Kantai Collection: A New Force For Good

Strawberries And Periwinkle

The arrival of New Year's eve had seen some changes to the Base. Sorties had once more carried on in the days sense Christmas. And those not accustomed to Base life had gotten their first real look at the daily life of those that made their lives here.

Nancy and Daisy had seen the girls come home hurting. After a particularly nasty Sortie, that had witnessed Mississippi come home with blood running down one side of her face.

They'd seen Saratoga come home sporting a hole in her shoulder so wide, they could fit their entire fist through.

They'd seen Bristol come out of a scrap missing half of her right hand, but the little girl before them smiled all the while, even waving what was left at them as they sailed back into port. Much to the chagrin of the older ships trying to make sure she was alright.

They'd thought they'd seen it bad. Flesh and bone tore easy when under the right circumstances. But flesh and steel tore far worse.

But every single time, Anya was there, standing out on the pier waiting for her girls to come home. She greeted them with a smile and traded words with them. And her mother and sister only watched.

Growing up, Daisy had never seen her youngest sister as a leader of men. She trailed along with whatever scheme Cynthia had planned. Or blindly followed Greg as he made his own adventures. She'd never taken things for herself.

So what had changed?

When had it changed?

The oldest daughter of the family watched from a few feet away as her youngest sister handled what would give most grown men an upended stomach and most mother's nightmare fuel. Even Nancy, Daisy observed, looked like she wanted nothing more than to hug the destroyer to no end.

Daisy knew there was another side of this war no one saw.

Now she was wishing she hadn't.

But of course, the days since Christmas hadn't been just negative. Arizona, Enterprise, And Lexington had been working overtime to help their sisters settle into base. And those of Japanese made it easier where they could, despite the five's reserved feelings about the aspect.

But of course, that had been the past week. Today was new Year's eve and things had settled down for most.

Most being the keyword there.

The time was ticking towards eleven thirty in the night. Each second ticking by, every minute crawling by at a snail's pace. And she hated it.

Maryland was laid upon her bed, the sheets messy and strewn about in every which way. Normally, the battleship made her bed with simplicity, but today, she couldn't be bothered. She just didn't care.

She stared up at the ceiling of her empty shared room. Her roommates had long since left, the Base in it's entirety was present at the Mess Hall for the new year's party that was being held. Small talk and sips of champagne, a small something that was usually denied to the girls most of the time, being served readily. And had it been any other day, Maryland would be right there along with them. She'd be right there, jabbing at Oklahoma with teasing remarks. Or helping Pennsylvania adjust in her own small ways. It seemed that Arizona had her hands full.

As Maryland understood it, it had been quite the spectacle when Pennsylvania met those that basically equated to her In-law's. But it was fun that Maryland wanted no part of.

She willed any thought, no matter how positive or negative. She willed them to take her mind off of the subject that continued to flow through her thoughts like a freshly broken dam.

For all it was worth, Maryland, proud battleship of the US Navy, could not stop thinking about Anya S. Johnson. No matter how hard she tried to stray from the thought, no matter what she filled her head with, no matter how desperately she tried to claw away from the idea, her mind always came full circle back to those stunning green eyes and that sweetly enticing smile.