A Bulldog's Legacy (USS Oregon in Azur Lane)

Chapter 14: Soulessness

"A-Ah! Oregon! You're awake!" A tearfully happy Hornet rushed to hug Oregon.

"H-hey Hornet. Good to see you made it alright."

Appearance-wise Oregon hadn't really changed. He looked a little thinner, and his legs were thin and weak-looking, but otherwise he seemed fine after his multi-week coma.

Except for his eyes.

Formerly they had a semi-shiny sheen to them, making their unique coloration much more noticeable.

Now they were dull and dark and barely visible.

Of course the ever-noticing Hornet saw this crucial difference, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Why...?" She whispered.

"Why what?" Oregon replied.

"Why did you save me that first time? Ever since that day when you appeared out of nowhere and blocked that katana, I've been wondering why."

Oregon thought back to that day, but the difficulty recalling those memories disturbed him.

"All I remember is that after I was first brought here I began hearing gunfire and explosions in the distance, so I went to investigate. I saw you get knocked down and that carrier Zuikaku preparing to kill you. You were sunk in one of the most humiliating situations possible in my world, so I felt I couldn't let anything similar happen here. That's when I decided to intervene."

"What about the second time, with that high-class Siren?"

"I was debating if I should help out the rest of the fleet. Seeing your hat and then yourself in that situation...Let's just say that sight settled any doubt I had then."

Hornet then remembered what she had been told by some of those who were present when Oregon had brutally wasted Purifier.

Flashback...

"What happened while I was unconscious?"

Juneau began. "That big mean Siren was going to take you back to wherever their base is...then four huge glowing shells hit her out of nowhere."

"Yeah! It was amazing! They very nearly bowled her over then and there. Boy did they leave marks..." An ecstatic Phoenix continued.

"We then saw a figure off to one side, and recognized it as Oregon, but he was...different from how we normally see him. He was a lot more aggressive-sounding and...eviller, too..."

"His face was shaded and all we could see was two glowing orange and blue eyes."

"Purifier wanted to know who might be brave enough to piss her off like that. Oregon said he knew precisely who he was dealing with, but did she?"

"He then disappeared completely, surprising all of us, even Purifier. She began looking around, demanding to know where Oregon had went."

"We heard a calm voice from behind Purifier say something like 'Right behind you' and then her head freakin' EXPLODED!"

Flashback End

"Now it's my turn to ask. Why did you save me? Why spend resources and time to repair my worthless hulk and keep me alive? You know I'm-"

Hornet had had enough. "No, Oregon. You are not worthless, you hear me? To me, at least. A person who risked their own life several times to save mine is not worthless."

She hugged him tighter. "A-And I've feeling...weird whenever I think about those times you saved me. For a while I was confused, but recently I finally figured it out."