One of the first things that stood out to Zuikaku when Gangut led her back thorough Vladivostok was the figured it might be a third of the size of Yokosuka. How exactly any real number of girls lived and fought from here was lost on her. Many of the buildings were larger than she was used to, and there weren't very many. She shivered. She hadn't noticed as much when she'd been at sea, but it was quite cold here. She glanced at Gangut, who had donned a fur coat and hat. Gangut looked at her, then stopped. Zuikaku looked at her in surprise.
"Here, take this," Gangut removed her coat and offered it to Zuikaku. The carrier's eyes widened.
"N-no, don't worry I-I'm f-fine. R-really!" Zuikaku said quickly, waving her hands at Gangut. "You keep it. I'll be fine."
"You are shivering, Zuikaku. I have another two winter layers on. You're only wearing a miko uniform. Take the jacket," Gangut said, firmly, but not unfriendly.
"Geez, you're sounding like a girl I knew back at Yokosuka. Aircraft carrier Kaga. She'd probably say something similar, although she'd throw an insult or two in there at the same time. I can't stand her and her ego," Zuikaku sighed. "I'll try to avoid the ranting."
Gangut nodded. She draped her coat over Zuikaku's shoulders. As much as she would have liked to deny it, the coat was very warm, and Zuikaku appreciated it in the cold of Vladivostok. The two continued in silence for a while, before Gangut finally stopped in front of a smaller stone building that could have been built in the 1920's, or last week. It was hard to tell.
"This is my office. You can either stay here. I have a room upstairs, or you can stay with Sovetsky Soyuz. She may let you stay with her. Maybe. If you don't know her she can be a bit, well, strange, to put it lightly." She looked at the carrier. Zuikaku looked exhausted. "While I usually stay with Kirov, maybe we can- Zuikaku?" She looked around. Zuikaku had started walking over to the dorm that Gangut had indicated was Soyuz's. "Uhh, I would knock first…" Sighing, Gangut hurried over to join Zuikaku.
Zuikaku walked over and could hear rock music coming from behind the door. Looking at Gangut, she reached for the door before pausing. "Is that Bulletproof Heart?"
Gangut nodded. Soyuz and Kirov are both heavily into My Chemical Romance. It's too, uh, different, for my liking, but each to their own." Zuikaku smiled slightly.
"Well it is a good band, but right now I need a place to sleep. I'll worry about the docks tomorrow. I'm not in danger of getting sick." She knocked on the door twice. The music shut off.
"Yeah? Who is it?" Soyuz called. The door opened, and Zuikaku wasn't entirely prepared for Soyuz's attire. She wore black ripped jeans, knee-high gloss black boots, and a battered black shirt with a design in white that Zuikaku couldn't make out. An old black bomber jacket and skull necklace completed the punk look. Her hair was cut short and spiky, and she had a touch of black eyeliner under one eye.
"Oh, Gangut. Hello." She nodded to the older girl. "Oh, and you are?" She asked, turning to Zuikaku.
"Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku. I'm from the Yokosuka District. Long story short, I had some run-ins with another carrier, Kaga, who couldn't quit hounding me about stupid stuff. After my sister and I lost a competition with her and her partner, she puts up all these posters celebrating their victory, just to get at me. It was too much for me, so I chose to leave," Zuikaku explained.
"I see," Soyuz said with a slight nod. "You're damaged. Shouldn't be at the docks?"
"Yeah, but i'm exhausted right now. Docks will have to wait till tomorrow," Zuikaku said, while fighting a yawn.
"If you wouldn't mind, Soyuz. At least let her spend one night. We can work out where-" Gangut began.
"Hah. Are you serious?" Soyuz asked haughtily. "Of course she can stay a night! She can stay as long as she needs to." Soyuz looked at the green-haired girl, who was now more red than green. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to. Come on in." She turned and disappeared. Zuikaku turned to Gangut.
"Don't worry. Soyuz can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's really quite caring when she wants to be. I'll leave you two to get acquainted." She turned to leave. "I'll be in my office. Walk in and you can't miss me."
Zuikaku sighed. She opened the door and followed Soyuz into her dorm. Having seen her, Zuikaku was at least prepared for the decor. She was struck by the darkness of the room. If there was an overhead light, Soyuz didn't use it. She had a small lamp on a stand next to her bed, but otherwise the room was completely dark. MCR and other similar band posters lined the walls. Soyu was reclining on her bed in the same attire Zuikaku had seen her in. She probably slept in that outfit.
"So you decided to join me, eh?" Soyuz called. "Great. There's the spare bed. Don't know why I have one. I don't have any sisters. But anyway, you can sleep there, alright?"
Zuikaku nodded. "So do you always listen to loud music? Not that it bothers me too much, but I don't really have any way or time to do that back home."
"Yeah I normally do. Sometimes Kirov comes over and we'll have a night of listening and dancing. You should join us." She had a glint in her eye that told Zuikaku to never make a bet with this battleship. Soyuz stood. She reached into her closet and threw Zuikaku a few clothes. "Put these on. You need them. They should fit you."
"Oh. Thanks." She looked at the shirt and jeans that Soyuz had given her. They were exactly Soyuz's style. "Thanks, Soyuz." Zuikaku sald with a small smile. Then she smirked. "Now, about that music…"
"Now I like this," Soyuz replied with a laugh. Without saying anything more, she reached over and cranked up the songs again.
So many/Bright lights that cast a shadow/But can I speak?/Well, is it hard understanding
I'm incomplete?/A life that's so demanding/I get so weak/A love that's so demanding/I can't speak" Soyuz soon lost herself in the music, singing aloud without a second thought.
Before Zuikaku realised it, she was humming and nodding along with the song. She knew that Shokaku would throw a fit if she could see her now, but Zuikaku found she liked this whole new life, even though she hadn't known Soyuz more than an hour. Before long, she had asked Soyuz for the lyrics, and soon she too had lost herself in the chorus of "Famous Last Words."
Zuikaku knew that leaving Vladivostok would not be easy for her, and she would miss Soyuz and her singing. But she'd have to go back to Yokosuka, as much as it pained her. The chorus of the song seemed to fit her perfectly.
"I am not afraid to keep on living/ I am not afraid to walk this world alone/ Honey, if you stay/ I'll be forgiven/ Nothing you can say can stop me going home."