A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews!
SZKZ
Zuikaku tried not to wince as she could feel the burning liquid going down her throat. Alcohol. It was her first time drinking some and she didn't like it in the slightest. It almost felt like drinking cough syrup; the sensation was the same. It wasn't pleasant. She didn't get how people could drink some regularly. She looked around. There was a party. People were dancing and talking loudly. There was music —from techno-pop to slow and jazz. There was a gigantic buffet and a lot of alcoholic drinks. Everything was to celebrate Akagi and the admiral's engagement. It had been announced publicly a few days ago. The two of them were dancing together while laughing and enjoying their time. Zuikaku didn't get it. She had thought the brunette didn't want to marry him, but she seemed so happy. People were gathering around the future married couple; some were glad for them while others were jealous of Akagi. A lot of them wanted the admiral for themselves.
The greenette took a shaky breath and pulled on her dress to replace it. She tried so hard not to think about what happened in the training room. When she had seen how exhausted Akagi had seemed to be —with her hair messy and her clothes displaced, she had known that a lot happened. It hadn't just been kissing. It had been a lot more than that. Kaga wasn't just pitying her at that point; she wouldn't have gone that far otherwise. She probably had serious feelings for her partner, but was too stubborn to actually admit it. It hurt. Zuikaku felt like her chest was being compressed, giving way to a painful and breathless feeling. She hated it. Why did she have to fall for that damn and annoying girl from First Carrier Division? It didn't make any sense. If only she could choose who she would fall in love with. Things would have been much easier.
Her bright green eyes scanned the room and she recognized long white hair. Shoukaku. She seemed to be enjoying herself; she was dancing a slow with Yuubari. Zuikaku frowned. She knew well enough that her sister ship was popular; it wasn't rare for her to receive love letters. It was normal considering how kind and pretty she was, after all. She had a lot of charms. She wasn't surprised that different girls were asking to dance with her. She approached the two females with a smile.
"Excuse me, Yuubari-san. Could I dance with Shoukaku-nee for a while?" The petite girl asked. She didn't have a proper talk with her in a long time. She wanted things to go back the way they were between them despite how uncomfortable their relationship became.
Without replying anything, Yuubari gave a nod and headed to the buffet. Zuikaku took that moment to wrap her arms around Shoukaku's neck while the other female hesitantly put her hands on her waist. The white-haired girl's face was slightly red. It seemed like it embarrassed her a bit to be that close. They both started to dance. They didn't say anything yet; they just stared into each other's eyes, giving a smile from time to time. Zuikaku just had to forget about Kaga; maybe she could actually fall for her sister ship even if she didn't think it possible. Slowly, she buried her face into her shoulder and inhaled her scent. Peach. She smelled nice. "I miss you, Shoukaku-nee... We barely talk anymore." She whispered and closed her eyes, her tensed muscles gradually relaxing.
"I do too, Zuikaku." Shoukaku replied and her grip on her waist tightened gently. "I'll get over you. I won't bother you with my feelings anymore. Let's pretend nothing happened between us. I don't want our relationship to change. I'm alright with how things are. It's less painful than completely ignoring each other."
The greenette smiled. It was exactly what she had wanted to hear. It was better for Shoukaku to get over her. Her feelings would never get returned. She held a lot of affection for her, but it wouldn't cross the boundary of deep friendship. "I'll also get over that arrogant girl from First CarDiv. I... I think she has serious feelings for Akagi-san. Two weeks ago, I caught them doing things again..." She murmured. She hadn't meant for her voice to crack, but it did.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Zuikaku..." Shoukaku said softly and rubbed her back in slow circle as an attempt to calm her down. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, "Then, why is Akagi-san marrying the admiral? I thought she also—" She trailed off. Maybe it would be better for her to not bring the topic, seeing how hurt her sister ship seemed to be.
"It's a long and complicated story. Even I don't understand..." The greenette mumbled. She heaved a sigh. Though, she soon froze once she met with piercing brown eyes. Kaga. She was leaned against the wall. She wasn't wearing a dress like most people; she was in her usual clothes. She didn't seem to be enjoying herself. Her face didn't show any emotions. She was staring blankly at Akagi and the admiral. It was obvious that she wasn't pleased with her marrying him. Was it jealousy or was it because she cared for her and only desired her happiness? She couldn't tell which one it was. She needed to have a talk with her. She needed to know how things really were.
"I... I'll be back, Shoukaku-nee."
Zuikaku pulled away and headed to where Kaga was. Her heart was pounding. She felt nervous. She would usually never try to start a conversation with her —it would always turn into a quarrel, but there were a few things that she wanted to know, that she needed to know. She took several deep breaths and faced her. Her hands were a bit sweaty.
"Why the heck are you letting Akagi-san marry the admiral?"
The brunette didn't even glance at her. She was staring at different pair of girls dancing together. Zuikaku was a bit shocked to see how tired Kaga seemed to be; her eyes were sunken and she was paler than usual. It didn't seem like she was feeling well.
"Why are you being nosy again? This has nothing to do with you."
"But you like her, don't you? O-Otherwise, you wouldn't have done all those things with her!" Zuikaku hadn't meant to shout, nor hadn't she meant to sound so annoyed. She was letting out her jealousy. Her fists were clenched.
"I don't. Do I have to repeat it? Akagi-san is only my partner. I don't have any feelings for her."
It had sounded as cold as ice. The greenette felt so frustrated. She hated Kaga. She hated how unfriendly and stubborn she could be. She opened her mouth to say something, but the girl from First CarDiv firmly took her wrist and leaded her outside. It was dark. Several dispersed clouds were hiding the moon and nocturnal insects were making their usual cracking noises.
Zuikaku was suddenly rudely pushed against the wall of bricks, hitting the back of her head along the way. It hurt. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She exclaimed, a bit taken aback at the sudden turn of events. Just when she was about to push her back, she felt strong arms wrap around her and she was surprisingly pulled into a tight hug. She instantly recognized the citrus scent from that time when they hid in a locker. Kaga was hugging her... She was hugging her! The greenette's face became a dark shade of red. It was so unexpected that she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what she was supposed to do! It seemed so unbelievable, but it was real; she could feel the heat radiating from her body. She could feel her well-developed breasts press against her own. They were so close and intimate that she could feel her warm breath tickling her cheek. Her soft lips were even brushing her skin. Zuikaku's heart was racing, her breath was caught in her throat, her head was spinning... Hesitantly, she hugged her back, clinging into her clothes. She didn't understand what was going on, but Kaga seemed upset. It looked like she needed to be comforted.
They both remained like that for a long time, neither of them wanting to pull away. They didn't say anything. They knew that the moment one of them talked, they would fight. Zuikaku closed her eyes firmly. It hurt a little bit. The reason why Kaga was upset... It was obvious.
"...You really don't want Akagi-san to marry the admiral, do you?"
Only the silence answered her, and the greenette knew that it meant 'yes'. She pulled away to stare into the other female's pale brown eyes. It was weird. The girl with the side ponytail always said that she was a bother, but the moment that she needed comfort, she went to her. They never had been close in the first place.
"Romance makes us weak. It's a fact. I thought I would always be the one at Akagi-san's side, but she—" Kaga trailed off and took a few steps back. It seemed like she suddenly regretted opening up to her.
Zuikaku stared down. Her heart broke again. It was confirmed; Kaga had feelings for Akagi. She wouldn't have been so upset otherwise, she wouldn't have looked so exhausted and she certainly wouldn't have talked about romance that way. There was nothing she could. She had known since the beginning that it was an impossible love, but the remaining of her hope had just been crushed.
"Zuikaku."
It was Shoukaku's voice. It sounded deeper than usual. It wasn't the same kind and angelic one she was used to hear. The greenette turned her head. She hadn't even noticed her presence, and it seemed like she had heard the whole conversation. She looked both sad and angry at the same time. Before she could even say anything, her white-haired sister ship took her arm and started to lead her inside the basement. That was until Kaga took her other wrist. Her grip was so firm that it almost hurt.
"You're interrupting us." The girl from Carrier Group One simply stated, her voice as emotionless as ever.
Zuikaku was shocked. She couldn't believe Kaga was trying to avoid her from leaving. Her heart skipped a beat. She was holding her so strongly.
"You're bothering her. Please, leave her alone, Kaga-san." Shoukaku replied as politely as possible.
The brunette opened her mouth, but then closed it. She seemed to hesitate, as if conflicted about what she was supposed to do. After a while, she just decided to let go of her. "It's not like it was important anyway. Your sister ship should just learn when to mind her business. The less you know, the better it is." She spoke coldly and went inside without adding anything else.
Zuikaku pursed her lips strongly. It had to be expected. The both of them weren't meant to get along. They would always end up fighting. "She's so frustrating and annoying... I don't get her!" She growled, fists clenched. Kaga hugged her just a moment ago and now she was back to being her cold self. She was also a bit mad at Shoukaku for having interrupted them. She never thought that she would dare to do so. She knew perfectly well that she did it out of jealousy. She didn't know how long she had been spying on them, but enough to hear something that didn't please her.
"Shoukaku-nee! You didn't have to interrupt us!" Zuikaku angrily shouted, almost glaring at her.
"She was hurting you. I just thought that it would be better if I ended the conversation now."
"Don't lie to me! You were just jealous!"
Shoukaku gritted her teeth. "Zuikaku, didn't you say yourself that you would try to get over her? It's only hurting you. Kaga-san is always being mean to you. Tell me, why do you like someone like her? What do you like about her?"
Zuikaku froze. What did she like about her? Could she even answer that? Kaga was pretty, but there had to be something else. She looked away. She couldn't even give a proper answer. It was pathetic. But she knew one thing; the girl from First CarDiv wasn't as emotionless as she appeared to be and she wanted to know the real her. That side of her that she was showing only to Akagi... She didn't know what to do. She was about to leave, but then, a pair of arms wrapped around her, avoiding her from leaving. She didn't even need to look up to know that it was Shoukaku. She tried to get out of her grip, not in the mood to be hugged by her at the moment.
"Zuikaku. It's okay to cry. Don't restrain yourself..."
Zuikaku suddenly stopped struggling. It only took a few seconds before she started sobbing loudly. Kaga liked Akagi. It had been confirmed. She didn't want that. Why was it so hard to accept? Why couldn't she just forget about her? They would never get along. If it hadn't been for Shoukaku holding her so strongly, she would have fallen on her knees. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably. She was letting out all of her sadness at once. "S-She likes Akagi-san... She really does..." She cried out and buried her face into her sister's ship clothes.
"I know, Zuikaku. I've heard it..." The white-haired murmured softly. Her voice was trembling; it was obvious that she didn't like to see her in that state. She was rubbing her back, desperately trying to calm her down.
"W-Why have I fallen for that damn woman!? It would have been so much easier if I had fallen for you instead... Y-You're always being so kind to me, Shoukaku-nee... And all I'm doing is hurting you..."
"You can't help who you fall in love with."
Zuikaku knew that. If it had been a choice, she would have chosen Shoukaku without any hesitation. But she couldn't lie to herself; she didn't have any feelings for her and she was probably never going to. Shoukaku pulled away and wiped away her tears with her thumbs. She gave her a reassuring smile.
"Let's go inside, shall we?"
The greenette gave a shaky nod. She opened the door for her sister ship before following her. Some girls were already severely drunk —to the point of being sick. Zuikaku looked around. Kaga was dancing with Akagi. They were looking deep into each other's eyes. The two brunettes were smiling. It was so rare to see Kaga smile. It really was suiting her... Akagi sure was lucky. To be able to see that side of her... She felt a sudden burning anger inside her and she knew well enough that it was jealousy. She shook her head and headed to the buffet. There was obviously nothing she could do, but she didn't want to abandon. She didn't want to at all.
She took herself a glass of alcohol. She didn't know what it was, but she gulped it down in oneshot. She grimaced. The taste was strong.
Then, without thinking much, she headed to where the girls from Carrier Group One were and suddenly took Kaga's arm. She stared directly into her eyes. She had to say it. She had to. Or else, her feelings would never reach her. She took a long breath. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't believe that she was going to do it. It was probably only going to make things worse between them, but she didn't care; she knew that her love would never be returned anyway, so she wasn't losing anything.
"I like you..."
It had sounded so low and weak that she wasn't sure if the brunette heard her right, but she probably did, seeing as how shocked she seemed to be. Before Kaga could even reply anything, Zuikaku turned on her heels and left. At least, she had let her know her feelings...
A/N: I apologize for the rather short chapter.
Reviews are always appreciated.