting (though now that she thinks about it, what was she expecting?). Nemo watches her for a second, then turns towards Inoue.

"I am supposed to shake her hand, right? But not take it forcefully?"

"If you want to shake her hand, that's how you go about it," Inoue reassures her. Yakumo chokes on a laugh. Definitely not what she was expecting.

"I think," she says, taking the offered hand, "that I would like that very much."

But she can live with that.
-----

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

K9Thefirst1

And now we know the strategy.

Plots, Ploys, and A Rude Guest
There was a barbarian on her throne.

Gateway Princess entered her throne room to find Goda, the Aircraft Carrier Princess directly on her southern border, on her throne; looking quite at home with her legs propped up on one arm and resting her head on the other. Gateway Princess' first instinct was to conjure her weapons and erase the upstart peasant from the world. But alas, that would be impolitic. After nigh on a decade playing the role of Displaced, Defeated Royal, it wouldn't be in her best interest to suddenly prove just how easily she could wipe the floor with a Petty Princess in single combat. It would tip off her other rivals in the region that she was far more than what she appeared to be, and then they'd start to consider the possibility that she might be a threat. And that wouldn't do. At least, not until their only course of action left was Death.

But that didn't change the fact that there was a barbarian in her chair!

"I have to say Azores," the impudent whelp said languidly, "I really like this chair."

"L-Lady Goda!" Gateway greeted, managing at least a fragile smile, even if she felt her eyebrow twitching. Oh how she hated sounding subservient to a peasant, "What brings you here."

"Like I told the twit: You've got stuff, you aren't using it, so it needs to go to someone who will. It's high time we stuck it to the Humans. You've already lost a whole fleet to that animal island. So, let me spare you the humiliation and do it for you. If you behave yourself, I might even let you take the first stab at your home islands once we capture it. So be a good little shitstain and give me your oil, your ammo, and your fleet. And I might let you live."

"Ah, well." Gateway swallowed, "I fear that is not quite possible."

Judging by Goda's surprised expression, it was clear that she was not expecting a refusal. With a start she was on her feet and stalking down the stairs of the throne. "I suggest you repeat yourself wimp. Because I swear Azores Princess, it sounded like you weren't going to give me what I wanted."

By now, the Aircraft Carrier Princess was right in front of the Ancient Atlantic Gateway Princess, leaning down to look her dead in the eye in a heavy-handed intimidation tactic. And rather than even pretend to be cowed, the Princess straightened up to her full height - all five-foot five of it -and glared right back. To Ocean Liner Demon's shock - if not surprise - the Princess did not acquiesce as she had in previous meetings with their more aggressive neighbors.

"No."

Goda looked - in a word - apoplectic. She sputtered for a few moments before throwing a punch, which knocked the princess to the floor. Ocean Liner Demon had to give her credit - her Princess at least knew how to take a punch convincingly.

"You worthless coward! Bad enough you gave up without firing a shot, then you sat on your ass while the rest of us continued on, having to carry your dead weight! Now when I so generously offer you a chance at redemption, you spit it back at me?! I should sink you right now!"

Gateway just got to her feet, and looked down her nose at the taller princess, utterly unimpressed at the undiplomatic tactics.

"What I do with my fleet is just that Goda - Mine to decide. I am not going to give you so much as a tender."

"What," Goda scoffed, "You think I give a damn what you want? What are you gonna do, fight me for it? You can't even fight off a human fleet! You've got no chance against me! Sure, you've got, what, a hundred ships? So what! They're antiques, and you lost all of your carriers last year! I have over sixty craft in my fleet, with three carriers with full air wings, all of the latest designs! I can crush you with a word."

"With what fleet if I may ask. You came alone after all."

Goda glared at Gateway, fires of fury roaring in her eyes. Still, she had a point. Even if Goda could kill Gateway, she still had nearly a hundred other ships to go through. Goda was certain she could take them all on easily, they were all ancient, Pre-Assault Order designs, but she still wanted those ships to act as a meatsheild for her own fleet against the meatfags. Killing them all would make the whole exercise pointless.

"This isn't over Azores." she hissed. Then she left, making a point to shove her shoulder into Ocean Liner Demon on her way out. There was silence in the throne room. The Princess pinched the bridge of her nose and motioned in place from foot to foot.

"Damn," she muttered to herself, "it's to soon for this. We don't even have an official truce with the humans."

"Princess... I know that losing so much of our fleet would be... Problematic, but I'm not sure it was wise to antagonize Goda. She's quite hot-headed."

"I don't give a damn Demon! I will never be a Vassel! Even for a brief time, or even for show!" the Demon was stunned to silence at her normally calm Princess' fury, simply watching as she breathed heavily. Eventually Gateway was calmed, after which she began to strut for her private quarters. "Follow. Before we were interrupted, I was going to show you my archive of plans and contingencies."
------

North Atlantic, ten miles south of point 41 degrees 43 minutes 35 seconds North, 49 degrees 56 minutes 49 seconds West, Eastbound

Battleship New York sat at the point of the convoy's main body. From there she would be the first serious defender in the event of an Abyssal surface or air attack. Ranger and Bogue were more towards the center with the freighters and transports, providing them all with a nice dense CAP and Anti-Submarine screen.

"Wowsers!" came a little voice over the radio, one of the newly summoned destroyers, "What's that?"

"Radio silence, Cut the chatter," New York ordered. And like that any conversation was cut off until they were back under the umbrella of land-based air cover.

New York didn't like being so strict to any destroyer, especially one still used to being a ship and not a girl, but as the flagship of the task force it was her job to ensure everyone made it to shore safely. Still, she couldn't fault the young lass for the outburst, given that they were passing south of what was by now the most recognizable landmark of the North Atlantic Summer Convoy Route. What the seamen had taken to calling The Winter Palace.

It consisted of a series of towering, spiky icebergs, as imposing and oppressive as some Dark Lord's fortress, covering some fifteen miles square, and ranging in height from sixty to three hundred feet. Remote measurements told of the ambient temperature hovered below freezing at the edges, and towards the center edged close to negative forty degrees. Observation reports suggested that a modern ship ought to be able to travel in between the spires of ice, but all efforts to confirm the theories had always been thwarted. Air recon proved useless due to the thick fog that saturated the structure, and the tiny free-floating ice crystals that made up the fog rendered radar scans unreliable. And mapping out the spires themselves was a labor fit for Sisyphus due to the fact that they moved about in seemingly random directions at unpredictable times.

After the appearance of the shipgirls, efforts were made to secure a vital trade link across the Atlantic. The mission was successful in either sinking over a dozen princesses and demons, and brushing off scores of others towards less hostile hunting grounds. Save for one, whoever it was that lived in The Winter Palace. The ice proved impervious to missiles and shells, likely due to the eldritch energies of the Abyssal Princess deep in the heart of the structure, and the icebergs themselves would crush anyone foolhardy enough to try and get to her directly - as the wreck of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently sandwiched between two such spires proved. After months of wasted ammunition, it was decided by the Admirals to leave whoever took up residence in peace in her lonely fiefdom. She never left, and never bothered anyone who came near the Palace, so long as they did not actually try to enter her demesne. As such, she was written off as harmless and all convoys were ordered to avoid approaching to close.

Still, New York pondered, that didn't mean she was likely friendly. After all, given the Morse radio message she was constantly broadcasting, it was obvious that she was hoping to trap anyone with even a hint of a heart.

CQD CQD SOS MGY SOS CQD SOS CQD SOS MGY It's a CQD OM SOS MGY CQD SOS MGY SOS SOS CQD SOS CQD

Even after all these years, that same call was still being broadcast. When would she learn that no one was interested?
------

The Princess' quarters was very much unchanged from when Reivana was given her assignment all those months ago. The center was still dominated by a large circular table, with the Atlantic mapped out on it's surface. With a wave of her hand, the Princess illuminated the table, with a series of borders highlighted in different colors. The largest boarder, red, consisted of... Well, most of the Atlantic. Then there was a border in white that more or less cut the Atlantic in north and south halves, with a light grey border on the north end that stretched far enough to include the Azores, and a dark grey on the southern end that that stretched much further into the southern hemisphere. And the white border was bisected by a blue line. If the black X was to be taken to be the location of their capitol, then that would mean the smallest territory would be mostly a circle.

"Demon," Gateway began, her expression deadly serious, "should the worst happen to me, you are to carry on my vision to the best of your abilities. Therefore, it is important that you familiarize yourself with what I am to show you today."

Ocean Liner Demon nodded in lieu of a reply, which the Princess returned before continuing.

"What you see here, are the borders I have selected for my realm in order to maximize income via trade and foreign vessel insurance payments while minimizing any resentment from the Humans. The white border is the most I am willing to give to the humans. Note the size and location? It means that all trade moving from either North America to Africa or Europe to South America, has to go through my realm. And pay the requisite fees of portage and pilotage, or spend the same or more in fuel costs going around us. And given that after the war cargo ships will be charged a nominal fee for escort and emergency assistance insurance, even through traffic will net us a profit. Meanwhile, the direct lanes east to west and north to south are free."

"What about the other borders? Given what I suspect our losses may be in a protracted war, I don't imagine we'll be able to adequately control all this territory. After all, we can only afford to have a third of the fleet on duty at a time, the rest would need to be on refit or otherwise off-duty."

"Very good," the Princess concurred, "which is why the red border is actually just something I drew arbitrarily - it is to be territory we claim, but it's not territory I actually want. For starters, the humans would never tolerate an Abyssal State controlling this much of an ocean, and they shouldn't. Next, given how we'll be setting ourselves up as a trade hub and throughput bottleneck, there would naturally be concerns over me posting prohibitively high tariffs on all freight coming through my territory."

The Princess scoffed at that, crossing her arms under her bust. "Not that I'd be so foolish as to do such a thing. My coffers would be much more rapidly and densely filled with millions of small transactions than they ever could from two or three large ones."

"So why claim the territories you don't want then?" Ocean Liner Demon asked, "Why not just tell tham what you do want and leave it at that?"

"Because giving your lowest terms that you will accept means that is all you will get my Demon," Gateway answered with a scoff, "We can always carve territory off but we can't sew it back on. This way, we can 'graciously' renounce claims to 'rightful' lands in exchange for securing our hold on what we actually want, while still permitting the opportunity to hold a larger domain than my minimum.

"And see these regions here, marked in grey?" Demon nodded, seeing where her Princess indicated the light and dark grey lines north and south of the white borders in the middle, "These regions are to be claimed as non-negotiable, but once tensions rise to a breaking point - and they will, make no mistake - we can give them up in exchange for this area here, in white. Resulting in us looking like reasonable people, getting me the ideal realm I want without making the humans looking like they have given up territory for nothing. In doing so, we avoid the blunder Count Bismarck made in taking Alsace-Lorreign from France in order to form Germany."

Ocean Liner Demon took in the map, digesting what her Princess told her. After a few moments of silence she put a finger on the blue border cutting the white border in third.

"What is that."

Gateway closed her eyes in quiet contemplation before answering.

"My last, desperate gambit. A Hail Mary Pass. If tensions during negotiations rise to high or to quickly for the above stratagems to work, or if the Humans hatred for our kind is to great for even our alliance in ending this war to overcome, this blue border would represent all the land I would be willing to tolerate giving up, if it means we have an Abyssal State, with me as its Sovereign."

The room was quiet for a very long time.

"I will be no one's Vassal Demon."

The to looked each other eye-to-eye for a few moments more before the Demon looked back to the map.

"What makes you think they would be willing to get worked up over empty ocean?"

"There are the usual suspects of course, an Abyssal State in the middle of the Atlantic would disrupt centuries old trade lanes, and what was once International Waters would suddenly be sovereign, and all resources exploitable therein would be lost to the Humans. And finally... There are many areas in the sea the humans have... Sentimental attachment to. Sentiment that we can exploit in giving back to them in exchange for permitting us to exist."

At that, the Princess bent over the map, bust swaying at the motion, to place a finger on a spot more or less four-hundred miles from Newfoundland. Ocean Liner Demon stiffened at the sight.

"Here, for instance. There was a tragedy in this spot. And the wreckage there is something of an International Treasure for Mankind. Presently it is under Abyssal occupation despite there being a major convoy route going right past it. In liberating it and offering it to Humanity in exchange for more lucrative territory, we gain their favor."

"Wh... Who... Occupies it?"

Gateway looked at her Second with an even expression as she straightened up.

"Iceberg Maiden."

The demon made a fist and relaxed it several times in slow, cautious motions. But other than that, the Abyssal Demon may as well have become a statue.

"I see... What... What else do you need to tell me?"

The Princess stared at the Demon for a few seconds longer before she dismissed the map and sashayed to one of the filing cabinets lining the walls, gesturing with a free hand to the rest.

"These cabinets contain hundreds of missions and operations that I have conceived and plotted out over the past decade, each to be issued or modified and carried out as the tides of the upcoming war present themselves, along with all of the relevant intelligence I have been able to gather either directly or through word of mouth. You are to spend your free time here, familiarizing yourself with each and every one of them until you can recall each one from memory. But for right now, I want you to focus on... This one."

With a toss, Ancient Atlantic Gateway Princess placed a folder on the table, 'OPERATION: Month of the Long Knives' in bold letters adorning the front.

"This one is currently in motion, and is just as important as Reivana's mission to the United Kingdom."

"What does it entail?" Ocean Liner asked, even as she leafed through the contents of the folder. The Princess answered with another question.

"Do you remember The Noble Twenty?"

"...Yes? After Middle World Sea Princess washed up on shore with that sword and the humans in pursuit, you ordered a full evacuation of the Azores to here. All but Twenty, which you hand-picked to be the rear guard, to give their lives to ensure we could all escape... But that's not it, was it Princess?"

Gateway nodded at the cleverness of her favorite Demon before leafing through the folder for a specific sheet.

"Correct once more Demon. I did pick twenty to stay behind. But not to defend our rear. No, ten of them - the most bloodthirsty, belligerent, insubordinate and disloyal were chosen to stay and die to the Humans. The other ten? The most loyal, ruthless and dedicated of my original fleet? They had secret orders - To bugger off before the battle even began with discretion, act as feral or cast off Abyssals, and insinuate themselves amongst our neighbors. Get close to their Petty Princess or Upstart Demon leaders. Become confidants and friends."

At that, she found what she was looking for, and showed Ocean Liner Demon the list of names - all quite familiar - of those chosen for this dangerous mission. There was Mordorim, the MO-Class carrier, easily identified by the box-shaped hanger hat on her head, as opposed to the more organically shaped hanger of the WO-Class, or Angband the Ag-Classes angled hanger. And Chitter the Chi-Class cruiser, Kallah the Ka-Class submarine, or... Demon dropped the sheet at one name in particular.

"Oh Hell. Tartarus? She's still alive?"

The Princess looked at her Demon in mild befuddlement. "Yes? Last I heard she managed to be the caretaker for PT-Imp Princess to the northwest."

The demon looked to her Princess. While her helm made reading her expression impossible, her body language made it easy to expect horror at long repressed memories...
Spoiler

"Gateway... She scares me."

The Princess held her gaze with her Demon. After the seconds began to stretch to a minute her eyes looked to the side and she scratched behind one ear.

"...Me to." she admitted, "Now then, once the treaty and pacts with the Humans are signed and their fleets in position, these ten with assassinate these peasants playing at royalty. We are not the only one Goda has made enemies with, nor is she the only one to be belligerent with our neighbors. With the sudden and obviously coordinated attacks, these other fleets will be confused, which leads to fear and panic, and all of the petty grudges and grievances amongst these children will boil over into a full blown row as they all attack each other. Killing each other. And then after a week or two, or a month, the humans come in, applying Pressure and...?"

"...And then we attack." Demon realized. At the encouraging nod her Princess gave, she continued. "After days of indiscriminant attacks on each other they would be at the breaking point, meaning that the whole region would be easily annexed with hardly any risk to our own forces, as we would be hale and hearty while they are damaged and low on resources. They would have no choice but to either submit to your rule, or die."

Gateway smiled,, buffing her nails on her top. "And after that, we consolidate our rule for a year or so. By then I have every confidence that other Petty Princesses will no doubt try and start up the war again. With a solid base of operations fortified and with alliances with the Human Nations, we will be poised to spread like plague across the Atlantic. Assuming there are no devastating reversals, I put our conquest of the Atlantic - and the beginning of negotiations for the borders of my new Empire and trade treaties with the Humans - at an optimistic time frame of perhaps two years. Optimistically. Realistically, I suspect it will be closer to six."

"You are placing a lot on the condition that the Humans will side with us Princess."

At that, the princess deflated some, nodding in recognition of the point.

"Verily, 'tis so Demon. But that is because, unless the Humans see us as worth more to them alive than dead, we are nothing but another Abyssal for them to sink."

"...Princess, it has been eight years this autumn since you last saw any of these ten. How do you know if they are alive? Or... Loyal?"

The princess seemed to age at those questions, as though the implications weighed down on her many times.

"As to them being alive... I have requested and received status reports once or twice a year, lest they be caught in communicating with me. As to their loyalties..." She turned to her Second, and the Ocean Liner Demon was genuinely shocked to see how... fragile she looked as she spoke, "Well. Would you-?"

"Absolutely," she replied without a single second of hesitation. And found that she meant it.

The Princess took in a comporting breath at that, and nodded in a silent thank you. And then she stood up.

"I suggest you continue to look through those Demon. You will be my Field Marshall. You must know our doctrines and strategies."

With that, the Princess left the room, making for the inner rooms of her apartments, to her bedchambers.
------

Tartarus liked PT Imp Princess. She was small and cute, and wore a very pretty little dress. She and the other PT Imps of the fleet reminded Tartarus of a group of tea cup piggies she found back when she stayed with the Princess on the Azores, someone's pets before they had to leave. Tartarus liked them to. They were small and cute and wriggled in her hands. Tartarus liked the sounds they made when she twisted their heads off. She waited with anticipation for the day her Princess gave the order. She wanted to see if PT Imps and PT Imp Princesses made the same sounds when she twisted their heads off.
------

U-Boat Princess, Kallah felt, was the curious combination of to trusting, and not trusting enough. She took in a lone Ka-Class years ago without a thought. Even trusted her to organize small raids along the trade routes and even the African coast once she ascended to a Submarine Demon. And yet she also held most of her growing fleet in suspicion. Kallah already knew how to take her down when she got the word. She even had a plan to cover her tracks. There were whispers of a powerful Abyssal - a Princess, a Demon, it changed with the telling - randomly attacking other Abyssals. Sometimes it was regular attacks and raiding, but the more sordid tales claimed she was cannibalizing on Abyssals. Kallah had a feeling some of her fellow agents were playing a role in parts of the story. Either way, it would make for a good cover when the time came. And she was certain Atlantic Gateway Princess would appreciate a fleet of submarines as an early Coronation present.
------

Mordorim felt that Armored Aircraft Carrier Princess was an airhead. There was no other way she'd take in a MO-Class carrier, make her second in command no questions asked, and run around bare-assed all the damn time. Slutty show-off. Mordorim wasn't jealous, no sir. When the time came, Mordorim was going to sink that airheaded bimbo.
------

Chitter, a Chi-Class torpedo cruiser, never joined any fleet. She could resupply with what fish she could eat, and enough ferals were around for her to mug for their ammo to keep her supplied. That didn't mean she wasn't doing anything. Sneak in close to one of the nearby Abyssal fleets in the dark of the night, launch a torp or two, pull out, enjoy the panic. Lather, rinse, repeat. Once the others pulled off whatever they had planned, she was sure the tension hse'd been ratcheting up would cause the area to blow like a whale!
------

Goda was furious when she returned. She punched one of the sentries as she passed, just because, and began bellowing for the fleet to assemble.

"HEL!" she cried, "Hel get the Hell over here!"

"Yes, your Badassity?" The He-Class said as she pulled up to the Aircraft Carrier Princess.

"Get everyone ready! Azores doesn't know a good idea when she sees it, so we'll have to take her stores and her fleet by force," she spat the name of her opponent's name like it was a curse, "can't wait to kill her. Always making me feel like I oughtta be kneeling or something..."

"At once O Awesome One! We shall stain the ocean with their blood!"

The Petty Princess huffed and turned around, the rest of the some sixty odd ships trailing behind her, grins as sadistic as her own on their faces. Hel swallowed as she took up the rear. As subtly as she could managed, the He-class cruiser sent an encoded message on a very specific frequency. Gateway Princess needed to know.

[Mehmed II marches on Rûm.]

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 128: S0ngD0g13

The Abyssal sailed onward; she was a Battleship, though of an older type, a type from before She-Who-Feared-Nothing...

Her red eyes scanned the horizon, watching carefully. The Atlantic wind rustled the ragged tail of the tattered black cloak she wore, and beneath it the gleam of chainmail could be seen. Southward she set her course, and southward she steamed onward...

"Halt!" called a Light Cruiser from ahead of her. "Halt and identify yourself, in the name of Goda!"

"I am a wayfarer, little CL, and I have no name anymore. Now, move from my path, or be moved."

The Abyssal Cruiser bristled and snarled. "By order of my Princess, none may pass without toll; you don't have ammo we could use, but your fuel might serve... Or your fealty."

The Battleship Abyssal met the Cruiser Abyssal's eyes coldly. "What I have is my own, and the last Abyssal I bent the knee to was thrice-three times the better of your 'Princess' and died in battle against a Goddess. If you wish to face me, though, little nithing, by all means come and die. But I would prefer you simply move out of my path, and save me the trouble of cleaning your blood from my blade."

The CL said nothing, and charged forward into torpedo range. Her fish launched and the Cruiser smiled; this slow Pre-Dreadnought would be easy prey...

Except, she wasn't. The Battleship turned with greater agility than her type would suggest and threaded between the torpedoes. "So Be It." She lunged forward, and the hood of her cloak fell back, revealing hair of Arctic-White spilling from beneath the rim of a Gjermundbu-type helmet; from the depths of her hull was drawn a long-hafted Dane-Axe.

The axe-head punched forward, smashing into the surprised Cruiser's solar plexus, then as she tried to back away, the Battleship hooked her leg with the beard and pulled, sending the Cruiser over onto her back; the axe rose up, then dropped with grim finality.

As the Battleship Demon, who once had been named 'Stríðsóp', 'Battle-Cry', by, and learned the craft of killing in the fleet of, Skadi the Northern War Demon steamed onward, she cleaned the oily blood of her defeated foe from the edge of her axe, 'Sjó-úlfur', 'Sea-wolf'.

I'll not bend the knee to Goda, nor to any other save one... Skadi spoke of the days before she was a Demon, before she was ought but a Battleship herself; of how she had met a Princess with honor, one truly worthy of the title 'Queen'... Princess of the Atlantic Gate, should I not fall before I reach your hall, it is you to whom I would bend the knee and serve...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

To Sendai, everything possible just plain hurt.

Her screws, her bulkheads, her bridge, keel... Even her anchors hurt somehow. But the Light Cruiser as she slowly woke up took comfort in the sheer amount of pain that she was in. Because being in that amount of pain meant that she was alive and that was something to celebrate. Perhaps with Yasen once she was healed.

Slowly, Sendai opened her eyes and then just as rapidly closed them. Because her head was currently pounding like the worst hangover she ever had magnified by several times. But once more, she was happy. Pain meant that she was alive to feel pain. A hand on her shoulder brought her more out of unconsciousness as she heard Jintsuu's voice. "Nee-San?"

Cracking open one eye slightly, Sendai could just see Jintsuu looking at her with an expression the combined hope, joy, pure need, and other emotions. With a weak chuckle, Sendai opened her mouth slightly. "Heh... Hey there, Jinstuu."

The Light Cruiser did wince a bit as her voice came out more as a croak then anything else. Moments later, she felt her head tilted forward some and Nevada speaking up. "Here, have something to drink before you say anything else." Sweetness touched Sendai's tongue that she recognized as fruit juice. And while it may have been just fruit juice, it was like the finest of ambrosia to her mouth and parched throat. Eventually though, it was pulled away. "There we go."

With a sight, Sendai opened her eyes a bit more and grunted a bit. "Anyone get a license plate number for that truck?"

Only snorting, Nevada gave her friend and fellow Yasen Fanatic a smirk. "Sadly not." Her expression then changed a bit, becoming a frown. "What was the last thing that you remember?"

Blinking, Sendai let out a sigh. "Last thing that I remember? It was thinking that I was about to die due to what looked like an Abyssal version of Bismarck and the Twins... And then Mo came out of the sky to some song." After attempting to shrug, and hissing, Sendai shook her head. "Of course, I was sort of on fire at the time, so..."

A grimace on her face, Nevada glanced at Jintsuu who was on the phone with Naka. "That is basically what happened. You collapsed after Mo and the others took out the Abyssals, with Mo carrying you until one of the Shipgirl Tenders reached the area. Out of you and Maya, you were the worst off."

Just wincing, Sendai looked across the Repair Pool and blinked at the sight of Maya there with Atago. The Heavy Cruiser smiled a bit and gave a small wave at her friend. "Hey there, Sendai. Welcome back to the world of the living."

Weakly grinning, Sendai nodded. "Good to be back." Sucking in a breath as she moved a bit, she waved off a worried Nevada. "Don't worry about it, pain is good. Let's us know that I'm alive." It was then that the Light Cruiser noticed something and raised her hand. "How long was I out for? Because I'm no longer burned at least."

Nevada shifted a bit but it was Jintsuu who answered instead. "You've been ut for a few weeks actually. But Harry-Chan sent us what he called burn cream and it healed up your burns like that."

The second oldest of the Sendai Class snapped her fingers which made the eldest blink. "Harry-Chan sent some of that magic stuff of his, huh?" At Jintsuu's nod, Sendai gave a small chuckle. "Got to thank him somehow then."

From where she sat, Nevada shrugged some. "Also sent something he called bruise healing cream. That stuff took care of a lot of your more minor injuries... I know that Medusa really wants more of it." Suddenly, Nevada grinned and jerked her thumb over to somewhere nearby. "Got to go and wake up sleeping beauty and let him know that you're awake."

Only blinking, Sendai turned her head and her eyes widened some at the sight of hers and Nevada's "Boyfriend" laying on a cot. "Wait... he's here? How long...?"

Upon Nevada's face came a gentle expression. "Since you were brought in actually. He never left your side... Same with Maya's boyfriend, though he left for the Mess Hall." Softly snorting, the Battleship shook her head. "Heck, Atago's boyfriend, Cameron, also stayed until Maya woke up."

Blushing, Atago waved her hands some. "Cameron is Alaska's boyfriend, not mine." She then softly smiled and giggled. "Though it was sweet of him to come and give me some support while waiting for Maya-Chan here to wake up. I owe him for that, same with Alaska."

Now smirking, Nevada snorted. "Is that what you call it?" Seeing that Atago was about to say something, she waved it off. "Bah, never mind that. He came and stayed while you needed it, and that's good enough in my book."

However, just as Nevada got up, the doors to the Repair Pool area opened and a breathless Naka was there. Behind her, Harder was similarly out of breath, but gave Sendai a jaunty wave. On Sendai's face was a grin and she was about to make a crack about them both being breathless and sweaty, though she knew it was because they must have ran all the way there. Before she could though, Naka rushed over and gently hugged her before sobbing. "You're awake... you're awake, Nee-San..."

Swallowing what she was about to say, Sendai winced a bit as she hugged her back. "Hai, I'm awake, Naka-Chan. Everything is going to be okay. Everything."

About two hours later, after Sendai's boyfriend had left to get her something to eat, Jintsuu raised an eyebrow at her older sister who seemed somewhat lost. "Is something wrong, Sendai-Nee? You look rather deep in thought."

On Sendai's face was a thoughtful look before the Light Cruiser glanced in the way that her boyfriend had left. "He stayed here the whole time."

Eyebrow raising further, Jintsuu nodded. "As a matter of fact, he did. Same with Nevada... Why?"

Leaning back, Sendai was silent for a few moments. "It's just that... he stayed. No one else that I've been with have done that sort of thing, would have done that. And yet, he did. We haven't had sex or anything, and yet, he came and stayed by my side. Something that no one else that I have been with would have, except maybe Nevada."

Interested, Jintsuu thought it over and slowly nodded. "I suppose so. That doesn't explain why you are so deep in thought though."

Sendai blinked and then shrugged. "I guess that I just realized something." At the look she was given, she continued. "I don't think that if he was to give me Yasen now that I would leave. Anyone else, sure, but him? Nah, Ferrous I think might be..."

Her eyes widening a bit, Jintsuu stared at her. "Wait, you serious? You don't want a one night stand with him, but think that he's the one?" At the nod, she smiled. "Well, that's good to hear."

Moments later, she snorted as Sendai grinned. "Of course, this means that once I am well, I am not taking no for an answer. Me and Nevada? We're going to Yasen with him all night long. Maybe into the next day and night. And onwards from that."

All Jintsuu did was chuckle at that, while mentally making a prayer for the man her older sister had decided to go for.
_________________________________________________________________________

Waking up, Aeroprin stretched some before blinking as she looked to the side and smiled. Hoppou was there curled up in the blankets with a small smile on her face. It was a sight that Aeroprin never got enough of and she could continue seeing it for the rest of eternity without tiring any. Looking over the room, her smile only grew larger. While the room was small, she did not mind it in the least. Not even the fact that she had to share a futon with Hoppou.

In fact, Aeroprin loved that fact.

Eventually, her gaze came to a stop on the nearby dresser which had pictures on it. One in particular drew her eyes. Said picture was of her "Family". In the front, Harry was crouched down with his arm over Hoppou's shoulder. Behind him were the humanoid avatars of Aeroprin's Destroyers. Standing above them were Wokyuu, Rose, Nagato, and Aeroprin herself. The Abyssal could remember when that picture was taken and she considered it to be one of her greatest treasures.

There were other pictures as well on the dresser. One picture was taken shortly after she met Hoppou once more and had Harry hugging her with a smile. Another one was of her, Hoppou, and Harry in the kitchen making something. Unknown to Aeroprin, her lips curled up into a smile as she remembered that. Yes, at first she was unsure about the black haired boy that her Princess had claimed as her "Big Brother", but that did not last.

Despite everything, the twelve year old was kind to the Abyssal and treated her as a member of the family. When she had asked, he had simply shrugged and stated that she was family. After all, Hoppou had created her, built her and to him that was more then enough. Later, Harry had told her that he had always wanted a big family, one who cared for him and that he cared for back. Something that she was now part of.

For some time, she had puzzled over what he had said. And when Hoppou had told her about her "Uncle's" past, Aeroprin had wanted to go and show those humans what she thought about treating a member of her family like that. Hoppou had stopped her and told her that Harry would not want her to do that and get in trouble. More then that, he didn't want anything to do with them.

And so, Aeroprin had shoved them out of her mind.

Instead, she got to know her new uncle and vice versa. Much to her surprise, the black haired boy reminded her a lot of Hoppou. Both were kind to them and showered them with it whenever they could. While most humans were nervous around Abyssals, Harry would simply shrug it off and do things like hug her when she needed it. One time in particular stood out where she had a nightmare.

While Hoppou had comforted her, Harry had gone to the kitchenette and made her a drink. One which the smaller Abyssal had sworn to Aeroprin would work. And sure enough, the warm drink had soothed her before Harry had gently hugged her. Then there were other times, like when Harry had read her some stories like the night before while Hoppou was working on something. Sometimes, he spoke really funny while doing it.

Harry even read to her Destroyers at times, something that they loved. And like with her, once he was done, he would gently kiss them on their heads before patting them. Then he would tell them goodnight and they would go to sleep. Was there any question why they adored him? Unknown to Harry of course, they slotted him in just under Hoppou for care.

All of a sudden, Aeroprin was snapped out of her thoughts by a smell and sniffed. Head tilted to the side, she got out of bed without waking Hoppou and then walked out of their room as she followed the smell. Upon poking her head around a corner, she smiled at seeing Harry making something in the kitchenette. "Uncle Harry?"

Blinking, Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. He still could not understand how the heck she was so adorable. "Good morning, Blackie Smokie. Have a good sleep?"

Slowly, Aeroprin nodded some as she stepped more into view. "Yes, I had a good sleep." She took another sniff and felt her mouth water a bit. "What are you making, Uncle Harry? What are you making?"

With a chuckle, Harry shook his head. "Some cinnamon waffles. Hoppou got in late last night, remember?" He got a nod and continued. "And since Hoppou worked hard on Miss Tanya all of yesterday, I thought that she might like something for breakfast. And she really likes cinnamon waffles."

Head tilted to the side, Aeroprin was about to say something when Harry held out a plate with some waffles on it. Eyes wide, Aeroprin pointed at herself. "For me?"

Lips curled upwards, the black haired boy nodded. "Yup! I got plenty made already so go ahead and have some. Hoppou won't mind sharing them after all, just turn on the kettle and I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Just smiling happily, Aeroprin did so and went to the fridge to get some syrup. Waffles! One of the best things that she liked. "Uncle Harry? Can I take some to the others? To the others?"

Humming, Harry eventually nodded. "I was going to make some up for them anyways actually. So yes, you can. I'll put them into some containers for you to take to them, okay?" Once she nodded, he turned back to making anther bunch of waffles. Hearing the television turn on, Harry was about to tell her to settle down some when he realized it was on the news. But it was what they were showing that caught his attention.

Mainly because on the screen was a headline declaring that Chessie had been sighted in Chesapeake Bay with a video on the screen from a news helicopter with said sea serpent visible below.

Just blinking, Harry winced a bit as a second sea serpent showed up. 'Whooo boy... There's another crack in the Statute. Because there is no way that MACUSA is going to be covering that up if it's made international news...' As he continued to cook, he sometimes looked back at the screen as the various talking heads went on about what they were seeing. The whole time, Aeroprin watched it in interest and awe. Especially when some Coast Guard shipgirls showed up and were shown not far away, observing the creatures...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Placing the last piece of luggage into their car, Kensuke nodded to himself. 'There, all done.' With a clap of his hands, he closed the trunk and turned to see Sakuya softly speaking with Natsumi. While he had been unsure at first, he could see that having her train under Haru had done Natsumi a world of good. More and more she was growing into a fine Kitsune.

Kensuke was also extremely happy with her friends. Yes, he actually approved of both Harry and Louisiana in their own ways. They were properly protective of Natsumi after all, though he hoped that any sort of relationship in that way would wait for several years. If ever. But he knew that he only had a few years left before such things really interested her, though he did curse that his wife found the whole thing extremely amusing. All the while ignoring how he also found it amusing to some extent.

It helped that her being in Yokosuka on the base had stopped various male Kitsune from other clans from sniffing around, none of them wanting to anger the shipgirls.

Then there were the other shipgirls and friends that his daughter had made. Over the past few visits, he had gotten to know them all and found them likable. Shiromizu was something of a surprise, especially if what he suspected was true. But Haru would not confirm and so he left it lie. If he was right though? His Natsumi had made a very good friend for life, something that he had wished for.

Just then, he heard a sound and turned to find Harry pulling up in a bicycle with a trailer on it. In the trailer was Hoppou who jumped out as soon as it stopped. "Po!" Landing, the Abyssal rushed over to where Kensuke's youngest were. "Rei! Asuka! Hoppou here to say good bye!"

Both young Kitsune ran over and hugged Hoppou tightly. "You came, Hoppou-Chan! And we really don't want to leave, but we need to go home."

From where he stood as the three conversed, Kensuke winced before rubbing his chest. He could see his wife and Haru doing much the same. 'Dammit. Those three are too deadly together when they do this sort of thing.'

A chuckle made him turn to see where Hoshi had walked up behind him. "Heart problems?" Glancing at the three youngsters were now hugging each other and bouncing around, she winced. "Not that I blame you. I'm pretty sure that I can feel my teeth rotting right now."

Voice soft, Kensuke smiled a bit. "And yet, you love it, don't you?"

With a look towards Kensuke, Hoshi sighed. However, she did have a smile on her face as she nodded. "Hai, I love seeing them or any of your children happy, Ken-Chan."

Cheeks burning from the old nickname, Kensuke let out a whine. "I thought that you promised never to use that nickname again? And yet here you are..."

Reaching out and flicking his ear, the Kyuubi smirked. "Because I'm allowed and it's part of my duties." Her expression then became softer. "It was lovely seeing you all again. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate any time I spend with them. Even if..." Shaking her head, the Kitsune let out a sigh. "Never mind, not really that important."

Gently, Kensuke patted her shoulder. "Yes, it is really that important." Ignoring the grumbles, he smiled. "You do know that you are welcome in our home whenever you wish, right? I know that Rei-Chan and Asuka-Chan would love to see you more often. Same with Taichi-Kun now that he's starting to live his dream."

Simply humming, Hoshi tilted her head to the side. "I may... consider it. With how the world is changing, family is more important then ever." Shaking her head, she smiled a bit. "Though I must admit, I am surprised with Taichi-Kun. He is doing very well for himself and from what I heard his band's music is considered enjoyable to say the least."

Now smiling brightly, Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "You were not the only ones surprised. Sure, their music was popular among some of the older Yokai, but it seems that they have become more popular since meeting Naka-San. And he's become excited over what has been happening since then."

Both of them continued to softly talk until it was time to go. At that time, Rei and Asuka rushed over and hugged Harry around the middle while looking up at him. "Bye, Harry-Nii-San! We'll miss you!"

Chuckling, Harry patted the two of them on the head. "And I'll miss you both. I know that Hoppou will be missing you as well."

While Hoppou nodded, Rei and Asuka gave her a smile. Then, much to Harry's amusement, Rei wagged a finger at him. "You better take really good care of Natsumi-Nee-Chan!"

Off to the side, Natsumi groaned and placed her face in her hands. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one who needs to take good care of him."

Ignoring that, even though he wanted to laugh, Harry shook his head and held out his pinkie. "I promise to take really good care of Natsumi-Chan, she needs it after all." Lips twitching at the grumbles from Natsumi, as well as the giggles from the three older female Kitsune, the black haired boy shook their pinkies. "See? It's a promise." Once they pulled away, Harry walked towards his bike. "I did make you something though for the trip home."

Needless to say, the twins perked up with Asuka looking at him while licking her lips. "You did, Harry-Nii-San?" At his nod, she bounced a bit in place. "What did you make for us? Huh? What did you make?"

Eyebrow raised, Sakuya gave her youngest daughters a look that made them stop with sheepish expressions. "Behave, you two." She then turned to Harry as he brought over a box. "Thank you for making us something for the trip, Harry-San. We appreciate it and you didn't have to."

All Harry did was smile and bow a bit. "Maybe, but I felt like it." Opening the box, he showed the Kitsune what was inside. "Anyways, hopefully you'll like the peanut butter swirl brownies. I know that Natsumi-Chan loves them." It went without saying that all the Kitsune there licked their lips. Then Harry looked at Hoshi and Haru. "I made another two boxes as I thought that you might like some and so would Natsumi-Chan."

With a grateful expression, Sakuya took the offered box and bowed to him. "Thank you for the gift, Harry-San. This will go wonderful as a snack on the way home, or perhaps I will save it for dinner." Shooting her husband a look, she frowned. "And they will be saved until then."

Even as Kensuke grumbled, Harry simply smiled up at Sakuya. Soon enough, him and Hoppou as well as Haru, Hoshi, and Natsumi were waving as the car vanished around a corner.
________________________________________________________________________

The Sun had set and night fallen on the island to the east of Kamchatka. But that did not mean that activity had ceased. Quite the opposite as the island as a whole was alive. For the first time for several years, all of the remnants of what had been the fleet of Northern Ocean Princess had gathered. They were not many, maybe a hundred total. But they had survived.

In the village that Northern Water Princess' fleet called home, large bonfires burned merrily in the night. Around them were gathered Abyssals of various types. At one, a Ru was making motions in the air, telling stories as she did so with grand gestures. Those Abyssals there leaned in to listen as she weaved her tales. And such ones they were! Some were of battles with the shipgirls and humans, but just as many were tales of peace. Such as how the Northern Lights were the wakes of ship souls, now sailing through the sky invisibly.

Some of those souls being those lost to them when their fellow Abyssals attacked their fleet. But now, they sailed among the stars, always looking down on Little Laughter's fleet. Protecting them and putting on a show as they made their journeys each night. And as she finished one tale with a bow, the Abyssals listening in either clapped or, for the Destroyers, pounded the ground with their flippers.

Meanwhile, at another bonfire, were a group of Cruisers and one of the few Wo class left. They too were putting on a show for their fellow fleet mates. Unlike the Ru though, they were not telling stories. No, they were making music and singing songs as various others listened. The Wo had oil drums of various sizes near her which she was using as makeshift drums. One of the Tsu had two lengths of rebar that she sometimes banged together and other times rubbed against one another. Another Tsu was banging two pieces of metal.

One of the Ne Class in the small band was shaking a string of bells that had once been used on the island long ago for reindeer. Another had a bell which she struck here and there. One of the Abyssal Submarines meanwhile used a whistle to make various notes.

Abyssals at one of the nearby bonfires were dancing around it, laughing and shouting. Some of them were singing of various things as they did so. Other bonfires were used for other purposes, such as cooking fish and such. One large one had sheet of metal that had been bent into a bowl shape and filled with seawater. Into it, Abyssals tossed various things such as crabs, lobsters, shellfish of various sorts to cook. Another plate of metal over one bonfire was just a flat piece. But pieces of fish or meat such as seal was placed onto it to cook, filling the air with the smell and sound of sizzling meat.

Inside the castle of the island, a meeting was happening. In Northern Water Princess' throne room, fires burned in cauldrons. The large table from before had been moved out of the way and replaced with a smaller one. This one had been salvaged from a human wreck and Northern Water sat on a cushioned seat. Around her, others also sat and she gazed from one to the other. All of them had been flagships within Hoppou's fleet and after the Great Scattering, they had changed, become more then what they were.

A glance to the side showed the Princess of Kiska and Attu, an Anchorage type Princess and Isolated Island type. To Northern Water's surprise, a Wo who had landed at Umnak Island badly injured and buried partially by a volcanic eruption had evolved over the past few years into an Airfield Princess. Head tilting to the side, Northern Water blinked. 'I wonder... could she one day... become a Midway type...?'

Slowly, her gaze swept over the three others there. A Battleship Water Demon who was feeling the fur she sat on in interest, a Submarine Demon who slowly blinked, and an Airfield Demon who had been a Light Carrier who had arrived on Amchitka and called herself "Radioactive Airfield Demon". With one final look, Northern Water was about to speak when the Battleship Demon spoke up after taking a sip from a golden goblet, lined with jewels. "You have Tang!?"

Blinking, Northern Water nodded. "Yes, I do... have Tang."

Eyes wide, the Battleship Demon leaned across the table. "How? Where did you get it?"

The Isolated Princess reached up and gently pushed the Demon back into her seat. "Give her some room, Sunny. I know that you like Tang, but relax. Besides, she's giving us some now after all."

Huffing a bit, the now named Sunny crossed her arms against her ample chest with a pout. "I know that she's giving us some. But... I've gone so long without any. Or orange juice as a whole."

All of the others simply shook their heads, amused at their fellow Abyssal's obsession with the tropical fruit as always. Sighing, Northern Water shook her head. "My patrols have found some... stockpiles around. For shipgirls to use... on their own patrols." With a look around, she frowned. "But that is not what is important."

Just before Sunny could say anything, Airfield Demon slapped a hand over her mouth. "Of course not, otherwise you would not have called this meeting. But... what is important then? Did you find something?"

With a slow nod, Northern Water placed her own goblet of Tang down. Of course, she made sure to keep one eye on it to prevent Sunny from stealing it. "Yes, Sokie found something inside one of the outposts. Something that has to do with our family..."

Most of them were listening intently though Submarine Demon tilted her head to the side. "Do you mean the ones to the south?" At their looks, she shrugged as she continued to speak between hissing breaths from behind her mask. "My Submarines have... gotten signals from two more of our family. One is a Princess, I think Aircraft Carrier of some sort... And the other is a Demon, but it is... odd. It is near where the... humans are at... Hawaii."

Frowning thoughtfully, Northern Water took that in before shaking it off. "We should try and... contact them then. But no, that is... not the news that... Sokie found." Unlocking a safebox at her feet, she pulled out a magazine and slid it across the table. "This is the magazine... she found."

Taking it, the Airfield Princess blinked and then she gasped as she saw who was on the front cover. "M-mother... Mother is still alive!?"

It went without saying that caught the others attention and they all leaned in to examine the magazine more closely. For her part, Northern Water nodded and clasped her two normal looking hands. "Yes. Mother is still... alive. The shipgirls and humans rescued her... and nursed her back to health. They have taken care of... her with Mother and Aunt Wanko making... peace with them."

Reading through it, Sunny frowned before flicking her black hair over one shoulder. "It says here that they think that we're all dead. Mother..." Sniffling a bit, she wiped at her eyes. "Mother must think that we are all dead. And she is too far away to sense us."

Now looking up, the Airfield Princess blinked. "What will we do? We need to let Mother know that we are alive. And our fleets must know!"

Slowly, Northern Water nodded. "Yes, we must. Mother made peace with humans and shipgirls... We follow Mother and so we are... at peace." Looking around, she smiled. "We shall go with our flag and white flag to a shipgirl base to let them know that we are here."

Head tilted to the side, Submarine Demon hissed behind her mask. "I shall follow you then..." There were nods of agreements from the others before she continued. "But which base? Mother is in... Yokosuka."

Considering the question, Northern Water shook her head and then pulled out a map. "No, that is too far before contacting the humans. But I... know of one base... that we can contact." Her finger came down on one spot in particular. "Have seen shipgirls from... this place. We shall go there." Spreading her arms, Northern Water smiled as behind her, the flag that they adopted hung, Said flag looking like a crab pot under colored lines to represent the Aurora. "It is time to tell the fleet the... good news... and to prepare for our... journey."

Hundreds of miles to the south, Tanaka suddenly shivered and had the oddest feeling that a big mess was going to be dropped into his lap. Then he shook it off before a shout from Akebono made him get up and walk over to where the Destroyer was once more going off on his Submarines. He really did not understand them at times, but he did care. Not to mention, he had to thank Akebono and Kasumi for the dinner they had brought him...

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 129: S0ngD0g13

Kaylee paced back and forth outside the operating theater in the Kure Base Vet-Clinic; inside, Charlie Weasley, a Vet from the Shenyang Dragon Preserve named Zhang, and a veterinary surgeon (and to Kaylee's surprise, a fellow Tennesseean) named Carey Pulse, j.r., had been performing the Pulmonary Autograft surgery to correct Bonaparte's heart-murmur for the last two hours.

Kaylee reached for her belt and drew an unloaded Navy Colt, then began spinning it as she paced. Her nervous pacing was interrupted by Monitor poking her head in. "Hey, Gray-Back, the boys from Hokkaido are here with your new cattle. You deal with them; I'll stand watch here."

Kaylee nodded and stepped outside, and saw four of the Wizards from the Hokkaido Preserve closing the holding-pen gate behind sixteen head of cattle. "Good afternoon, Gentlemen," she called out to them. "These are my replacement cattle?"

"They are, Virginia-san," replied one of the Dragon-Keepers. "Two bulls, eight heifers, and six steers, as promised."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Okita-san."

"Doitashimashite, Virginia-san."

After the Wizards departed, Kaylee sat on the fence for a few moments, then decided to occupy herself. She carefully separated two of the yearling steers out of the herd and moved them into another corral. She began the process of getting them used to people, and mentally sketched out the yokes she'd need to carve...

"Alright, boys... I b'lieve I'll name y'all now..." she purred as she rubbed the steers between their horns. "Finn... and Fergus. You like them? I'll have to get y'all used to Charlotte, too, once she gets back from her moult..."

....................................................

It was four hours later, almost dark, when Monitor came to find Kaylee. "Virginia?" the Union ironclad asked in a small voice, her expression grave.

"Y-yeah, Monitor?" Kaylee responded, her face growing worried.

"Virginia, the surgeons are finished... They did all they could..." Kaylee's eyes began to water as the implication set in. Monitor's head hung low, her eyes shadowed by her blue kepi. Virginia gathered her rival/friend/sparring-partner into a hug. "They said... that the surgery was a complete success."

Virginia's gentle hug turned iron-hard and python-tight in an instant; Monitor felt ribs beginning to creak. "Blue-Belly, you trollish trolling... Troll! Don't scare me like that!"

The pair burst out laughing all at once and headed back inside to meet a grinning surgical team. "Gentlemen, let me be the first to thank you for your help today; it's a debt I scarce can repay. But, if your schedules allow for it, I'd like to at least buy y'all supper and stand the first three rounds at the O-Club."

 

[darthcourt10]

Maes Omake: "Abyssals, meet Croc Hunter"

Seihai-kun said:
I thought Steve Irwin was still alive and will maybe met with Hagrid.​

If that's the case, the introductions could have been made by Wanko, who may have had to call on Steve's assistance in the past to deal with / relocate critters even her Abyssals don't want to get close to.
*-*-*-*-*
"Revina, could you please take care of-"

"Nope, nopenopenope. Eff that. Not in a million years. You can't make me! It's a 8-meter saltwater croc! I rather enjoy staying alive."

". . . and you're an Abyssal aviation battleship. Can't you just shoot at it to scare it off?"

"I tried! Why'd you think I had to grow a new tail-tip?! It just pissed it off! All the Abyssal metal it's eaten? M'pretty sure it's growing into its scales."

*sigh* "I'll... I'll see if I can find an expert..."

~~later~~

"Aaaaw ain't he's a beaut! Big fella, too! . . . I'mma wrassle it."

"what"

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

Morning Woes

-----

Normally, Tatsuya's Sunday routine began with a shower. This past week, however, had seen the arrival of Yae in the household, and while he held nothing against the pregnant woman, he felt it well within his rights to be annoyed at the fact that she spent her early mornings in the shower as well. She was also frequently puking soon after breakfast, though Mamiya had assured them that would become less frequent and intense in the next few weeks. Tatsuya wasn't thrilled at the idea of Yae spending the next few weeks in their house (it would make sneaking in and out harder) so it was a sort of non-vindictive relief when he learned that Yae would be moving to Hiroshima to be closer to her future job.

Anyways, early morning, showers, etc. Reiko had gone to spend the night at Benio's place, with Tatsuya's wary approval and escort. They would be arriving soon, and they would accompany Tatsuya and Maeda-Sensei to Haru's shrine to explain the situation and ask for her help. Hopefully, that would help the situation, and—

Mamiya shrieked, and he scrambled down the stairs, stumbling slightly in an early-morning haze. Turning in to the kitchen, he saw his sister standing by the table, looking down ruefully at the shattered remains of a glass of water. She faced him as he rounded the corner, and shrugged ruefully.

"I'm alright," she reassured him, "I just felt like something touched me is all. Startled me pretty badly." Tatsuya sighed, turning back to the stairs. It had been a bit of an annoyance, sure, but it was comforting to know that there hadn't been some kind of supernatural threat waiting in the kitchen. The thought that his family would have to deal with his brand of life was one that kept him up at night. Supernatural…

"Where's Dad's whiskey?" he asked. His sister's eyes bored into him and he nearly facepalmed. When he phrased the question like that, of course it was going to raise an eyebrow. Why hadn't he thought his words through? "It's not anything… anything illegal, just where is it?"

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better," Mamiya said, chewing her lower lip. Even so, she turned to the cupboard and opened it, scanning the top shelf. "That's weird, it is gone. Do you know something about this?

"Not in the slightest," Tatsuya replied, his tone becoming absent. He grabbed a napkin, listening for the sound of the bathroom door slamming open. "I'm gonna grab the shower before one of our other houseguests can lock me out again. Benio's coming over with that Reiko girl soon."

"Is she now?" Mamiya smirked. Tatsuya ignored her as best he could and began to jog up the staircase. "You two gonna show her about town? Together?" He paused, hand tapping the railing briefly.

"Something like that," he admitted, smiling. Mamiya's twittering made it sound a bit more romantic than the two of them could afford to be, but he was a bit more comfortable with the family's teasing than he supposed most boys his age were. It probably helped that he and Benio had shared that talk following the otherwise indescribable Fake-Baba Yaga incident.

Ignoring Mamiya's exaggerated cooing, Tatsuya jogged up the stairs and into the bathroom, dodging around the exiting Yae and Miwa, who yelped unhappily as he shut the door. Rolling the napkin into a small pill, he set it on the floor next to his clothes.

Tatsuya's shower was a little bit hotter than he tended to prefer, but napkin pill was heavier, softer, and molded into form, so the tradeoff worked as far as he was concerned. Properly dressed, he set off down the stairs again, pill cupped in his hand. The doorbell rang, probably Benio and Reiko. As he walked towards the door, he noticed Maeda-Sensei heading over as well, and—

With a practiced motion, Tatsuya flicked the napkin pill towards the air directly behind Maeda-Sensei. There was a startled squawk, and he darted towards the perpetrator. When the door opened, Benio swept Reiko to one side as Tatsuya sent the shriveled little man sailing out of the house. With a flurry of motion, they pulled Reiko inside and slammed the door. Maeda-Sensei turned to stare at Tatsuya.

"What," he asked, returning her look without a care, "friend of yours?" Even if she were familiar with the nyurarihyon, he reasoned, he wouldn't regret manhandling him the way that he had. As far as Tatsuya was concerned, unwelcome visitors were unwelcome, bar none.

"No, no," she denied, making a face like she had just smelled spoiled milk, "Definitely not. It's just… how did you notice him?" Tatsuya hummed, looking down at his hand and making a flicking motion. It was a sensible question, more than some he could think of, and he supposed it couldn't hurt to tell her.

"Well, there's a bit of a trick to it," he explained sagely. "You look out the corner of your eye, but at the same time, you're not looking for anything." Maeda-Sensei's spoiled-milk face remained a second. Then she brought her hand up and pinched her nose, groaning. Tatsuya shrugged. "It is tricky," he admitted.

"I can… just… We're going to meet this Miko of yours after Breakfast, right?" she grumbled.

"That is the plan, yes. Eat up, and let's get going."
-----

Saki woke up slowly, feeling the clouds slowly drifting away as she opened her eyes. Had she woken before her alarm again? She rolled over, reaching for where her cell phone usually rested, grasping for the piece of plastic.

Pain. Sore limbs protested movement, throbbing head demanding stillness again, skin chilly in the summer—summer—air. Saki cringed, curling into a ball and whimpering. She moved again, slowly, more carefully reaching out of her futon, grasping for her phone and dragging it before her face. Opening her eyes (ow ow too bright) she scanned the time and found that she had woken early again. It was just as well, Saki would have hated to miss her shift. Pulling herself slowly from the futon, she yawned (ow, ow, her head) and grasped for her work clothes.
-----

"This kind of reminds me of the shrine back home," Reiko mused, breathing heavily at Benio's side. The han'you gave her a sympathetic look and took a drink from her water bottle. She was panting herself, sweating heavily, and Tatsuya turned and jogged back down the few stairs he was ahead of her, pulling out a new bottle. She took it gratefully and held it to her forehead, feeling the cold precipitation run down her face.

"There were lots of stairs there, too," Reiko continued, catching her breath and putting another foot forward. "Every year, at Halloween, I go up there and surprise people who come to buy charms. You know, like I'm Shelob." Maeda-Sensei sniffed, turning tiredly to face Reiko. The jorogumo returned the look blinking, not certain why she was being looked at the way she was.

"That does sound quite amusing," a voice came from behind them, and Benio spun on her heels, both bottles nearly slipping from her grasp. Haru was standing a few steps below the four of them, smiling as if she hadn't just scared them out of their wits (Maeda-Sensei and Reiko possibly, but Benio and Tatsuya had been here a few times to many). Following behind her was a Caucasian boy with tousled black hair—Nagato's son. They had met enough times to know each other's names, but had never spent the time to become any more familiar beyond that.

"I can't imagine that worshipers would appreciate being interrupted like that, though," Haru continued, walking past them a few steps before turning to look back at Reiko. Her smile, though not cruel, was not one that was particularly sympathetic. "There's a time and a place for tricks, do try to remember." Reiko stumbled back a step, nearly tripping.

"Excuse me," Maeda-Sensei cut in, walking up towards Haru in a way that made it painfully obvious that she was trying to ignore the burning feeling in her legs. Benio's lip quirked up. While yuki-onna were hardly the pranksters that tanuki and kitsune were, it was admittedly sort of amusing. "but you are the miko of this shrine?"

"Oh yes, my apologies," Haru replied, face becoming warmer as she faced the teacher, "where are my manners?" She bowed. "My name is Ono Haru. You haven't quite made it all the way up the stairs, but welcome anyways."

Maeda-Sensei sighed, bowing in return. She slowed, pausing in place halfway back up to a fully straight position. Her mouth opened and closed, working over and over as if trying to figure out what shape it was meant to take. "Ono," she finally managed to say, voice shaking slightly.

"Yes," Haru agreed, "I just said that."

Maeda-Sensei turned to look back at Benio and Tatsuya, who raised his hand to stop her saying anything. "Willfully ignorant," he said blasely. Benio snickered. She supposed that the Ono family was a little more important than Haru's casual attitude tended to give them credit for.
-----

"Saki?" Ushio called through the door, grasping the handle. "I'm coming in. Okay?" She pulled the door open, walking through and looking down at her old friend. Saki was curled up in her futon, a water bottle resting beside her. "Really, going to work like that when you can tell for certain that you're sick?"

"S'not how having a job works," Saki mumbled through the cover. Ushio sighed and closed the door.

"That's no excuse," she replied, "especially when you don't have very many contacts in the area. Seriously, I've got a patrol this evening." Walking over to her friend's huddled form, Ushio dropped down into a crouch. "How are you feeling," she asked. Her voice was worried as usual, but it was different from the discomfort of trying to speak to strangers. "Do you have a fever, have you been vomiting?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second," Saki admitted, poking her head out and looking up at her. "Just feeling absolutely horrible." She ducked back into the covers. "Sorry. For causing you problems." Ushio sighed. Though it took a little feeling around on the blanket, she was able to find Saki's head and rest her hand on it.

"Don't be silly," she admonished. "You are never a problem. Umi has to deal with a dispute over Virginia-san's spider, but she'll be here as soon as she can. We're always going to be here when you need us."
-----

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Deeply frowning, Wanko looked down at the worn tabletop in thought. However, no matter how much she glared at it, the piece of furniture did not give up any of its secrets. Before she could demand such though, the Abyssal Princess had to blink as a massive wooden plate was set down in front of her. "An' 'ere yeh go, Wanko. A full breakfast jus' fer yeh."

Looking up, Wanko blinked at the sight of Hagrid smiling at her as he sat down on his own chair. With another blink, she looked down at the plate in front of her and swallowed at the sheer amount of food. Links of sausage, bacon, eggs piles high, hash browns, toast, beans, that strange type of food called 'Pudding', and more. With a small smile, Wanko nodded up at the giant groundskeeper. "Ah, thank you... Hagrid. I appreciate... the meal."

With a chuckle, Hagrid waved her off. "Think nothin' of it, Wanko. I should be thanking yeh instead." Leaning over some, he gave her a wink. "Not often that I have a nice girl like yehself here sharing some food with the likes o' me."

That brought a blush to Wanko's face as she played with her claws some. But just the same, she still smiled up at him. "And it is... not often that... I get to share... a meal with... a handsome... man."

As Hagrid blushed and chuckled to hide his embarrassment, Revina leaned towards Fang with a small grin. "Those two are always flirting, aren't they? Though Boss Lady deserves someone."

Ignoring the glare from Wanko, the Re-Class went back to eating her own breakfast. Meanwhile, face red, Wanko turned back to her food. After a few minutes though, Hagrid looked up at her. "By th' way, Wanko? Been if yeh are okay or if sommat on your mind..."

Translating it in her head, Wanko poked her claws together some. "Ah, well... it is because something has been on my mind..." When all Hagrid did was blink and frown, she continued. "Do you remember... when you met... Wandering Princess?"

Only nodding as he leaned back in thought, Hagrid frowned. "Aye, I remember her. Kind o' hard to forget." Suddenly, he smiled some and chuckled. "Nice little gal though! A mite strong an' hard ta understand, but that's nothin. Seen worse in my day then the tyke."

Even though she did wonder where Hagrid had seen worse, Wanko placed that aside for another day. "Yes. I am afraid for... her at times. There being no... place in for her in... England, after all." Gesturing around them, Wanko shook her head. "For example... she cannot stay in... Scapa Flow... much longer."

Considering the issue, Hagrid leaned forward as he chewed on a sausage link. "Can't stay, huh?"

Slowly, Wanko gave a nod as she frowned. "Yes. Scapa Flow... belongs to... the humans in... the end. Not us... Abyssals. But they are... trying to find a... solutions." There being a frown on her face, the Abyssal shook her head. "None of the... local islands representative... governments want for her... to settle there... The Royal Navy... Also is worried about if she was to... stay on the coastline... somewhere."

Just taking a sip of tea from something that would have been more like a small oil can in size, Hagrid frowned deeply. "Aye? That's a spot o' trouble. So she be needing somewhere ta live then that is not on the shore, but where she wouldn't be botherin' anyone?"

Looking down at her claws, Wanko gave a small nod. "Yes, that is right. It would need... to be close where... the Royal Navy... is able to keep an eye... on her... but far enough away for... them to feel safe, All the while... not bothering local... politics any. But where... is the question."

Hagrid meanwhile leaned back in his chair and rolled the issue around in his head. His two bushy brows pushed together as he continued to think before he suddenly let out a laugh that made Wanko blink. "Ha! I think tha' I might have a solution for yeh, Wanko."

Rapidly blinking as she watched Hagrid get up and walk over to a bookshelf, Wanko tilted her head. "You have... a solution for... me Hagrid? Really?"

As he nodded, Hagrid scanned the various books he had there. "Maybe." Glancing over his shoulder, the giant man frowned some. "Tell me somethin, Wanko... Would somethin able ter kill a wizard by rippin' them apart be dangerous ter an Abyssal?"

More then a little confused as to where this conversation was going, Wanko frowned in thought at the odd question. "That would depend on... the Abyssal and... how strong the creature... is. But usually... not."

Humming, the Groundskeeper nodded. "Somethin' about the size o' my head? But normally is strong enough to tear a human apart with claws and teeth while being magically resistant? Like one o' them bears you hear about. But it would lose in a fight wit a dragon in strength."

Claw tapping on the wood of the table, Wanko furrowed her eyebrows before shaking her head. "If it was just physical strength... then an Abyssal would not be... bothered at all by them. I will admit that I am unsure... why you would be... asking such a question of me..."

Finally having found what he had been looking for, Hagrid pulled out a book and walked over. "'Cause I think that I know where Miss Wanderin' could set up." Moving his seat around the table, he set the book down and opened it. Unnoticed by him, Wanko leaned into his body to look at what was there. All the while the Abyssal was glancing at his face. "Now, this here is what is known as a Quintaped."

Tilting her head to the side, Wanko blinked as she looked at the odd creature on the page. It looked like someone had crossed a five limbed starfish with a spider, and gave it a maw full of needle sharp teeth at the top with two evil looking eyes. On each limb, there was a large, sickle shaped claw tip. Needless to say, Wanko only had one response at seeing it, which was to bring a claw up to her chin and blush. "Cute..."

Light laughter escaped from Hagrid as he nodded. "Aye, they're adorable little things. Not much more dangerous then Aragog's smaller children though. Danger comes because they're strong and faster then a human. Like swarmin' too... But a troll can survive them." Stroking his beard, he hummed some. "Saw them up close once, back during the war with You-Know-Who. Wanted ter bring some to the mainland for some such thing. None of them Death Eaters were left by the time I got there though. And they didn' bother me much once I showed them tha' they didn't bother me." After a few moments, he shook it off. "Anyways, they live on the Isle of Drear, off th' coast o' Scotland at the northern tip. Nice sized little island, the Ministry made it unplottable and such to keep Muggles away."

Now having understood where he was going, Wanko slowly nodded. "Is the island very big? And... would anyone mind if... Wandering set up there?"

Giving it a moment of thought, Hagrid shook his head. "It's a nice sized island, plenty of fish nearby too. And I don't think that the Ministry would care much." He leaned in a bit before whispering. "Even before you Abyssals showed up, they avoided that place."

Her head tilted to the side, Wanko nodded some. "I shall have to... bring it up... as a place where... she could settle. I think... that the Royal Navy... would be happy... with such." A smile on her face, Wanko brought up one arm and gave Hagrid a hug. "Thank you for... this. I will let... Wandering know that... you came up... with this."

Red in the face, Hagrid chuckled some. "Don' have ter do that, Wanko..." Glancing in her direction, he blushed a bit more at her smile and how her crimson eyes glowed. Coughing, he turned away and missed her nearly giggle. "Anyways, might as well eat up! Before breakfast gets too cold..." Pulling out his umbrella, he jabbed it at the food and once more it was heated to the right temperature. Neither Hagrid nor Wanko noticed the grin on Revina's face though s she watched the happy smile on Wanko's face as they ate beside one another and talked.

She just could not wait until she could tell Regina and the others about this...

 

[darthcourt10]

sasahara17

Hey all. Kinda busy lately, so haven't had much of a chance to write anything. This is about the most I could come up with given my schedule. Sorry it isn't very much.

-=-

Unlike some of the other people at the table, Nagato hadn't played board games, particularly the newer ones developed since the end of the 21st Century, very much. Oh, sure she had played the odd game of Monopoly when she had been invited to play with Hoppo-chan or Harry, but her experience with board games was pretty much confined to the odd game of Shouji or Go with the Admiral, and the unavoidable monthly poker game the Admiral ran that she never won at.

This was quite understandable. After all, as the Secretary Ship of the fleet, Nagato had many responsibilities that required her attention, and between those duties and her own, rather time-consuming hobbies in collecting cute things, Nagato had little time for board games… particularly a board game that would take at least 8 hours to play and pretty much required an entire day's commitment to see it through from start to end.

Thus, when Nagato had been finally convinced by both Naka and the Admiralty into attending a special 10-hour streaming event featuring several of the most famous ship girl officers, she didn't know what to expect.

To Nagato board games were either children's games meant for the family to have fun, or traditional, abstract strategy games where players matched wits in a test of pure mental prowess. A board game that required 10 hours to play a single game, particularly one that had a dizzying array of game pieces including cards, miniatures and dice was practically unheard of to the poor Battleship. She had no idea board games could even take up so much space on a table!

All she knew is that it was a promotional event where she would test her mettle against other ship girls in a game of mental fortitude, lateral thinking, adaptability… and, apparently, political savvy.

"Nagato, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but that cruiser of yours is a tad too close to my planet for my comfort," Enterprise shot a suspicious look across the table at Nagato, "I'll have you know that if you try to invade, Sem Lor is a world that I will take every action in defending if pushed-"

"Enterprise, don't be ridiculous. It's just a cruiser, and it's in transit," Nagato replied to the accusation, bewildered at by the looks that the American was giving her, "It's one ship. You have a small garrison parked over that planet. What's my cruiser going to do?"

"It could invade. One cruiser is still a cruiser, after all," Hood called out cheekily delighting in the little spat that was developing between two of her most dangerous rivals, "And Nagato did use another cruiser to singlehandedly repel Bismarck's attack two hours ago, so her ships aren't just for show even if she is trying for an economic victory."

"Actually, I do believe that's the same cruiser," Bismarck observed, eye narrowing dangerously at the offending miniature that had attracted her ire since it had foiled her last major offensive, "I will never forget the ship that refused to sink, despite my 6 to 1 advantage. You would do well to be cautious, Frau Enterprise. That ship is deadlier than it appears."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. I thought you were going to flip the board at seeing a huge chunk of your military banish in an instant." Roma chuckled.

"Da! That was brilliant!" Gangut hollered happily, "It was a great battle, like Stalingrad!"

"It was just a bunch of lucky rolls," Nagato insisted, wondering why her rivals were ganging up on her like this over just one measly cruiser moving one space on the board, "Besides, Bismarck, you invaded me! I had to defend myself with what I had on hand."

Which happened to be that one cruiser. Nagato did have other ships, namely her main carrier fleet, but Bismarck's aggression had caught her completely unawares. She had been so sure that she'd been about to lose New Avalon, when her little cruiser managed to pull off an upset against Bismarck's invasion force that had the ship girls start talking for hours.

Nagato hadn't even realized that it had been the same cruiser she had moved near to Enterprise's borders… but since nobody had dared attack her since that mess, it was only logical the cruiser that had saved the day was still around. What a pleasant surprise.

Of course, Bismarck didn't seem to think so.

"I lost many ships, Nagato, and many of my men died that day," Bismarck turned Nagato, the fires of vengeance burning in her eyes, "Mark my words, Nagato. The Federation of Sol will have our revenge on that ship before the day is out."

"Bismarck, that was two hours ago!"

"Many. Men." Bismarck stared at her Japanese counterpart, causing a chill to go down the Japanese Battleship's back. "Humanity does not forgive. Humanity does not forget."

At was around this point that Nagato was beginning to wonder if she was the only ship girl at the table that remembered that this was all just a friendly game. While Nagato was all too happy to play as 'the Cat People' and slowly, but surely, work her way to victory with strong trade agreements, diplomacy, and a largely defensive military strategy while having fun, the other ship girls were taking this far more seriously than she could have imagined.

This argument over Nagato's one cruiser was only just one of the many, many small conflicts raging across the board. Over Mecatol Rex, a small defensive force from Roma's Xxcha Kingdom stared down two massive fleets from Hood's Barony of Letnev and Enterprise's Naalu Collective, the small force protected only by the fact the first fleet to attack it would be then at the mercy of the one to come next. For that matter, Gangut's L1Z1X Mindnet were in a massive border standoff against the bulk of Roma's fleet, with both sides staring each other down in a high stakes game of chicken on who would blink first.

All this didn't even count what happened whenever it came to the time for the Galatic Council to meet for a session of policy making. Boy did things heat up then.

And in one corner of the map was Nagato and her Emirates of Cat People, who just wanted to trade, stay out of fights, build a few more carriers and maybe do cute things.

What a board game that Nagato had managed to get swept up in.

Well, at least Nagato now knew why her son so enjoyed in these games. They were pretty fun… at least when Bismarck wasn't about to flip the table after Nagato wiped out her fleet with a few lucky rolls, that is.

-=-

A/N – Wrote this while I was super tired, so I hope I didn't make too many big mistakes in my haste to get it all written out.

Twilight Imperium, a monster of a board game that can take hours and hours and hours to play… good fun, if a bit complicated and long. Just the kind of thing I'd want to see several of the best ship girl strategists try to play.

FYI, all the races were randomly selected by Naka for the players, just to avoid a situation where they all starting fighting for the right to play the Humans. Nagato was (pleasantly) surprised to learn she was playing the 'cat people'. The rest… not so much, but they made do.

This is all streamed, by the way, so Harry and Hoppo are cheering their Mum on from their home.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. Peace out!

 

[darthcourt10]

WickedestCard

A quick snip follow up to my Minigato idea.
---

Harry quietly cooking up some breakfast for his mum, sister and nieces while taking quick glances at his studious company. Next to where the frying pan was happily cooking bacon was Minigato with a large notepad and pencil taking notes every few seconds. When Harry had asked the Smol about this she simply said that it was for a great steps in Smol kind and kept tight lipped after that. Still it amused the young wizard that the miniature battleship actions made the normal Nagato cough some into her coffee especially because Minigato was wearing a tiny apron. Then during breakfast Harry noticed Minigato taking stock of the amount bacon they still had.

---

A couple days later one would have seen a large paper bag making it's way through Nagato's quarters with quick happy "Gato Gato!" being heard as the Smol went past Hoppou and Aeroprin towards Harry's room. In that room held her objective to being a Smol pioneer if she was right and brought enough of her tribute with her. Pushing open the door she quickly spotted her target and started to making her way across the room. Soon enough she was lifting herself up to Harry's desk so she could look at windowsill and put down her bag walked up to her target: One magical snowy owl.

"Gato! Gato gato, Na! Gato?" the Smol asked, first pointing to Hedwig, then to the bag and finally to herself. Hedwig looked over at the mini battleship with a look of interest before hopping over to listen to Minigato's offer.

"Na Na! Gato, gato Na gato! GATO!" Minigato said proudly, pumping her small hand into the air before looking around and making her arms as wide as they could go as if to say she wanted a hug.

"Bark!" Hedwig nodded as she went over to the bag and peered in, seeing fairly large pile of delicious bacon still nice and hot. Nodding again the owl hopped over to Minigato and lowered her head some and spread her wings. Minigato gave a happy 'Gato' as she gladly hugged the snowy owl, snuggling into the soft white feather and rubbing her face into the softness and letting out happy noises.

"Bark bark." Hedwig said as she motioned with her head to her wing and then towards the window. In response the Smol's eyes widen almost comically in surprise and actually jumped up and down after letting go of Hedwig. The pair went over to the edge of the deck and Hedwig lowered her body some so that Minigato could get on. Quickly the Smol battleship climbed on and got herself as secured as she could.

"GATO!" a happy battle-cry was heard throughout the Nagato quarters as the pair soared into the air from the room. And right by the door of her son's room the full sized battleship nearly fainted onto her son's bed holding onto her chest.
---
So that was a quick write-up and I'm not quite sure how well it came out but hope it was enjoyable.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 131: S0ngD0g13

Kaylee looked at the section of oak-log in front of her. Hmm... There's enough for two, if I do this right...

Deciding on her plan, the ironclad picked up the log, set it in position, and thumped two camp-axes into the end. Kaylee took up a twelve-pound sledgehammer and started driving the axe-heads into the wood like wedges, repositioning each axe in turn as the split grew, until finally the oak log was in two pieces. One piece she set aside for later use, and the other she stood upright.

Kaylee used a pencil, square, and tape-measure to mark the oak, and then used a single-bevel broadaxe to hew the wood down to the marks, turning the semicircular half-log into a roughly-square beam. She switched to an adze and smoothed it further, then clamped the beam in a shaving-horse and smoothed it even more with a drawknife.

Next, Kaylee traced her pattern into the oak beam and started making cuts with a backsaw at either end of the beam on one side, then transitioned to a wooden mallet and chisel to remove the wood between the cuts; she repeated the process until two wide scallops had been formed. The beam went back into the shaving-horse and the scallops were smoothed out with the drawknife, and the edges were rounded and smooth.

Kaylee measured and marked the beam again, then bored holes through it with a brace-and-bit, then a hand-auger. One of her Firemen emerged from her hull carrying an iron bow, the ends heated cherry-red in her engine firebox; Kaylee donned heavy leather gloves and worked the bow into the pilot-holes, burning them out to fit properly. A second bow was produced and the process repeated at the other end, and the bows set aside. Kaylee fitted the iron top- and bottom plates and clamped them down, then slid two pieces of iron rod through the holes at either end and used an acetylene torch and a hammer and die to peen the ends down. In the center hole went the eye-bolt with its iron ring, and it too was heated and peened. She fitted eye-bolts at either end and smiled. Now for the aesthetics...

Kaylee brought out her carving tools and began carving the oak with swirling, coiling Celtic knots, the ends terminating in Kell Hounds and the centers framing a carven bullock's head with wide-spread horns. She painted the carved knots and hound-heads Irish-green, and the bullock-head she painted in icy Husky-eye blue with black horns.

Kaylee checked the time and smiled. "Once that's dry, I'll go over it with some linseed oil and Conn and Cullen will have a new yoke for special occasions." She looked at the unused half-log and nodded to herself. "I'll save that one for when Finn and Fergus are full-grown; for now they can get by with hot-shaped PVC yokes, since they're still growing." On a whim, Kaylee decided to put on a show. She yoked Conn and Cullen in their single-yokes, and Finn and Fergus behind them, then hitched the oxen to the two-wheeled cart Jaw had made for her the weekend before. The ironclad climbed up onto the seat and cracked her whip above the team. "G'yap! Trek, boys! Trek, boys!"

The Shipgirls of Kure heard the sound of steel-shod hooves striking the pavement and looked outside to see Virginia coming up the road in an oxcart, the bullocks clipping along at a fast trot and the wagon-bed loaded down with cases of drinks and boxes of food. "Whoa, boys! Whoa!" cried Virginia, stopping the team. "Hey girls! I feel like throwin' a party! Who's with me?!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Hearing a knock, Harry got up from his small table. "Coming!" Upon opening the door to the apartment, he smiled a bit at who he saw there. "Natsumi-Chan!"

A smile on her face, the Kitsune gave a small nod. "Good morning, Harry-Chan!" With a glance around, she blinked. "Is there anyone else here with you?"

Only shaking his head as he moved out of the way, Harry watched as she entered the apartment. Waiting until she had taken off her shoes and put on some slippers, Harry chuckled some. "Actually, Mum is at Teitoku's Office talking with him about some stuff. Hoppou is with Tanya and making sure that everything is working out with her. Rose is at the docks and... I think that Blackie Smokie is with her Destroyers out in the harbour performing some training."

Rather amused, Natsumi snorted. "You got an odd family, Harry-Chan."

In reply, Harry gave her a toothy grin back. "And I would not trade them for anything." Turning, he gestured for her to follow him. "Anyways, I was just working on some things when you knocked."

Following him, Natsumi felt her interest rise as she realized that Harry had a table out. More then that, said table was covered in what looked like old books and notes. "What's this all about, Harry-Chan?" When he made a motion for her to sit, the Kitsune did so and frowned as she looked over the notes. "What's this for?"

With a hum as he poured her a drink, Harry glanced at the various items and shrugged. "Some personal research actually."

Eyebrow raised, Natsumi tilted her head at one of the papers and frowned. At Harry's nod, she took it and read over it. While she did so, her eyebrows rose further and further. "Harry-Chan? This is stuff about familiars?"

Just nodding, Harry chuckled a bit as his friend began to look at various notes in interest. "Hai, they're about familiars." Taking a sip of his drink, he frowned a bit. "A lot of stuff is pretty vague about them."

Looking through one of the notes, Natsumi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "It seems like it..." Glancing at her friend, she took her own drink and sipped it. "Still thinking of using it on Hedwig?"

Harry glanced at the snowy owl in question who seemed to be napping on her stand before nodding. "Can you blame me? It's really sort of neat."

Lips twitching, Natsumi gave a chuckle as she looked at another page of notes. "Hai, I suppose that it is pretty neat. And I can imagine that you would love to be able to talk with Hedwig."

A frown on his face, Harry leaned against one fist. "That's one possibility about familiars." At Natsumi's confusion, Harry gestured at the notes. "To be honest? A lot about familiars is vague stuff really."

Now frowning herself, Natsumi began to look through the notes more closely. "Really? With how important it seems to be for the legends and such about magicals in Europe and America, I would have thought that there would be a lot about them."

Grimacing, Harry shook his head and leaned back. "You would think. But familiars haven't been common since the 1500s with the whole thing dying out mostly by the 1630s. So any texts with real information regarding them are about four hundred years old."

With a wince, Natsumi sighed. "I can see why that would be an issue... Finding any books on it would be hard. But you seem to have a lot of notes here."

Only shrugging, Harry rubbed his head. "Mostly by grabbing any books in the Hogwarts Library tht mentions them. Also asking Sir Nick and some of the others regarding familiars. I'm not about to risk Hedwig unless I know what will happen."

Natsumi glanced at him before nodding. "That's a good plan, Harry-Chan." It was then that one bit caught her gaze and she frowned. "Uh, wait... it says here that familiars might take human form? And need contracts?"

Blinking, Harry stared at her before frowning. "Yeah, that's the wierd bit about it. I mean, there's no out right statement, but some of the books mention a human or humanoid form for familiars. That way they could help out their masters better... But not much more then that. The contract bit is more important though."

Her eyebrow raised, Natsumi frowned. "Huh... so you need to write out a contract for the familiar? Stating what they would be used for?" Then her eyes widened some as she came to one part. "And it would need to be written out in blood!?"

That caused Harry to snort. "Hai, it's an example of blood magic. Another part of the ritual is also blood magic as it involves the familiar drinking some of the Master's blood." Lips turning down into a frown, he shook his head. "The process is both easy, and complicated. Certain days help boost the ritual for example. Being an owl, and a Snowy Owl at that, the Winter Solstice would be the best day. Both because it is the longest night of the year and also because it's mid-winter."

Pretty interested at this point, Natsumi hummed in thought. Sure, she knew about shikigami and had always thought that the western familiar was a version, but now? Now she was interested in some of the differences. Glancing at the papers, the Kitsune nodded. "So the contract is to bind them? And so is the drunk blood?" At Harry's nod, she grimaced a bit at the thought. A shudder ran through her as she caught sight of another bit. "Uh, Harry-Chan? It also says it can be used on sapient beings..."

Also grimacing, Harry crossed his arms. "Yeah... there were cases of wizards and witches taking on non-magicals as familiars. Or other beings, such as one case where one wizard took on a Centauress as his familiar, which both parties agreed to after she had been banished from her herd. Part of it is free choice though, as the familiar needs to accept the bond, it is very hard to force it against fully sapient beings."

Still looking through the notes, Natsumi shook her head. "Did any of the Potters ever take on a familiar?" Getting silence, she looked up and raised an eyebrow at the blush on Harry's face. "Harry-Chan?"

Coughing into his fist, he nodded. "Well, um, one did? Jacob Potter in 1525 took a female dragon as his familiar he named Edwardina. Apparently she had been a nesting female, until rival ones destroyed her nest and left her near death. Her only price after the ritual was for him to help her destroy said dragons, which he did with her help." At her shocked look, he shrugged. "She was mostly used as a nanny and protector though for the Potter family's children for the rest of hers and Jacob's life. More then once, she defended them against attackers. He released her just before his death and at the funeral, she showed up and immolated his remains before diving into the fire herself, dying with their ashes mixed."

On Natsumi's face was an interested look. "So she really cared for him then?" At Harry's nod, she frowned in thought. 'I wonder...' Eventually though, she shook her head before sighing. "So is this what you wanted to talk with me about?"

For several moments Harry was silent before he chuckled some and rubbed the back of his head. "Um, actually? Not really as I expected you to come later."

Head tilted to the side, Natsumi felt her own cheeks heat up a bit. "Well, Oba-Chan isn't around at the moment." Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, she shrugged. "She had to head down to Nagasaki. You know about how someone down there summoned some Red Seal Ships, right?"

It took Harry a few seconds but then he nodded. "Oh yeah, that was in the newspapers and stuff. But why her though?"

Just frowning, Natsumi shook her head. "A favor is what she told me about. I guess that the language is just different enough that they have some trouble communicating with them. Oba-Chan headed down there to help out as she knows a lot about how people spoke back then. It's pretty big culture shock for them after all."

Only shaking his head, Harry had to agree. After all, they are going from Japan of the 1600s for the most part to modern Japan. Culture shock was likely putting it mildly. 'Then there's the other problems... Though I wonder if any have Onmyoudo on them?' Once he shook it off though, he reached for a envelope beside him. "Anyways, I got an envelope from Ron."

Perking up some, Natsumi leaned forward to look better. "An envelope? From Ron-San?" At Harry's nod, she tilted her head some. "What's in it?"

A small smile on his face, Harry handed it over. "It's the first payment from Daphne and Tracy regarding the items you found in the Room of Hidden Things. Ron sent it as they felt it would be best if he was the one who contacted me. And since it is yours even if it's through me..."

Eyes wide, Natsumi took the envelope and looked at the wax seal for it. About to tear it open, she blinked as Harry handed her a letter opener. Taking it, she gave him a smile. "Thanks, Harry-Chan."

Upon opening it though, her smile fell away and Harry blinked. "Natsumi-Chan?" At her continued silence, he frowned and tried to look. "Is something wrong?"

Very slowly, Natsumi shook her head and then reached inside. Gently, she pulled out a small stack of Pound Stirling bills and laid them on the table. "This is..."

With a glance at his friend who nodded, Harry quickly counted them off. Once he was done, he gave a blink. "Huh... that's a lot."

Breathing, Natsumi nodded some. "Y-yes... A lot."

Somewhat concerned, Harry glanced at her before he noticed that there was a piece of parchment in the envelope as well. Pulling it out, he began to read. "They included a recipt for all the items... Hey, you know that statue you found in there? Turned out to be some famous Pureblood. It went on the auction block for about a hundred galleons. Whoa, some of those tapestries went nearly for the same amount-" Hearing a thump, he turned and then rushed around the table as he saw Natsumi sprawled out. "Natsumi-Chan? Are you okay?"

Mouth opening and closing, Natsumi turned to him and stared. "Harry-Chan... remember how we said that I might make a bit on what I found and sorted in that room? And that we were going to split it?"

Head bobbing, Harry frowned. "Yes? I mean, Niiyodo-Chan and Louisiana already got their amounts. And I think that Kaylee also got some. Why?"

Natsumi took several big breaths before shaking her head. "I just... I never expected that amount to come from it. I mean, that's a lot of money... A lot."

For a few seconds, Harry scratched his cheek before he gave her a small grin. "Well, at least you'll be able to afford that electric bicycle now? Maybe even get a bunch of accessories with it!"

Blinking, Natsumi let out a giggle. "Hai, I suppose so." Looking down at what sat on the desk, she shook her head. "And it's all because of you trusting me."

In reply, Harry blushed some and rubbed his neck. "I didn't really do much, Natsumi-Chan. All I did was act as an in-between for you. Not that big of a deal."

Several moments passed as Natsumi stared at him as if in thought. Then, slowly, a smile crossed her face. "Hai, you did." Before Harry could do anything else, she leaned in and he felt her lips touch his lightly for a few seconds. The blushing twelve year olds pulled away from each other with a soft smile on Natsumi's face. Moving some hair behind her ear, she tilted her head. "Thank you."

The only thing that Harry could do was blush just as heavily back and rub the back of his head.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 132: S0ngD0g13

"Seriously, Turkey? We're really doing this?" asked Jaw, glaring at the stage half-heartedly, or, Zuikaku thought, at the Japanese sailor on that stage who was thoroughly butchering Honky-Tonk Women.

"You lost the bet; this is the price. Now pick a song and go sing."

Jaw grumbled a bit more, grumped that she'd probably get them both brought up on war-crimes charges for 'inflicting his singing on innocents', and went to take his spot in the karaoke lineup at the E-Club.

When his turn came, Jaw sighed and nodded, and the song started playing. He drew a breath and sang, the microphone letting his voice, roughened by emotion, carry through the room.

"Well I wish I was in Austin, mm-hmm,
In the Chilly Parlor Bar,
Drinkin' Mad-Dog Margaritas
And not carin' where you are;
Oh but here I sit in Dublin, mm-hmm,
Just rollin' cigarettes,
Holdin' back and chokin' back
The shakes with every breath.

So forgive me all my anger,
And forgive me all my faults,
But there's no need to forgive me
For thinkin' what I thought;
I loved you from the get-go
And I'll love you till I die,
And Ioved you on the Spanish Steps
The day you said goodbye..."

Zui was stunned silent; Kaylee had joked about how Jaw hated to sing, and Jaw himself never spoke highly of his singing voice, but from where she stood her boyfriend was actually damned-good. She was so caught up in her musing that she missed the entire second verse and chorus...

"I have been to Fort Worth, mm-hmm,
And I have been to Spain;
And I have been too proud
To come in out of the rain.
I have seen the David, mm-hmm;
Seen the Mona Lisa too,
And I have heard Doc Watson
Play 'Columbus Stockade Blues'.

So forgive me all my anger,
And forgive me all my faults,
But there's no need to forgive me
For thinkin' what I thought;
I loved you from the get-go
And I'll love you till I die,
And Ioved you on the Spanish Steps
The day you said goodbye..."

.....................................................

Back at the McAmis household, Houshou was washing dishes and listening as James sang a Billy Joe Shaver song while weeding the small vegetable patch by the back door.

"White Lightnin' is the horse I ride,
Pedal to the floor;
He blows hot from his nostrils
And he runs like Man o' War.
Someday we may both wind up
In some junkyard on the side,
But till that day you bet your ass
We're gonna win that ride.

It's hard to be an outlaw
Who ain't wanted anymore;
And the only friends that's left
Is them behind that swingin' door.
It's hard to keep your try up
When your back is to the floor;
It's hard to be an outlaw,
Who ain't wanted anymore...

Some super stars nowadays
get too far off the ground,
Singing 'bout the backroads
They never have been down;
They go and call it country,
But that ain't the way it sounds;
It's enough to make a renegade
Want to terrorize the town!

It's hard to be an outlaw
Who ain't wanted anymore;
And the only friends that's left
Is them behind that swingin' door.
It's hard to keep your try up
When your back is to the floor;
It's hard to be an outlaw,
Who ain't wanted anymore..."

Houshou stepped outside, drying her hands, and kissed James lightly on the lips as he stood. "I'll always want you, Outlaw..." she whispered in his ear as they went back inside...

..................................................

Deep in the woods on-base, though far from prying eyes, Charlotte curled up with a gift she'd gotten in Scotland from one of the young Acromantula there, and sang gently...

"Speed bonny boat like a bird on the wing;
'Onward' the sailors cry;
Carry the lad who's born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye...

Loud the winds howl and low the waves roar;
Thunderclaps rend the air,
As baffled our foes stand by the shore;
Follow they will not dare..."

The Acromantula drifted off to sleep after finishing the song, the lullaby, that she'd learned from Kaylee, still curled protectively around her most-precious gift...