The Shackles Of Affection | Male Warship | Azur Lane

(Rewritten) Chapter 10 | Grieving Souls

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---Five Minutes Later---

---Enterprise Point Of View---

Jumping with everyone close behind doing the same, and landing around everyone, I like many others don't waste any time running to those injured, trying to ease them, or provide first aid desperately needed for some more so than others. Selfishly approaching my sister before anyone else, finding her cradling Lexington in her arms. I didn't get to ask if she was okay before she spoke with devastation in her voice. "They killed her... They torpedoed her seconds after it all started... We were ambushed... and S-She didn't even have a chance to know what was happening before she was-" Interrupting her, selfishly asking. "Are you okay" I couldn't do anything for Lexington now.. No one could... That is clear but I could still help her, if she needed it. Once more, not showing any care for herself, but instead for others besides herself, she asked in a voice of what could only be described as shame. "D-Did anyone else sink..." Unsure myself. I answer bluntly. I speak rather forwardly. "It's very likely." That seemed to put a look on her face of self shame. Rather swiftly speaking again.

"Are you okay?" Finally, only now answering my question. "Yes" Hearing that made me lose my moment of hyper fixation on her. Allowing me to focus on those around me again. Across the whole battlefield were those mourning, crying, and feeling the effects of those lost. It's very obvious to me that Lexington wasn't the only other ship sunk or killed. New Jersey is the first one beside my sister that I spot, helping walk Great Grandpa Texas, who's whole left arm was blown off from the shoulder. His right leg has a clear whole in it. Drenched in blood head to toe. His own or enemies? Both. Rigging torn apart, and many massive wounds across his body. The most notable a hole being dead center of his guts, exactly 380mm's in size. Her own rigging didn't seem any better, with wholes in her turrets from Yamato's guns and Amagi's. Even small caliber rounds littered her rigging, and blood dripping from a blown open shoulder and side from grazing shots of massive size.

"A-Are you okay New Jersey..." Texas weakly asks New Jersey as she spilled tears of pain. Despite being in a far worse shape then her. He had no tears. Only a look of gentleness and kindness in his weak eyes. Just arriving Kentucky. "G-Grandpa's... G-Grandpa's-" Interrupting his older sister's tears and sputtering of fears, he would grab both of them and hug them tight as could be. Swiftly shouting with tears of relief in his eyes, but yet still carrying fear for the two seeing their states. "Thank Neptune your both alive!"  Followed by releasing them, and ripping off strips of arm sleeves of his fatigues to preform emergency repairs to the two. Across on my right side, Quincy was silently crying over the sinking rigging of an already fully sunk San Francisco... Her sister... With Destroyer Bush, from my squadron hugging her and comforting her through the tough time.

But what I think hit the hardest, was the biggest family here... An by extension via Hornet... a part of my own. A family who'd lost their youngest member and it's Newest addition. The Cleveland class family. Cleveland screaming in the outer distances as what could only be described as a grieving mother, who's baby had just been killed before her, eyes clamped tightly shut, and unable to preform even the most basic of words as she screamed and cried on her knees. Clutching her battered... Blown apart. Gutted, dismembered, and nearly unrecognizable corpse of her baby brother. No... of her baby boy... her only boy. He hadn't been alive no more then a Year... and like that he was already gone. For Denver and Columbia it was silent crying, alone from the rest of the fleet, yet with a look of what could only be described as boiling anger that had no means of escape, lastly Montpelier... Standing there just staring out at the path of distant destroyed planes and rigging of which was slowly beginning to slip beneath each coming wave, of which belonged to Cowpens.