Multi Fandom One Shots And Short Stories

(MIDWAY) Remember

A/N- Alright, so this is quite different from what I normally write. I didn't want to be disrespectful to those who lost their lives in the Battle of Midway and Pearl Harbor, but I did want to write something for it. My muse, Kefira, wouldn't let me be unless I wrote this so I dropped everything (during school, shhhh don't tell anyone) and this came into being.

NO SHIPS.
TW- War, death, bombs, typical war time stuff

Word count: 1064

Remember
March 24, 2022
In remembrance of Richard "Dick" Halsey Best and all who lost their lives during World War II.
Happy Birthday, Best

Bruno felt his heart stop when the anchor hit the water beside him. He looked up at O'Flaherty and the Japs, his eyes widening. O'Flaherty was staring at him in horror, a horror that he was feeling for himself right at that moment. He wanted to say something, do something, as one last show of defiance. But then he was sinking, down into the depths, pulled by the anchor he was attached to.

He tried kicking, pulling his hands free, anything to survive; to go home. But none of his efforts were able to loosen the knots on his wrists. Soon, his lungs were burning and he had to breathe. He had to! Water rushed into his lungs. He choked, coughed, and sucked in more. The world was going dark. He didn't want to die, not like this! He wanted to go home, back to his parents, maybe find a nice girl someday... His world had gone black. Then there was nothing.

Suddenly, he was free. He was floating. Where was he? Water swirled around and over and through him. He felt light, lighter even than when he was flying. He drifted in lazy circles, following the currents of water. He was free.

Soon, another presence joined him. A name floated through his thoughts. O'Flaherty! They twined together in joy, weaving around and over each other. They were free! Free from the war, free from the violence, free even from themselves. Somewhere deep within himself, Bruno- or this new presence previously known as Bruno- felt a stir. The water needed him somewhere, somewhere away from here.

It seemed O'Flaherty had felt this need too. Soon, they were drifting through the flowing darkness that was their new home. There was no urgency in the need, they just felt they needed to be somewhere. Was there such a thing as time? What was time? What dictated urgency? Nothing mattered anymore, not like when he was called Bruno. That time was full of pain and need. This was new and calm. He thought it was tranquil.

He didn't know or care how long it had taken, but soon enough the pair had arrived where the water guided. They drifted through the shadows of great ships and curled around different presences. The presence that used to be Bruno knew some of them. Faces and names flashed through his thoughts as they greeted each other. Some he had known on other carriers, like Fred Cummings, Robert Curtain, and William Ignatious. He was glad to see Willie West, and he wished he could tell Best that the kid was alright. Some he had known from Pearl. Matthew Bills, George Doherty, Bruce Edmund, and- he twined around this presence happily- Roy Pearce! He knew Best would be glad to know his old friend hadn't left them, quite yet.

New presences were joining them every minute. They welcomed each of them as though they were long lost brothers. The water heaved as planes fell through the surface and bombs rattled the seabed. Several presences Bruno had known before swarmed over one such plane. The presence that joined them filled him with elation. Lindsey's presence hesitated for a moment before weaving himself through his brothers. Bruno could tell how different Lindsey was. He was lighter, he was free, he wasn't in pain anymore. None of them were.

Bruno and O'Flaherty stayed by each other's sides, greeting new presences as old friends. Most of them were foreign. He didn't mind. They were all one in this strange new world. There was no war, no pain, no weight. They were all brothers-in-arms, brothers-in-spirit, simply brothers. There was peace in this place.

Sometimes, the water directed them. There were presences she would not yet accept and they pushed those presences to safety. Some had fallen off ships; some had crashed in planes; some were thrown from their stations and posts. Those were the ones the presences helped. They pushed them to floating debris, helped them find their feet, and then were off to find more. Whether they were American or Japanese, it did not matter. The water did not concern herself with such trivial things, so neither did he.

Bruno was saddened by some of the presences he would not be able to greet. Tex Gay was one of them. He had been on The Enterprise with him, but his time was not yet. The water helped him to safety.

It felt like only a blink, but soon the presences stopped coming. He curled around and around those that had joined them, welcoming them. It didn't matter if they were Japanese or American, here they were all brothers. There was no malice, no hatred, no lust for revenge. They just floated, dancing their strange dances, and letting the water carry them.

The sea never forgot. She kept them safe, letting them claim others, bringing them to the family they had created. Bruno wasn't Bruno anymore. He was just one of the masses, at peace with each other, as they ought to be.

The sea never forgot. She accepted those who wished to be part of her. When Tex Gay's ashes were added to the bay at Midway Atol, his presence joined them. His brothers, sisters, and family who had waited for him throughout the years, rejoiced together, celebrating the life he had led and the ones they never got to enjoy.

The sea never forgot. She protected, she shepherded, she accepted. She forsook no one, loved all, and rejoiced with them in their celebrations of life. The sea never forgot and she never will forget those she harbors. She remembers all of them and she remembers her own. Her own will she protect until the end of time.