Zuikaku wanted to die.
Well, almost. She's not a teenager.
She looked like a teenager, sure, but her brain held the memories of hundreds of men, with various experiences in various fields including romance.
Now, each Kanmusu had their own level of recollection in regard of their memories as a steel ship. Zuikaku was considered somewhat gifted in this matter, able to remember the personalities and experiences of most of her crew members...including their painful deaths. So maybe she's not so gifted after all.
The thing was, she knew exactly what to do. She needed to speak to Enterprise. There's one problem, though. Reading through the memories of her crew was just like reading a book, or a guide. In retrospect, Zuikaku should've realized Enterprise's feeling for her long before she was literally mounting her. Reading through her crew's distant memories of dates, first loves, and regrets clearly showed her that all the signs were there, but somehow, Zuikaku missed them all.
In short, practice and theory were two completely different beasts. Zuikaku knew that she should speak to Enterprise as soon as possible. Communication is paramount, as the memories of broken marriages and abandoned wives in her head had shown. But every time Zuikaku tried to approach Enterprise, it felt like some invisible hands of the gods were reaching inside her gut and started playing Karuta with her innards.
So Zuikaku was left circling inside her own room, confused, slamming her fists continuously against her skull.
"Zuikaku...you'll damage your brain like that..." said Shoukaku worriedly from her seated position.
"I fucked it. Her. I fucked it up." said Zuikaku, forgetting that her sensitive sister was there with her.
"L-language please..."
Zuikaku shook.
"Sorry, sister."
Shoukaku swallowed, preparing herself to give yet another advice to her beloved, confused little sister.
"You've done something wrong and shameful, I understand that. But giving yourself concussion is not the answer."
"What else could I do!" Zuikaku lashed out, taking Shoukaku aback slightly.
"First, you need to calm down." said Shoukaku sagely. "It's just like a battlefield. Sometimes you need to stand back and not overcomplicate things."
Zuikaku took a deep breath, inhaling loudly.
"You're right, you're right."
Seeing that Zuikaku had calmed down, Shoukaku continued.
"Good. The hardest part is to meet her. Now, maybe you could-"
A tap came from the door before Shoukaku could finish her words.
"Who's there?" asked Zuikaku.
"Crane, are you alone?" asked Enterprise's distinctive voice.
Zuikaku looked at her sister.
"Okay, maybe meeting her wouldn't be the hardest part." said Shoukaku.
"Uh...my sister is here!" said Zuikaku as she opened her sliding door. "Er...you need me for something?"
In front of her, the great war machine Enterprise was fidgeting like a scaredy mouse, playing with her nails nervously.
"Ah...if so, then I could come back later..."
Enterprise had started to turn when Zuikaku grabbed her by the shoulder.
"No! she's about to leave anyway. Right, sis?"
"Of course."
Shoukaku stood, and with a smile she gracefully walked out of the room, bowing slightly to Enterprise on the way.
"Uh..."
Then, Zuikaku realized where she had placed her hand. She immediately pulled it back.
"C-come in please." said Zuikaku as she stepped back, letting Enterprise in.
"Thanks."
The room of the Shoukaku class carriers was, in a traditional Japanese way, very modest. It's six tatamis wide with wooden paneling over cement walls, with paper doors and a big wardrobe in the wall where the cranes stored their futons. Otherwise, the cranes didn't even have a proper desk, just a small lap table that's currently stored in the wardrobe, only to be taken out when necessary.
"Nice room." said Enterprise. Zuikaku couldn't guess if she was being sarcastic.
"Thanks...I guess."
Enterprise turned to face Zuikaku, and Zuikaku subconsciously averted her eyes to look at Enterprise's bare feet, instead of her eyes.
"You know why I'm here." Enterprise declared.
"Y...yeah."
"Then...who's going to start talking first? You or me?"
After the two carriers suddenly went dead silent for a painful ten seconds, Zuikaku finally collected her courage. She bowed deeply and sharply, surprising Enterprise.
"I'm sorry!" Zuikaku almost shouted. "It was a mistake! I've done something so shameful and ruined your reputation!"
Enterprise took a step back. "M...mistake?"
"Yes!" Zuikaku bowed again. "I know that it was an unforgivable act to force myself upon you! And believe me, I will bring this shame to my grave! But I swear I will make up for it! All I ask is that you do not continue to hate me!"
"H...hate you? Who-"
Zuikaku went down on her knees and started pushing her forehead against the tatami.
"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"
A moment went by when Enterprise merely watched Zuikaku in silence. To say that Enterprise was not familiar with this particular aspect of the Japanese culture would be an understatement.
"Get up." she finally said, her voice remarkably cold.
"I will not get up until you forgive me." insisted Zuikaku.
Then, Zuikaku felt something pulling on her collar. She gasped as her entire body was suddenly pulled upwards by the neck, forcing Zuikaku to meet eyes with a very angry looking Enterprise.
"Mistake?" Enterprise said harshly, yanking Zuikaku's collar.
Enterprise then pulled Zuikaku to the side, slamming her into the nearest wall. Zuikaku coughed as air suddenly got driven away from her lungs.
"You swooped me off my feet, tied me up and ravished me, and now you dare to call me a mistake!?"
Enterprise's screaming hurt Zuikaku's ears, but it hurt her heart more.
"N...no! that wasn't my meaning..! I-"
"You're afraid, I can understand that." said Enterprise with a softer voice. "I feel it too. This is my first time feeling this way, and at first, I didn't know what to do..."
Zuikaku felt Enterprise's grip on her neck weakening.
"...but then I realized that I don't want this feeling to end. God, I'm being so sappy right now, aren't I?"
Enterprise paused, expecting Zuikaku to respond. When it was clear that Zuikaku was too stunned to open her mouth, Enterprise released her grip on Zuikaku's collar before continuing.
"I love you, Zuikaku."
Love.
The word echoed inside Zuikaku's head, so loud that she almost couldn't hear Enterprise next words.
"Eheheh...you don't need to give your response right now." Enterprise chuckled, trying her hardest to downplay the weight of the words she had just said. "I mean, I'm a patient girl."
It was also obvious that Enterprise wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible.
"So, uh, GOODBYE!"
Like lightning, Enterprise turned around and started dashing for the door, and faster than lightning Zuikaku grabbed her by the wrist.
"Huh?"
Zuikaku checked herself. Her breathing was steady, and she could perfectly count how many fingers she used to keep Enterprise from running away.
This time, she's definitely sober.
...and yet she wanted her anyway.
Zuikaku slipped a hand behind Enterprise's waist and onto her lower back.
"Uh...Crane?"
Zuikaku didn't say anything. She simply did what she should've done a long time ago. She pulled Enterprise closer to her body, and pressed her into a gentle, silent kiss.
"I love you, Enterprise."
Enterprise visibly jolted as the words came out of Zuikaku's mouth.
"T..that was easy, wasn't it?" Enterprise smiled, yet the wet sniffling and the biting of her lower lip told Zuikaku she was holding back tears. "I was so stupid..."
"I think the world can agree that I was the stupid one. You've tried so hard..."
Enterprise snorted in an absolutely inelegant way. "You noticed?"
"Looking back, yeah." Zuikaku scratched her own head in mild shame. "Nose on your face et cetera."
Enterprise wiped her eyes and finally gave a genuine smile as she grabbed Zuikaku by both hands.
"So...that's it then? It's official? We're, as they say, an item?"
Zuikaku smiled, Her eyes looking down longingly at the shorter American girl.
"I don't know what people say, but what I know is that I wouldn't mind dying together with you."
Enterprise twitched.
"Okay, that maybe sounds romantic for Japanese ears, but for me that's just a bad omen."
Zuikaku glanced down, embarrassed.
"Sorr-"
Zuikaku's apology was cut off by Enterprise's counter-kiss.
"It's fine, but let's just focus on our life together from now on, okay?"
Zuikaku put her head down, resting her forehead on Enterprise's. Enterprise closed her eyes as their noses gently touched.
"Okay." Zuikaku whispered.
Zuikaku and Enterprise held their position for a blissful minute until a knock came from the door, breaking the now official couple from their trance.
"Who is it?" asked Zuikaku while Enterprise desperately tried to straighten out her crumpled clothes.
"It's Ooyodo." said a very formal voice from the other side of the door.
"Wait a moment."
Zuikaku looked at Enterprise, which then gave her a nod.
Zuikaku opened the door and was faced with the stern face of the cruiser Ooyodo, accompanied by the apologizing face of her own sister.
"I'm sorry, Zuikaku! I tried to stop her!"
Ooyodo looked curiously at Zuikaku, and then at Enterprise.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"NO!" shouted both Enterprise and Zuikaku together.
Ooyodo gave a look that clearly said that she didn't believe them even one bit.
"Everything in moderation, please." Ooyodo coughed lightly into her hand before continuing. "Anyway, I just got a call from Admiral Goto saying that she got invited to the navy's fundraiser party tomorrow, and she could bring a few of her ships with her."
Zuikaku tilted her head. "And...?"
"She gave me a list. You and Miss Enterprise are invited."
"Oh? that's nice. Anything we have to prepare?" asked Enterprise.
"Black tie required." Ooyodo said flatly.
Hearing those words, Enterprise's face immediately brightened. Zuikaku's face, meanwhile, was quickly filled with absolute horror.
'Black tie required' meant a formal party, which in turn meant that Zuikaku had to deal with what's probably the only thing she hated more than the Abyssal.
A fucking dress.
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A/N: Well, that's sappy.