Summary: The Abyssals appeared out of nowhere, humanity was unprepared. Out emerged the kanmusu, girls with the souls of ships from the second world war. The USN and JMSDF decided to make amends, which won't totally go wrong. Of course, old grudges never fade while new ones appear. The infamous Grey Ghost haunts the Japanese. Although, she is the one getting haunted instead.

Disclaimer: Kantai Collection is owned by DMM and everyone else that worked on it. This story is in no way trying to profit off of their game, and only the original characters along with the plot are owned by the author. Viewer discretion is advised.

"Dialog." - Can be shared by more than one person.

[Abyssal Dialog.] - Same as normal dialog, just with an Abyssal speaker.

Thoughts
or "Thoughts" - Either can work, depends on the situation.

"Messages." - Emails, text messages, or radio transmissions. In bold quotations.

Sounds
or *Sounds*- Sounds will be most likely by themselves to not be confused with thoughts.

Setting - Normal bold, not to be confused with author's notes. Appears at the very beginning of a line break.

Author's Notes - Will be in bold with A/N. Either at the very beginning or end of the story.


Into The Abyss - Chapter I


Yokosuka Naval Base, Day Before Arrival

"How do you think we should tell them, Nagato?"

The Admiral sat with her hands together and sat in a dramatic way. "…Or we could just not tell them at all to make my life easier."

Nagato inwardly sighed. "If you surprise them with a sudden arrival, who knows what might happen?" The Admiral nodded in agreement. She put her hand to her chin.

"Yeah, true. We do have some…interesting personnel."

"I suggest you do a little briefing in the auditorium so questions can be asked if needed."

"I still have some work to do…Nagato, good luck with the briefing! I'm counting on you." she said and gave a thumbs up.

"What—."


The murmurs and chatter of various kanmusu filled the empty auditorium. Until Nagato approached the microphone. She tapped it lightly, causing it to quiet ever so slightly.

"Settle down everyone," Nagato said into the microphone, her voice bouncing across the walls of the room. The chatter had completely ceased.

"Sometime this week, well it's actually tomorrow, we will be expecting some new visitors to the base—." Someone in the crowd raised their hand.

"Yes, what is it Sendai?"

"What kind of visitors do you mean, and who will they be?"

"I didn't finish explaining…" She mumbled. Nagato mentally prepared herself. "I'll be straight-forward. The American kanmusu are coming over to stay at our base tomorrow."

There was a period of just complete silence, before the room broke into loud chatter, their combined voices boomed.

Nagato sighed. "Everyone, settle down. I'll answer your questions after I explain a bit more."

She didn't yell, but her tone was very commanding yet calm and could send shivers down your spine. Everyone shut up immediately.

"They'll be living amongst us in this base. For those wondering why they are coming over, Japan and the United States decided on trying to improve relations and break the ice between us kanmusu so we can work together to defeat the Abyssals. I know we have grudges despite all of that, we need to learn to trust and cooperate with them."

She paused, continuing after a few seconds. "That is not the only announcement. Tomorrow, there will be a big sortie as well. We will be leaving at 0500. Everyone except the names I will call will be participating in the upcoming sortie."

"Fubuki, Yuudachi, Mutsuki, Sendai, Hiei, Kongou, Mutsu, Shoukaku, Kaga, and myself. Now, any questions?"

Moments passed by without anyone raising their hand.


"Alright, everyone is dismissed."

Nagato sighed, for how many times today? "I could feel the tension rise as soon as I mentioned the Americans…"

"Oh, how nice." was all the Admiral said.

"So they're expected to come tomorrow during the sortie?"

She nodded and sipped her coffee. "It's better to have as few people as possible. I don't want them to be overwhelmed when they are so tired."

"This is bullshit!"

"Zuikaku, calm down." Shoukaku tried to calm her sister down, but that hardly ever worked.

"The Americans are coming over, how can I be calm?!" She lowered her voice. "I don't even get to meet them when they arrive."

"Eh? What did you say, Zuikaku? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing!" She turned away from her sister.

"Well, there's no need to be angry at them. We're all allies, remember? Plus, didn't you want to meet the Grey Ghost when you heard she was summoned?"

"That is true, but…" She tried to find something to say, but couldn't.

"How about I tell the Grey Ghost you want to have a duel with her when you come back?"

"We don't even know if she's going to be here or not."

"That is true…" The rest of what Shoukaku said was unintentionally ignored by Zuikaku.

Zuikaku paused and thought about it. It would be a good way to settle the score between them. They could even…become friends…

She shook her head, slapping her cheeks with her hands. Friends? With the Ghost? She was having an internal war with herself. One side wanted to give it a shot, however, the other side simply couldn't forgive her. She blushed at the thought of being friends with her, but it was a possibility.

"Zuikaku?" She was taken out of her thoughts by her sister.

"Uh, yeah! Please ask if she wants to duel."

"Are you okay, Zuikaku? Your face is a bit red." Actually, it was very red.

"Y-Yeah! I should be getting ready for tomorrow's sortie! I'll be g-going to practice!"


Fubuki, Yuudachi, and Mutsuki sat at a table at Mamiya's Cafe. "The Americans huh…"

"I hope they aren't scary, poi."

"Me too, I heard they're really strong. Maybe one of them can accept me as their kohai…"

Mutsuki turned to Fubuki. "What about Akagi-senpai?"

She got nervous and started to stutter, "D-Don't get me wrong, Akagi-senpai is great! I just don't think she sees me as her kohai. I want to have a senpai that acknowledges me and maybe we could do some practice together…"

"Can't you just ask Akagi-senpai if she sees you as a kohai and if she wants to practice with you?"

Fubuki's voice got lower as if she was sad.

"She's probably too busy for something like that, I don't want to bother her. Since it's the Americans, wouldn't everyone be scared or hate them? I want them to feel more at home in our base."

"You have a good heart Fubuki, poi."


Earlier That Week, Naval Base San Diego

There was a knock at the door of the Admiral's office. The Admiral, the only one in the room at the moment, was facing the window in his office. His back facing the entrance as he looked out the window at the incoming sunset.

"Come in." He said without taking his eyes away from the window.

Seven shipgirls came into the office. Their names were Washington, South Dakota, Arizona, Enterprise, Laffey, Cleveland, and Minneapolis.

"You called, Admiral?"

"Yes I did, Arizona." He paused, spinning in his chair to face them.

Washington, a relatively tall gray-haired woman who looked like a young adult, and matching gray eyes. She had a blue tie on top of her sleeveless white dress shirt. Her navy jacket wasn't wholly pulled up to cover her shoulders, but instead, it was somewhat slipping off. Under her jacket was a blue skirt, and she also wore stockings.

South Dakota's hair screamed "American" to anyone who went by. Most of it was blue with some stars near the top, the insides were a mix of red and white. Her eyes were grayish-blue. She had a similar shirt to Washington's, but her's was exposed in her stomach area. A brown short-sleeved jacket was also equipped but didn't cover her stomach at all. To top it all off, she wore black shorts.

Arizona had orange eyes and long red hair which ended in a short braid over her skin. She wore black headphones around her neck. Her hood had small horns attached and red stitchings around the edges, rested on her back. With the hood, was a gray collared jacket. Inside her jacket was a plain white tank top, and below were navy blue jeans.

Enterprise wore a white captain's hat, covering her short messy white hair and shadowing her blue eyes. The bill of the hat was a dark navy blue, almost black, and gold embroidery at the center. Her outfit consisted of a simple black cape. The cape covered the top part of her white dress shirt with a black western tie. She had a black skirt with black leggings.

Minneapolis wore the same style headband as Arizona's hood. It was tied under her long black back ponytail. Her eyes were just as dark as her hair, but still shining just as bright as carefree her smile. Her skin tan. Even when it's hot, she still wears her navy-colored scarf. The scarf was over her black top, tucked into her denim skirt. She also wore semi-translucent stockings.

Cleveland's visor was tilted somewhat to her left, over her strawberry blond hair. Going together with the blond hair, she also had a pair of cyan eyes. She had on a black-white varsity jacket which had a gray dress shirt topped with a dark red tie. Her outfit ended with knee-length shorts and navy leggings.

Laffey was the only one with one eye visible. A white eyepatch covered her left eye, the other wasn't, and showed her hazel eye. She had light brown hair, one half swept off to the right side, the other half off to the left. The hoodie she was wearing was half falling off, revealing her plain collared shirt with a red tie. At her bottom, she wore just some normal jean shorts.

"Wait, why us?" Arizona asked. She absolutely did not want to see any Japanese kanmusu at all, after what happened at Pearl, and living in the same place with them was out of the question.

"Well, most of the shipgirls still here have upcoming sorties and expeditions. You'll be fine, and if you are wondering why there are seven of you going, it's cause we're short on carriers. Besides, there needs to be a battleship to keep Washington and South in check."

"Keep me in check? It's her fault we fight all the time!" South Dakota interjected.

"Me?! It's your stupid ego that's causing them!" Washington shot back.

Before the duo could continue, Arizona intervened. "Shut up, both of you. This is exactly what the Admiral means."

The topic was quickly brushed over. "Don't most of us share the most history with them? So, won't they be more pissed off at us?" Cleveland pointed out. "Not that I'm against it or anything."

"The Japanese government and the higher-ups decided to improve relationships between the shipgirls. If we send some Americans over, that might loosen up the built tension." He paused for a bit and then continued. "You are planning to take off at 0700 tomorrow and arrive in Yokosuka in a few days. Also, please escort the small cargo ship that we have ready as well. The flagship of this fleet will be Arizona."

"Yes, sir."

The Admiral waited for a few seconds, then announced, "If you don't have any more questions, all of you are dismissed, though you two I want to speak with you in private."

It was pretty obvious who he was referring to, and also because he was staring directly at them. Washington and South Dakota, the two who would squabble about anything.

While everyone left, the two stayed back, avoiding the Admiral's eyes.

"Do any of you want to explain why there have been several noise complaints and property damage?" He said with a closed eye smile.


Arizona put a hand to her head, facepalming. "Ugh. Why me."

"Not just you, us too." Minneapolis sighed. "What about you guys? How do you feel about this?"

"If they have Wi-Fi and snacks I'm fine," Laffey stated.

"I guess as long as none of them get in my way I'm okay with it." Cleveland commented. "My only complaint is that he decided to tell us the day before. We have what, a couple of hours to pack up and mentally prepare?"

Arizona looked at the quiet carrier, who hadn't said a word. "Any thoughts, Enterprise?"

"Not really." she said uninterested.


Next Day

"Oi, Washington! Wake up!"

"SHUT UP! You're so goddamn loud in the morning!"

"HA!? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO WAKE YOU UP!"

Arizona was awoken from her sleep. Already pissed from yesterday and now dealing with their yelling. How come her roommates always caused a ruckus every morning?

"Hey."

The two figures flinched.

"Could you idiots shut up?!"

"SORRY!" South Dakota and Washington said at the same time.

She glanced at the clock. It was 0625, she would've preferred to rest more but it seemed impossible to go back to sleep after being woken so abruptly.


"Morning Ari!" As energetic as ever, Cleveland waved at Arizona across the cafeteria.

"You're up early."

"Same goes for you. You love oversleeping but aren't a heavy sleeper. How does that even work?"

"Blame my roommates." she said as she sighed. South Dakota and Washington, who were behind her, looked away.

"Anyways, shouldn't Laffey and Enterprise be awake now?"

"I'll go get Laffey," Cleveland stated.

"I guess I'll wake up Enterprise." Cleveland and Arizona both got up and left the mess hall. South and Washington looked at each other.

"Now what?"

"Do you know where's Minne?"

"You know her, she's probably running around somewhere."

Washington smirked. "I'll race you to her."

"Bring it on Wash! I'll kick your ass before you get to her!"


"Laffey! You in there?" Cleveland had been knocking on the door for a while now. "If you don't answer, I'm coming in!"

Cleveland opened the door. "Laffey!" All the beds in the room seemed unoccupied. She went over to her bed in the corner and also found that it was empty.

"Huh."


Arizona knocked once or twice until someone opened the door.

"Hmm? Arizona? What are you doing here?" Yorktown rubbed her eyes.

"Morning Yorktown. Can you wake Enterprise up?"

"Enterprise?" She yawned. "She left a few minutes ago."

"Do you know where she went?"

"I think…one of the dorms around here."

"Dorms? I wonder what she's doing…"


Wandering through the halls, Cleveland found the other Laffey's room and knocked. She heard some voices, but couldn't make out what they said.

"Yaho~. What's up Cleve?"

The other Laffey (DD-724) had light blonde hair, past shoulder length. A part of her hair was tied up on the right side. She wore a white short-sleeved buttoned shirt with a black short-sleeved jacket without a zipper and a plain black tie. She had black shorts on with a white belt around it. Although, her body was almost completely covered in bandages. There were a couple around her head as well, sparring her face.

"Nice to see you Laffey, is the other Laff in there?"

"Yep, been playing games with her for an hour." She went back into the room. Cleveland heard muffled voices. She could make out their conversation though.

"Laff, Cleve's here to tell you that you're about to depart soon."

Cleveland heard Laffey respond in her usual lazy tone. "It's time already…?"


Enterprise sat on the floor of the vacant room. One occupant of the room had already left yesterday, and the other left a while ago. Pulling out a long rectangular case from under the bed, she grabbed its contents and studied it for a bit.

A long steel sword. She took the sword out of the scabbard. The bottom part had jagged edges, below that was the black handle. Wasn't this a birthday gift? She had refused to take it so it was just collecting dust under the bed.

Suddenly, a knock on the door woke her from her trance. "Yo Enty, you in there?"

She hastily hid it under her cape and shoved the case back under. "Yeah, I'm here Arizona."

Arizona opened the door and came in. "What were you doing here?"

"Lex asked me to check something." She lied through her teeth, although it was unnoticeable due to the lack of emotion in her usual voice.

"Oh alright. It's almost time, let's head to the docks."


Arizona and Enterprise were the last to arrive, the others already waiting there.

"So, what happened to you two?"

The two in question were of course Dakota and Washington. Both a cartoon style cranial eruptions right on top of their heads. They ignored the question and changed the topic.

"Let's sortie shall we?"

"Yeah. For once I'm with Washington for once." South let out a nervous laugh.

"Come on, we should get there as soon as possible to show the Japs how it's done!" Washington said, still nervous as well.

Arizona sighed. "Alright, everyone. I'll start first, follow my lead."


Sometime Later

"Are we there yet?" Laffey asked.

South Dakota deadpanned, "Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are we there yet?"

"Oh my god, Laffey…" Arizona facepalmed.

"Are we there, yet?"

"No." Washington sighed. This was a long trip, but it felt like an even longer day.

"Aw. What about now?"

"Are you that bored?"

"It's been days, I want to relax.~"

"Are we there—." Laffey was cut off before she finished.

Arizona sighed. "Yes, a couple of hours away, so please wait."

"Okay."

Cleveland looked over at Minneapolis, for no reason really. She had a serious face while looking down at the ground, well water.

"Minneapolis, whatcha thinking about?"

"R*ddit is such a mystery to me…every time I try to post, it feels like a bunch of villains staring me down."

"Does such a thought warrant such a serious face? Lol."

"Do people use 'lol' to mean laugh out loud or is it just the equivalent to 'haha'? Is it okay to say 'lol' in real life without actually laughing?"

"Huh."

"Are you actually the one living, or are you watching through someone's eyes as they live their life?"

"You ask some deep questions under all the stupid ones."

"Are we there yet?" Laffey chirped.

"This is going to be a long way there…"


Completed: November 14, 2020

A/N: Yeah kind of obvious who the main character is because of the summary. I haven't written in a while. I've been planning this story for a while. I write without a clear schedule, apologies for the delays.

Revised: February 2, 2021

A/N: I changed Washington's and South Dakota's appearances and the pacing of this chapter.