Mental_Model_Zao

(Is a lil rusty when it comes to proper writing so bear with me please.)

The Bearing Strait Incident

tags: Dark, Kancolle, Abyssals, OCs, Alt Universe

Chapter 2: The Respite Pt 1

"RUKIA-CHAN!" I snapped awake from my voice being called and Rikka over me, a small first aid kit in hand. "You had me worried, I got your wounds dressed but we got to get you to a hospital asap, you took-"

"Which direction did they go Rikka." I cut her off as my vision slowly stops being so blurry.

She tries to hold me down, "Ru-Ru I know what you're thinking, you're in no condition to cha-"

"Don't care, give me the keys."

"You're insane, do you think you can take on two Abyssals on your own!" She stands her ground, "No, absolutely not I'm not letting y-"

A hard left to her gut, followed a hard right to her temple and Rikka is out like a light. I carry her limp body to the base and leave her on a couch that survived and nick her keys as well as a prized katana she had mounted on the wall on the side tunnel that was spared damage. Takes nothing but a few seconds a minute tops but I take off the moorings and primed the engines, a twist of the key and the speedboat roars to life. I check all the gauges and I shove the boat away from the dock and take off this vessel can easily go double what those freaks can travel if my info was accurate "You're info is indeed accurate but a katana and grit alone isn't going to be enough to take on those that kidnapped your friends." A new voice comments, this one much softer spoken like a wisened mother, "also there is an awful lot of people in here, I'm guessing you're the dominant persona."

"Who are you and how are you in my head."

"Where are my manners." She pauses and manifests herself in front of me and bows in front of me, clipping through my dashboard. For a motherly sounding spirit she looks awfully young with her platinum blonde hair bound in twin-tails, her bangs almost covering her left eye all clad in a blue, gray, and white kimono in an odd pattern. "CA-942 Zao, at your service. I've been looking for kindred soul like your for a long time."

"You're one of those Kanmusu spirits I take it, here to take my body and plunge it into a war that never ends?"

The spirit clearly gets flustered from my remark, she tries to hide it but her beet red face says otherwise. "Yes to the first, not without consent to the second, and the war is winnable but we need better Admirals and better gear."

"Pass"

"Wa-wah" she manages to stammer out before taking a breath somehow and composes herself, "Why pass?"

I can't help but sigh as I look past the spirit and see the Wo and Re that took my friends following something big and... bloated looking and it towing something, "I'm not a puppet. You're in my head I'm sure you can see my memories and why I will never let anyone control me, not now not ever."

Zao stares through me and her blank stare turns to object horror as she clasps her hands over her mouth, "you poor angel," she pauses, thinking quietly then continuing, "your brother used you and as a result your whole family was slaughtered by your-"

"THAT DEAD BAG OF FLESH IS NOT MY FATHER!" I scream out tears beading from my bloodied face. My scream sadly was not heard by Zao but the Wo and the Re I was tailing and turn around. I swear I only blinked and planes and the Re were just kilos away from me. Then the whistling sounds happen again and explosions rock my poor boat as I turn and lead them away.

Zao is pacing back and forth, muttering to herself something I can't make out before turning to me clearly exacerbated and says her piece. "Given the circumstances and the fact I really do not want to see another soul become one of those monsters I'm going to make you an unusual offer. I will make you a Kanmusu and you will be in full control I will just help with guns and auxiliary equipment like AA, secondaries, ect. Just know being a Kanmusu puts an intense amount of strain on not only the body but the soul too so as an added gesture of good will I will... how do I put this delicately.." she pauses and sighs, "I can for lack of a better word... consume those splintered voices, these personas into my being... thus freeing you from their torment, and as a result eliminate the need for you to take that toxic and taxing medication in your pocket. For the first time you will be free of them in exchange for partnering with me and joining the cause."

"How do I know you won't just consume me when my guard is down."

"Because I care about you, your goals, and your friends. When I was a ship I had a Captain and crew I wish I could tell them what they meant to me, the things they did, going above and beyond the call of duty. Even after the war My captain petitioned the US military to rebrand and keep me on active duty and he succeeded, and after the terrible period and tension between Russia and America was resolved I was given back to my home country and moored as a touring museum rotating between America and Japan till the day the Abyssals sunk me. You, not anyone else, remind me of my captain. This is probably the closest I will ever get to thanking them for what they did. I want to, no I need to repay them. Please I beg of you."  The emotion on her ghostly face is of genuine belief. I can feel what she is saying, I... can never thank Winona and Hitomi for what they did for me after that day. they're family... The sisters I wish I had...

"I... Will be in control... Right?" I crack, I just... I don't know why, but of all the voices that have occupied my head, she feels... Real... Genuine... Zao just nods as I ask my follow-up, "and I will be free... Of them?.. All of them?"

She nods and holds out her translucent hand. "Yes, I promise." I sigh and grab it, somehow it feels like... I'm shaking someone's hand and I'm just blinded by a light as I feel a weight added to me and another weight removed, just as she promised. I open my eyes and the first thing I notice are the twin-tails... Blonde twin-tails at the peripheral of my vision and I see all the rigging on my back, the Kimono I am wearing and...  "Sorry I have no control over that, though you'll get used to the bigger bust. It's only-"

"Like three bloody cups bigger! Holy how are they staying place and how is my back not killing me?!"

"Two cups first off." Zao cuts me off for once, "and second off we have bigger issues." Almost on cue a second wave of bombers comes towards me but this time Zao opens up the AA suite and in a flash all the imps get shot down. "You know I can get used to just focusing on weapons its so much easier not have to work a body and guns at the same time, now we need to get off this vessel ASAP-"

I'm already ahead of her and on the water skating after the Wo.  "Focus the guns on Re, I''m going after Wo. This is personal." With a burst of speed I quickly catch up to Wo as Zao sinks the Re with just two volleys of her two-o-three shells. I get right in her face at take my wrist mounted secondary and shoot her point blank in the gut, "this is for Hitomi!" recoiling and doubling over, vomiting black sludge, "and this," as I unsheathe my katana, "this is for Winona."

s-shinnnk! I sail past her as body and head slowly sink into the dark void below us. It takes a few minutes but I close the gap and find the lone transport carrying my friends and-

"And with that I gotta put a pin in it because... the food is here." As I motion to the two waitresses bringing over two trays of very American food minus a single rather plain dish.

<Hey everyone, food is here, which one got the Chieftain chicken sandwich with extra garlic fries?> I point to the hungry Abukuma in civvy clothes across from me.

<Who got the Red Ring of Doom burger with the Annihilator sauce?> 

I giggle and raise my hand .<Me, and here is the release form saying I won't sue if I get hospitalized. Those other plates go Kako to my left, The wings go to those two, Akizuki and Hatsuki, and the... Salmon and rice goes to the fun police Maya over there.>

The rest of the division smile and thank the waitresses... in Japanese while I tell them in English that my friends are super grateful for accommodating us on such short notice and all of them dig in, completely surprised by the sheer amount of food before them.  <I am so glad one of you know English, we had a group like you folks the other day and none of them knew a lick of English and we had to get out our phones and use a translating app and it was just so..>

<I get it, it's all good I promise. I've got it from here and I've written down what they want for dessert right here though I will suggest you make that to go.>

<No problem Mrs..>

<I'm not in port, you can call me Rukia, no Mrs or formalities needed.>

<Okay, gotcha, enjoy the food Mrs Rukia.> Before I could correct them they go back to the kitchen and I just smile, they all look so happy enjoying their first taste of American food. I just hope they don't get too used to it. I just couldn't help but chuckle, it has been a good while since I've had a good nice meal. Well time to dig in~