A/N: Hello!

This is my very first time writing for Kantai Collection. I've been into the fandom for a bit less than a year, and while watching the anime, I fell in love with Shoukaku and Zuikaku. Kaga, too. And so, I've decided to write a story about them. (Even if I personally think that Shoukaku x Zuikaku isn't popular enough).

SZKZ

The once blue sky was slowly being covered by dark clouds. The sun was barely visible anymore, the air was humid and there was that cold and strong wind that was caressing the skin, giving goosebumps. It was obvious that it was only a matter of time before it would start raining. It was the reason why Shoukaku was glad to be finally back from the mission. She hadn't wanted to get soaked, nor had she wanted to catch a cold. Her and her sister ship, Zuikaku, had been ordered to take care of a few wandering abyssals. It had been quite an easy job; they both returned back with only light damage. One of the enemies had been pretty coriaceous, brushing them with a torpedo. It had been considerably exhausting, and so, a hot bath in the docks was certainly deserved.

Not many words had been shared between them during their assignment. It had been strangely silent. They usually always had something to say. Shoukaku was admittedly a little worried. She knew Zuikaku well enough to understand something was wrong. She had noticed her lack of concentration during the mission. It was as if something was bothering her, but she didn't really know what it could be. She didn't notice anything abnormal going on.

"Zuikaku, is something wrong?" The white-haired girl asked in a murmur, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. "You're unusually silent..."

The greenette slowly shook her head, her twintails following her gesture. She gave her sister ship a grin. "Don't worry, Shoukaku-nee! Everything is fine! We only received some light damage, the girls from Carrier Group One seriously have no reasons to be so arrogant with us! We can be better than them. Especially that damn Kaga-san..."

Shoukaku stayed silent. She was pretty sure she heard the other female's voice crack. Something definitely was wrong, and it seemed like it had something to do with Kaga. She knew Zuikaku's relationship with her was quite particular; she always told her how much she annoyed her even if in the end she was pretty sure she only desired her acknowledgement —and probably more than that. Shoukaku knew Zuikaku had a serious crush on Kaga, even if it wasn't something she would admit easily.

"You really like Kaga-san, don't you?"

The smaller girl's cheeks became a light red. She raised her hands as a sign of defense.

"I... I do not! Stop teasing me with that, Shoukaku-nee! I don't like her; I absolutely hate her!"

Shoukaku chuckled. As much as Zuikaku was denying it, she knew the truth; she liked Kaga. She wanted her acknowledgement. She always talked about her. She often thought about her. Whenever they were passing next to her, she would look at her with such loving eyes. Shoukaku pursed her lips strongly. She was honestly hurt. She always had feelings for her sister ship, but Zuikaku obviously only had eyes for that girl in Carrier Group One. There was nothing she could do about it, and she learned to accept it with time. She learned to abandon on her.

They headed straight to the bath. It was then that they heard two familiar voices; Agaki and Kaga. Zuikaku stopped in her track and made a sign to Shoukaku, ordering her to stay silent, wanting to listen to their conversation.

"A-Akagi-san... I told you that we should stop doing those things..."

"Relax. We're alone, aren't we? There's nothing wrong with what we're doing."

The greenette's face became pale from shock. She didn't like what she was hearing; it was suspicious. Without thinking much, she pushed the doors of the changing room open and her eyes widened. The girls from Carrier Group One were suggestively close. Their naked bodies were pressed against each other, their fingers were interlaced as their faces were only a few inches apart. It had seemed like they were about to kiss. The rumor had been true after all; there was definitely something going on between Kaga and Akagi.

"You two could do this somewhere else at least! Honestly!" Zuikaku snapped, her fists clenched and her eyes glaring at them fiercely.

Shoukaku stared down, uncomfortable. Her sister ship was obviously hiding her deep sadness with burning anger. Zuikaku was heartbroken... Her clenched fists were shaking and it wasn't hard to see that she was restraining herself from crying. She didn't like to see her like that. She wished she could do something to make the situation less awkward.

"Oh, we sincerely apologize. We thought that we were alone at this hour." Akagi bowed to show her sincerity. She gave them a small, sheepish smile while Kaga was looking away, obviously trying to hide her embarrassment from having been caught in such an inappropriate moment.

"It's alright. Could you leave us alone? Zuikaku and I need some calm after the mission we've just done." Shoukaku spoke in a soft and kind voice. The only reason why she was asking to be alone was because she was pretty sure Zuikaku didn't want to see them at the moment. The poor thing was shaking like a leaf.

Akagi gave a nod. They both started to get dressed. That was until Kaga decided to finally look at their direction. She then frowned.

"I see that you two took some damage. I thought the mission the admiral gave you was simple. Akagi-san and I would have done it easily."

Zuikaku clenched her teeth, obviously irritated. "I don't want to hear this from you! Stop being so arrogant! We'll definitely get better than you, Carrier Group One, just you wait!" She shouted, her lips quivering. She would break at any moment. She just wanted them to disappear.

Kaga sighed. With her sister ship by her side, she headed out.

"I think you're the one who should learn when not to be arrogant. You can be a serious annoyance, sometimes."

"Kaga-san, don't say such things." Akagi intervened and gave Zuikaku an apology smile, before disappearing.

Shoukaku had honestly restrained herself not to defend the greenette, but she knew it would only make things worse, so she had decided to stay silent. She only watched Zuikaku as she angrily undressed and immediately threw herself into the water. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and the white-haired female could easily guess that she was crying. She soon rejoined her.

"Zuikaku..." She whispered and rubbed her back to try to calm her down. "I'm sure Kaga-san didn't mean to say you were an annoyance. I know she likes being around you, but she just doesn't admit it... I mean, who wouldn't? Being around is a real joy to me."

"Shoukaku-nee... please, leave me alone." Zuikaku said above a whisper. She hugged herself and closed her eyes tightly. "Y-You were right... I like Kaga. I really like her. That's why it hurts so much..." Her salty tears were dripping down into the hot water.

Shoukaku's throat tightened. She had expected it, but hearing it directly from her felt like a stab in the heart. She remained silent. Now she was also heartbroken, but it was something she could easily hide. She was in pain. She had always been here for Zuikaku, she deeply cared about her; she only wanted her to be safe and yet the greenette only had eyes for Kaga; the girl who kept on annoying her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. She took a shaky breath and stood up. She didn't really feel like bathing anymore. She also needed to be alone.

"Alright. I'm going to get some sleep, in that case. You definitely should get over Kaga-san, as hard as it might sound. I think you deserve better than her." Shoukaku explained, her voice trembling ever so slightly. She headed to the doors and glanced at her sister ship briefly. There was something she wanted to ask. She wanted to test her; she wanted to know if she really cared about her.

"What would you do if I were to sink?"

Zuikaku's eyes widened. She seemed shocked, and she obviously wasn't pleased with what she just heard. "W-Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Do you think you'll—"

"Just answer my question."

"I..." The greenette was surprised to see her partner acting like this. It was unusual. "I would do anything for this to not happen. I'll always protect you, Shoukaku-nee... I don't want to lose you. You're like a big sister to me, after all."

Shoukaku stared away. Of course. She should have expected it. She had always been like a big sister to Zuikaku; nothing more, nothing less. She gave her a soft smile even though it hurt. "Remember this; if I had the choice to sink at your place, I would do it without any hesitation. More than anything, I want you to be happy. I care about you that much..."

"I would do the same!" The girl with twintails retorted, her expression serious and firm. "I would give my life for you, if needed!"

"If that was the case, then I would be the most important person to you, but I guess Kaga-san is first, isn't she?" Shoukaku asked, trying not to let her jealousy take over her.

Zuikaku opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. It was as if it wasn't something she could deny. She wasn't even able to answer her question. It was pathetic. She hesitantly approached the white-haired girl and wrapped her arms around her, burying her face into her shoulder. "Please, don't say such things. Even if I have a crush on Kaga, it doesn't mean that you're less important than her. You've always been here for me, Shoukaku-nee, and it's something I've always been grateful for. I really care about you. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you..." She whispered sincerely.

Shoukaku gave a faint nod. She found it a little bit uncomfortable that they were hugging while being naked. She could feel Zuikaku's small chest press against her own. Her skin was as soft as porcelain. She had a delicate and petite figure that she always admired. Her hips were well-developped and her legs were longs and feminine... Her breath got caught in her throat as she found herself staring at her a bit too intensively. She soon looked at the wall and gently pushed her away.

"If that was true, if you really cared about me, you would have noticed how much I was hurt each time you talked about Kaga-san. You would have noticed how much I—" Shoukaku trailed off. She knew she talked too much. She could see it on Zuikaku's expression; her eyes were wide open from shock. She probably just understood that she had feelings for her. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Anyway, I'll be going to sleep now. You should continue bathing. I'm pretty sure it'll do you some good."

The white-haired girl turned on her heels, ready to leave, but she was stopped by a firm grip on her arm.

"W-Wait, Shoukaku-nee... Do you like me?"

Shoukaku had expected that question, but she supposed that she couldn't run away from it. Her heart was pounding from nervousness. She had to say it. She had to. She took a deep, tremble breath, her lips twitching.

"Yes, that's right. I like you, Zuikaku. I always did."

There was a long moment of silence in which the older female dreaded the worst.

"I... I'm sorry..."

It was the only answer she received. Shoukaku understood that she had just been rejected. It had to be expected. Zuikaku liked Kaga, after all. She forced a smile at her and gave her a nod to tell her that she understood. There really was nothing she could do. The small, remained hope she had was broken.

She left the room, a single tear running down her pale cheek.

Her heart had been shattered.

A/N: I'm still not sure if I'll do this a multi-chapters fic or if it'll stay a oneshot. We'll see.

Review, please? They're very appreciated.