A/N: This is a "short" little one-shot I though up as I was watching the anime (and movie). Any feedback will be taken and used for future stories.
Nothing is ever peaceful. Peace was never an option. That's just how life works. One moment you could be living peacefully, the next you could be dead at the bottom of the ocean.
"It pisses me off that you're always so arrogant!"
I'm not...
"Would you stop looking down on us?!"
It's not like that-
"I hope you get dive-bombed or something."
Words from her and Zuikaku's earlier dispute surged through her subconsciousness. Kaga always desired to say these considerations, although she never was able to. It was either her pride, or she just lacked the courage to. The stoic carrier could never comprehend where Zuikaku's assumptions originated from. Maybe it was from her monotonic manner or was it because Zuikaku thought that She believed that the First Carrier Division was far superior to the Fifth Carrier Division. Kaga envisioned their relationship to be more of a friendly rivalry. She meant to pump Zuikaku up so that she would strive to improve. Some of the words she chose weren't very friendly rivalry like, but still, had she wished for her to be dive-bombed?
"Kaga-san?"
Kaga gazed over to Akagi, who had her bow lowered. Akagi was concerned about her. She had been there when Zuikaku abruptly lashed out at Kaga.
"...You should clear up the misunderstanding with Zuikaku. It might make the whole situation better, and if you don't have the determination, I'll be there to assist you. We do have an upcoming sortie with them as well."
"Ha! Do you see the power of the FifthDiv? Might as well stop rejecting that I'm better!" Zuikaku said very proudly as she hit targets at rapid speeds.
"I guess it's not bad, but still could use some practice." The stoic carrier replied, unfazed.
"Is it because you assume you're better?"
"I still have more experience than you, but-."
"Would you stop looking down on us? Just because you have more experience doesn't mean you have to bring it up every time! It's about how good you are in battle, not experience." Zuikaku already was pretty exasperated. She most likely has a bad case of anger problems.
"I'm not, I'm just saying it could use some work-"
"That's just a cover isn't it."
"It's not, how you are in battle may determine how powerful you are, but some experience can allow you to react to particular situations you may discover yourself in because you could've confronted that challenge before. Although if you think you're superior, you would have acquired victory in your latest battle."
"T-That was just a single mistake, nothing more! However, it's not like you have a perfect record either."
"I know I don't. It's just that one indiscretion up can make or break the entire mission."
"It pisses me off that you're always so arrogant!"
Kaga stopped training and diverted her whole cognizance to Zuikaku. She pulled another assumption out of thin air. "Stop supposing that I am."
"You always go on about how my techniques need work, yet you should study yourself. No one is perfect, everyone needs to develop somewhere!"
"..."
"It's always like that! It's like you can't even see how arduous I struggle, it's just how many I can kill or the outcome of the engagement!"
"Zuikaku..." Shoukaku cut in.
"What am I to you? Someone that was just made yesterday?"
Zuikaku thought she was giving the silent treatment.
"Your reticence means that I'm probably less than a strand of grass. Screw you anyways, I hope you get dive-bombed or something."
"Zuikaku!" Shoukaku cut in again.
Zuikaku stormed out of the training room, with Shoukaku hurriedly catching up to her.
"Both of you are at fault here. Kaga-san, you shouldn't have provoked her, and Zuikaku needs to discover what constructive criticism is." Akagi continued. They had just finished exercising and strolled back to their room.
The moment they shut their door, there was a knock.
"Come in."
Shoukaku poked her head into the doorway. "Uh, hello. Akagi-san, can you please come with me?" Akagi nodded and disappeared with Shoukaku. Zuikaku poked her head in the open door when Shoukaku and Akagi left.
"Uh, so..." Zuikaku stood frozen in the doorway, trying to find suitable words, or something prevented her from saying what she wanted to.
"Are you going to stand there forever? You can come in."
Zuikaku started to blush and got uneasy as she took a seat. Kaga took a seat on her bed. They remained in silence for a while. The moments passed by which felt like hours, just sitting there not making eye contact. Kaga was the first to break the ice.
"So..." Zuikaku turned her concentration to her and made eye contact, for the first time since coming into her room. She was still blushing and acting very nervous. "What did you come here for?"
"I...I'm-" Kaga turned her head to the side, perplexed. "I-I'm sorry Kaga!" That caught her off guard. Usually, Zuikaku's ego wouldn't let her apologize to Kaga about anything. "I'm sorry Kaga-senpai, I mean it! I don't want you to get dive-bombed, I was just taking it too far! I didn't realize it until Shoukaku repeated what I had said. Again I'm sorry!"
"It's fine...It just caught me off guard that you apologized to me."
"Haahaha..." Another phase of stillness swept over them. "So, Kaga..." The carrier stared at her. Zuikaku, still uncomfortable, asked, "Why do you tend to seal up your emotions? I mean we're given them to be more human and trying to cover it up makes them essentially useless..."
"Ah..." That's right, hardly anyone knew why Kaga was so stoic. Tosa was just a memory to the few individuals that acknowledged her. She reflected on the times she shared with her sister who was long gone. The unfortunate girl had to watch as her sister was used for testing her armor scheme against bombs, torpedoes, mines, and naval gunfire. In the end, she was scuttled. Barely anyone remembers her, she's nothing more than a remembrance that was little to know. Not even close to how well known Amagi was along the Kanmusu.
"I don't want to talk about it." Zuikaku's question caused Kaga to reminisce about why she wanted to seal up her emotions and put on a poker face. Was it a habit? Emotions always caused pain, Kaga knew that and she hated them. That's why she blocked them all out, never letting her emotions get the better of her. Frustration and yet confusion because of Zuikaku, sadness over her lost sister that always was in her mind space someplace, disappointment in herself, or pure anger towards the Abyssals. These emotions and numerous more cause her great pain, and yet it was supposed to be a gift? A gift of what? Pain? Deception? Just torture? All for what, some entertainment of whoever was in charge of playing with lives. She wanted to stop them all, end it, the suffering and misery.
"I should get going...We sortie out tomorrow at daybreak. Good night." Zuikaku swiftly left the room. Kaga greeted her farewell and then glared at the clock. It was already 0100, indeed it was rather late. Just how long were they sitting in tranquility? Akagi entered their shared room. As she did, she could catch a very agitated Zuikaku yell, "Shoukaku-nee!"
Akagi sat on her bed and smiled. "So how was your chat with Zuikaku? Did you get to tell her everything you wanted to?"
"Were you and Shoukaku eavesdropping on us?"
"Maybe." Her smile didn't leave her face. Although she expected a very smug grin, instead she got a very warm and comforting one.
Kaga let out a sigh. "I'm going to call it a day and you should as well. We sortie in seven hours."
"Before I do, I'm going to have a quick midnight snack." Kaga didn't notice when Akagi came back if she ever did, Kaga was already in a deep slumber.
"Thank you!" Akagi displayed her appreciation to the cook that gave her a delightful snack. Unsurprisingly, one of the cooks was still awake, presumably anticipating Akagi to show up, which she did. She was walking back to her room, but a voice intervened.
"Akagi-senpai?"
"Ah Fubuki-san, what are you doing up so late?"
"I couldn't sleep so I decided to get some refreshing air to empty my mind."
"Hmmm. Do you want to talk outside for a bit?"
They proceeded to make their way outside and spotted a bench to sit at. "So Fubuki, is there anything troubling you?
"It's just a lot has happened, but I think I'm okay now. Do you have anything on your mind?"
"Well, I presume something is bothering Kaga-san."
"What do you mean? She appears fine."
"I guess only I can tell. Well for starters she has been a lot nicer in general. However, she keeps spacing out, and sometimes she peers behind her randomly."
"I noticed her being nicer, just never noticed that. When does it usually happen?"
"I mainly notice it when we're walking. In midconversation, she would look behind her. I never can understand why. She began doing it after we resolved the whole Kisaragi Abyssal thing."
"Maybe old memories are coming back to haunt her."
"Maybe...Well, we both should go back to sleep. Or at least try to. We have that sortie tomorrow, and we need to be in tip-top shape."
"Okay, goodnight Akagi-senpai."
"Goodnight."
"When do you believe we'll be able to go out on the water, Nee-san?"
"Hmm, that's a mystery I don't know the solution to."
"Well, I can't wait to get out there! I'll reveal to them who's the boss around here!"
"Wouldn't it be a bit scary though?"
"Not if you're there with me, and what about you?"
The older of the two gave out a chuckle. "If you're right by my side, I won't have any difficulties either."
"You're almost done being constructed, and I'm not close to being completed yet! You'll get to surf the waters before I do." The younger one gave a pout.
"Fufu."
"Hey, save some for me too."
A person who was wearing a distinctive uniform walked up to them. He let out a sigh.
"Due to the Washington Naval Treaty, we were ordered to scrap you. However, it seems that Amagi who was undergoing a conversion into a carrier has been massively damaged. Kaga, you will be acting as a replacement to be converted into an aircraft carrier."
"What about Tosa?"
"She will be used for testing since she is nearly complete, it will be harder and more expensive to convert her into a carrier. We'll be testing her armor scheme."
Both sisters were in disbelief. They weren't even allowed to die alongside each other. Kaga would have to live on without Tosa. The man had already left.
"T-Tosa!" Kaga burst into tears. She squeezed Tosa tightly. "No! I don't want to leave you!"
"Me neither, but we have no choice in this matter."
She took down her hair and extended her arm towards Kaga. Kaga put her hand under. Tosa released her hand and watched as the ribbon floated downwards into Kaga's hand.
"You're giving me your ribbon?" She nodded. "But, why?"
"I don't have a use for it anymore, so you take it. A ribbon of good fortune."
"How can you be so relaxed?! You-You're...We won't be able to fight side by side! You'll never be able to see the sea!"
"I know...I'm sure they'll find a use for me somehow. The data from the experiments they're going to run on me will surely benefit us. I won't be able to help in battle, so, please. Can you do enough for both of us? Not only your part but pull my weight as if I was there as well."
"Nee-san...I promise! I won't let you down. I will get strong, strong enough to make that promise become reality."
Tosa let out a chuckle. "I know you won't let me down, just please never forget me, okay?"
"Of course, I will never forget you, even on my sinking."
"Then it's a promise."
Sunlight poured through the window. The light hit Kaga's eyes which forced her to awaken from her deep sleep. She took a glance at the clock, it was now 0600. She had woken up an hour ahead from their scheduled wakeup time for the sortie. She heard a very powerful explosion nearby, not the normal morning sounds you expect when you awaken. Akagi slept soundly, not disturbed by the light nor perturbed by the explosion. Kaga deliberately shuffled her feet to the window and took a glimpse behind its curtains. Demolition laid throughout the entirety of the base. There was a fleet of Abyssals just hovering there over the scintillating translucent aquamarine sea. Various Kanmusu sprang into a scramble and speedily got and put on their equipment. Kaga rushed out of the room and got on her equipment.
Where am I?
What happened?
Kaga was still on the water, and yet the early morning had grown dark as black in a matter of seconds. She could be envisaging or perhaps dreaming, she could've not, who can perceive it? The fog made matters worse. She was out fighting Aybssals one moment, but the next she was lost, or so it seemed. She did wonder where the thick fog came from. It was giving off a pretty ominous vibe.
"Ahhh? What do we have here?" A new voice pierced throughout the silence like a knife slicing paper. Kaga flinched. It gave her the chills. She didn't say anything back. "Oooh, it's you, Kaga." She announced excitedly. "Out of all the Kanmusu to run into, who knew I'd be so lucky to face off against you?"
"Who are you?" She slowly turned behind her. It was an Abyssal. Long white hair swept over her shoulders. Her side ponytail is quite similar to Kaga's but merely longer. Her bright red eyes shone vividly through the murky fog.
"Me? I'm what you girls called the Aircraft Carrier Princess." Kaga tensed. "Though more specifically, a resurrected ship, just like all of you."
"What? You make no sense!" Kaga shot her with her 20cm guns.
The princess gave out a crazed malicious smile.
The carrier princess shot Kaga with her 20cm guns. She quickly tried to dodge. The bullet scraped the side of her cheek. She moved backward, immediately preparing an airstrike. She shot an arrow that pierced through the princess' flowing white hair. The arrow turned into a small squadron consisting of three A6M Type 0 fighter planes. They made a sharp U-turn and headed for the carrier. The Hime-class launched her fighter planes to take Kaga's down.
Kaga stealthily sent out three arrows worth of D3A Type 99 dive-bombers and got them high enough to not be seen.
All the dive-bombers patiently waited for her indication to make it rain bombs on the Abyssal. One of the pilots decided to go off on his own, knowing their situation. He planned to lead reinforcements to back up Kaga then come back to help.
"I'm done over here! Need any help with your side?"
"No, I'm all done here. We should try to find everyone else, Zuikaku."
"How did everyone get separated from each other? I'm lucky to have my sister here with me, or anyone at all!"
"Zuikaku?" Shoukaku questioned her sister.
"Okay. I'll be following your lead Shoukaku."
As she was about to speed up to her sister, she noticed something strange. In the distance, she could see a certain D3A dive-bomber flying by itself. It noticed Zuikaku and made a couple of circles around her, urging her to follow. Then, the pilot turned around and left slowly, back from where it came from. Zuikaku could still see the aircraft in view.
"Zuikaku?"
"Shoukaku-nee, I found one of our dive-bombers. I think it wanted me to follow it."
"I'll come with you."
"No, it's fine. You go find some others, I'll go get that carrier myself." Zuikaku tried to reassure her. It looked like it worked because Shoukaku finally gave in.
"Just be careful okay?"
"Alright, don't worry."
The small wave of fighters had been defeated, but not without inflicting some damage onto the princess. Kaga shot her once more with her guns, and then rapidly launched a squadron of B5N torpedo bombers. They approached the Abyssal carrier at rapid speeds. She fired at the abyssal carrier again with her guns, hoping it would stall enough time for the torpedo bombers to deliver some damage. She knew the probability of winning against a Hime-class by herself was impossible, so she would deal as much damage as she could until reinforcements arrived. The torpedo bombers released their torpedos and dispersed. All regrouping back to Kaga.
"Argh. Do you think... you have even the slightest chance against me? That's cute! Now die."
The princess launched a mix of dive bombers and torpedo bombers escorted by fighters. She kept shooting her guns at the opposing carrier, stopping every once in a while to reload. If the fighters got destroyed, she would send more. However, if dive bombers or torpedo bombers got annihilated, she would send either one. There were always more torpedo bombers than dive ones. The thing that threw Kaga off was that she couldn't tell if it was a pattern or if she was just randomly sending them out.
Kaga sent a semi-large wave of B5N and A6M's, about four or five arrows worth of torpedo bombers and fighters. They all scattered in different directions, yet still all after the same target.
"What's with the huge group? Are you already going to your last resort?"
The Abyssal carrier sent out four squads of two torpedo bombers and one dive bomber. Then, three squadrons of three fighters and one dive bomber. She stopped trying to shoot Kaga and instead commenced to shoot down her planes with her anti-air guns. She sent out a sizable unit of torpedo bombers. They hastily caught up to the fighters and grouped into groups consisting of 2 fighters for every torpedo bomber. The dive bombers Kaga was hiding swooped behind the princess and dropped their bombs stealthily. She kept shooting at her, hoping to buy enough time for the planes to reach the princess and for the bombs to land with accuracy. Some of the dive bombers' bombs missed their intended target by a few meters. Most of the bombs successfully did damage to the carrier. Most of the planes came back to Kaga intact. Unfortunately, not all made it which was expected.
"Argh! So the first attack was nothing more than a distraction. You certainly are quite the trickster, but stupid tricks won't be enough to defeat me!" The Abyssal sent out more and more waves of Abyssal fighters paired with some torpedo and dive bombers. She made sure to have enough to surround both of them in just her planes. She also sent squads of fighters with some torpedo bombers straight for Kaga. She sent out fighter planes to immediately slay them before they could reach her.
"Hey, hey Kagaaaaa. Do you wanna know what ship I am?" The Hime-class Abyssal gave out a bloodlust grin. She knew that it couldn't be anything good.
"Why would it matter? I don't care who you are, although my objective still does not change."
"Ahhh? Are you sure now~? I won't be able to help in battle, so, please. Can you do enough for both of us? Not only your part but pull my weight as if I was there as well."
Kaga's eyes widened. "H-how do you know that." The princess burst out snickering.
"Your answer back then was filled with such confidence and no hesitation it was hilarious."
"Answer me! How do you know all of that?!"
"I'll spell it out for you. I am the reincarnation of T-O-S-A, your sister. Isn't this a delightful reunion."
"You're lying. Kanmusu are reincarnations from WW2 ships. Tosa was scrapped in 1924, before the war." Kaga spoke surprisingly calmly. "Even if you are Tosa, how come you're the Aircraft Carrier Princess, not a battleship."
"That's because I'm not just Tosa, I am the embodiment of your worst fear, feelings, and thoughts. I know you know how it feels to be an Abyssal. All the hatred, the perseverance to come back to take your rightful place as a Kanmusu. When you sunk, we split into two. I am your hatred, all of your fears and all of your sadness. We are two sides of a coin. If you come over to the other side of the coin, we'll just merge. Twice the strength, twice the hatred. Let's make this easy for yourself and sink already! "She started to laugh hysterically.
The swarm of Abyssal planes encircling them began to advance closer. Kaga already acknowledged that she stood no chance. She went into the fight with the full intention to do enough so reinforcements could obliterate her. She decided to send out all of her aircraft to hopefully get rid of most of the enemy planes. She planned to make a final charge at the Abyssal carrier in one last showdown.
"Now, what will you do now Kaga? Die peacefully, or will you fight back?"
She reacted to her torment by shooting her in the face, multiple times just to be safe.
"So be it."
The Abyssal carrier made all her aircraft speed ahead towards Kaga in reply. She proceeded to launch all of her fighters and bombers in response. Since Kaga launched all of her aircraft, as opposed to the princess's relatively small group surrounding them, some squadrons went for the Abyssal herself. Some of the bombers propelled their bombs from the air, while the others dove straight into the carrier. This insanely suicidal act was called a kamikaze. They were only used against the Allied ships to deliberately severely damage them. Kaga dove for the Hime-class carrier with full speed.
"Ha? Have you given up hope or something? You're going for a suicidal attack." The princess mocked.
"Do you think I care? It doesn't matter what it takes, I'm going to sink you."
"Event the cost of your own life? Hypothetically if you can even majorly damage me."
"Not a big price to pay."
Kaga kept sending planes right to the Abyssal's face and then would continue to shoot her as much as possible. The Hime-class sent out a full-on crowd of planes. She made a great gap between them to dodge all the bombs and catch her breath for a bit before going right back.
Kaga was so focused on the princess that she wasn't paying attention when she was shot in the chest. The blast was so powerful, it tore a hole directly through her flesh. Only one type of ship could create a blast that powerful from a distance.
"Ah, oops. Did I steal ya kill?"
"Yes, you did. I had her. I could've killed her myself if you didn't interfere."
"Really? Looked like ya were havin' some trouble, especially with that plane right to yer face."
Kaga started to lose her balance due to all the blood loss. She fell into the water and started to slowly drift deeper under the surface. "Seems like this is the end for me."
"Looks like we're done here. Anyway, what took you so long just to kill the carrier?"
"Well-."
The Aircraft Carrier Princess was cut off as bombs rained from the sky. They hit her and the Re-class battleship.
"Damn it, what the hell?!"
The Re-class sank immediately, while the Hime-class was on the verge of sinking. "Damn you little-!"
She was then shot with squadrons of Zeros. Another squad of Kates and Vals.
Her whole body was fully submerged in the water. She slowly drifted downwards, deeper into the abyss.
"How many times is this now? My third sinking? At least I could help with something. My life is a small price to pay for a princess's life. No regrets, besides leaving everyone I guess... I'm sorry…"
Kaga looked back up at the surface. She closed her eyes then raised an arm with her hand open as if reaching for something. She could already feel the darkness of the sea, beckoning her to accept and embrace it for she could not resist. A hand reached out and grabbed her own. A warm and mellow grip locked on to her hand, refusing to let go. Before she knew it, she was pulled up and back onto the surface.
"Uh...Kaga, hello? Are you there?"
She didn't respond. She had already drifted deep into unconsciousness.
"She's not dead, is she? She's been asleep for how many days?"
"Stop being so overdramatic. She's not dead. Akashi-san said she just needs rest, and she's only been asleep for five days." A period of silence approached them all. Of course, they were all worried.
"Yes, because five days is a normal time for someone to stay unconscious for. I'm surprised we still found her, despite fighting a Hime-class-. Ow!"
"Zuikaku now's not the time for a snarky remark!" Shoukaku let out a sigh. She wondered how Akagi felt seeing her sister seemingly lifeless right in front of her. She couldn't commiserate with the First Division girl because it wasn't her sister laying on the bed right in front of her. However, she could still feel empathy for the girl.
"Akagi-san, are you going to be okay?" Shoukaku was going to comfort her.
"I'll be fine, it's just...I'm scared of losing another sister." She was on the verge of tears before they shed from her eyes.
"I know the feeling," Zuikaku tried to show some sympathy for her. "It only lasts for a while longer. Before you know it, Kaga-senpai will be acting like herself again. We'll probably still be fighting a lot but despite all that, I respect her. She has real guts and dedication. Heck, she'll fight to the end, even if it means the end for her."
Shoukaku noticed something weird from the way she said her little speech. "Huh, that's strange."
"What is Shoukaku-nee?"
"Since when did you call Kaga 'senpai'?" Shoukaku raised a brow and smiled smugly.
"Eh? I don't know what you mean." Zuikaku said in a not-so-fishy way.
"Other than that, it's rare for you to say something nice about her. Most of the time, you just complain about her arrogance, and yet you seem like you kind of admire her." Shoukaku declared. Akagi let out a giggle.
"Eh? What do you mean by I admire her, I don't get what you mean." Seeing how Shoukaku nor Akagi seemed convinced by that, she responded with; "I don't admire her or anything...Ugh. Just none of you tell her I said that, please."
"You don't have to...I heard everything." Kaga stated weakly.
"AH! Kaga-san! If you were awake, why didn't you say anything!?"
"Sounded like...a nice conversation...I guess I didn't want to interrupt."
"I'll go get Akashi!" With that, Shoukaku hurriedly left the room.
"Kaga-san! How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Akagi came closer to her bed, as if she wasn't already, and bombarded Kaga with a lot of questions relating to her health.
Shoukaku came back with Akashi by her side.
"Huh, she is awake. Alright, move your butts outta here. I gotta do some check-ups. You guys visit again when I'm done." she said pretty calmly.
"Alright, okay. Let's go, Akagi-san." Zuikaku dragged her over to the exit before stopping. "Get better soon, Kaga." They all left the room.
"Huh...weird."
"Which part?"
"I don't know anymore."
"I wonder if we should get her a get well soon present."
"You are taking a lot of consideration into this, Zuikaku." Shoukaku teased.
"I-I mean! I think it's a good idea, that's all!"
"I completely agree with you though. Although, I don't know what to get." Akagi uttered.
"Huh, I thought you would know best because you're the closest person to her."
"It's just that she doesn't truly need anything. I tried to give her a birthday present, but…"
"Kaga-san, happy birthday!"
"Huh?"
"I got you a gift. Open it." She smiled.
"A scarf? Thank you, but I don't have a use for one."
"I mean, you can just use it when you get cold."
"Hm."
Fubuki was out in the snow, sitting on a bench. "It's pretty cold out. Wait, why am I waiting out here again? Oh, yeah for Mutsuki."
"Fubuki, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Kaga was wearing the scarf that Akagi got for her.
"Oh, Kaga-senpai, I'm waiting for Mutsuki."
"Are you cold?"
"Well kinda, it is pretty cold out. How about you?" Kaga took off her scarf and put it around Fubuki's neck.
"You can have it."
"Wait, but this is your scarf. Is it honestly okay for me to take it?"
"Akagi-san gave it to me as a birthday present, though I don't have a use for it, so you can have it. I'll tell Akagi later that I gave it to you."
"This is from Akagi-senpai?" Fubuki brought the scarf closer to her face and took a big sniff. "Thank you Kaga-senpai!"
She nodded. "If you would excuse me, I need to get going."
"Oh sorry if I bothered you while you were busy."
"No, it's fine. Besides I was the one that approached you. If you excuse me now." With that Kaga left.
"After that, Kaga told me the whole thing. I was mad that she gave it away, but I couldn't stay mad at her because she made another person happy when she had no use for it." Akagi finished.
"I have never seen Fubuki wear a scarf. What do you think happened to it?" Shoukaku questioned.
"My guess is she is treasuring it in her room or something. I'm pretty sure Fubuki is obsessed with you." Zuikaku remarked.
"I don't know what you mean. I think she looks up to me, that's all. Well, back on topic. Any ideas for a present?"
Shoukaku suggested. "Ah, what about a new hair tie."
"Wait, is it a hair tie or ribbon."
"I thought it was a hair tie…"
Akagi interjected. "It's a ribbon."
"Ah, okay."
"I got it! We should get those flower clip things." Zuikaku answered.
"How about you and Akagi-san get that, while I get a card? Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah." Zuikaku and Akagi said at the same time.
"Okay, let's meet back up here at 1830, it's currently 1800. Is that enough time for you guys?"
"Yep."
"What do you think about this one?" Zuikaku pointed at the displayed flower clip through the window. The clip had a pink plaid flower-shaped fabric sheet sized to fit perfectly to a single fake cherry blossom. Two short thin fabric ribbons emerged from the bottom of the flower.
"I believe this one suits her better." Akagi pointed to another clip next to the one Zuikaku pointed to. The clip was a fake flower that was based on the nemophila flower, nicknamed the "Sierra baby blue eyes". Attached to the side of the flower was a pair of fake leaves. The underside of the flower had a small dark azure ribbon with gold wavy patterns and a little bell connected to the bottom of the ribbon.
"You're right. The blue matches her 'aesthetic' that she has throughout her outfit."
"Okay, let's settle on that, no objection?"
"Nope."
The two bought the clip and put it in a small bag. They soon met up with Shoukaku and started to head back to the dry dock together.
"Shoukaku-nee, is it okay if I read the card?" Zuikaku asked.
"I want to read it after you Zuikaku," Akagi added.
"Sure. Put it back in the bag when you're done."
(The card):
Dear Kaga-san,
I hope you get better, we all do. Please do remember, 'we learn little from victory, much from defeat.' Just because you lost this battle, does not mean you've lost the war. Don't strain yourself too much. We need as much power as we can hope to get to defend our rightful place. We all pray for your recovery.
Zuikaku stared at the characters for about a minute before handing it to Akagi. Akagi read it for a couple of seconds and put it back into the bag.
Akagi was the first to speak. "It's good. I like the message you're trying to tell her, I just hope her pride will accept this defeat."
"This card seems like something you would say to me." Zuikaku smiled. " Accepting defeat is going to be hard for Kaga though."
They arrived at the entrance of the dry docks and went inside.
"I wonder how she's doing..." Akagi couldn't help but worry about her sister.
"I'm sure she's fine..." Zuikaku replied nonchalantly.
They made it through the hallway and found themselves standing in front of Kaga's room. They could faintly hear Akashi talk to her. It was a good idea just to wait outside for her to finish her diagnosis. After a couple of seconds, she came out of the room.
"Oh, you're back."
"Is there anything 'wrong' with her?" Akagi worriedly asked.
"I guess not...?"
"That doesn't seem reassuring." Zuikaku cut in.
"Well, the good thing is, that there's nothing physically wrong with her."
"Something's wrong with her, huh?" Zuikaku commented.
"Yes, when I was checking her brainwaves, something was missing. Something just seemed off, I don't know what happened. It was probably because of the face-off with the carrier princess. I need to send the results to the lab for further research."
"Woah, how'd you check her brainwaves?"
"Machines and stuff. I dunno plot convenience."
"What?"
"What?" Akashi asked.
"Well, if you would excuse me now." She then made her way out of the dry dock.
They all made their way back into the room Kaga occupied. "Welcome back." Kaga greeted them.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine. I think most of the injuries have already been recovered, so don't worry."
"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure a fracture in a bone takes longer to heal, even for kanmusu."
"Just believe her word, for now, Akagi-san," Zuikaku stated.
"Hmph."
"Well, after being kicked out-"
"I mean, she didn't kick us out. She just needed to do final checkups on her." Shoukaku pointed out.
"She was just being nice. Anyways, she decided to get you a get-well gift. And a card." She handed the small bag to Kaga.
"Open it." The words left Akagi's tongue with a smile. She opened the small bag and pulled out the first thing she touched. The item she ended up taking out was a cerulean blue card with a golden string of leaves in a sinuous pattern. It had the characters, "お大事に" (rough translation to "get better soon") on the front. She opened the card and read its contents.
"So, what do you think?" Zuikaku stared at Kaga, waiting for a response. Kaga felt a bit nervous with Zuikaku glaring at her.
"I get the message. I shouldn't sulk about my utter failure."
"That's not the only thing in that bag."
Kaga placed the card back inside the bag and took out the second object. It was wrapped in some rolls of glassine waxed paper. She carefully unwrapped it. She looked at the item in her hand. "So, what do I do with this?"
"It's a hair clip you uncultured swine."
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. It's a hair clip. A clip to put in your hair. Here, lemme put it on for you." Zuikaku took the clip and swept a bit of the rear side of Kaga's bangs over to the side of her head and put the clip on her.
"There. Wow, you look kinda different even though the only difference is a hair clip. If I had a mirror I would show you, but I don't."
"You look cute Kaga-san." Akagi complimented her. It wasn't much of a difference, but it did make her look a bit different.
The room door was opened, revealing Akashi standing with a clipboard that had a small stack of papers resting on it.
She looked up from the papers and noticed that Akagi, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku were still in the room. "Hm? You guys are still here?" They all were confused at her question.
"What do you mean?" Those words left Shoukaku's mouth first.
"I mean it's already 1940. Visiting hours are about to end. She needs some rest to fully recover." Akashi said that it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Wait what? We got here like around 1840. How could it have been an hour already?" Zuikaku replied.
Akashi shrugged. "I dunno. Why ask me? I wasn't here the whole time."
Akagi ignored the flaw in logic and instead asked, "Did you find any strange things in her brainwave pattern?"
"Well according to the lab, it seems that she lost some of her memories as well as some of her emotions..."
Zuikaku cut in. "As if that makes a difference."
"Now's not the right time for a remark like that," Shoukaku reminded.
"Ahem, as I was saying...wait what was I saying?"
Akagi tried to jog her memory. "You were saying something about her losing some of her memories and emotions."
"Ah yes, this kind of stuff never usually happens, at all. Even if a kanmusu is hit on the hit with a bomb, they don't lose emotions and stuff. The worst they can lose is memories." Akashi paused for them to process all that information then continued. "I asked Kaga if she felt anything different about her and she didn't. Maybe try to jog her memory a bit, but visiting hours are ending soon." With that, she left the room.
"Huh. That explains a bit." Those words left Kaga's mouth, which left Akagi, Shoukaku and Zuikaku confused.
Shoukaku asked, "What do you mean by that Kaga-san?"
"For some reason, I feel like I'm missing a lot of my memories. They're all in fragments."
"I thought Akashi said only 'some' of her memories were lost." Zuikaku cut in.
Shoukaka pointed out the obvious at her sister, "It's not like she knows everything and is always right you know. Anyway, Kaga please continue."
"Alright...I just want to say this now, but who are you two? I'm sorry I didn't want to sound rude before when you wanted me to open the present." The other three's mouths dropped.
"I'm Zuikaku, and that's Shoukaku." Zuikaku pointed to her sister. "Wait, two? Did you miscount or do you remember Akagi?" Zuikaku wanted to know if she still remembered Akagi, as did the others.
"Yes, I do remember Akagi, my one and only sister."
"Wait, only one?" Akagi questioned.
"What do you mean Akagi? I thought you are Kaga's only sister." Zuikaku questioned. Both Zuikaku and Shoukaku were interested.
"Do you not remember your other older sister?"
Kaga shook her head. "I can't seem to remember anyone else other than you, the Admiral and the Abyssals. Every other memory is in fragments."
"I see..." Akagi smiled a sad smile. She knew the promise Kaga had made with her sister. "Don't forget me." A promise she could not keep, she was forced to move on. Unless...there was some way. A way to restore her memories.
"Well, visiting hours are almost up, let's let her get some rest."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go now." They all walked out of the room together. Immediately after Akagi closed the door, Zuikaku asked Akagi, "I would like to hear more about this other sister."
"Where should I start?"
"At the beginning."
"That's going to be a long story...let's go sit somewhere."
They found a nearby bench and all sat down.
"You know how Kaga was going to be a battleship?" Zuikaku and Shoukaku nodded. "When she was a battleship, she was known as a Tosa-class battleship. Tosa was the name of her older sister." Akagi paused as if trying to remember.
"Just like Amagi and I, Kaga and Tosa were also affected by the Washington Naval Treaty. Instead of being converted into aircraft carriers, they were planned to be scrapped. However, the Great Kanto earthquake saved her life. Since Amagi was severely damaged beyond repair, they used Kaga to be converted into an aircraft carrier instead, but Tosa was left behind. Technically, we are not full sisters, we are half-sisters. When I met Kaga, she wasn't like she is today. She smiled, was optimistic and knew she was weak. As time passed, I saw her slowly morph into who she is today. Realistic, emotionless, stoic. Every once in a long time, I would see her true self. When she broke down, her harder exterior was discarded. Zuikaku, do you wonder why she pushes you so hard?"
Zuikaku took a few seconds then nodded.
"In her eyes, you remind her of her past self., and Shoukaku reminds her of how Tosa used to be with her. But now, what do you think Kaga will become if she has forgotten Tosa? Do you think she'll become her past self? Or the same as before? Those are questions that need to be pondered."
A period of silence between them grew. The only sounds present were the sounds of the light wind and ocean. "We should all get some rest now. Maybe we can talk more tomorrow."
The silence of the night was unsettling but nice. The soft breeze and the small crashing waves echoed in Kaga's ears. Today was an exceptional day for her. It felt like she had just woken up from a long dream. However, no matter how silent the twilight was, the voices didn't stop.
One of the voices said, "I want to go home." To where? Isn't this my home?
Another said, "Kill them all. The kanmusu must perish. They took your rightful place."
"You shouldn't be here. They only took pity on you and let you live here."
"You want to go home, right? To finally have your deserved rest."
"They don't see the real you. They are only keeping you here for your past self, whom you cannot remember."
"Are they really your 'friends'. You don't remember who they are."
"E̷v̷e̷r̴y̶o̷n̸e̴ ̸i̵s̸ ̷l̸y̵i̵n̷g̵ ̸t̴o̸ ̶y̷o̷u̷."
"Y̷o̶u̴'̵r̷e̴ ̸n̶o̷t̵ ̷o̶n̸e̸ ̴o̸f̸ ̴t̷h̵e̶m̸."
"Get out...of my head..."
"U̷n̶d̷e̶s̵i̵r̶a̶b̴l̵e̵ ̷h̷a̸t̶r̸e̴d̸."
"Y̷o̸u̷ ̸d̷o̷n̴'̵t̸ ̷b̷e̶l̴o̵n̶g̶ ̵h̸e̴r̵e̴."
"LEAVE."
Kaga couldn't take it anymore. It was like she really was going insane. Why were these voices in her head?
Akashi came into the room for a nighttime checkup. She quickly drew a small sample and took a picture of her brainwaves once more. The voices still boomed in her mind, each one with an ache to back it up. Every voice also led up to one conclusion, leave. It was like she wasn't meant to be here.
Akashi was about to leave, but Kaga quickly stopped her with her question. "A-Akashi?"
"What is it, Kaga?"
Kaga spoke frantically, "Is it genuinely fine for me to stay here? Aren't I a burden? It's fine to cast me out, no need to pity me."
"Of course it's okay for you to stay here, this is your home."
"Is it really?"
"Even if you don't believe this is your home, it always is your home, no matter what. If you still think that this isn't your real home, it doesn't mean this place can't become your true home. We'll always be here for you." Kaga caught a glimpse of Akashi's smile before she turned around and left.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
The voices stopped for a moment, only for a moment, before they came back. It was a mess of voices talking over each other, she could not tell what they were saying. Until one shouted, "leave". One by one, each of the voices joined in until they all were chanting in unison. Not only that, but desires also filled her mind. She was tempted to kill. She felt the urge to unleash her Vals on the base, which would cause the base to engulf in flames.
"Leave."
"Leave."
"Leave."
"Aah...Ah...Argh...ARGHHHH."
"Mmh."
Akagi slowly fluttered her eyes open. She sat up.
"Good morning-." She stopped, now remembering last night. "Maybe I should..."
"What the hell?" Akashi was both stumped and confused. She was staring at the chart containing Kaga's brainwaves.
They started with beta brainwaves, then went to delta waves, and then gamma. The first half showed major changes in consciousness, but nothing super alarming. However, the second half changed to something completely unrecognizable.
There was no similarity to any of the five different brainwaves. Unrecognizable, indecipherable. There was this one section of the unreadable wave that was familiar. A sense of familiarity swept upon Akashi.
"Wait, that's!"
"An Abyssal's brainwave…?"
Akashi rushed back to Kaga's room, breaking out into a run. What could be taking place behind those doors, in Kaga's mind, she could not know. She quickly opened the door and look to Kaga's bed. Where there was supposed to be a figure supposedly sleeping soundly, lay empty. The blanket was ruffled and showed traces of one occupying it, but still, no one was there. The window which was closed tightly before was opened, the soft breeze flowing into the room. One of the curtains remained covering one side of the window, while the other was pushed aside. She was gone, if Akashi didn't already figure it out, the window was just extra concrete proof of her disappearance thrown at her eyes.
It then struck her, the realization. If she had noticed before, could she had done something? She paid no mind to Kaga's earlier question.
Moments went by of stillness. The only sound heard was her panting out of tiredness. She did run the entire way over. Until the footsteps of one broke the moments of quietness could be heard passing through the hall.
"Akashi-san?" She turned behind her. "What's wrong?"
Akagi turned her attention to the room. She too, stunned by the sight. She turned around, only stopping for a few seconds.
"I'm going after her."
"Who knows how long she has been gone for?"
Akashi had a point. "But still...trying to find her is better than never finding her."
Akashi nodded.
"My best of luck to you."
"Thank you."
Akagi barely left the dry docks and suddenly heard someone call out to her.
"Ah, Akagi-senpai?"
Akagi turned around. "Fubuki-san, Zuikaku-san, and Shoukaku-san? What are you all doing together?"
"Oh, I was going to visit Kaga, and I ran into them on the way."
"She's gone."
Everyone was stunned. Fubuki finally asked, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know. Akashi and I went to see her, but her bed was empty and the window was open."
"What?!" The three of them at the same time.
"I'm going to try to find her now."
"Wait, but you don't even know where to look," Zuikaku pointed out.
Shoukaku spoke up, "I'll help you find her."
"Me too," said Fubuki.
"Same here."
"You guys..." Akagi beamed. "The first thing we should do is check if she went out to the sea or not."
"How do we do that?"
"We should check if her rigging is still there or not."
"It's not there..." Shoukaku commented.
"Well, then what are we standing around here for? Let's go bring her back, and if she won't, we'll drag her back here!" Zuikaku said.
They all got on their riggings and headed out.
Kaga stood in a sea of some sort, almost completely pitch-back. The night sky cast overhead, all was motionless.
"We meet again, Kaga."
She twirled her head around to see the last face she saw before being submerged underwater.
"Who are you supposed to be, and how are you here?" Kaga responded coldly. Although she was unaware of the presence of a princess, she at least knew that she was an Abyssal.
"Jeez, so cold." The Aircraft Carrier Princess remarked. "Right now, we are inside your soul. All dark like this must mean your soul is corrupt and evil, like mine. I already told you once. If one of us dies and the other still lingers on, as long as you're near the area that the one sunk in, we merge. We are two sides of a coin. Though the coin is cut in half, one half is yours, the other mine."
"You didn't answer my first question, who are you?!"
"You need to get your memory checked, Kaga. I am the Aircraft Carrier Princess, of course." She chuckled and smiled menacingly.
"Why the hell are you here then?!" Kaga then reached for her guns, only to find them gone. Not only that, but her rigging disappeared too.
"I told you, we're in your soul, not the real world. You don't have your precious weapons to eradicate me here. As for why I am here, we merged, duh. We almost sunk nearly the same time, if your friend didn't grab you."
"Is it that reason for my memory loss, or is that your fault?"
"Memory loss?" The princess was intrigued.
"At least I think. It's most likely the case, my memory is in fragments. Wait, if I'm here, who is controlling my body?"
The question caught her off-guard. "You shouldn't worry about it now, such matters are irrelevant."
"What do you mean?"
"Kaga…"
Akagi stopped and just stared at her. She remained the same as always, except her narrow red glowing eyes. Kaga began to reach her bow out, getting ready to launch.
"Kaga!"
Kaga readied an arrow on her bow.
"We're aren't reaching her."
Kaga aimed at Shoukaku first, then fired.
With Shoukaku being unprepared for the attack, she couldn't evade it in time. It's intended target was straight to her chest, but Akagi pushed her to the side. The arrow struck the side of her arm and went past them. It turned into a squad of Zeros.
Kaga flinched for no reason, which was odd to them.
"I don't think we have a choice...we have to sink her. She is probably too far gone."
They quickly dispersed and hesitantly got ready to attack Kaga. Fubuki got her AA guns and shot down her Zeros, while the carriers loaded their bows. They did notice how her eyes were unfocused and switched looking at different locations constantly. The carriers had their arrows pointed at Kaga, waiting for her to make a move before making their own.
Kaga took a step, then stopped. Her ponytail was struck with an arrow. The force of the arrow and its impact location undid the ribbon her always wore to keep her hair up.
Zuikaku was the only one the reacted when she took a step. While the other three waited for her to attack, she was waiting for her to make any advance towards them.
It fell from her hair but was caught before it had touched the water. Her fist clenched on it. The tears wouldn't stop, but why? Why was it that this small piece of fabric could make her feel this way? It was just a ribbon with no importance, right?
"Eh…?"
She touched her face with her free hand.
"Why...why? Why does this thing cause so many tears?!"
"It must be important to you then," Fubuki said.
"Your dear older sister gave that to you. While you may have forgotten, your body hasn't." Akagi smiled.
"T-tell me, what's her name?"
"Tosa."
"Huh!? How the hell did you do that?! I call hacks!" The princess roared.
"What?"
"What?"
…
Silence.
"That doesn't matter. You'll never get rid of me. I'll always be here, in the deepest parts of your soul."
"Well, that may be true, but I won't be overcome with negative emotions. I'll gather all my positive ones to zero them out."
She turned around, her back facing towards the other carrier.
"Sayonara."
Kaga was snapped back into reality when someone grabbed her hand. Her eyes, no longer red.
"Let's go home, Kaga-san. Our home."
END
A/N: My goal was 5k words, but I blew that out of the water. I hope you enjoyed my first fanfic ever. I apologize if the pacing, personalities and overall story came off as rushed or bad. Please review it and tell me your feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. I will incorporate it into my future fanfics.