Forged In Blood | Male Warship X Azur Lane

Chapter 5 | "Grim"

---Later That Same Day---

---Prinz Eugen---

Z23 and Koln help me onto the docks, as I limp one leg, which is wrapped with a cast, I am only able to see through one eye at the moment, as the other is covered in bandages along with a portion of my face... Same goes for my upper arms on both arms and all of my chest and stomach. Every single inch of moment fills me with unbearable pain and agony. I do my best to hid this pain, but it's clear as day for those who look at my expression of agony. Takao walks alongside Koln talking with her. Hipper approaches from further up the docks, having just arrived from her scout mission. Upon getting close enough to see my condition she hurry's up her pace and grows a devastatingly worried expression. Reaching me she stops everyone and looks over the damages to my body then looks around us at my ship, that was battered, and beaten nearly into submission. She gives me a genuine sisterly worried look. "W-What happened? Who did this to you!" She demands to know, in a voice that screamed she wanted to make someone pay for this. I don't answer however.... As I felt too much shame in failing our little brother to tell her anything to do with my dilemmas.

Moments later, she seemed to notice how everyone, but Seydlitz had returned and was unpacking from the mission. "W-Where's Seydlitz? H-He's just running behind, right?" She asks with a wobbly tone that told me she already suspected something happened, but was hopeful that she would be wrong, as I give her a shameful look that screamed out, I'd fumbled the ball hard on this one. I break into tears as I speak in pain, and speak full of weakness in my tone, I grit my teeth and bare them with rage, and give a look of desperation in my eyes. "They took him Hipper... He fought Enterprise, and he got Captured.... THEY TOOK OUR LITTLE BROTHER! THEY TOOK HIM! AND ALL I COULD DO WAS WATCH!" I roar out without a German accent, to angered and filled with pain to carry it in my voice. Her eyes narrow in size, then began to shake about, whilst she loses almost all expression having heard that... I fall out of Koln, and Z23's helping arms, and fall atop my knees in front my older sister, and wrap my arms around her tight, crying onto her shoulders, and break down into a mess of a woman.

---The Next Morning---

---Enterprise Pov---

"...That is a rather interesting opinion miss Enterprise. However, I'm not sure high command would feel the same way about the matter." Belfast states, in her maidly way as we walked to the cafeteria for breakfast... Something only recently she'd convinced me of doing more of recently, rather than relying on morning Rations. "I somehow don't doubt that." I agree with her comment. "However, I feel it should still be considered at the next meeting." I add, defending my outlook on the matter. She looks over at me with a passionate smile. "I must say, I didn't expect you to care so much about the fate of an enemy... Is there perhaps more to why you're so interested in his wellbeing?" Belfast asks, as I give a subtle look her way of her being wrong. "If you're suggesting I feel something towards him, you're wrong. I simply don't feel it's right to scuttle a ship who showed mercy to their enemy... It would be wrong not to show that same mercy in return... That's all there is to it." I state, returning my sights ahead of us. Belfast holds a hand up to her face and giggles. "I wasn't hinting at feelings towards him miss Enterprise." She informs me, as I glance back over to her and give a subtle look of confusion. "I know it's not a maid's duty to poke and prod for answers... But I do recall you comforting the boy the whole way back to base..." She states, making it a point of some sort. I raise an eyebrow. "Is that wrong?" I ask her, unsure why she's made it a point. She gives her passionate smile again and looks ahead of us.

"Not at all, quite the opposite actually. I simply didn't know you to have a soft spot for the enemy quite like you did him yesterday... Seeing as you're very passionate about proclaiming we ships have no other purpose but to destroy, and fight... But instead, you're showing a bit of a human side with in you... I see it as a form of progress being made..." She explains, as I look ahead at the cafeteria entrance and make no comment. Walking in, I and Belfast immediately notice a lot of those in here staring from their tables at Seydlitz, the curiosity washes over me, and I take a look at him, and find myself colored with pleasant surprise. "Grim?" I mutter, seeing my sister's Bald Eagle, that she passed down to me to take care of, sitting atop Seydlitz shoulder. Occasionally Seydlitz would give Grim a piece of food off his plate and Grim would accept it, Grim looked just as happy as he does with Yorktown. So happy in fact, he let Seydlitz pet him without trying to bite at his fingers like he does Hornet at times. "It would seem Grim likes Seydlitz company~" Belfast happily states standing beside me and watching with me. "Yeah... I guess he does..." I state with a voice of pure spaced-out emotion, I was almost completely spaced out in the moment as I stared at the two bonding. I feel my heart flutter at the sight, Grim is extremely picky about who he lets pet him, if grim likes someone, it's because they're a good person, with a good head on their shoulders. Belfast glances over at me and smiles with passive excitement seeing the look on my face. Though she makes no comments.