*Clang, clash, fwmmm*

The sound of clashing metal and whizzing arrows could be heard originating from the ocean, the once calm Philippine sea was now but a place of chaos. The day was October 24, 1944, Three years since the attack on Pearl Harbor and three years the Eagle Union and Sakura Empire did battle.

Two warriors sat upon the waves pointing their weapons at each other each one a champion of their own respective country and each one tired of the dreary of battle. Perhaps in a different life, the two could have been rivals… maybe even friends but fate wasn't kind and one of them one walk away from this battle.

Huffing the crane once again raised her katana before charging at her foe, immediately the white hair girl that the crane was charging knocked two golden arrows which flew true and would have struck the crane in her heart if it wasn't for some quick reflections.

Quickly closing the difference the cranes' katana swung down but the white-haired carrier dodged just in time feeling the air whiz past her head after this action the carrier kicked the crane's legs from out under her and followed by trying to stomp her out in which the crane rolled out of the way.

Their actions were like a dance, a dance of carnage and finesse that only seasoned warriors like themselves could show, and slowly but surely arrows stopped being notched and the sword lost its ebb. The two would use their fist instead.

Punch after punch kick after kick the two would not stop, not after everything they both remembered the loss, the hardship, holding their sisters in their arms as they slowly sunk to the deep. Stopping would be akin to spitting on their fallen comrades.

Suddenly the two threw out a wild haymaker and while usually the warriors would easily be able to avoid this, they were so tired they both got hit in the face resulting in them falling flat on their backs into the sea.

The white haired carrier stared up into the sky with her lavender eyes and wondered how it call came to this… they weren't supposed to be in this situation and yet they were.

"Why do you fight Grey ghost?" The crane shakily got to her feet

"Bomb after bomb, torpedo after torpedo even when we thought that you were dead you just came back the next fight. So tell me; What drives you?"

The carrier chuckled what drives her? What a weird question to ask but not one without merit. Hornet and Yorktown were sunk along with countless of her friends, countless scars of battle adjourned her body and she had long since last her soul to battle. So what did drive her?

Chuckling the carrier known as the grey ghost got to her feet

"What drives me is see all you Sakura empire dogs littering the seafloor I have nothing left you saw to that so now my goal is to see all of you dead."

"I see" the crane picked up her blunted katana and held it up defiantly she doubted it would do anything in its condition but it was better than nothing she supposed.

"Now I have a question for you… zuikaku, what drives you? Surely you know the futility of your situation. Your fleet lay shattered and your sister lays dead. Even if you were to make it out alive from this battle it is only a matter of time before we catch you and when we do what will you do then? You have no more planes, no more bombs no more torpedos, surely you will surren-

"No." The crane quickly cut her off narrowing her eyes at her foe.

The grey ghost sighed

"If there was any enduring fact about you Sakura is that you're stubborn to the end."

Zuikaku scoffed

"Enough talk Enterprise, one of us is going to die here so let's finish this."

Enterprise closed her eyes and then opened them steeling herself for the start of their next skirmish, after all this one would decide their fates. She scrounged around for an arrow and found just one, one arrow remained.

The two sized each other up and just like last time the crane would be like the first to charge swinging her blunted swore forth with such strength it parted the waves below her, Enterprise being fatigued was clipped by the attack sending her ragdolling into the ocean.

Zuikaku approached the white-haired carrier coughing and hacking up seawater.

"Any last words Grey Ghost?"

The ghost laughed and looked up at the crane…

"Yours, not mine"

*Fwmmm*

The arrow struck the crane in the chest causing the Sakura ship to widen her eyes in alarm. She began to cough in her hands looking into them shakily she could see the Amount of blood on them. She understood, it was the end for her, darkly chuckling to herself she looked at her adversary.

"E-even to the en- *cough* I could not put an end to you Grey Ghost. I wonder in another life things could be different."

"Perhaps."

"Heh, that's it huh? Perhaps."

With those words,s the crane collapsed into the water her eyes stared half-lidded into the sky, and slowly her rigging took on water and she slipped below the waves to join her comrades.

Enterprise watched as the final form of zuikaku went below the waves most would feel fulfillment at finally ending the one who caused the most heartache but no; nobody could fill the void left in her heart after all she had nothing left.

"Sleep well crane you are correct perhaps in a different life."