Kantai Collection: A New Force For Good

A First Loss With A Second Chance

A/N: As of now, this chapter takes the place of the previous question I asked. I recognize that not all will be comfortable or see it as agreeable, but the general consensus of those who answered me seem to be willing to give me the chance to write this story as I wish.

That means a lot. It really does.

Though some of you seem to think that I'm simply planning to turn this into some sort of stereotype cliche ten person harem.

If I wanted to write a story like that, I'd do it elsewhere.

3's the magic number.

So I hope you'll keep following this story.

If not, I guess this is where we part ways.

That aside, it's back to the story.

Oh, and Ninety K. Holy Shit. You guys da real MVP's.

Here's to another Ninety!

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The water before her was as still and smooth as glass, reflecting the sky above her with ease. Clouds blew overhead as the welcoming breeze gently blew the surface along it's way, almost as if it didn't even notice her as it went. It blew through her blonde hair with ease, whipping it around wildly somewhat before settling down, her hair falling back down to her back as she looked out over the reflective horizon.

She didn't know where she was.

But she knew where she'd been.

She knew what had happened.

She knew it all.

She clenched her fists at the thought, wanting nothing more than to scream. But in the end, she knew it would nothing to help her situation, to help she herself. It would do nothing to solve her current status. As she slowly, but eventually allowed her fists to unclench.

She took a wide look around, finding the reflective horizons stretching for as far as she could see. Even to her, they betrayed nothing of use to her. Nothing of note. Every direction she looked, it was all the same.

All empty.

"You fought well." A voice said, being carried with the wind as it went. The woman frowned at the saying, looking down at her reflection in the water's surface.

"I died. I don't even know if any of em made it off." She returned. "Supposed to be a battleship beyond all others and the first real gun fight I find myself in, I go down eight minutes after it started." She grimaced, her face contorting with mixtures of sorrowful rage. The breeze around her blew again, as if surrounding her a moment before the voice, faintly that of a woman, she could just make out.

"Mmmm, yes, you did come to your end. But you were far outnumbered and you went down swinging, an ending that most would ask for if they had to pick." The voice replied. "And you are far from a failure. No one else from your group has made it here, giving thought to the fact that you were enough. You sated them enough. You saved lives." The voice said again.

"I brought them down with me." She fired back. "Not to mention Johnny." She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"They knew the risks." The voice returned. "They knew the chances of not coming home were great, but yet, she sailed by your side proudly in the end. She, your loyal escort. And you, her oversized charge." It said with some amusement.

Battleship New Jersey scowled at that.

"Fuck off, would you?" She asked in no soft tone. "The way you're talking makes me think that you're glad I died." Jersey hissed. The voice laughed in return at that, the breeze around them seeming to flutter around her at the sound, softly spurring on the reflective surface of the water below Jersey's feet.