Coffee Leaf

by DarkBright Cipher

An anthology of Belprise or Enterfast stories that will span all sorts of romantic yuri one-shots involving them. In-depth summaries will be at the beginning of each chapter along with its title. Grab a warm cup and dive into Coffee Leaf!

11. Delinquent Cupid Part 3

Summary: Belfast's kiss has ensnared the worried and concerned mind of Enterprise.

The carrier who was once reserved in where her feelings lay has now found a refined focus brought upon the maid's affectionate lips.

A new world is opening up for her while her reality now feels inhospitable to what she yearns for in the future, even if her means are disastrous in achieving it.

Will this love she's found be enough to help her break free from her life as a shipgirl?

[Delinquent Cupid Part 3]

What danced in the mind of the carrier once the burning passion soaked into her heart was that she had found the answer to her question. She would never be alone anymore—never become like the battle-worn twin that tormented her dreams, and that realization was unbearably sweet to the core. This love that remained unknown for most of her life felt like it had reanimated her spirit and she had the woman of her dreams to thank. Her eyes were indeed open to a greater reality and she wanted nothing more than to embrace it with all her strength and love.

Their kissing had only been the prelude of that night. Once the heated and newfound combined passion had been unshackled, the atmosphere of the nightclub felt no longer needed.

What they both needed, was a more intimate and private setting. The room of Enterprise wouldn't be ideal as Hornet would surely catch wind of them and the events of the other night would play out about the same.

That left the room of the head maid as the only viable option. Like Enterprise, she had her own private room due to her status as the head maid within the Royal Navy faction of the base.

With the cover of the night and most of the shipgirls of the Royal Navy asleep, they were able to make way to Belfast's room in a minimal amount of silence. At least, that's what they told themselves.

During their pace through the empty dorm hallway, they had been engaged in a lip lock that made traversing the hallway difficult.

Due to Enterprise's inexperience with these newfound heightened feelings, she had pushed them both toward doors and walls that resounded with a loud bang.

All the while the head maid would be joyously laughing and smiling at their playful tussle through the hallway. Even if someone opened their door to check the commotion, that onlooker would be stunned to find it empty as before the first set of doors began to open, the love-sick couple had already made it inside Belfast's room.

Once in the room, their passion intensified, no longer needing to focus on navigating the hallway blindly.

"Belfast... my god... I never thought I could feel this way." She moaned through her kisses, finding no reason to suppress the feelings that she felt. She loved the woman before her and would do anything to please her and keep her safe.

Belfast let out a joyous whimper, tasting the mouth of her lover like an exquisite dessert. "Ent-Ent, I just knew that you had feelings for me! You have no idea how happy I am to be feeling this passion from you." She kissed down to her collarbone and then playfully pushed the carrier who fell onto the maid's bed.

Enterprise leaned on her elbows, her love-filled goofy grin unable to be diminished. "Belfast, thank you. You filled my world with color and saved my soul from the first moment I saw you." She shed a tear and she let her heightened feelings drown her as the maid crawled over her.

A connection was formed by their breasts and forehead intimately touching. They then held each other's cheek and intensely gazed into their eyes.

Enterprise slid her hand lower until it came into contact with something metal around the maid's neck. It had been there this whole time, the odd accessory that the maid wore that not even changing into a different outfit had forced her to get rid of it.

Belfast noticed and playfully bit her lip. She had concluded within her mind upon acknowledging the gaze that her lover was emitting toward her accessory. "Did I ever tell you why I wear this chain around my neck?"

The silver-haired woman grew incredibly interested that even overrode her hungry desire to consume the lips of her lover. "N-No, you never did tell me that before. I always thought it was some fashion style for you," she joked and leaned forward for a kiss, but the maid held her back.

She laughed appreciatively and kissed the carrier on the forehead. "No, that's not the reason, darling. You see... I loved someone before. As odd as it sounds, this chain around my neck was a sort of promise ring to them, but they broke my heart and left me to pick up my own pieces. For a time, the only one who could get through to me was my sister Edinburgh who fed me and kept encouraging me to bounce back from my despair. When I did recover from my storm of depression, I kept this chain to remind myself that as much as I love life, that kind of connection was unneeded. It was only when I met you that I found a rekindled reason to seek out love like this again. That's why I'm not going to let you go without a fight."

The carrier felt incredibly touched that the light cruiser had conveyed something beyond personal. She wanted to pry deeper and find the name of this person that hurt her Belfast, but she knew it didn't matter anymore. Their loss was her gain. "You won't need to; I love you with all my heart and know this now. You're the only one for me, Bel."

The maid's heart throbbingly gasped, her heart tightening from all the adoration she was receiving from the woman she loved and desired. "Do you love me enough to make love to me?" She huskily tempted and trailed a hand down to the carrier's shirt, beginning to unbutton the first top button.

A flash of unrivaled resolve flashed across Enterprise's face, and she held the maid's fingers from devilishly continuing. "I love you so much that I want to do right by you and correct that sad memory."

Belfast looked at her with a puzzled look and swallowed dryly and impatiently to what her lover meant.

The carrier had a dreamy smile and she inhaled and exhaled a few times until her heart had settled. "Bel, marry me, be my wife."

"Your wife?!" Belfast had shouted that she was sure she awoke her neighboring shipgirls to the walls of her room.

Enterprise didn't care if the whole world heard that declaration. In fact, she encouraged that idea as she wanted the world to know that this woman was officially off the table and was hers and only hers. "Yes, I don't want to keep fighting or keep living my life on the ocean. Let's just leave this all behind. They won't miss us if we're to leave and live our own lives. I'm not their property anymore."

A series of nods were expressed by the maid as she continued to proudly smile at the woman under her. Her heart was exhilarated with excitement, and she feared nothing if they were together. "Enterprise. Yes, thousand times yes!" A passionate kiss was inevitable, and the two began another make-out session amidst the bedsheets and pillows of the maid's bed.

A hand mischievously sneaked up under the carrier's skirt and a finger began to hotly torment the silver-haired woman, eliciting a chorus of moans.

Enterprise wanted nothing more than to give her whole self to this woman, but she had made a promise and she refused to compromise it as that would water down her love as a whole. Begrudgingly, she started to push back the light cruiser who moaned angrily and looked at her with a puffed breath. "Bel... I want to… really, I do. But I want our first time to be as newlyweds."

The maid nearly choked up on that whimsical and amazing desire that had touched her heart. "That's… going to take time and I ache for you now." She hungrily grabbed her shoulders, but she couldn't take Enterprise with the ravenous lust that fueled her heart. Earlier on she had said that she wouldn't do anything that Enterprise didn't want, and right now, she was trying to abstain from sexual advances.

"It can be a royal wedding and you'll be the one to host it with all the wonderful details you want." Enterprise playfully rubbed the maid's hair, trying to calm her lust and make her see the bigger picture.

Belfast blew a piece of hair away from her eyes and looked torn. "I'll pass on that. I don't care for any of the royal details anymore and to marry us in that way I'll have to gain approval from Her Majesty. Pfft, I don't need her approval for what I feel in my heart. I'm yours and no one else."

"Then you wouldn't care where we marry?" Asked the carrier with an idea forming in her mind that drove her wild as it also tied to her running away idea.

"As long as I have you by my side, a vail, and official documentation then that's all I need, my love. To bloody hell with a ring as well."

The rest of the night could have been summed up as mentally draining as both kept from breaking the wonderful dream that they shared now. They were hungry for each other like a carnivore wanting meat yet forced to sustain themselves via only vegetables. Their only comfort was the spooning they did as they fell asleep in each other's arms, even if that incited their urges to flare up again. Enterprise during the night could feel her royal lover rubbing her bottom against her. Bel was showing her devilish side yet Enterprise's stubbornness from the goal she set out would not break. The blood from her body did rise to her face none the less.

(The next day)

A loud bang at the head maid's door disturbed her and her lover's dreams, bringing them back to reality.

"Open up! Belfast, I know you're in there! Open up!" They both paused, now fully alert to the one disturbing their pleasant sleep together.

Outside in the hallway, Cleveland fearfully worried about her friend who looked ready to blow off the door with her rigging if she had it. "Hornet, you're making a scene. The commander told us to keep this on the down-low and use the utmost discretion."

The blonde Yorktown carrier fumed and assaulted the door once more. "Hell no, my sister hasn't responded to my messages, and no one has seen her at all since yesterday. I just know that she did something to her. Hey! Open this damn door now! What did you do to my sister!?"

The door opened and Enterprise stared down at her sister and friend with a serious gaze that had the two blondes nervously caught of guard.

"Ent!? Why are you in her room?" Demanded Hornet with sporadic eyes as her thoughts were running a million miles.

Enterprise expressed an angry puff sound with her eyes ignoring her sister's question. "Why do I have to tell you anything? You didn't tell me anything when I asked you yesterday," she said venomously.

"Ent… I… was trying to help." Hornet made a face and felt confused about her suddenly being berated by her older sister.

Cleveland then intervened, amicable as ever. "Everyone let's just calm down for a second and explain all of this. Ent, we won't ask why you're in Belfast's room, but you need to know something important." The light cruiser wasn't going to pry, unlike Hornet. She firmly believed that Enterprise had been in the maid's room because she wanted to talk to her privately. It was a reasonable conclusion, and she would have done the same.

"Oh, what important thing does she need to know?" Belfast made her presence known when she lovingly hooked her arm around the neck of her lover, and Enterprise's gaze romantically softened.

So much for Cleveland's benefit of the doubt as she knew that exchange of intimacy anywhere due to her experience with Helena. Also, the way the royal smiled at them spoke that unmistakable verse that she had won and they had lost. "Belfast!? Ent, you need to know that she isn't in her right mind."

A flared piercing gaze shot toward the blonde light cruiser. A gaze like that had only ever been used by the carrier when she stared down an enemy Siren. "Cleveland… you take that back!"

Hornet then wedged herself between her sister who looked ready to pulverize Cleveland. "It's true! Belfast, you ate some pie a couple of days ago from Taihou's stand, and that pie you ate was infused with some love potion effect that made you fall in love with the first person you saw."

It was the maid's turn to grit her teeth. "Preposterous! What I feel for Ent-Ent is not fabricated, she and I love each other dearly!"

"Do you hear yourselves?! Ent, what happened to you? You were indecisive yesterday about what you felt, and you said that you couldn't find yourself accepting her love."

"That was the me that coward away from this human emotion called love. This is the natural course of things and my love for her has always been there."

The maid proceeded to slam the door in front of their faces, leaving the blonde carrier both stunned and mentally shattered.

Cleveland warmly patted the carrier's back to ease her whirlwind of despair. "Hey, you're not alone. As someone who has a significant other, I can understand when one gets a bit exaggerated with their love speeches, but that whole interaction just felt off. Like she was brushing everything we said away. There is something crazily off and we need to head back and talk to the commander about this asap."

(Sometime later)

"In the office of the commander, Taihou and Akashi sat in chairs while the stern stares of the commander, Nagato, Hornet, and Cleveland were beaming down on them with the intensity of a laser.

Nagato paced back and forth with her third can of matcha tea today considering that the stress brought by those two was sky high. "You two… you seriously made a love potion pie and were planning on giving it to the commander?!"

Taihou sobbed defeatedly. "I'm sorry—I'm sorry! I just wanted you to notice and love me for my womanly charm, Brea! The love potion thing wasn't supposed to be that strong, but I guess that this cat always finds a way to mess everything up!"

Akashi brought her legs close to her chest and began to rock on the chair, afraid of what her future would look like now. She could see herself in black and white stripes with a chain ball attached to her leg. "Nya!"

Hornet, still enraged and annoyed by how things ended this morning, slammed her foot down hard enough to make everyone stop and look at her. "Enough! Commander, if it wasn't already bad enough that Belfast was under the effects of the love potion, I think Enterprise might also be under it too." She watched the redhead widen her eyes, and Hornet took a deep breath. She then explained her reasons, the same reason she confronted Enterprise with.

"She was with her in her room… and in the span of a day, her perspective changed from indecisive to romantic devotion…."

The young Sakura girl gasped loudly once she came to her conclusion before the others. "She must have eaten a piece of the pie that Belfast ate!"

Taihou flinched and gripped the sides of her chair tightly. Her eyes appeared to have swirly marks inside them as she too was feeling the stern eyes of everyone on her. She pulled herself together and stood up from the chair. "Hold on a minute! Yes, she had bought two pies, but we swapped the second pie for a regular one. There is no way that she had another love-laced piece to get her to love her back, isn't that right Akashi?"

Akashi nervously laughed, knowing more than she had revealed so far. "Well…"

"Oh my jeez, what's with that look?! Please don't tell me you left something important out," moaned the black-haired carrier.

"Cat, this isn't the time to be withholding information, please tell us what you know," said the commander.

Akashi folded upon the concerned gaze of the commander. "Nya, well… the thing is… there might be a tiny side effect that could or couldn't have happened." She knew it was guaranteed and was merely trying to soften her inevitable fall.

"Like what?" Inquired Commander Brea.

"Yes, we disposed of the rest of the love pie after that maid wolfed down a piece. However, if she was able to kiss Enterprise, the effect that makes her so scarily infatuated carries over to the one who received the kiss, making them both crazy for each other."

The color had drained from Taihou's face, and she murderously looked at the cat shipgirl with horror and disbelief. "What?! Why didn't you say this sooner!?"

"Nya, you didn't ask!" Whined the cat.

Taihou connected the dots, and her blood ran cold. "Then if everything went according to plan and the commander kissed me, I would have been hit with that love effect too?"

Akashi responded with a resounding head nod.

The commander rubbed her forehead and glanced at the Sakura carrier with a tired tone. "Why are you even shocked about that? Aren't you already in love with me? So, that's kind of redundant for you," she finished off with a sarcastic chuckle to ease the tension in the air.

Hornet had been quiet, and her hair covered her face as her mouth slowly started to turn into a snarl upon what she heard. Now wasn't the time for anything else except making sure her sister didn't do anything stupid. That was when she moved swiftly and held the commander by her collar. "Commander! We've been too lax on this situation. We should have detained her from the very beginning!"

The redhead felt herself grow dizzy from the rapid head bobs caused by the blonde. "We didn't know how serious and deeply this ran, Hornet. I had someone keep an eye on Belfast's dorm room, but they must have gone in very late at night to the point that nobody imagined she would return to her room!" Hornet let her go and she woozily leaned back on her desk. Her hazel eyes cautiously looked up at the blonde who began to show her true feelings and start crying while trying to maintain a tough face.

"My sister is under some weird influence and they both need to be put somewhere until this thing wears off!"

The commander sighed defeatedly. "I… I know. But we need to do this right, or else they might flee or cause damage to the base." She paused grimly, not leaving that option out, especially when two fatally romantic lovers were feeling the world start to close in around them.

(Sometime later)

Two shipgirls made their way to the harbor of the base. With them, they each had a light travel bag as they had only packed what was essential.

"Enterprise, I can see a few girls looking at us with curiosity," stated Belfast, feeling uneasy and expecting someone to stop them before they could reach the harbor.

Enterprise quelled her lover's concerns with a tender hand upon her shoulder that she also used to help quicken her lover's pace. "I know, but as long as they watch and don't actively try to stop us then it's fine." She thought back to her sister, the commander, and others who could potentially stick their noses into their business. From what Belfast had conveyed to her relating to Vestal, and her morning encounter with Hornet, all would be coming after them.

Enterprise refused to let that come to pass while she passively waited for It. If the others were going to stop them, which that fact alone was hard to ignore, she was going to make the first move. She doubted that she could talk with the commander first before Hornet and Cleveland did. Doubted it more that she would be able to have a normal relationship with Belfast on base with their judging eyes always looking at them, never believing that the love they felt was genuine. "We're almost there… I can see my ship."

Belfast smiled and forced herself to keep the pace her lover was initiating with their linked arm around each other. "Yes, I can see my vessel as well."

They had made it and were in perfect range to call upon their ships. Enterprise exchanged a silent yet happy look at the woman next to her who she would start a new life with. A life far away from the ocean, from war, and duty. She would never be alone again.

"That's as far as you two will go." A voice cut through the silent air and quickly forced them to turn their attention to their right.

"What?!" Enterprise shot the one who spoke with a gaze full of venom. It was the commander, Hornet, Cleveland, and Essex. They had also arrived at the harbor just as they were about to make their escape.

"Commander…" Enterprise sighed and calmed her upset mood. "Figured that they would bring you into their delusions after all."

The redhead gazed at the carrier with concern before stepping forward. She raised her hands to show that she didn't have anything like a weapon. "Enterprise… Belfast… I can tell what you're planning to do and that's a big mistake." Her voice was calm and understanding but to them, it was no different than a red flag of challenge.

The carrier laughed mockingly. "Running away from the harshness of war with my fiancée doesn't sound like a mistake to me, commander!"

The chorus of yelps and shock reverberated across the harbor and some like Essex expressed a sunken expression to what would have been debatably something heartwarming.

Commander Brea tried to maintain her composure but before her eyes, it was all untangling and escalating higher. "Your fiancée… dammit. You both doing this is grounds for desertion and you will be tried in naval court with a fate I can't even imagine for a shipgirl!"

"To hell with that!" Passionately shouted the Eagle Union carrier. "I refuse to be the Eagle Union's property—to be your property! We are given human forms, yet we are deprived of the ability to choose how we want to live our lives."

"You're not property—not to me. You're my ally and friend. You're human just like me, Enterprise. You and I are in this together for the sake of humanity's tomorrow."

Those words hardly reached the carrier who had no complaints in turning them against the commander. "If we are friends, then let us go. Let Belfast and I live our human lives like everyone else in this world."

The commander clenched her fist and somberly met the carrier's gaze. "I can't do that… believe me, I wish I could. No one else knows better than me that all of you deserve some semblance of happiness. But we have a responsibility to maintain the battle at sea or else the Sirens will reclaim every inch of this planet for themselves. It's the same for me if I were to abandon my position just like you."

"Commander…" said the other shipgirls that were behind her and were profoundly touched by her compassion for them. Even if their bond as commander and shipgirl was still in the early stages, they all had accepted her fully when she arrived on this base.

"Step aside, commander," warned the archer but this time with murderous undertones.

Essex and Cleveland sourly glared at Enterprise for being horribly unphased by such genuine words from the commander.

The commander exhaled and stood steadfast before the woman she respected. "No. Essex, Hornet, and Cleveland…"

While Essex and Cleveland stepped forward to help subdue the love-sick shipgirls, the Yorktown blonde everted her gaze from the redhead. "Commander, I hate myself for being the one not to dance at this party, and I should have said this sooner… but I won't be able to fight this one." She then heard a sound of content emanating from her older sister.

"Yes, you can't, sister, as in your last sortie your hull was damaged, and it is still being repaired in the shipyard if I remember correctly."

Hornet showed how greatly that stung her. "Ent… why do you sound so satisfied with yourself upon remembering that?" Questioned the blonde. It conveyed to the blonde that her sister was ready to accept anything if it meant a smoother escape.

Commander Brea defeatedly accepted the blonde's reason for not joining in and figured it was out of both of their hands. She made sure to give Hornet a thumbs up to show that it was okay in the end.

"Commander!" From over a small green hill that connected the harbor and road, Lady Nagato was waving her hand followed by a woman in a white crane coat named Zuikaku. "Commander! I returned to support you and brought one of my juniors with me!" She gave the go-ahead to Zuikaku who grinned and leaped from the green hill and landed next to the commander and the others.

The brown-haired woman friendly beamed at them conveying how eager she was for a fight. "Commander, fifth carrier division member Zuikaku arriving to assist you in detaining the Grey Ghost. I got the gist of the situation from Lady Nagato, so just leave it to me as I must answer this call from one carrier to another."

Nagato arrived and huffed a bit before speaking. "Commander, I apologize as I can't fight. I promise Akagi that I wouldn't engage in any fights while here."

"It's okay, this is an Azur Lane matter… an unofficial one I'll add, but I'll take Lady Zuikaku's elite combat support anytime." She grinned at the small girl who she had formed a bond with.

Zuikaku internally emulated an adorable expression for being praised, but she maintained her serious gaze on the outside. "I got to say… when Lady Nagato told me that something off was going with the Grey Ghost, I immediately threw my apron at Shoukaku and speeded over here. Whatever weird reason is going on, it doesn't matter to me as long as it grants me the chance to fight you!"

"Zuikaku…" said Enterprise with annoyed distaste. "Commander, is this your resolve?" She sternly asked.

"Yes. Please understand that what we are about to do is because we care for the both of you," proclaimed the commander. There was no intention for her to hold back as Enterprise didn't seem to be of that mindset as well.

The archer closed her eyes and smiled arrogantly. "Is that so? You and I both know how this will end, Brea."

She would be lying if she said that she wasn't afraid of Enterprise's firepower. She knew her well enough that despite her knowledge of her it will still be a rough fight. "Then talk is cheap. Everyone, aim to disable their riggings and only use deadly measures if you are forced to," instructed the commander.

Zuikaku, Cleveland, and Essex stood ready for orders. All three of them had their own perspective on what they were about to be ordered to do, but they knew that it was the only way.

Belfast stepped forward to show that she was ready to fight for their future. "Enterprise, I'll…" Belfast was silenced when a kind hand placed itself on her shoulder and she stared at her lover who gave her a warm smile.

"No—get your vessel ready for when we have to depart, Bel. I can take them on." She wanted to say more, wanted to say that her wild fighting would only put Belfast in danger, and she needed to go all out against those that wanted to snuff out their love.

"Darling… very well." While shocked and ready to argue back, she witnessed the sure look from her lover and future wife that left no doubt that the Eagle Union's strongest would be more than a match for two carriers and a light cruiser.

"Commander!" Cleveland and Hornet both expressed reluctance in letting the royal maid go, but the commander did not look troubled by it.

"No, if we capture Enterprise then Belfast wouldn't think twice about surrendering." The commander pulled out a device from her pocket that was revealed to be a remote. Once she activated it, large steel doors opened up from a garage unit to the far left of the harbor. A vessel ship that was the commander's primary ocean transport made its way toward the part of the harbor they were located at.

Enterprise amusingly gazed at what she would call a toy boat in a large pond. No non-rigging unit could ever match the weakest of shipgirls, and she was not weak by any stretch of the imagination.

Hornet and Cleveland calmed down any arguments about letting Belfast run loose. Nothing else was more important than detaining the Eagle Union's strongest from doing something incredibly fool-hearted.

Enterprise glowed brightly when her ship deconstructed itself from afar and circled her to form her rigging. The brief show of light had even given her the chance to hit the water and gain some distance from them as Belfast had run via the land portion of the harbor and was making her way to her ship. Most likely, she aimed to keep it in ship mode for their escape.

Essex, Zuikaku, and Cleveland summoned their rigging for a fight that would push them beyond their limits. All three hit the water, along with the Commander who refused to stand by on the sidelines.

Zuikaku and Essex were the ones to start things off by launching a wave of fighter planes into the sky, and Enterprise opened her first move by matching the situation.

From her rigging, a burst of planes took to the skies. "What are you hoping to accomplish? To win this fight you must get to me, and my fighter planes are merely a secondary threat!" Boldly declared Enterprise.

"You are so right!" Blurted out Essex, much to the puzzled faces of her allies. She gulped hard and embarrassingly shied away from their gazes. "S-Sorry." It was unavoidable that her respect for her mentor and ally would interfere in this fight. She just hoped that she could keep herself in check and not get amped up by the archer's speeches.

Zuikaku looked exasperated and pulled out her sword. "Now's not the time to be praising her for her speeches. She's our foe that needs to be stopped!" She propelled herself faster toward the carrier.

The Commander's observation vessel that stood behind the three, while it had armaments to repel mass-produced ships, excelled more in defensive output as it was futile to match a shipgirl's raw power.

The commander leaned over the railing of her ship. "Zuikaku! Hit her hard!"

Enterprise loaded an arrow and let it fly toward the crane. Zuikaku barely evaded the arrows and she defiantly smirked at the Grey Ghost.

"Zuikaku watch out!" Yelled Cleveland as the forgotten arrow transformed into a fighter plane. It made a sharp U-turn and began raining hot lead toward the crane.

She scattered her fighter planes with a flurry of her hand after the Gray Ghost's air fleet but Enterprise had anticipated that.

With impressive speed, Enterprise took Zuikaku off guard when she wasn't looking and delivered a kick toward her. The crane barely had enough time to raise her arms and absorb the blow, but she did, causing her to wince painfully, feeling the vibrations and pain coursing through her arms. She took some distance away and then jumped into the air while simultaneously infusing one of her burning planes from her rigging into her blade. With a warrior's yell, she brought down fire and steel upon Enterprise.

Enterprise's guard was perfect, using the side of her bow to absorb the fatal blow from her rival.

They exchange a burning glare against each other, and the Eagle Union carrier thrust her bow upward, staggering Zuikaku who was pushed back. Without a second to waste, Enterprise jumped from the water and twirled to deliver a mid-air kick right into the stomach of the crane.

Enterprise then widened her eyes when Essex fired her arrow from her crossbow, and with Enterprise in mid-air, she had no chance to evade. The shot connected, creating a cloud of smoke, and Enterprise's body dropped back down onto the water. It was worth noting that she was still conscious and had held her hand to her head to keep her hat from falling off.

"Cleveland, release your torpedoes!" Shouted the Commander.

The archer darted her eyes behind her to see one of her planes coming toward her, and she immediately backflipped, timing it perfectly to hitch a ride on it.

The flying carrier rained down arrows upon Cleveland who could do nothing but maintain her evasion. "Damn, she's in surf mode and my torpedoes can't reach her." She aimed her anti-air barrels but cursed under her breath when she was too far away to hit her, and even if she did get a clear shot, she just couldn't allow herself to take it.

"It's okay, I'll take it from here," declared Essex. She understood the reserved thoughts of the blonde. She too didn't want to engage Enterprise either. She held her breath and released it in tangent with her crossbow firing.

Her shot was precise and managed to obliterate the right wing of the fighter plane.

The silver-haired woman was forced away from the plane by the blast and she didn't stop her hat from falling off this time around. Her body motionlessly fell downward, soon to collide with the water from her sheer velocity and height.

Essex gasped and sailed at full speed to grab her. In her mind, she screamed as she wondered why Enterprise wasn't protecting herself from such a fall. Did she sustain a head injury from shrapnel debris when the wing had been shot off? In her manic state, she failed to listen to the frantic screams of the blonde light cruiser.

"Essex, no! It's a trap!" Shouted the Commander who had the same insight as Cleveland, but Essex had heard it this time around.

The pale blue-haired carrier grabbed Enterprise before the water connected with her and her reward was an elbow hit across the face.

Essex's world turned sideways, and she crashed into the water, while Enterprise landed safely back to the surface of the water. Spotting her hat floating on the surface of the water, she picked it up and casually shook it a bit but she did not don it on her head yet as she deeply pondered over it. Her thoughts were silenced when she heard the pained groans from the other carrier just a few meters away.

Enterprise showed genuine disappointment toward the half-drowned Essex that looked at her like a wounded puppy looking for answers. "Essex... how gullible of you to not close your heart to your enemy's dire situation." She quickly threw her hat back on and raised her bow while smiling amusingly, enjoying the other carrier struggling to get up from being half in the water.

Essex shakily stood back up with a hand holding the side of her face. "Enterprise... a hero such as you shouldn't be acting like this." She gloomily wanted to cry for many reasons, but she needed to hold herself together.

Enterprise scoffed and lowered her bow. "A hero? Please stop putting me on that pedestal. You're the one who has always seen me like that. You're the one who's always seen the fairy tale image of a hero, who is nothing but truly someone who has survived when others have died. If you want to be a hero so bad then it's yours." To further nail her conviction, she tore the hat from her head and threw it at Essex.

The captain's hat dropped before the feet of the other carrier. Essex woundedly looked at the hat that held so much meaning for Enterprise who had now discarded it like yesterday's paper. That hat symbolized unity, honor, courage, and history. She discarded them all for love. This was not the way she would ever imagine herself receiving it and it left nothing but emptiness in her.

"An empty title such as that is meaningless compared to having someone to love. But you're like a child who can't possibly know what love for someone else really means," said Enterprise, now hatless and unshackled from her sense of duty. Free to live her life in the way she desired it now.

The light blue-haired carrier made a face and despondently clutched the discarded hat close to her. A few tears rolled down her face and landed on the hat. What followed, was Essex darting her gaze back on Enterprise with a bit more intensity than before. "Who says I don't have someone I love? That's why I'm here doing what I must..."

It took a while for Enterprise to register the woman's feelings, and in honesty, she wouldn't have ever been able to even notice them if it wasn't for her own newly forged love. "Essex…" Pity and sympathy laced her words. She then coldly composed herself and stared at the other carrier. "… your love will never be realized."

Essex widened her eyes and her lip began to tremble with more tears beginning to pour out of her eyes. The woman she had been fighting for gazed into her heart and spit all over it. No other injury she had ever sustained had come close to what she felt now.

Enterprise looked up and one of her planes dropped a payload on the emotionally crushed carrier. The blast wasn't a direct hit, yet the shockwave knocked Essex unconscious as she floated on the water.

"Enterprise!" Cleveland charged at her, her barrels loaded and ready to fire. And that's what she did. She unloaded all she had upon the carrier who guarded against the barrage of bullet hell that tried to hit her but with the help of her massive bow, she was able to deflect them efficiently.

Once Cleveland was close, she was filled with an unyielding rage for how Enterprise treated the other carrier. Her fists did the talking as they both closed the distance between each other.

Enterprise humored her and blocked every single strike, either with her bow or elbow as the two danced a classic pugilist fight.

Not even Zuikaku charging at her side with her flaming sword had phased the Eagle carrier who blocked both shipgirls while retaining her perfect guard.

"You're all weak!" She blocked Cleveland, then grabbed her to throw her against Zuikaku. The crane was forced to lift her flaming sword out of fear that she might burn the blonde. That's what Enterprise wanted as she immediately raised her leg to kick the raised sword upward and away from Zuikaku.

The Sakura carrier recoiled in horror when the other carrier readied herself to ram her runway part of her rigging toward the two of them.

The blonde wouldn't be able to take such a vicious strike, so the crane held her close and angled herself to be the only one to absorb the abuse from the runway rigging. Her final move had sealed her fate, yet she accepted it without blinking. The strike connected with her shoulder, pushing her back and sending her flying into the water with Cleveland.

The fight was over, and Enterprise stood as the victor.

"Ow Ow Ow." Zuikaku regained her balance on the water, and maintain a kneeling position with one leg. She clutched her arm from the trauma she sustained at the hands of the Grey Ghost.

Cleveland had been let go and stood on one knee while sorrowfully inspecting the bruised arm that had taken the abuse from the runway of Enterprise. There was nothing she could do for the crane besides helping her back to the shore.

They both heard the sound of an arrow being pulled back and both stood horrified at Enterprise getting ready to fire a final shot toward them.

"Sis no!" Shouted Hornet from the harbor area.

Nagato covered her mouth with her hands, trying to muffle the terrified sobs from seeing the Eagle ace completely reaching the point of no return.

"It's over." Enterprise full of focus and determination released her arrow that served to make one thing clear for everyone; do not get in her way.

From the corner of her eye, the Commander's vessel came into view at an alarming rate that caught the other shipgirls off guard. The blast from the arrow connected with the Commander's vessel at the last second. Due to its defenses, it successfully tanked the hit, leaving it as the only thing that sustained damage.

Pieces from the now shattered vessel flew in all directions and the small vessel spun uncontrollably.

"Cleveland!" Shouted the frantic tone of the Sakura carrier who took the well-being of the Commander on board that vessel as the highest priority. If she hadn't taken that brutal hit that left her temporarily out of commission she would have raced toward the human as well.

Cleveland immediately sprang into action, conveying the same wishes that the crane had, to protect the Commander. The blonde light cruiser evaded flying debris coming her way and jumped onto the still-spinning vessel to reach the commander. What felt like a long and nail-biting moment soon ended when the blonde Eagle Union emerged from the fire and chaos of the sinking ship with the commander in her arms.

Both hit the water and watched the vessel get swallowed up by the ocean waves.

"Commander, are you all right?!" Urgently said the blonde as well as frantically scanning her body for any bleeding.

Commander Brea seemed to still be reeling from the whiplash of the spinning force that her vessel had succumbed to, but she nodded uneasily with a kind smile.

Cleveland's personal victory ended abruptly when Zuikaku yelled for her to look out. Enterprise, without remorse for what events could have transpired, closed the distance and delivered a relentless punch to her best friend's face.

Cleveland saw stars flood her vision and darkness soon replaced it. Before going unconscious, she stared with agony at Enterprise who now held the Commander close to her like a hostage.

"I've had enough of this! All of you are annoying and a waste of time! I'm going to keep the commander until we leave the water perimeters of the base. If any one of you tries to follow, then she's going to get it." Her ire was directed toward the despair-fueled gazes of Zuikaku and Essex. They were too far away to do anything for the Commander.

"Enterprise, please stop… this is only going to escalate with Naval HQ sending out shipgirls after you and Belfast for desertion," pleaded the commander. She didn't care more about her well-being than she cared about Enterprise who wasn't in her right mind.

Enterprise gritted her teeth and roughly held the commander by her throat. "Quiet! There's no one they can send after me that I can't beat."

The commander gazed at the carrier with one eye opened. With a stern and grave voice, she spoke. "What about Belfast? You two will be running for the rest of your days if you allow this to go any further. This hazardous road of love that you want leads to nowhere good."

Enterprise continued her vicious hold while understanding that if she lost control she could easily snap the woman's neck like a chicken bone. A sense of anxiousness entered her mind and she checked the area of the harbor where Belfast had run off to. Plentiful time had elapsed that she expected to see the love of her life sailing to regroup with her but to her horror, Belfast's ship was still docked near the harbor.

The air ominously changed, and she darted to her other side when she felt someone that was unaccounted for quickly approaching her. Time halted and Enterprise's mouth grew dry to the horror she witnessed.

Taihou of the Sakura Empire had taken a long way and sailed around the conflict zone undetected to surprise the other carrier with a hostage of her own. Belfast, tied up by various sturdy ropes and gagged stood beside the black-haired carrier. Taihou's blade rested close to the maid's neck who tried to struggle to break free. However, with her captor being a carrier, she had a leg up in strength over her.

The black-haired carrier challenged the manic look of Enterprise with her own. "This is some bittersweet symmetry that fate has forced us in, don't you think?" Her Iron grip was absolute against the struggling head maid.

The silver-haired woman hyperventilated, remembering her dreams that she was incapable of saving Belfast. The same dire intensity as the demolished wall over the maid in her dream permeated into this very scene before her. "Release her, you outrageous turkey!" Roared Enterprise. She then produced a glowing arrow from thin air and held it to the side of the commander's neck. The light from it burned with just enough heat to get the commander to make a pained face.

Taihou wavered slightly, her eyes dispelling the harshness of a cruel enemy, yet knew that she needed to keep the pressure. She pressed the blade against the underpart of the maid's chain necklace and drew a bit of blood. A cut for a burn set the mood, telling the other that their challenger had the resolve to inflict pain.

At this point, the others were stunned in both horror and silence, seeing the unhinged shipgirls trying to one-up the other.

"Taihou!" Zuikaku disagreed with the methods of the black-haired carrier, but they were pushed to a corner with no other options. Morality aside, this was their only viable strategy left to keep Enterprise in check.

Taihou expressed a murderous gaze that stood as a rival to the killer gaze of the carrier. Her teeth gritted yet she soon pulled herself back into a more composed nature. The venom in her voice was still prevalent. "I can't forgive you. I watched from a distance while darling Brea poured her heart out to convince you to cease this delusional love crusade. Yet all you did was spit in her caring nature for the both of you."

Enterprise pulled back the arrow away from the commander's neck, seemingly being the one to fold first. "Enough… my love for Belfast isn't delusional! She understands me, accepts me, urges me to improve, and… keeps me from being alone. Her telling me she loved me was the happiest moment since I first sortied with my older sister." Her boisterous words brought her to a melancholy memory filled with heartache as equally as happiness. It was a simpler time and a naive time. A time when she knew that nothing could beat them as long as they held together, yet that warped reality was folly. She knew she was drifting from her focus and widened her eyes back to the only target that mattered now. Assessing the situation was pivotal and she composed the killer gaze she had. "You mentioned symmetry. So what? Are you telling me that you're in love with this human?" Bitterly asked the carrier.

Taihou nodded sternly yet there was a hue of pink around her cheeks. "That's right on the bingo number, Grey Ghost."

"And you're calling me delusional. It's more real than yours! You love the commander... A human who will age and leave you alone one day, that's not to say if you're the one that will leave her first in an inevitable sinking."

Taihou like a wall remained steadfast against those cruel words that she refused to entertain. "I admit love can be cruel but so what? It's better to have loved than to never have loved at all! The fact that the commander's life is fleeting and precious is one of the things I love about her. She's willing to put herself on the front lines with us despite how fragile she is. She has always inspired bravery… even when none of the other humans took her seriously in old port I had the pleasure of meeting her."

"Taihou..." Brea couldn't hide how embarrassed and happy she was to be acknowledged because of her efforts. It was something that she shouldn't take pride in because she was doing what was expected of her like the shipgirls under her command. Still, she would be less of a human if she didn't feel anything.

Enterprise furrowed her brows and watched the love of her life struggle to break free from the grip of the carrier. Their eyes locked and Enterprise could see the maid's gut-punching guilt and shame that she let down the love of her life.

Enterprise took a deep breath. "Okay... why don't we let go of our captors at the same time and we'll go our separate ways?" The desperation in her eyes said it all. While she exuded this wall of murderous intent, she was filled more with worrying love for her fiancée.

The realization made itself known to Taihou who grew silently more confident in the trick that she had under her sleeve. A game plan of sorts was the trick and the opportunity to execute it was approaching.

"Taihou! Don't do it!" Shouted the commander, causing the others to feel torn about who they should side with. To side with the commander meant that they would welcome the death of the commander as that was her desire to keep Enterprise from escaping. However, to side with Taihou meant to allow Enterprise to fall into a life of being on the run.

Taihou softened at the commander's selfless nature. "Brea. That's so you that you're willing to sacrifice yourself to keep Enterprise from becoming a deserter of the Eagle Union... something I'm sure she would agree to some extent if she was in her right mind. However, while you're selfless… I'm a selfish woman. Just like back then when I declared myself to you as your sword! I didn't take your feelings into account when I proclaimed myself." A fire of conviction reached the commander from the Sakura carrier. In the next second, Taihou pushed Belfast away from her and everyone panicked at the shocking sight.

No one else was more shocked than Enterprise who watched the love of her life get discarded aside toward the heartless sea. The maid didn't have her rigging and she was bound, unable to use her hands. The silver-haired woman knew that fate was as good as sinking.

Without even casting hateful ire toward the other carrier, Enterprise discarded the commander without thought and raced with a stretched-out arm toward the royal maid.

The commander shut her eyes to ready herself for the heartless sea's embrace. That contact never came and instead, a pair of strong and soft hands embraced her. It was Taihou who had saved her. The carrier winked at her, and her upbeat smile told her to trust her. With her free hand that wasn't holding onto the commander as if she was a trophy, she lifted her katana and slashed the water upward, creating an impressive wave of water that was coming toward the love-sick couple.

Enterprise retrieved her nearly drowned fiancée from her predicament before they found themselves in another one. The wave of water created by Taihou rushed toward them, and Enterprise threw an arrow with her hand. There was no way she could have drawn her bow with Belfast taking space between her other arm.

The arrow and rush of water collided, puncturing the relentless force of water coming at them and creating rain droplets.

"Cat!" Shouted Taihou randomly and confusing Enterprise.

Her confusion was her fatal mistake as, during the attack that turned out to be nothing but a fatal distraction, Akashi had stealthily made her way toward the blind spot of the carrier from the same direction that Taihou had come from. It was only during the scramble to shift locations to rescue their love interest that Enterprise's gaze grew distracted.

"Where are you looking at!? Hehe, I always wanted to say that, nya!" The cat ship charged at her from the carrier's blindspot and raised a brightly colored water gun toward the carrier.

Even the shock of such an outlandish attack had made Enterprise fatally hesitate. The burst of liquid from the water gun hit the eagle union woman directly in the eyes. It had all been calculated from the taunting of Enterprise to her understandably turning her head toward the new enemy.

Enterprise let out a scream as her eyes burned with irritation, causing Belfast to widen her frightened eyes in concern for her lover. The unknown liquid blinded the carrier whose eyes were now burning with irritation.

"Hehe, like a cat burglar in the shadows, Akashi comes at you at the speed of dark, nya!" She posed for dramatic effect, showing no ounce that she felt bad for blinding the carrier that was clearly under the influence of her own concoction.

"Why you little…" Enterprise, though blinded, attempted to toss an arrow blindly at the catgirl that seemingly disabled her fighting capability in one comedic strike.

Akashi cowered away in fright, nearly missing the arrow that plummeted into the water into an imploding spectacle.

Taihou glanced at Zuikaku and Essex who regained their second wind and looked ready for a rematch. Zuikaku's arm was in tremendous pain but like the focused warrior she was, she distracted herself from the pain. In the end, she still had her other arm that was itching to go.

"You two now's your chance to knock her out!" Roared Taihou.

Essex nervously gulped while Zuikaku looked fired up beyond imaginable. Regardless of the emotion, they wouldn't take this opportunity for granted. Both blasted from their position and charged toward Enterprise who desperately tried to regain her vision from the attack.

"Lemon… you seriously hit me with lemon juice!" Her attempt to glare at the catship failed when she turned her blinded gaze in the other direction once hearing the approaching enemies. Her blurry vision refocused all too late as the last thing she saw was both Zuikaku and Essex combining fists, side by side, toward the Eagle Union ace.

Enterprise was a durable and strong shipgirl, that alone made her a formidable opponent while not even taking her skills and weaponry into account. They both knew that to make this work, they needed to go all out and hit her. Hard.

The two propelling carriers yelled chaotically, and both of their fists connected with the left cheek of the ace before them.

The impact was thunderous and violent, snapping Enterprise's field of view in the opposite way sending her into a disorienting whiplash. Emptiness remained in the mindscape of the ace carrier whose world turned dark after feeling the booming dual strike from both the crane and learner.

Enterprise's body hit the water, but her rigging kept her afloat. The only silver lining from this situation was that Belfast was still able to remain afloat since, even in her conscious state, Enterprise never loosened her grip on her lover.

Zuikaku and Essex approached the maid who sobbed like there was no tomorrow. The gag in her mouth made her sobs come out muffled but their intensity didn't diminish.

"I did it! I beat the Grey Ghost! Yay!" Ceremoniously cheered the crane with the happiest of smiles. Her numb arm and her other bruised hand hurt like hell, yet this victory truly tasted sweet for her.

"Teacher…" Essex mentally drowned herself in the memory that she created not even a minute ago. The impact, the look on Enterprise's face, and the pain her hand now felt would forever stick with her. The only reason she was able to draw out that strength was because of the heartache she felt when Enterprise stomped on her heart. Even after all that backing her up, she couldn't hate her in the end.

The maid stared at them both, tears and hatred in her silent eyes that could burn them with the heat of a thousand suns.

Zuikaku came down from her jubilant high and Essex snapped out of her gloomy mood to see the hateful look from the romantically sick light cruiser.

"Hey, Miss Zuikaku, why do I suddenly feel like the bad guy in this situation?" Half-jokingly stated the carrier, the other half being genuinely nervous.

Zuikaku understood where she was coming from and nodded grimly. "It had to be done. Let's count ourselves lucky that no one's head came clean off in this fight."

(The aftermath)

What happened that day stayed between the shipgirls and the commander that witnessed it all. The bake sale had been such a great success that no other shipgirl heard the distant explosions and fighter planes that tore across the sky during the fight.

Enterprise and Belfast were quickly separated and quarantined inside bunker cells below an old storage building. There, no one could hear the repeated blows that Enterprise inflicted onto a reinforced door that was specifically designed to hold enemy shipgirls.

The bangs and shouts from them vibrated throughout the walls for one whole week. As the days went on, they seemed to dwindle in spirits and reserved themselves to the closest corner that brought them the closest to each other. The effect of the dangerous love pie had revealed a side effect that they would fall into a state of depression if separated for a long period of time. In tangent, their efforts to rebel had ceased like a machine's function that relied solely on solar power.

(Belfast)

She stared vacantly across the white room that had become her world during this long week. A half-eaten tray of food lay next to her. Her gaze was lost inside her own mind and the memories of Enterprise were all that kept her going. The chance to see her again and the chance for payback on those that did this to her started to turn stale.

She swallowed anxiously and as much as she tried to keep those emotions firm, they slipped through her like water between fingers. She exhaled and jolted back to reality when her perspective sharply altered.

Her memories now felt like a dream, fleeting, and dubious. She now felt like she had an out-of-body experience throughout this whole week but the more she told herself that—the less true it felt. As the seconds came by, the distance that she fabricated between herself and her memories closed in on each other.

The memories hit her like sunshine soaking into her skin. A tremble of her lip expressed and she buried her hands in her face in shame. "What have I done?" She sobbed to herself.

The metal door that sealed her emitted noise and soon opened, revealing the commander, Hornet, and Essex. The first to speak was Belfast herself.

"C-Commander… please… am I still dreaming?" She said despondently, knowing the answer to that ultimate question.

The commander gave her a sad and sympathetic look. "I hope that you're more awake than you've been these past few days."

The statement alone was enough for the head maid and she gave them all a mournful look. "Is Miss Enterprise…" she stopped herself, knowing it was better to reset herself and give herself time before she mended that part of her heart.

(Enterprise)

Another week had gone by, making it two weeks since they had been placed in containment. For that second week, Enterprise had returned to her proper state of mind and was serving her time as the Commander's assistant. An odd turn of events but one that she had pleaded to the commander.

"Ugh… didn't know there was so much building paperwork just to construct another dorm on base," said the redheaded commander as she sifted through papers that overwhelmed her desk.

Enterprise sat across from her and organized papers from levels of importance. "I often wondered when the Sakura faction would ever get a dorm on this base but looks like things will be getting livelier around here," said Enterprise behind a piece of paper, making it intentional that she couldn't speak to the commander directly. While her face was obscured, the hands that held the papers showed visible fading bruises from her relentless strikes against the secured door.

The redhead caught quick to this evasiveness and leaned forward on her desk. "We do owe them a lot for helping us in where naval command cant. Besides, any place, similar to a basket, does come with their share of overly sweet apples but that doesn't mean that the whole basket is like that." She reflected on Taihou and the devilish woman's antics that had turned two shipgirls into crazed-filled lovers.

Enterprise remained hidden behind her paper and nodded. "I guess… I'm okay with all of this," she said without hints of malice.

The commander made a face and snatched the paper from Enterprise, forcing her to look at her. Upon clear view, a massive bruise on the side of Enterprise's cheek from when she had been delivered that dual blow from Zuikaku and Essex was visible. Enterprise blushed and gazed at the commander with a face similar to a kid's face when they knew they were in for a lecture.

"Enterprise… you know I don't hold anything about what you did over you, right?"

Enterprise gazed at the fading burn mark on the commander's neck and sighed grimly. "I wish you did. I deserve some level of punishment. I hurt you, hurt Cleveland, Essex, and the others. All because I was in some delusional state…"

The commander relaxed and leaned in her chair. "Delusional state, huh?" She wondered if that was the carrier's genuine conclusion to what she felt for the royal maid.

The door opened and Taihou and Akashi came in. "Umm… you wanted to see us, Nya?" Said Akashi nervously. The air grew heavier when they landed eyes on Enterprise who they haven't seen in two weeks.

Commander Brea beamed at them and waved them in. "Yes, please come in."

The Sakura shipgirls sat down in chairs next to Enterprise who refused to gaze at them and kept her head down as this topic didn't relate to her.

The commander smiled and connected her hands together. "Firstly, I want to thank Akashi for helping the Manjuus in building the dorm that will be for all the new Sakura girls that will be coming to live and study here. Without you, I feared that building it would take longer. Thank you, Akashi!"

The catship looked confused and blushed with a hand behind her head. "It was nothing, nya!" She eased up as she had thought that she was going to be punished by the commander. She already finished her sentence ordered by Nagato. A sentence to cut the weeds from the gardens of the Sakura Empire from morning to dusk, and Taihou had been her only form of company during that tiring week.

Hazel-colored eyes then moved to Taihou who perked up with fearful eyes to what her sweet but fair crush would have to say. She had said a lot of closely guarded things the last time she had been around the commander and quite frankly, her heart wasn't strong enough for the rejection that she could feel coming.

"Taihou… I decided on approving your request to be transferred to this base. Siren operations hardly ever cease unless they have something massive in the works, and having another carrier is always the right choice to fortify our defense."

The carrier comedically jumped out of her chair and rubbed her eyes out of fear that she might be dreaming. "Really!? Even after what happened with…" She paused, seeing the gloomy Enterprise who perked up from looking at the ground once she locked eyes with the other carrier. They both said nothing as they both deflated against any type of interaction with each other.

The commander smiled and nodded happily. "Why not? Despite our rough meetings in the past, I don't see why we can't build a more proper working relationship." She struggled to believe that, but she genuinely wanted to give the carrier a second chance. She figured that this incident had been some positive growth for the carrier, and she did ponder on the kind words that Taihou had mentioned under the heat of drama.

"—because she's crazy, nya," murmured the catship while also diminishing the hopeful mood in the air.

Making a face and trying to still give Taihou the benefit of the doubt, the commander continued. "… of course, there will be boundaries in place if you can follow those."

The black-haired carrier humbly bowed and accepted the fair conditions.

A sensation of elation and reprieve washed over all of them, feeling that the room held no intentions for punishment instead, new beginnings and chances.

"Miss Enterprise… sorry about squirting you in the eye with lemon juice," said Akashi. She inadvertently became the envoy of the reconciliation process that all three were facing and were trying to not bring up.

Enterprise blinked a few times before smiling faintly. She equally wished to get off what was on her chest and this moment felt like one in a million for her. "You know, I'm not a big fan of lemons in general and that attack messed me up in more ways than one. Still, thank you, Akashi. You all did what you had to do to restrain me. Of course… despite you both being the ones that started this…" She sighed and could hear them nervously gulp. "… no, what's done is done." She then looked toward Taihou and gave her a half-hearted smile. "Taihou, thank you for not backing down."

The compliment, while designed to make her feel warm and happy didn't instill that effect. There was no pride in holding someone hostage and inciting violence. They both knew that and silently decided to reach a conclusion between both. "It… was nothing. Just trying to right my wrongs and I hope that you and Miss Belfast aren't on awkward terms," she said genuinely.

Enterprise returned to her gloomy state and averted her heavy gaze. She couldn't completely hate them or wish that the situation didn't happen as it brought a lot of perspective into the light. "I haven't talked to her since the incident. I think… time is best for the both of us." It had all been a delusion, that's what she kept telling herself since regaining her leveled head after being let out of her cell.

Belfast was indeed under the effects of something, and it was questionable if her feelings were actually real or not. Realizing that was a bitter pill for the carrier to swallow yet she needed to move on and forget all that she held a hopeful candle to.

Her feelings for the maid were fabricated just as the maid's feelings for her were also the same.

They all nodded in agreement except for Akashi who made a sour face. "Nya! What do you mean?!" She then crossed her arms and made a steadfast expression. "Please, don't tell me you're done chasing your little maid mouse."

Enterprise blushed and looked at the small catship. "She isn't… my little mouse. We're just friends that were affected by something outside our control." She narrowed her eyes sternly at the catship, conveying that she wasn't past blaming the Sakura girl if she continued to press the situation.

Akashi scratched her head in shame while a sweatdrop visibly showed. "Hmm… fine, you got me there. I rather not talk about the pie incident ever again, too, but there is something that you should at least know. In fact, Taihou should also hear this."

The room grew intrigued and the other three women gave their undivided attention to her. "What are you babbling, cat?" Incredulously stated Taihou.

"That delinquent pie. As you all know it had the effect to make the one eating it fall madly in love with the first person they see. That's why I pushed this hopeless romantic to the ground when the maid had devoured the dessert. In theory, it was supposed to be the commander eating the pie and seeing Taihou."

Regardless of it not being her fault, the commander deflated in her chair at the image of falling into Taihou's foolish trap. It brought her embarrassment and a headache.

The black-haired carrier blushed. "Yes, we all know that," said Taihou with a cute and nervous fidgetiness to her hands.

"But it was Belfast that ate it and then saw Enterprise."

Enterprise wished to not be reminded of that day that saw her friend turn delusional.

"Akashi, can we not talk about this?" Voiced Taihou and the other two were deeply in agreement.

"Wait hold on! As I mentioned back then, Belfast was under the effects of the pie, meaning that whoever she kissed would reciprocate those feelings of love."

"Yes yes, you mentioned that and I'm sure Enterprise doesn't need reminding!" Shouted Taihou.

"Will you shut it, nya?! This next part, I wasn't too sure on until reviewing my formula for it—which I then destroyed all blueprints for." She made sure to add that after getting a decerning eye from the other three. "Anyways, the carry-over infatuation effect of the one getting kissed only works if they already had strong feelings of love for the one under the effects of the love pie."

Enterprise widened her eyes in realized surprise as she was now greatly invested.

"Huh?!" Said both Taihou and the commander.

Enterprise hopefully looked at the catship. "You mean…"

Akashi knew that look all too well. Her intuition was right that the carrier had feelings for the maid when she had been deeply worried about the head maid on that faithful day. The way she helped clean her face and the unyielding concern for the maid would have made anyone think that they were already an item. "Yes, if Belfast kissed anyone else by accident, then most likely they wouldn't fall in love with her unless they saw her more than a friend. From the very beginning, I intended my formula to follow that golden rule as I wanted to prove a silent point for Taihou."

"What point was that?!" Asked Taihou defensively.

"If the commander kissed you but you didn't fall further into the madness of the love pie, then it would have proved that your love for the commander was merely out of obsession rather than love. Could you blame me? When you talk about paying people to go through her trash and wanting to know every bit of her one might think that's a crazy obsession."

The commander gave Taihou comedic narrowed eyes at the newly told info. "You go through my trash?"

"Kyaa! I—well… ah! Akashi! I have half a mind to throttle you right now! But I'm more offended that you thought my love wasn't genuine."

"Nya, I know I know. That was my thought process back then before I overheard how you defended the commander and how she's all fragile, brave, and stuff. All your reasons for loving her make sense why you would like her. I just wanted to stick it to you if you did find yourself not succumbing to the effects as well."

"Akashi, you really need to learn to divulge all matters about a situation." Stressed the commander masked behind a strained smile.

"Nobody asked and it didn't seem beneficial to know at the time, nya." She crossed her arms and firmly nodded in self-agreement with her words.

"Belfast…" Enterprise held a hand close to her heart and stood up abruptly. "Commander… would it be okay if I leave early?"

The commander was a bit taken aback but nodded. They watched the carrier ace lower her hat to mask the bruising. An action pre-thought out to avoid stares from the other shipgirls on base. The door soon closed and she was out of sight. "Hmm, I wonder if the talk was too much for her to handle."

Akashi was doubtful of that concern. "Nya! It was exactly what she needed to hear, commander. No doubt that she wants to be alone to reflect on what was said."

"Alone." The commander smiled, feeling that the catship was right. If Enterprise had been taken by the effects of the love pie, then what she felt for the maid was genuine and no mere delusion. She wished to be alone to reflect and Enterprise was a creature of habit. It was then that she picked up her phone urgently.

The two shipgirls in the room had been the makers of a delinquent cupid that had thrown the natural process of friends blossoming into something more into disarray. They were not ready to tell each other how they felt but she now saw an opportunity to play cupid in a less egregious way.

(Belfast)

"Hey, have you seen Miss Belfast around?" Said Essex to Cleveland during passing through the academy grounds as Cleveland was heading back to her dorm.

"She's been going around apologizing profusely to the others for what she did while she was in that state of mind. Vestal told me that she came by to her infirmary and had planted herself on the ground in humble shame."

"What about Enterprise?" Asked Essex. She had reservations about her teacher temporarily taking her spot as the commander's secretary, but she hoped that Enterprise would find the peace with the commander that she was looking for.

Cleveland frowned and her shoulders slumped. "That... well, I'm not sure. She apologized to me, you, and Hornet but her actions have been more under the radar than Belfast. At least the general populace merely thinks that Enterprise and Belfast had been deployed on a special assignment with the Sakura Empire. Like some introductory mission from the Sakura Empire to see if they should join the ranks of the base. Questions and concerns did arise to the odd turn of events, but none found it overly sketchy as everyone had a good impression of the Sakura girls now after the bake sale and the commander's word was truth enough for the shipgirls."

"I hope they muster the courage to speak to each other again as well as forgive themselves for almost deserting everyone on base," said Essex with downcast eyes.

Cleveland grinned sheepishly. "Their forecast is a bit stormy but I have hope that they'll bounce back. There wasn't any permanent damage that happened on the base. Of course, the rumors about what kind of enemy foe could have left such a brutal bruise on Enterprise is the talk of the base more than anything."

Essex shrieked and covered her face in her hands. "I hate that I was forced to do that!"

Cleveland patted her on the back. Both were not aware that one of the ones they had been talking about had hidden behind a tree when she spotted them coming toward her on opposite sides.

The news about Enterprise had left this hidden shipgirl disheartened. A part of her yearned to talk to her but she figured that the carrier needed time.

Once the other shipgirls had left, her phone vibrated with a call from the commander. The lone maid held in a breath as she answered it with a calm tone of voice that she could muster. "Good day, commander…" A minute went by in silence until Belfast let out a startled breath. "She wishes… to talk to me?" A few more seconds elapsed. "I see… I don't feel right about blind sighting her, especially after the incident that will not be named."

On the other end, the commander spoke. "That's fair. For what it's worth, she does want to talk to you but doesn't know how to go about it. There's an indoor garden around the HQ that I'm sure she's going to be at if you do change your mind, Miss Belfast."

The phone conversation ended, and the maid stared at her phone in deep pondering. It was not a decision she made lightly but her feet carried her toward the HQ grounds.

(Sometime later)

Enterprise stood in an indoor garden. Her emotions were guarded and to any ordinary shipgirl that didn't know what happened, she looked stoic and dull. At best they would deduce that maybe the bruise on her cheek had left her unsure of her battle tactics and maybe this was a wake-up call to develop new strategies.

That would have been their best guess but that was a far cry from what truly took up residency in her mind.

"Miss Enterprise..." The voice of another invaded her ears. Sweet and delicate like the owner of the said voice. The grass flattened upon the woman's elegant and light steps.

Life returned into Enterprise's violet and distant eyes, urgently making her dart her eyes to the entrance of the garden. The world seemed to slow, and the carrier's anxiety skyrocketed. "Bel..." She said in a breathy declaration. Time flowed normally and she looked away to hide the bruise that shadowed her face.

Belfast dejectedly diminished in spirits, hating to see her friend acting squirrely and ashamed of herself. The head maid, dressed in her maid outfit, walked somberly through the dirt path until she stood a few feet from the archer.

Belfast knew that it was hard for the carrier to look at her. With each passing day after the effects wore off, she received glimpses of resurfacing memories from that night and the next day when they were inseparable.

The sickly honey-filled words of marriage… the addicting intimacy that they felt as they savored the others' bodies with their touch, it was an overload of the highest caliber. If she began to remember such moments, then it wasn't absurd to think that Enterprise also had.

Regardless of these memories that cruelly taunted the maid, she remained quiet and unblinking toward the carrier. She wanted to say something—anything, but it was hard for her to get herself off the ground. Was she prepared to perpetually stay in this state of silence?

Enterprise, true to her strength as a carrier, also expressed her strength on a mental level. Sensing that Belfast needed a conversation starter, the carrier threw herself into the storm before her. "How are you feeling?" She said with a dry cough while her gaze looked in any possible direction. After kissing Belfast and spending a night of sensual intimacy, all she could think about was the light cruiser's scent, her lips, her back, and her amazing blue eyes. It was dirty in her eyes to see her friend like that regardless of what she felt for her.

Belfast flashed her a reserved smile and lowered her head, emulating something that her older sister would do when trying to avoid a situation. It was indeed a first for her. Regardless, she greatly accepted the question which was as good as any place to start. She felt elated and alleviated that her friend didn't push her away and desired to communicate with her.

"I feel... the same." She started with a slow and pensive tone to her words. There was also a heaviness to her voice like someone carrying a ton of weight then suddenly dropping it upon getting those words off her chest.

Enterprise felt confused by those words. Was she still under the love effects and had managed to deceive the others? That paranoid thought made her step slightly back and take in the situation. The sweatiness of her palms and the nervous constant of her wetting her lips were obvious indicators for the maid.

This was the time when Belfast needed to backtrack on her words and rephrase herself. The thing was, there was nothing to truly rephrase.

Enterprise continued to avoid the maid's gaze and that was something the royal would not have. The dirt marked her advancement, her feet moving forward toward the carrier.

The eagle ace flinched, seeing the maid rapidly make a movement toward her that ultimately revealed to be her bowing. She elegantly bowed apologetically, showing her raised skirt that was appropriate for a maid's graceful show of respect. Those blue eyes that the carrier never got tired of lowered and filled with more somber than they were allowed.

"Enterprise, forgive me." Her mouth squiggled sorrowfully and she strained herself in not allowing herself to shed tears. That struggle was as feeble as a river bountifully flowing in a desert. A few tears cascaded down her cheek and she erratically let out a breath. "Forgive me because after apologizing to everyone that I rudely wronged, I can't seem to be able to apologize to you."

Enterprise widened her eyes and knew that the maid had more to say.

"The thing is, those feelings and actions I did were mine and mine alone. They are a part of me that I kept hidden and I can only apologize for the way they were expressed. I refuse… to apologize for loving you and saying every single word I uttered!" Her eyes shifted from their previous mournful and broken state to a gaze that could match the intensity of the sun.

The carrier's expression remained withheld yet there was undeniable respect in the way the maid held to her beliefs. So undeniable that Enterprise felt an explosion of warmth throughout her chest from hearing the confirmation about where they stood in this love dilemma.

A mixture of both fear and elation now battled in her heart yet there were still shadows in the corners of her heart that yearned to be exercised. As Belfast had put it, she meant every single word she uttered. "What about you berating me for staying indoors and hiding from the world?" Said the carrier straightforwardly.

The maid faltered a bit and released a held breath. "Okay, maybe that remark had come out harsh, and I'll admit that it stemmed from frustrations I would have with you."

The honesty and humbleness from the maid got her to crack a smile since she humored her superficial concern compared to the overall forgiveness from the maid. "I can be difficult at times," she defeatedly accepted before locking her eyes toward the maid. "Bel... you didn't do anything wrong." She had declared those words with a light smile on her bruised face.

Belfast disagreed and shook her head, moving toward a bed of roses to take a breather from seeing Enterprise's beaten face that she had inadvertently caused. "But I did. I tampered with your thoughts and dragged you out of your comfort zone into a topic that I knew you weren't ready for."

"I see it as a mother bird kicking their youngling out of the nest to make them fly." She was trying exceedingly hard to make light of the situation however, it had no effect on the royal maid.

"What an... upbeat way to see it. Still, that love that fueled us from that horrid pie was folly. It was obsession at its finest. You and I weren't in our right mind, and you were forced to sourly experience something that was supposed to be humanly beautiful," she despondently stated while still averting her eyes away from the carrier. A hand then placed itself on her shoulder and she relaxed upon the touch that felt like a million tiny sensations of calm.

They both stared at each other silently and Enterprise's eyes grew steadfast. "So, are you saying that my love was nothing more than a fool's point of view?"

Belfast grew confused. Why could she feel as if the other woman was pushing against her with a resolve that shouldn't exist? The offended look in the carrier's eyes even made her whimsically hopeful for a second before denying herself from concluding the reason. "What? I'm saying that you were forced to be taken over by those warped feelings of love—you're not a fool for getting affected by them…" she said softly and timidly.

"But I am a fool for still holding on to the memory of those feelings," declared the silver-haired woman.

"Enterprise?" What was she trying to say? While they did serve as experience for someone that never dealt in romantic affairs, they weren't the pinnacle of the proper way to express them. They had made out, caressed each other, and joined together intimately as they slept all through sheer warped emotions that she knew Enterprise didn't have… or so she told herself.

All that the maid believed to be unreal became dust in the wind after seeing the affectionate gaze that she instinctively remembered in how the carrier had seen her after they kissed. It was back. It was full of hope and warmth but with no ounce of unbridled delusion now that the effects of the pie had left their system.

"Bel, that night at the nightclub, I kissed you because that's what my heart was telling me. The weight of these feelings was made clear to me by someone else who made me realize that these emotions are a natural course of being human. By kissing you, I was ready to lay down everything to get you back, and if that isn't love then... love is stupid."

"Enterprise?" Belfast's face produced tears at hearing such endearing words that didn't skirt around the situation. The carrier before her was telling her what she felt.

"I was like you this morning, thinking that you didn't love me back and that the pie fabricated everything I felt for you while under the effects. I never experienced what love is like outside a familial love so I couldn't really tell if what I felt was genuine. All I could tell was the feelings leading up to the kiss. You're someone special to me, there's no denying that. Being around you fills me with strength and calms my mind from all my worries. I fear being alone just as equally as I fear the ocean and what it could hold one day. Wanting to run away from duty, and to run away with you was… a selfish rush that I can't stomach with a clear head. Our duty lies here protecting humanity, but I refuse to go at it alone like before. I need the others, I need you. The ocean is both my home and my hell, and if it needs to be that way until the Sirens are defeated then I'll endure."

Tears were now coming out from Enterprise. Someone who exuded strength and a beacon of hope was showing her most human side that the masses never got to see. Normally, all they would see would be a smile of confidence, a stare full of conviction, and a heart full of light, but not many could say they had seen Enterprise's storm that secluded her in isolation, in loneliness. The duty that she carried alone for most of her life was now a thing of the past thanks to the maid teaching her the human feelings that she suppressed deep down.

Belfast cupped the carrier's face, seeing this expression of Enterprise to be overwhelmingly endearing that filled her with the desire to kiss her passionately. She held herself back realistically and traced her fingers on the bruised part of Enterprise's face. "We can start slowly then… get to know each other as girlfriends just like we did as friends."

Enterprise held the hands of the maid and shot her back with the same hopeful stare. "Yeah, slow… we have plenty of time for that, Bel."

"All right… Ent-Ent," she said embarrassingly enough and wondered if maybe that would cause more emotional strain than it was worth. However, Enterprise smiled and boldly leaned forward to kiss the forehead of the maid.

They were now officially a couple, going steady to get familiar with this new status that they both ushered together.

A lingering curiosity amidst this joy still chewed on Belfast. "Enterprise… you mention that you felt differently this morning about the unsureness of your feelings. What changed your perspective?"

Enterprise was like a deer caught in headlights as she thought about what Akashi had revealed about the kiss. Only someone that had established feelings of love could be affected by the kiss of the one that ate the pie. She could have revealed it to the maid and only further solidify their feelings for each other, but she refused. Telling her felt unneeded and redundant. An attraction of love was there indeed. However, she wanted to show her more than anything how special the maid was to her. "I just had some good motivational talk with someone that helped me come to realize things clearly."

Belfast made a confused face then she pouted, catching the carrier off guard. A rare sight that only she had the privilege to see from the head maid who hated to be kept in the dark about something that she could deduce to be insurmountable knowledge.

Enterprise smiled with a sweatdrop. "I promise I'll tell you down the road. It's nothing worthwhile in my opinion but it did give me the determination to follow my heart. I want to keep feeling this way with you." She caught the maid off guard when she held her hands together with hers and brought her in for a small yet delightful kiss.

The butterflies in Belfast's stomachs soared high and she almost completely fainted on the spot. Luckily, her carrier was there to hold her. Their first kiss, this kiss that Belfast acknowledge as their first proper kiss recorded in the annals of their romantic journey. "Hmm… how can you say it didn't amount to anything, yet it helped you conclude what you felt about me?" She said with a frown.

Enterprise smiled lightheartedly. "Well, you got me there. As your girlfriend…" she smiled, letting that word settle nicely on her tongue. "… I'll buy us some of the best pizza the Eagle Union has to offer for our first proper date." She exuded a proud and happy tone that made Belfast smile in happiness.

"That sounds good and all, but… maybe something else from the prestigious Eagle Union? Like their pasta primavera with a nicely seasoned chicken?" Suggested Belfast with a child-like smile and a head tilt.

Enterprise deflated a bit but sheepishly smiled. Her girlfriend had refined taste and that option did sound savory as well. Also, all the grease from the pizza could cause her to break out. "That sounds even better. Hehe, pizza for a first date sounds a bit teeny and juvenile," she said with half-lies to her heart.

Belfast giggled and held hands with Enterprise. "Will get pizza tomorrow. That will give me time to gather ingredients and make use of the mess hall kitchen to make Belfast's homemade royal deep-dish pizza. You'll be the first one to try it and I'm confident in my skills that I won't disappoint," she said with a wink.

At that moment, the carrier could feel a warm glow and the sound of harps playing in the background. The feeling of bliss and elation struck her fast and true, dispelling any small outlier of reservations that their love-crazed moments had marred them with. She was going to love Belfast and do right by her instead of hitting the pedal to the metal like they did when they were under the effects of the love pie.

"Enterprise! Are you all right?" Worriedly asked Belfast when all she saw was the carrier stumbling slightly back. All she could quickly deduce was maybe the pain in her face was getting to her.

Enterprise gaze at her warmly and could not hold her giggles back. "Sorry if I scared you. I think I was just hit with cupid's arrow just now." That was another thing that she realized she loved about Belfast. Her immaculate cooking could shine a golden road straight through her heart and make her fall even deeper for her. She now couldn't wait for tomorrow to try Belfast's version of a deep-dish pizza.

Belfast reddened and hid her face away from the carrier. "Eh? Don't joke around like that, please." They personally already had more than their fill with a more delinquent version of Cupid.

(Bonus scene)

The office of the commander grew quiet and she swiveled in her chair to reach a can of matcha tea from her mini-fridge. As she took in the refreshing taste that relaxed her, she couldn't help but smile at the view from her window. At this moment, Belfast and Enterprise were talking it out and maybe they were deciding to continue their relationship at a more reduced speed.

She had no complaints of them having feelings for each other, unlike her secretary who she knew harbored feelings for the eagle ace.

It wasn't her business but she wondered if they breached that subject that had been revealed on that faithful day. Knowing Essex, she probably spun it to alleviate the guilt of her mentor. There was strength in letting someone you love go and most likely she could see that Enterprise did admire Belfast on a deeper level than friendship. She sighed and leaned on her chair. "Man, love is cruel."

Her ears perked up from the subtle noise of protest that emanated from the corner couch. She had been completely absorbed in her paperwork after she had phoned Belfast that she only gestured for the two Sakura girls to head out. Only one did that while the other stayed behind.

This shipgirl was Taihou who had been trying her hardest to blend into the red couch that perfectly matched her dress. All the while, she had her fan covering half her face while she looked at the commander.

"Eh? You're still here? Isn't it kind of rude to not say anything?"

Taihou made no noise and nodded. There was an obvious blush across her face and she seemed to be in deep thought about what she wanted to say.

The commander made a face and acceptably closed her eyes. "I guess I should be more observant of my surroundings. Okay, Taihou. Spill what you have to say already."

The Sakura woman closed her fan and composed herself. A series of various nervous gulps could be heard before letting out any words. "Do you still remember what I told you all those years ago?"

The redheaded woman recoiled and softened fondly at the memory that had always made her laugh. It had been a humorous memory but also the catalyst to the start of Taihou's obsession. "Yeah… I do. If I have to be honest, you proclaiming that while Enterprise held me hostage was a real kickstart to the noggin. I didn't take it seriously when you first said it though."

Taihou narrowed her eyes and stood up with a more composed nature. "Well, I did, Lady Brea." She blushed, knowing that she should be using the title of commander now since she is a part of this base now, but the naval redhead did not attempt to correct her. "I told you that from that day forth I would be your sword and protect you from any danger."

"I remember that day. However, you made a promise to a teen girl who was caught in the magic of a Kansen serving as her bodyguard. Besides, you were forced to return home when the political landscape grew dicey between countries."

"And now the Sakura Empire has a place in this wonderful base that has all kinds of shipgirls from different backgrounds wanting to rally behind you. It's because you keep it simple and show that the real enemy is the Sirens," said Taihou with admiration in her voice.

The commander smiled at the praise yet they still hadn't reached the source of their conversation. "I'm not that teen girl anymore that you promise that too, Taihou." She leaned assertively forward from her desk.

The carrier challenged her by dropping her hands on the desk and meeting the Commander's gaze. "You're not. You are now a radiant lady who doesn't need fairytale words of protection. That's why instead of being your sword, I want to be your woman."

The commander blushed at the directness of the carrier which spoke volumes since she had never shied away from conveying her feelings. "We just had this conversation about boundaries and the like."

"We did, but come on—did you really think that I was going to go cold turkey? Even if I have to convey my feelings in a different approach, I'm still going to be chasing after you, darling," she said with a flirtatious giggle.

The commander sighed yet she knew the risks when she accepted her into the base. "I guess you wouldn't be you if you did stop completely. Just know that you're not the only shipgirl on this base that carries a torch for me."

"And yet, you haven't responded to any of their feelings. Makes me wonder if you're carrying a torch that you don't even know yet. I mean, who on earth wouldn't want to receive the affection of a Kansen?"

The commander smiled at her yet it didn't reach her eyes. She thought back to what Enterprise had said about the harshness of battle that could devour a shipgirl at any time and while she didn't outright think it, there was another elephant in the room when it came to human and Kansen relationships.

Taihou read the silent concern that reflected across the commander's face and she thoughtlessly cupped the woman's cheek. "We can make it work, darling. The future is never set in stone. Just knowing that I'll be able to see you every day is a blessing from the gods," she said with a teary smile.

With a warmness in her heart that Taihou also sensed, the commander playfully moved the carrier's hands off her cheek. "Enough talking about serious and depressing things before I punish you. By the way, forget about you wowing me by showing me how capable you are of being my secretary. That's not going to happen." Her smirk flashed defiantly toward the carrier who quickly widened her eyes.

"Excuse me!? I demand a good reason why I should be rejected of that title that anyone on base has the opportunity for. Even those rival shipgirls that hold a torch for you have that opportunity. You better not say that it's because I'm in love with you. I can be diligent when it matters!"

The commander braced herself to hit the carrier with the truth. "Well… you do remind me of my mother. Silky black hair and a straightforward personality are just hard to miss," she said with a nod to herself.

The color drained from Taihou who suddenly felt pulled in different directions. It felt like an insurmountable responsibility and an insult for having the honor and burden of being painted in that way. "Y-Your mother?!" It donned on her now that she never had the chance to see the commander's mother, the woman that gave birth to her other half that she would readily devote her life to. The intense flare of red across her face forced her to turn her head and ponder what she should say next.

A burst of laughter resounded from the commander who had been holding her sides, conveying that it had all been a joke.

Taihou narrowed her eyes and pulled her fan out, using it to help collect her thoughts. She was going to get back at the commander for throwing her into disarray. The redhead didn't get a pause to come clean about her joke when Taihou started talking casually. "Hmm… I think I remember reading this in a book. In how some partners could have unresolved mommy issues that can either be a boon or a detriment to their significant other—which is me!"

The commander jolted from her laughing and a nerve flared on the side of her forehead. "Hey, what's this about unresolved mommy issues? I was pulling your leg."

The carrier lovingly glanced at her with a kittenish smile. "Were you now? Then please tell me the true reason."

"Jeez, all right. It would be a conflict of interest if I granted you that job." It was her turn to blush, coming clean that she did feel a visage of affection for the carrier. While Taihou was destructive, devilish, and childish, she had known her the longest and it was difficult to completely say that she didn't harbor any feelings of the sort. Especially with how steadfast she was when she saved her from Enterprise just like she had all those years ago.

"Ah! A conflict of interest?! Is this a victory or a defeat?!" She moaned comedically while the commander patted her on the head.

The End

I didn't think I would have added so much but it's a habit of mine that I keep falling into. I originally thought that it would be no more than 15k but it's more than The Head Maid's Maid. I guess it is what it is in the end. This might not have been everyone's cup of tea and I will say that I had those same ideas when writing it. Still, it was something different and it all endearingly came together in the end. I had more ideas about them actually escaping and the others trying to track them down before the higher-ups caught wind of their desertion. All that seemed for a bigger story that needed more time and pacing that I couldn't give at the moment. I'm infinitely happier with this version of the events that also brought Taihou in for a golden moment with that standoff with Enterprise that I didn't originally have. Thank you all for reading. I'm not sure when the next story will come out, so until then thank you all for reading!