The Darkness of the Water and the Sinking of Tone.

[freejones912]

Darkness. The pitch black of the depths. The sound of blood rushing behind your ears. This was what awaited Tone. She hated herself for failing to spot the Morgana submarine before it could fire a torpedo into her. One lucky hit was all it took to split her open. 

 

Water passed her sides as she sank. Pieces of her hull broke off, and the sunlight became dimmer and dimmer as she stared up at the sky she would never see again. Tone awakened at the very last moments of her life, desperate to save as many of her sailors as she could. 

 

Minutes passed in silence. It was difficult to think quickly. Tone felt herself rest on the bottom of the ocean, and all was still. Time was taken to sit quietly and think. 

 

The warm, open sky. Blue waves upon the ocean. Tone was sailing with her sister Chikuma out of port. Chikuma had awakened, though Tone yet slumbered. Her sister was always such a kind-hearted girl, who always made sure Tone was kept up to date about the war. Now she was alone. Heartbroken, she must be. ‘I am glad we’re together, sister. The world isn’t so scary with you by my side.’ She had always worked so hard to be a part of the world, but now experienced the painful losses that were part of it too. 

 

How would Japan fare without Tone? She had a job to do, a responsibility, and failed. The Morgana had to be stopped at all costs, but Tone lay at the bottom of the sea, a mere few months after the war began. It was no place for a ship of war. 

 

Time passed. The darkness was ever-present. Is this all that awaited her, a spirit without a proper body? Tone began to reach out to whatever was there. Suddenly she stopped, chiding herself for what she had done. Ever-so-faintly, she realized the spirits of her distant cousins surrounded her too. The Otoris she had perished with were lost too, but they had never awoken. Their spirits persisted, but almost completely unnoticeable. Tone used to believe it would be a blessing to awaken, but now her curse. How foolish she was to throw away her brief life, when those around her never even had a chance. 

 

Every so often, Tone would have visions. Sometimes it was of the sun, other times of indistinguishable voices. She could almost make out the familiar sights of Japan. One of the visions was of herself. Only it was not herself, but rather a shrine dedicated to her. Beside it grew a small tree. Are these the thoughts and memories of my sister? Tone thought to herself?

Chikuma had been able to move forward. Tone was grateful.

 

These visions filled Tone with a new resolve. Perhaps her spirit lingered for a reason, one she was determined to discover. She had to get back to her sister, her family. Japan still needed ships to protect itself, and Tone would not go down without a fight.