Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I sit on the boat, staring at the ocean. It's a bleak reminder of what happened, and how I got here. How I'm fucked. How we were fucked. How I'm now thousands of miles away from my hometown. The memory, the date, everything still persists in my head.

November 18, 2019, at 11:32 am. The date of the largest school shooting not just in American history, but world history. It was located at Southlake High School in Seal Beach, California.

It was a basic, ordinary day. I couldn't complain. Sayori, my girlfriend, was making chitter chatter with the club at lunch, since we all eat together. Monika and Yuri were discussing ideas for club projects, especially since evaluations were next month. Natsuki was reading manga and listening to trap, while Lee, Conrado, and I argued about which one is better, My Hero Academia or K-On. I was losing the argument. Something else caught my attention, however, and my mind sort of trailed away.

You know the sound of those poppers that you would always get by your ghetto aunt at birthday parties? The ones that pop when you drop them on the ground. Anyways, I heard something that was like that, but a lot more aggressive. And a lot faster.

At the same time, a little piece of paper was put onto the floor behind me, but I couldn't identify the person who left it. I grabbed the paper.

It read, "To Rivers Sanchez:

We're not just coming for you, but anyone who resembles you,"

My first reaction was to find who's trying to prank me. I'm not losing my cool, cause that's dumb. That's what the prankster would want.

It was only when the glass shattered and I saw the two guys walk in through the shattered glass. These two guys were brothers and were well-known for being very racist against those in the Latin community. They hated me with a passion, going out of my way to call me a beaner and make stupid 'go back to Mexico' jokes. What sucked is that they knew I'm from Mexico, and they went out of their way to make me know. I think I pulled a knife on one of them before, which makes sense since I keep a butterfly knife on me at all times. Safety reasons.

They walked in through the glass, but the popper sound was ear-splittingly loud, and I knew exactly where it came from.

A submachine gun. Several, in fact. A shotgun too, I think. I immediately grabbed Sayori, who was to my left, and pulled her under the table. Everyone soon followed. I hear the two guys, Collin and Chase, go table to table. A few footsteps, more gunshots. A few footsteps, even more gunshots. I needed to come up with something to do. Get everyone out of here.

Think, ese, think...

I thought until I looked up and I saw Collin and his 20-gauge shotgun, and now I'm looking down the barrel.
"Rivers, you don't know how long I've wanted to—" he said.
I'm not sure if it was purposeful or he just kinda trailed off, but the shot went off and the world went dark.

I woke up in a hospital. I saw the sparkly white ceilings, and it tripped me out. I felt zero pain. In fact, I felt zero anything.

I heard the door open, and I tilted my head downwards to look for the doctor. I saw the doctor lady and Lee.

"Greetings, Mr. Sanchez. Glad to see you're finally awake," the doctor said.
I really hate talking to people I don't know, so I leaned over to Lee and said in Spanish, "Where am I and who is this bitch?"
"You're in a hospital in Long Beach, and she's a doctor. Show some respect," he responded, also in Spanish.
"You guys both know I can speak Spanish as well, right?" the doctor said in English.
She then continued.
"Anyways, Mr. Sanchez, we ran some tests and found that your nerves are basically shut off from your thighs down. Circulation is fine, but everything else is bad. You were hit by six bullets: three in your legs, two in your stomach, and one in your head. The head one is a miracle, it barely went around instead of blasting through your brain."
"I-I don't exactly understand," I told her.
She sighed in frustration.
"Rivers," Lee told me, "I think she's saying you'll never walk again,"

I didn't get it. It's not true. It's not. Tupac was shot five times and he was fine. Then they killed him but he was fine when he got shot before! My main concern was Sayori. Where is she?
"Ok, that's nice, but where's Sayori?" I asked. Conrado walked in.
"Hey, buddy," he greets, nonchalantly.
"You wanna tell him or should I?" the doctor asked.

"Rivers... look at me," he said, in a tone that mothers usually use when telling their children something painful.
I decided to look at him. He's my best friend, why not?
"Rivers, Sayori's dead. Collin got to her right after you. And it's not pretty."

I thought of a million things to say. That's bullshit, I thought. I wanted to threaten to kill him for saying something so wrong.
Conrado seemed to read my mind, because he pulled up a Wikipedia article.

It was about the 2019 Southlake High School massacre. 95 people died. He pulled up the list of notable people that died.
Among the top, it read, "Sayori Delarosa, 17. Vice-president of the Literature Club and president of the Friends Club."
Monika and Yuri also died.

Like I said, I wanted to say a million things. But I didn't.
I said nothing.

"I'll give you three a moment, anyways, I need to fill out a form for the wheelchair," the doctor said, excusing herself.
I tilited my head and looked at my broken legs. I'm paralyzed. I can no longer walk. I can no longer surf. I can't do anything.
"Rivers, we're sorry, man," Conrado consoled me, "Look, we're here for you in any way..."
He continued, but I didn't listen. Sayori was dead. Yuri and Monika were dead as well.

Even when I left, things got worse. We took the bus back to Seal Beach, which we then walked home, with Lee pushing me on the wheelchair all the way home. The door was smashed in. Conrado opened the door with a hole in it, and the TV was on. Weird. We walked around, and that's when I saw it.

Clem, my little sister, was dead as well. Chase and Collin killed her.

I had enough of this shit. I dug in my sweater pocket for my knife. I lifted it to my neck and I pulled back. Lee happened to catch it right as I tried to stab myself in the neck. He pulled it away from me.
"Give it back, motherfucker," I yelled, trying to reach for it.
"Not happening, bitch," Lee responded, pocketing the knife. They put me in the middle of the living room, and then called the cops. While they were waiting, they took turns guarding the door so I don't wheel myself out and try and roll into a moving car and taking everything I can use to kill myself out of reach.

I don't know, I just didn't have anything to live for, really, so I figured I'd be better off dead. Maybe heaven is real and my mother, father, and sister are over there, just waiting for me. Imagine that: the Sanchez family, back together and happy, just like when we were in Mexico. Beautiful.

I forgot to say, my dad died when I was 11, he had lung problems that just got worse and worse. My mom died not a year later, leaving me with a house, two thousand dollars, and my sister, then driving herself off a bridge on the 91 freeway.
Now my sister. And, if it works how I wish it could, me.

The police came, and they asked us questions, then came the clean-up crew to dispose of the body.

Over the next two days, I almost got shot three times, cause I saw Collin or Chase in the street. No one caught them. They had concealed-carry permits since they were both 18, and they had one of those gun holsters that are very hideable.

Lee and Conrado stayed over to make sure I didn't try and kill myself or escape. But, while they were sleeping, I packed a bag of clothes, my phone, and my bass guitar and left the house. I wheeled myself a few blocks to the marina, where I saw a nice boat, with a cabin and everything. I got closer.
This dumbass left his keys on the boat!
I went up the ramp, then I unlocked the gate and turned on the boat. Luckily, all the surfaces were smooth for a wheelchair person, and there was even a ramp to the cabin.

I know how to drive a boat, so I turned it on, then when I was about to go, I heard a voice.
"Hold it right the fuck there!" the voice yelled.
The voice was met by the image of Lee and Conrado, running towards the boat.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Lee yelled.
"You don't want me to die, right? Well, I'm trying not to die!" I responded.
"How is stealing a boat doing that?" Conrado asked.
"Chase and Collin have tried to kill me three times since I left the hospital!" I told them, "I'm leaving, so you're either coming with or staying back."

They sat and thought, then ran up the boat.
"Fuck it, we'll join you," Lee said to me, "But I'm driving. Conrado, you watch him, make sure he doesn't try and off himself. Rivers, go to sleep."
I breathe out in shame as Conrado wheels me into the lower deck and helps me into bed.

Chapter Text

Since what happened, it’s been 17 days. Lee and Conrado have fed me on a straight diet of beans, rice, and Twinkies. They still don’t trust me alone, cause they think I’ll roll myself off the boat, so they take turns sleeping and watching me and driving in shifts while awake.
I’ve sailed on boats before, so Lee let me help drive and navigate. Kept me distracted and helped me calm down.

After dinner, every night, I’d stare at the sea and contemplate. Tonight, I did the same. I thought about things. Like, how fucked up this situation is. How could this happen? Of all the places, why there? Other than the occasional racist white guy, there wasn’t really any fuss.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Lee and Conrado.
“Bro, go pull Rivers in, he’s getting into one of his depressive states again. I think he’s gonna have to take his pill anyway,” Conrado told Lee.
“Dude, he’s not a little kid. He can take care of his damn self. All we gotta do is help him get into bed.” Lee responded.

After about half an hour, I wheeled myself back into the cabin of the boat and looked around for the pill. It’s supposed to be a antipsychotic, since I had bipolar disorder before what happened, but trauma or whatever from the shooting made it worse. So I took one and drank some juice with it. After that, I noticed a small TV with a VCR. There was a box nearby marked movies, so I tried and reach for it, but I failed. Eventually, Lee saw me and opened the box. There was VCR tapes in there, so we pulled out, amazingly, Naruto on VHS.
We pulled the TV out to the couch and hooked it up to the solar outlet. It was fun, and it also helped me kind of numb the pain I was feeling. It felt very relaxing.

I fell asleep soon after.

“Holy shit, Rivers, wake up!” Lee yelled as he shook me. I realized I fell asleep in my wheelchair. In a hurry, he wheeled me out of the cabin. Once we got to the deck, I noticed we were hooked onto a dock. It was barely dawn, so we couldn’t see much. Once Conrado found a ramp for me, I wheeled myself down the ramp and onto the dock.
It was a small city, but there was a huge gray complex with barbed wire around it. I guessed we were at a naval base, since I had friends who joined the navy.

We walked around, and that’s when it hit me: we were at a Japanese base. All the signs were written in katakana. I’m not sure how much of a problem that will be.
We walked up a street called Saint-Claire, oddly written in English. Up, up, and the street numbers went up too. 10th, 32nd, 43rd. We turned right on 50th Street, and we realized that nearly half an hour had passed. We just kept walking, since it seemed empty. The side we were on wasn’t as lit up as the other side, so we crossed the street.
Eventually, we came across what we figured was a running track. I was on the track and field team in middle school, but I quit so I could surf more.
Damn. Something else I can never do again.

There was one person running the track. She was very fast, and her silhouette seemed to have long hair. We just kind of stood in awe at how big and luxurious this naval base is.
The runner must have taken notice, because she started running towards us. And she was very fast.
Not trying to get in a fight, I pivoted and started wheeling away.
“Wait! Hold it!” she called.
I kept dashing, but she eventually got to me and stopped me.

She inhaled, then exhaled.
“Who the hell are you three?” she asked, in a thick Japanese accent.
“Wait, you speak English?” I responded.
“Of course, dummy. This base is partially American, you know?” she retorted.
“Okay, where the fuck are we?” Lee chimed in.
I decided to interrupt.
“Let me explain. Where we came from, there was a mass shooting, with these crazy motherfuckers trying to murder us, well, specifically me, so we stole a boat and sailed aimlessly. We’re on the run.”

She looked around, nervous. She seemed like a very energetic girl, so it was very weird.
“Uh, well, I figured. They haven’t made any guy ship-girls. They’d probably be really slow, anyways... well, if you need a place to crash, you can crash with me, and we can settle maybe finding you guys refuge or something later. Come on.”

She grabbed the handles and wheeled me up the hill. Lee and Conrado came with.
She started running up the hill. Damn, that bitch is strong.
While we were going up, she talked to me.
“Oh, by the way, my name’s Shimakaze. I’m the fastest of anyone here. Hell, anyone in Japan! And you are?”
“I’m Rivers. The swole guy is Lee, and the brainy guy is Conrado.”
Lee winked at me. He told me once to refer to him around girls as ‘swole’ so he could get a foot in the door with them, you know.
Once we reached the top of the hill, we turned and left and went east until we arrived on a corner. East 99th and Saint-Claire, it read.
“This is home,” she told me. Since we had to walk up a few stairs, it took a team effort to push me through the grass, around the stairs, so we could get to the front door.
Shimakaze let go of my chair in order to unlock the door. I found a way to push myself in, and I wheeled myself to what I think is the living room.
“It’s a little messy, we’re doing Christmas presents!” Shimakaze announced.
She introduced four other girls. There was a black-haired girl named Ushio, a blue-haired girl named Urakaze, a blonde girl named Yuudachi, and another black-haired girl named Fubuki.
Fubuki seemed to giggle a little more around Conrado, which I thought was nice. You know, his girlfriend died, too. He refused to admit it. He still thinks Yuri made it out.
Lee was shooting me dirty looks, probably since the girls were eating up the guy in a wheelchair, especially Shimakaze, who seemed to enjoy wheeling me around the house.
Once Shimakaze set me down, I decided I couldn’t just leave out Lee, so I tried to see if I could hook him up with Yuudachi.
“Hey, have you met my best friend, Lee?” I said as I grabbed Lee by the shoulder and pushed him towards Yuudachi. They started talking, but I’m not certain if they hit it off. The other two girls were asking me different things.
“How did you get here?”
“What kind of music do you listen to?”
“Do you like sushi? What’s your favorite?”
The answers to those were: by boat, my favorite album is between “Bleach” by Nirvana and “Facelift” by Alice in Chains, and hell yes, I love sushi.
“My... uh, ex-girlfriend was half-Japanese.” I responded, realizing that was Sayori and she’s dead. I immediately felt like I wanted to puke.
Shimakaze returned with three rolls of sushi.
“I can barely cook, so I bought these at the store. You three are probably hungry.” Shimakaze said as she handed Lee the plate. I found my chopsticks I kept in my backpack. I kept them in there since I was planning on ending up in the Philippines, so I could find Sayori’s family and pay my respects.

After eating and making small talk with the girls, I decided to wheel myself into a corner and go to sleep. As I was drifting off, Shimakaze woke me up.
“You’re not sleeping there. Come on, you can sleep on the couch.” she told me.
She made everyone move from the couch, and I was too tired to say thank you or anything.
I just passed out.

Chapter Text

I woke up the next morning to someone jumping on my stomach. I wake up to see three gray animated gun turret thingies, and they were playing and bouncing on my stomach.
Right as I was about to knock them off me, I hear Shimakaze running towards me and yelling “Don’t!” very loud.
“What the hell are those?” I asked.
“They’re the Rensouhou-chan!” she responded. The Rensouhou-chan started whimpering, and Shimakaze calmed them down.
“I made you breakfast,” Shimakaze told me. “Get ready, cause after breakfast we have to go see Yamato-san.”
“Who’s Yamato-san?” I retorted.
“She’s basically the wise lady of the base. She never fights, and she’s basically a mother to all of us. If we need advice, we ask her, cause she doesn’t tell your problems to anybody. She’s nice like that.”
Shimakaze helped me into my wheelchair, and I went off to the bathroom to brush my teeth. It was a nightmare getting in the small bathroom, but everything else was simple. I changed into some decent clothes, sprayed some cologne I had in my bag, then wheeled myself into the kitchen. Shimakaze and Yuudachi were eating chicken katsu. There was a plate with no chair, so I guessed that was my seat.
“Where’s Lee and Conrado?” I asked.
“The others wanted to go look around the base, poi. They trusted us to take care of you, poi.” Yuudachi replied.
I started to eat the chicken katsu, but Yuudachi stopped me.
“You forgot to be proper, Rivers-kun.”
“Uh, sorry?” I said, confused, biting into the katsu.
“Ay, you’re acting like the Azur Lane girls.”
Shimakaze whispered into my ear.
“Rivers, over here, before you eat, you always say ‘Itadakimasu’. It’s a respect thing.”
“Oh!” I realized. “Sorry. Itadakimasu.”
Yuudachi nodded, then we returned to eating. I was confused about what Yuudachi said, who are the Azur Lane girls? Is that like a rival gang or something?
I finished my katsu, then cleared and washed the plates for everyone. Once I was done, Shimakaze wheeled me out and we started walking down the hill and
into the heart of town.

“Who are the Azur Lane girls?” I asked Yuudachi, since my curiosity finally got the better of me.
“The Azur Lane girls are the other half of this base. They’re a mix of American, Puerto Rican, German, Japanese and other stuff. Us, the Kantai girls, are pure Japanese. However, they made us speak English and whatnot.” she explained.
She continued.

“The Azur Lane girls are pretty rude and we don’t really like them. A couple of them are okay, like the Tennessee sisters and Pensacola, but most of them are jerks. Since they don’t like us and we don’t like them, the Commander seperated us, with the Kantai girls taking the eastside of the base and the Azur Lane girls taking the westside. Saint-Claire Avenue, this street, seperates the two.”
I thought about it for a second.
“We had things like that back home,” I recounted. “They were called gangs. We lived in a town called Seal Beach, and we had two rival gangs: Asian Crips and Oceanos. They were seperated on 8th Avenue and constantly fought for Ocean Avenue.”
“That’s... not very interesting. Sorry, Rivers.” Shimakaze said. “This is so slow!”
We eventually reached 32nd Street, and we walked east for two blocks, until we found a small brick house on the corner of 32nd and Ayakake Road.
We knocked on the door. Eventually, a woman who seemed to be in her early 30’s opened up. She was tall, had long flowing brown hair, and was wearing a kimono-type dress. She waved and invited us in.

She poured us some tea and they sat down. Since I’m cursed to forever be sitting down, I wasn’t really a concern. They just parked me next to the couch they were sitting at.
Once tea had been passed out, she sat down.
“What can I do for you three?” Yamato-san asked.
“Uh... we need help as to what to do with Rivers,” Yuudachi told her, pointing at me, “Him and his two friends came here last night, since they escaped from California on a boat.”
Yamato turned to me.
“You and your two friends, correct?” she asked.
“Yes, madam,” I responded, seriously making an effort to be formal.
“Well, I wouldn’t tell the Commander for the Kantai fleet, since they would deport you back to America... I would wonder if you talked to the Commander for the Azur Lane fleet. He seems to be a lot more lenient. Maybe he can help you claim refugee status or something of the sort. Japan has very lenient laws on citizenship.”
Shimakaze and Yuudachi started to cringe at the thought of talking to the Azur Lane.
“I’ve never truly understood why the Kantai fleet has prejudice against the Azur Lane, and vice versa.”
“They’re dirty! And rude!” Shimakaze said.
“Well, that may be your opinion, but there’s no reason to hate a group of people for something they were never taught. Different cultures have different codes of conduct.”
They just nodded, finished their tea, and excused us out.

Once we left, they decided to go to the house of the Tennessee sisters.
“You’ll like the younger sister, Rivers. She’s a lot like you!” Shimakaze reassured me.
We crossed Saint-Claire, and all of the streets were named after saints. We turned right upon seeing San Diego Drive, and we knocked on a door between 43rd and 44th Street.
“Cali! Go get the door!” I heard an older woman say.
“I’m playing online!” I heard a younger girl say. “If I get up and leave, they’ll kill me.”
I heard a beep, which sounds like the older one turned the console off.
“Dammit! Come on!” I heard the younger one say.
Eventually, a blonde girl that looked around my age opened the door.
“Hey guys! How’s it hanging?” she asked.
“Pretty good, how about you?” Yuudachi responded.
“Just chilling, man. Just relaxing. Anyways, come in!” she said.
“Oh, by the way, this is Rivers,” Shimakaze introduced me to her.
“Hey, I’m California!” she said, her light-blue eyes piercing at me. She reminded me of the fine surfer heinas we had back in California. Real California. She hugged me, before laughing it off and saying she hugs everyone.
“Hey, we’re gonna go talk to Tennessee, poi,” Yuudachi said, “Feel free to chat it up while we’re gone.”
The girl sat back on the couch and turned the PlayStation back on.
“Wanna play?” she asked.
I said yes, and she handed me a controller.
“Wait, what’s your name again? I forgot it.”

She laughed.
“California, stupid, but you can call me Cali.”
She loaded up GTA Online, and we took turns playing it, switching off when the other guy dies.
“So, I’m guessing you’re not from here?” she asks awkwardly.
“Nope, not even close. I came in last night.”
“Where are you from then? Like what base?”
“I’m not in a fleet. I’m just a normal person, but I’m from... uh...” I started. I didn’t want to say California, cause that would sound weird, so I was lost as to what to say.
“I’m from Orange County,” I finally replied. “Like Orange County, California?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m from Seal Beach.”
“That’s incredibly cool! I was born in California, but I moved out to Japan when I was only a baby. Tennessee, my big sister, raised me my entire life. I’ve always wanted to visit California. What’s it like?”
“Well, the city’s pretty good, and there’s lots of really good food. But my favorite thing is the beaches. I used to surf.”
“Really? That’s cool! Why’d you stop?”
“Uh... isn’t it obvious?”
She looked at my wheelchair.
“Ah, crap! I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine, I know it was an accident.”
We decided to watch YouTube, since it was a smart TV. We watched a bunch of anime reviews, and they all said the same thing about every anime they reviewed: they sucked.

After a while of just watching TV, Cali left to go get something. I changed the video we were watching to meme compilations.
“Hey, I heard that!” Cali called from the other room.
I cringed and hoped she wouldn’t mind. It was a try not to laugh challenge, and I laughed at the first meme. Foolish fool.

Cali eventually came back with a small backpack.
“What’s in that?” I asked.
She blushed. Maybe it’s drugs.
She opened the bag.
And it was filled...
With the most weed I’ve seen anyone carry in a single bag.
“You smoke?” she asked me.
“Hell yeah!” I responded, remembering I kept some rolling papers on the side of my wheelchair. I dug around for it, and she handed me a tray so I could roll weed.
“I got to remember to come to you when I run out,” I told her.
She laughed.
“What music do you get high to?” she asked.
“Well, I used to listen to Alice in Chains when I smoked, but I’ve been really into Sublime recently.” I answered.
She searched for Sublime on YouTube, and she put a playlist on for it.
Eventually, she threw me a lighter and I lit it up.

By the end of the first ten minutes, she was sprawled on the couch, and I was laying in my wheelchair, with my head tilted back towards the ceiling. We were both laughing at random shit like a bunch of idiots. I was starting to fall asleep.

“Dude...” Cali slurred, “I’m fucking hungry, bro...”
I laughed, extremely stoned. Japanese weed has to be super, super potent. She rolled me into the kitchen, and I opened the fridge.
We had spray cheese and crackers, sushi, and a two-litre bottle of Japanese soda with a kawaii cat on it.
We grabbed all three of those things, and we slowly walked back to the couch. At least, we tried to. She stumbled and fell face first onto the floor.

“Oops!” she said, laughing and slurring her words. “There goes half of the crackers.”
“Just pass me the cheese.” I said.
She passed me the spray cheese, and I just sprayed it into my mouth.
“Hey, leave me something!” she said, trying to grab the spray cheese from me while leaning on the couch so she doesnt fall.
I gave her the spray cheese, and I laughed when she spilled some on her shirt. She was wearing a basic green shirt and blue shorts. Well, now there was a bit of yellow in the middle of her shirt.

“Cali... put me on the floor,” I said, “I want to take a nap,”
She grabbed my arms and pulled me bit by bit onto the floor. However, she was struggling to stand, so she fell on top of me.
“Owww...” I said, half-giggling.
We were a mess, and we were so stoned we didn’t know Tennessee, Shimakaze, and Yuudachi came downstairs.
“What the hell is going on here?!” Tennessee asked, loudly.
We turned to look at her, still giggling.
“Who.. are...” I said. I couldn’t finish my sentence.
“I’m not even gonna ask. Cali, get dressed.” Tennessee snarled.
Shimakaze helped me back into my wheelchair, and she rolled me out of house.
When we were out of earshot, she whispered into my ear.
“Rivers, I didn’t know you and California got along that quick.. or in that way,”
“Hell no! I was just... we were... we rolled a blunt, you know what I mean? Just smoked a little weed...” I slurred.
She sighed.
“Lee told me you were a pothead,” she said, defeatedly. “I guess you and Cali are a perfect match,”
“What do you mean?”
“All the Azur Lane girls that are named after a city or state have the spirit and personality of that state. California is a pothead. Nevada likes to gamble. Alabama is dating her cousin.” Shimakaze explained.
“Weird...” I said.

California came out of the door. She was dressed in a white mid-length dress with black knee socks, and a black gun holster that didn’t have anything in it.

“Shall we?” she asked, holding a travel mug of coffee.
She pulled a remote out of her pocket and opened the garage.
There’s two cars, a 1984 Toyota pickup truck and a 1981 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
“I call shotgun!” I said.
Cali got into the truck and opened my door from the inside. Shimakaze and Cali both helped me get onto the seat.
“Hey, someone should go with them,” I heard Tennessee say.
“How come?” Yuudachi asked.
“First, I don’t trust that guy, even though he’s in a wheelchair. Second, I don’t trust Cali to make good decisions. At all. She can’t even dress correctly.”
“Shut up, you bitch!” Cali said.
“You see?” Tennessee asked Yuudachi.
She definitely does remind me of the normal Californian: a stoned, slightly angry blonde.

Shimakaze and Yuudachi got in with Tennessee in the Cadillac.
They went towards the center of the Azur Lane area, while we went towards the Kantai area.
“What are we doing?” I asked her.
“We’re getting Taco Bell. I got the munchies bad, dude.” she answered.
“They have a Taco Bell here?”
“Yeah, but they put it on the Kantai side. Open the glove compartment.”
I opened the glove compartment.
I pulled out a sawn-off shotgun.
“What the hell?” I said.
“I know guns are bad, but big sister made me. She says it’s our 2nd... our 2nd amed... our 2nd something right to have a gun on us.”
I reached into my sweater pocket. I have my butterfly knife.
“Here. This is a knife.” I told her, handing her the knife. “If you don’t like guns, just use one of these.”
I put it back in my pocket, and we pulled up to the Taco Bell.
“Let’s go to the drive-thru, I can’t wait!” she said.
She ordered a 12-pack of Doritos Locos Tacos.
“Is that for us to share?” I asked.
“No, it’s for me. You have no clue how hungry I am.” she responded.
I ordered a five-dollar chalupa box with Baja Blast. When we got it, she giggled.
“That drinks the same color as your hair!” she said, laughing.

She started running her hands through my hair.
“So... soft...” she said, as she kept petting my hair. Three seconds later, she fell asleep.
“Cali... Cali, wake up.”
I shook her, and she finally woke up.
“Okay, let’s eat.” she announced.
We parked in front of the Taco Bell.

We went through the whole meal in about ten minutes. We were giggling at random Instagram memes.
I then realized she payed for the food.
“Ah crap! Here, let me pay you back...” I said, searching for my wallet.
“It’s fine!” she responded, grabbing me by the wrist. “Just hook me up when I’m out of weed.”

Right then, we heard a knock on the door.
“Come out, you stoned motherfucker!” this small girl said. She couldn’t have been any older than 14.
She rolled down the window.
“The fuck are you doing here?” she yelled. “Get your bitch American ass past Saint-Claire and out of here!” I responded.
“That’s no way to treat a lady!” I yelled.
“Talk some shit like that again and I’ll beat your ass, bitch!”

She immediately ran away, dropping her tacos as she fled.
“Uh... thank you...” Cali said. It sounded like she was about to cry.
“Don’t listen to that bitch, she doesn’t know shit. You’re a good person, I swear,”
She smiled. Her light-blue eyes shimmered directly into my dark brown eyes.
“You too,” she whispered.

We drove back to Azur area, and within five minutes we found the Commander’s office building on the corner of 71st and Santa Maria. We walked into the building, and we immediately run into Tennessee.
“Where the hell were you two?” she asked, clearly angry.
“Relax, sis, we just went to Taco Bell.”
“We had an appointment, and we had to keep the Commander waiting for fifteen minutes. Both of you need to get your act together.” Tennessee warned.

We walked through the hallway to the Commander’s office. Cali was visibly nervous. I’m not sure if it was because of Tenessee or the Commander.

The Commander was a very tall white guy with brown hair and an ugly face. He shook my hand and he motioned for me to sit down.
“So, you’re an American citizen, right?” he asked.
“Well, American-Mexican dual citizen, technically,” I replied.
“Okay then. Well, you have a choice. We can try and get you Japanese citizenship, or we can find a way to get rid of the people you’re running from.”
“Well, which one’s easier?” I asked.
“None of them are particularly easy, but trying to get you Japanese citizenship would save a lot of stress. In the meanwhile, we suppose it would be okay for you to stay with your friends.”

That was it. We shook hands, and we left. It was surprisingly simple.
“Alright, it’s time to head back.” Shimakaze announced.

Cali dropped me off back at Shimakaze’s house. She helped me into my wheelchair.
Right before I leave to the house, she grabs me by the arm.
“Hold up!” she says.

She grabbed a pen and wrote her number and Instagram username on my arm.
“Hit me up sometime!” she said, smiling.

I turned and rolled away, where I immediately ran into Lee.

“Who is she?” he asked.

Chapter Text

“Shit... shit...”

“Who is she?” Lee asked me.

“Uh... just Shimakaze’s friend...” I responded.

“She wrote her number on your wrist, bro!” he responded, “She’s definitely more than just your friend!”

“Ok, I’ll admit, I think she’s cute, but we’re not anything!”

“Fine. Just get inside...” Lee said. He wheeled me inside the house. Once we were inside, I rolled into the living room and typed the number Cali wrote onto my arm and followed her on Instagram.
I messaged her on Instagram.

(lakes_and_rivers) hello mate

(cali.lilly) hello how are chu

(lakes_and_rivers) still hungry

(cali.lilly) then go eat, stupid

I rolled into the kitchen and found a bowl of pho in the fridge.
I pulled it out and tossed it in the microwave for a few seconds. I noticed
Conrado and Fubuki making conversation by the living room. They seemed like they were getting along quite well, since Fubuki was a pretty shy girl and Conrado was into that sort of thing, you know?

The microwave dinged eventually and my pho was ready. I grabbed a napkin so I wouldn’t burn my hand on the hot bowl. I found a spoon, and I was ready to eat. It was pretty damn delicious.

After washing the bowl I ate out of, I decided to shower and just generally chill.
Still bored, I rolled another blunt and was planning to light it when Yuudachi came in.
“Can you do that outside, poi? I’m not a big fan of smoke...” she asked.

I complied, and wheeled myself out of the house. A bit bored, I decided to do some exploring of the base.

Shimakaze’s house is on the corner of East 99th and Saint-Claire. The only other address I remember is 419 San Diego Drive, which is Cali’s house. That’s it. I need to make more friends on this island.
Anyways, since Shimakaze’s house is on Saint-Claire, and Saint-Claire divides the Azur area from the Kantai area, all I had to do was cross the street to enter West 99th Street and the Azur area. I saw lots of cool things, like a house shaped like a castle, a Burger King, and a nice view of the ocean. But eventually 99th Street came to an end. The only direction was to turn and head back or go down the hill on Saint Martin Road. However, if I go down the hill, I won’t exactly be able to head back up.

Realizing I still hadn’t smoked the blunt I made, I decided to head down the hill to the docks, where I would sit and smoke until someone kicked me out. I guessed since I was in Azur area and the Azur commander gave me the okay to be here, if someone reported me, the Commander would cover for me.

Getting down the hill was a challenge, and my brake lever took a serious beating from me rolling super fast down the street then braking really hard. After almost crashing, I finally reached the wharf.

I found a chill spot on the edge of the wharf and looked for my lighter. Once I find it, I light the blunt and stare out to sea. I wonder if my parents are watching me... Sayori... the other 94 kids, a lot of which were my Latino and Asian friends, who died in the shooting.
I inhale the smoke, hold it for a little, then exhale.

My sister...
I immediately feel like puking when I think about my sister. She was a big reason I stuck around for this long, and they went and killed her. I remember her 3rd birthday, which is the last birthday we had all together as a family. My dad saved money for six fucking months so she had these awesome presents and a cake and a small but nice party. It was devastating when they died, but I couldn’t really be sad for long. I had a mouth to feed, shit to pay. At least it gave me an out and I never really felt upset. Kelly Vargas would help me with food when I was broke, so at least someone I care about is alive still.

I shed a few tears quietly as I slowly inhale the smoke again. I’m very much so in my feelings, so it was really hard for me to notice that a car pulled up on the street behind me.

I actually didn’t know that that person got out of their car until I hear whispering.

“Rivers, what the hell are you doing here?” the voice asked.
I turned to see Cali, quietly running towards me.
“Hurry, throw it in the water!” she told me, grabbing my wheelchair and rolling me back to the truck. I threw the blunt into the water. What a waste of good weed.

Once she got me into the truck, she threw the wheelchair in the bed of the truck and then got in the driver seat.
“Okay... why were you doing that?” she asked.
“I was just lighting one up, I was bored...” I responded, nervously.
“You do know weed is illegal in Japan, right?” she said.
You see, I actually didn’t know that, but I wasn’t gonna tell her that. It’s bad for business.
“Yeah, I totally knew that...” I lied.

She laughed.
“Bullshit,” she said. “It’s okay, I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
She drove west on Seashore Avenue, which the street before 1st Street and right next to the ocean, until we reached a gate. There was an armed guard. Cali said something to him, and he opened the gate.

“Well, welcome to Japan outside the military base.” she told me.

We were on a deserted road that was right next to the beach. It turned into a dirt trail about a mile out. From there, Cali put the truck in four wheel drive, then drove into the sand. Once we were on sand, she did a huge donut that sprayed sand eight feet high and probably made my wheelchair sandy as hell.

Once we stopped. She opened the tailgate and threw me onto the truck bed.

Damn, I thought. She is really strong.

Using my hands and the side of the truck, I was able to turn myself around.

I rolled another blunt to make up for the one that I threw into the water.
“Hey, give me some!” she said, “I forgot to bring mine, anyway.”
“Good, cause your weed fucked me up. Don’t worry, I’ll split this one with you.” I responded.
She got in and sat down next to me.

“Hey, so I was talking to my friend Cleveland, and she showed me this cool rap band she really likes! I’m gonna play it, they’re actually pretty good!” Cali cheered.

She played “Look Into My Eyes” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
“She showed you Bone Thugs?” I asked.
“Is that what it’s called?” she replied. “Yeah, she did.”

We smoked the blunt, and it was pretty good. It wasn’t that big, but it was enough to be fun. She was really relaxed, and ended up wrapping her arm around me.
“It’s just for support, I promise! I feel like I’m gonna slide if I don’t hold on.” she told me. I know it’s probably bullshit, but I let it slide.
I feel a droplet of water on my face, then on my wrist, then a few more.

Then it starts to rain. I try to climb back onto my wheelchair. Cali stops me right as I almost get in.
“Come on! It’s fun!” she said as she grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me back to where I was.
She was soaked, as in completely wet, and soon enough, I was.
“Okay, I’ve had enough, can we go home?” I asked.
“Awwww... come on, just another minute!” she asked, like a kid asking their mom to not leave the park.

After another minute, we actually started getting wet.
“Okay, let’s go now.” she told me.
She carried me into the car. I felt really embarassed, but she seemed happy. I just didn’t like people having to carry me.
Being wet usually makes me sleepy, so as soon as we left, I fell asleep.

I woke up to Cali poking me gently.

“We’re here, dude,” she said. I opened the door. It was still raining super hard, but she was taking her time.
Once we got in and wiped our shoes and then took them off, I realized this wasn’t Shimakaze’s house. This is Cali’s house. And by extension, Tennessee’s house.

“I went to Shimakaze’s house and got your shit.” she told me, tossing me my bag.
“How come you want me here?” I asked.
“It’s fun! I get pretty lonely, and big sis is out for most of the day.” she said. I think that’s bullshit too.
“Anyways, I think I’m gonna change and then go to sleep.” I told her.

I went to change into basic shirt and sweatpants. Then I rolled back into the living room, where I heard Tennessee and Cali arguing in the kitchen.

“He can’t stay here,” Tennessee said. “This is already a small house as is.”
“But he’s a good friend of mine.” Cali responded.
“You’ve only known him for two days. The only reason you like him is cause he’s the only guy on this island.”
“No, I like him cause he’s fun to hang out with...”
“Well, I don’t want to him here.”
“How come?” Cali asked.
I could tell Tennessee tried to whisper it so I couldn’t hear, but I heard everything.
“You know... he’s... ahh... Latino...”

“That’s really... rude to say...” Cali said, her voice breaking. Then she started crying and ran off to her room.
“Cali.. wait.. I meant...,” Tennessee stuttered. She seemed like she felt bad.

“Damn...” she whispered. “Too sensitive, I tell you what.”
I slowly rolled into the kitchen, where Tennessee was pouring herself a shot of whiskey.

“Want some? I don’t care anymore.” she said to me.
I accepted and she poured me one.
“Ah... life is shit,” she said after drinking a shot. “You ever feel that?”

“Hell yeah, I do!” I responded, already feeling drunk. “My girlfriend, my sister, and a lot of my friends died in the same damn hour...,”
Tennessee just stared at me, shocked.
She poured and drank another shot.
“That’s hard, my friend. Now I see why you wanted to hang out with Cali.”
“Uh... I guess..” I said.
“Tell me something. Do you like her? As in, romantically?”
“I mean... I do... but I don’t want to push it too soon, you know?”
“I sure do. Good choice. I guess you can stay for the night. There should be a blanket behind the sofa somewhere.”

I turned off the lights and pulled myself onto the couch as hard as I could. It took a lot of effort, but eventually I made it.
I pulled the blanket over and closed my eyes.

I heard footsteps, but I didn’t look.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind if you pushed it,”

Chapter Text

I woke up to a gentle tapping. I tried to roll to stop it, but the tapping kept happening. Harder. Then harder. Eventually, I woke up.
I saw Cali’s face right over my head.

“Hey, I hope you’re hungry!” she said, “Come, I made breakfast!”

I pulled myself into my wheelchair, which took about five minutes of inching myself onto the chair. Once I got on, I rolled myself into the kitchen, where I smelled what smells like home. Mainly a bunch of breakfast foods.

I found the plate with no chair behind it and deduced that it was mine.
“Eat up! I made a lot of food!” she said as she scooped eggs and bacon on my plate. I really wanted some sort of taco or quesadilla or something, but I’m too polite to ask.

“Uh... Itadaki... uh... something..” I said, forgetting the other half of the word.
“What’s that?” Cali asked, tilting her head. She was confused as hell.

Our conversation was interrupted when we noticed Tennessee walked into the kitchen.
“Mornin’,” she said, “It’s breakfast, already?”
She sat down at the other table.
“Could I have some?” she asked.
Cali looked upset.
“Go get it by your damn self,” she responded. “I’m still very mad at you,”
“Agh, I don’t have time for this shit. I need to get going, I’ll get food on the way.”

“Where are you going?” I asked.
“There’s a new national fleet of ship-girls trying to join the Azur Lane. Goes by the name of Armada del Sol.” she replied.
“Armada del Sol? Isn’t that the Mexican Navy?”
“Yes, we’re negotiating terms with them for admission into the Azur Lane.”
“Well, I could translate for you if you want.” I said.
“That won’t be necessary, there’s someone—“ Tennessee started.
“Look, if these ship-girls come from Mexico, and I come from Mexico, then it’s obvious I should help.”
“Ah... I guess,” she responded. “Go get ready.”

I spent the next ten minutes brushing my teeth and getting dressed as fancy as I could.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said. I rolled out of the house and followed her. We walked about a mile on San Diego Drive until it reached Seashore Avenue. There was a building on that corner that looked kind of scary, like a big government building.

The interior of the building was nice, it had some samurai swords, a lot of pictures Japanese emperors, and other stuff I can’t describe. We went up the stairs to the second floor, I followed Tennessee through the hallways until we got to the conference room.
Once we were outside, Tennessee told me not to talk unless they said something.
“You think I don’t know that?” I asked her.
“No, I think you don’t. That’s why I’m telling you,” she responded, matter-of-factly.

We walked in. There was 2 or 3 ship-girls that I could tell were American, and there were six Mexican girls. I could tell the Mexican girls were a little more relaxed because I was there. At least someone like them were there.

“Hola, señor! Me llamo Baja California! Soy la segunda en la clase Oaxaca y la mas poderosa de mis hermanas! Qué es tu nombre?” the lead one said to me.
“Me llamo Rivera, señorita. Bueno a conocerte.” I responded.
All the Mexicans introduced themselves. From left to right, their names were Allende, Sierra, Baja California, Durango, Azueta, and Manzanillo. It seemed that Baja California was the leader of them all. She looked nothing like Cali, with a lot darker skin, long brown hair, and a long Mexican schoolgirl outfit, which is a lot like a Japanese schoolgirl outfit, just with a vest. They were all very young, with the youngest girl being only about 12. Baja California was the oldest, and she couldn’t be any older than me.

Tennessee whispered to me to ask them about their history.
“Que es la historia de su armada?” I asked them.
“Pues, nosotros somos—“ Allende started.
“Allende, callate.” Baja California said. “Nosotros tenemos un servicio muy importante a nuestra patria. Nuestra armada defendió contra los cárteles importando drogas a America, y también ayudando a los personas en desastres naturales.”
I thought it sounded good, since they said they sink drug boats importing drugs to the United States and they help people in natural disasters.
Tennessee seemed less amused. I recognized Yamato, from the Kantai fleet, and she smiled at me. I also saw a woman with blonde hair and a crown. She looked royal.
She told me to ask them if they’ve seen any actual battles.
“Ellos quieren saber si hiciste algo mas, porque no creen que eso es muy interesante.”
Baja California chuckled nervously.
“No mucho... pero lo que hacemos es muy importante. No debes tratarnos mal porque somos joven.”
She said that they didn’t do much outside of Mexico, but what they did was very important. They said they also didn’t like being treated bad because they were young.
Tennessee told me to ask them if they spoke English.
“Pueden hablar Inglés?” I asked them.
Allende, Sierra, Durango, Manzanillo, and
Azueta couldn’t. Baja California said she could.
“I can speak English...” Baja California said in a thick Mexican accent. “Just not too good,”
“That’s good.” Tennessee said.

Tennessee, Yamato, the regal lady, and I stepped out of the room.
“I’m not fond of them. I say send them back.” the regal lady said in a British accent.
“Me neither,” Tennessee said, “They just don’t have much of a purpose. They’ve never seen true action. And they’re all kids.”
Yamato stood up for them.
“While they are young, they are very useful for coastal defense. At the very least, they can patrol the island. What do you think, Rivers?”

“He doesn’t get a say, he’s just the bloody translator! He’s obviously gonna side with them, look at him! Tennessee, say it!” the regal lady said.

Wow. More racist shit. However, I am siding with them, so I can’t argue.

“Well, he did help...” she sighs, as if she didn’t want to do this, “What do you think, Rivers?”

“Well... uh... I agree with Yamato that they could have some use as a coastal defense project, and not hiring them would be really bad for your PR.”

“That’s what they said about the Canadians, and we still denied them access! It’s 2 against 2, how must this be settled?” the regal bitch said.

I dug around in my pocket and found a Mexican peso.
“If it lands on the eagle, we welcome them.”

I flipped the coin, praying, hoping it landed on the eagle. Cause I really think it would be cool to finally have some fellow Latino people over here. Maybe I can satisfy my taco craving.

I looked down slowly.
“It didn’t land on the eagle, let’s go tell them they’re out.”
“Nah, y’all believe in God, right?” I asked.
Tennessee and the queen said they did. Yamato didn’t.
“Well, Jesus loves them, so we win.”

I went in and told them they made it.
“Ugh... we can’t argue with that.” Tennessee said, “I guess we can take them to the hotel zone for now.”

We walked them to the hotel two blocks down, and we checked them in.
Baja California kept looking at me.
Weird.

We walked them to their rooms.
“Pues, hasta luego, Rivera,” Baja California told me. Then she gave me her number.

What the hell is with all these girls giving me their number? And that’s when I realized. I’m not gonna be here forever.

Chapter Text

If I had a magic wand...

I thought this over as I was rolling back to Cali’s home, feeling pissed. I’m upset that all these girls are getting really attached to me, giving me their numbers and whatnot. I feel bad, since a lot of them haven’t really seen a guy other than the Commander for years, and I think the Commander is taken by Kongou.

Why, you ask, am I pissed about these girls linking up with me? Well, many reasons, but my biggest thing is because I know that I’m not gonna be here forever. Once the paperwork goes through and I get Japanese citizenship, I’m off to the mainland. Once I’m there, I’m gonna find Sayori’s Japanese family and tell them what happened. I can speak okay Japanese, so it’ll work.

Second, it’s really hard to get back to going out with girls when I know Sayori’s gone. She’s dead. She was the best girlfriend ever. I remember when we met.
We were seven, and I didn’t speak a word of English, and kids were trying to beat my ass because of it. Sayori learned Spanish just so she could talk to me and teach me English. From then on, we were solid. We would hang out pretty much every day. And we were next-door neighbors, so it was easy. My mom and Sayori’s mom knew each other, so I would always be at her house, or vice versa.
Then we were fourteen, and I was seriously thinking about joining the Mexican Crips full-time. Then she asked me out, and it pretty much saved me from becoming a gangster and dying.

She saved me from dying, and yet I couldn’t do the same for her. There can’t be any other one like her. She was original.

I think about happy things about her. She taught me how to cuss in English and Tagalog. She taught me how to use a butterfly knife. I took her to Mexico when we were fifteen, and she ate a taco for the first time.

My feelings were cut off by Tennessee.
“Why are you crying?” she asked.
“Ah... nothing.” I responded, crazy how long I was in my thoughts, “...just reminiscing on some ghetto memories.”

That’s my usual response when someone asks why I cry all of a sudden. It keeps people from asking too much about what’s wrong.

Once we get home, I decided to grab my shit and head back to Shimakaze’s house. I feel better that there’s a girl who doesn’t love me. She acts just as stupid around me as she does around anyone else.

Right as I’m out the door, Cali catches me.
“Where ‘ya going, buddy?” she asks, happily. I need to come up with a good lie.

“I’m just... uh... buying snacks. The corner store.” she said.
“The stores don’t accept dollars. Here, I’ll give you a thousand yen if you trade for ten dollars.”

I give her ten dollars, and she gives me the thousand yen. Once I know she isn’t watching me, I head up the hill, looking for 99th Street.

After a lot of painful uphill rolling, I finally see the sign for West 99th. I turn right and head straight until I see Saint-Claire and the familiar glow of Shimakaze’s house.

I knock on her door.

Yuudachi opens it.
“Oh, hey, Rivers! Come in!” she greets. I roll in.

Shimakaze is bouncing around the house. Literally. Jumping around the house, like a crackhead. Lee walks in, looking happy as hell.

“Bro, good news!” he tells me.
Then, right behind him, I see Natsuki. She’s alive.

Natsuki gives Lee a kiss on the cheek, then says hi to me.
“How the hell did you get here?” I asked.
“Lee told me where you were, then I stowed on a supply boat headed here from Long Beach.” she responded.
“Interesting, poi.” Yuudachi cuts in.
“I’m gonna go get some sleep.” she says. “If crazy-ass Shimakaze here will let me.”

Shimakaze looks at her.
“Hey, I’m not crazy! You’re just a square!” she retorts, pausing her bouncing.
“The fuck you say, bitch?” she asked, scarily. She looked as if she was gonna kick the shit out of Shimakaze.

Conrado was with Fubuki, again, making conversation. Fubuki seemed extra giggly and cute around him. At least he’s happy with the attention he’s getting.
I’m happy with Shimakaze and Yuudachi being just my friends. And nothing more.

Speaking of Yuudachi, after her and Lee literally pulled Natsuki off of Shimakaze, she came up to me.
“Hey, if you want, I can set up an air mattress and you can bunk with me, poi. Might make it easier than sleeping on the couch. Fubuki took it, anyway.”

I felt weird about that. Isn’t that something you do with your best friends, or even more intimate people?

Anyways, I could use a peaceful place to sleep without Shimakaze starting shit. Especially when Natsuki’s here.

I’m glad she’s here, I really am. She’s one of my best friends, but all she does is remind me of Sayori. I don’t know how much I can put up with it.

I decided to dig around in my bag for a piece of paper. Once I got it, I grabbed a book to write on and I wrote a poem.

Amityville

The sky is looking nauseous
Or is that the world’s end?
I can’t tell if the green I see
Is my imaginary friend

Or just the half pound of grass I smoked
In forty five minutes, I’ve choked
By the kitchen counter, drink another can of Coke

I’ll pray to God, but he won’t tell me shit
If I’ll find another like her, but then he’ll spit
In my face, and I deserve it, I do
For asking something so rude
Just because I felt like I was in the mood

I was rereading it, making sure it sounded okay, when I snapped out of it and noticed Yuudachi reading my poem over my shoulder, while eating a cookie.

“Wow!” she said after she was done reading it. “You’re a great poet, poi!”

“Well, I... uh, used to be in a literature club. Lee and Conrado were part of it.”
“Seems interesting, you guys wrote a lot of poems?”
“Yeah, we did. It was our main attraction.”

She took another bite of her cookie.
“Hey, Shima-chan, Fubuki, Lee, and I are having a tea party. You’re welcome to join us.” she offered.
Feeling in the mood, I accepted. Me and Yuudachi went off to the kitchen and she sat down. Since I was already seated, I just rolled in front of the plate that was set out for me.
I remembered to say ‘Itadakimasu’, then I went to town. Someone was already kind enough to pour me tea before I came. It turned out to be jasmine tea, and it was incredible. Yuudachi also baked scones and cookies to go along.

“These are really good! How do you make them?” I asked her.
“Well, poi.. uh, um.... you see...” she stuttered.
“Yuudachi gets really nervous when people ask her about her cooking. Don’t mind her.” Shimakaze explained.
“Hey! Not fair, poi! Don’t be so rude!” Yuudachi retorted.
Fubuki just laughed and retreated to her scone.

Then Fubuki’s phone went off.
“What’s that, poi?” she asked.
“Well,” Fubuki responded, “I guess Secretary Nagato-san is sending me, Kongou, and Sendai on a defense mission.”
“Defense mission? Ah shit, please don’t say they’re sending me, too! If they are, I’m hiding out in the woods!” Shimakaze said.
“It’s okay, they’re not sending you. It’s only us three. I guess me and Kongou are still in Mobile Unit Five, and Sendai used to be in Torpedo Squadron Three with me before I ended up being reassigned. They want us to stop this boat that’s coming towards the base. According to Nagato, it’s either abyssals or Americans.”

I started getting nervous. I’ll be damned if it’s Americans. Lee could tell I was getting nervous.

“Hey, Rivers, a word?” he asked.
He followed me into the empty living room.

“Dude, why are you freaking out so bad?” he asked.
“It’s nothing, I just... I just smoked a little too much, okay? I’m fine.”
“Bullshit, Rivers, now spill it.”
“Okay, what Fubuki said made me fucking nervous! What if those Americans are fucking Chase and Collin, and they’ve come to kill me?”
“Bro, chill the fuck out. Most likely, they’re already in jail. If not, they’re not here. They’re on the run. Even if it’s them, the whole Japanese navy will blast their asses.”

Then I hear cheering from the kitchen.
I go in.
“Hey, Hotel Yamato just opened! Let’s all go!” Shimakaze cheered.
“Count me in!” Yuudachi said. “Are you coming, Fubuki?”
Fubuki hesitated.
“Uh... I have to go on the mission. But when I’m done I’ll come right over!”

I joined up with them.
“Do I get to come?” I asked them.
“Well, sure! It’s a recreational thing, so there’s nothing saying we can’t bring you along.” Yuudachi responded.
“Well, we’d have to bring them in the transport boat, since they aren’t ship-girls.” Fubuki explained.
“Wait!” Lee cut in, “What if we just use the boat that we used to get here?”
“That’s an idea.” Shimakaze said as she left to pack her shit.

“I’m gonna call Mutsuki. Maybe she wants to come.” Yuudachi told us.

I left most of my shit on the boat. My bass guitar, my surfboard, shit like that.

Fubuki left soon after, but Yuudachi packed her shit for her.

Shimakaze was jumping around like a rabbit again.

“Hey, Rivers! Are you excited? You get to go to Hotel Yamato!” Shimakaze said, excitedly.

“Uh... sure... what’s at the Hotel Yamato?” I asked.

“I’ll explain.” Yuudachi said, “Yamato-san, the lady we met up with to figure out what to do with you, runs a hotel on Truk Island. She goes out there for the season.”

“It’s killer! The food is amazing, like a five-course meal every day! The beds feel like they’re made of angel hair, and the surf... is amazing.” Shimakaze explained to me.

“You surf too?” I ask, really excited. “Finally.”

“I’m telling you, Hidden Beach usually has double overheads. It’ll be fun!”

She gave me a hug in her excited craze, maybe cause she knew I could surf too.

“When are we leaving?” Lee asked.

Yuudachi grabbed her and Fubuki’s bag and put it in the living room, where we were at.

“All we have to do is wait for Mutsuki!” Yuudachi announced.

Natsuki was next, she got her stuff and put it next to Fubuki’s.

Mutsuki showed up about ten minutes later, and we all went down the middle of the empty Saint-Claire Road down to the launch pad. Shimakaze ran all the down there, beating us by about three minutes.

I tried my new method of rolling down hills fast then braking slowly. It worked for a bit, but I almost crashed and decided I didn’t wanna risk it. Once we all made it to
me and the boys’ boat, we loaded all the bags onto it.

Conrado lifted the anchor, Lee raised the sail, and I started the engine. We met up with the shipgirls once we were all on the ocean, and I was amazed. They could literally walk on water. Fast. As fast as a boat.

Obviously, Shimakaze was the fastest, and she disappeared from view for a moment. It took four hours to make it to the island.

Once we all made it there, it was 1 a.m., and we were all cold. We could see the tip of the building.

We undocked, and Lee pushed me through the sand to solid ground, where I rolled myself onto the walkway to the building. Yamato was waiting for us.

“Hello, Rivers,” Yamato said, bowing. “It’s great to see you again,”

“Thank you, madam,” I responded, trying to be fancy.

“No need to be so formal!” she assured. “Let’s see you to your room!”

We booked four rooms, and since there were eight of us, we’d each have to bunk with someone.

Fubuki was stuck. It looked like she wanted to bunk with Conrado, but Mutsuki, her best friend, took the opportunity before he could. Conrado tried with Lee, but he was bunking with Natsuki.

Yuudachi, as kind as she is, offered to bunk with him. He reluctantly accepted. It sucks that I wasn’t even a thought. I got put with Shimakaze.

“Yay!” she cheered. “Me and you are gonna be roommates! This will be so epic!”

I didn’t mind too much, I enjoyed hanging out with Shimakaze.

I grabbed my bass and surfboard and walk with Shimakaze. At least we could talk about surfing.

“Um.. Shimakaze?” Yamato asked.

“Yes?” she responded.

“I just want to let you know that there are people sleeping, so please keep the noise down.”

She groaned and reluctantly accepted.

She laid out her things, and went to the bathroom to change. She came out, wearing her normal striped socks with gray shorts and a sweatshirt.

I decided to change myself. I developed a system once I was in the bathroom. I have fairly strong arms, so I lifted myself with the counter and my arms. Using one arm to support my non-functional legs, I put on baggy pants and a old Nirvana shirt I own.

From there, Shimakaze was on the bed, looking for a show on TV.

“Yo, get off, I got dibs on the bed.” I informed her.
Her three Rensouhou-chan slowly came towards me.

“You see, they want me to have a bed. But I mean, we can share.” she assured. She patted for me to get on from the other side. I hauled myself onto it, then used my arms to reposition myself until I hit the pillow.

And I’m fucking tired. Good night.

O