Wow! I kept my promise, this is before Christmas!
Darjeeling now has to put up with Maho for a few days, ignoring her to the best of her ability! Good luck, Darj!
It was late afternoon of the day the USS George Washington left the port. What most upset Darjeelingabout this that it took Kay away from her and now she felt lonely. Of course, she still had Orange Pekoe, Assam and Rosehip, along with the rest of the St Gloriana Senshado girls. There was something missing, something she was already looking forward to the next time she met with Kay: the closeness, the skinship and the feeling that a piece of her was missing.
The KMS Graf Zeppelin was anchored beside the HMS Ark Royal in the port now, which meant it was time for Kuromorimine to assert their presence in the city in place of Saunders. Darjeeling didn't like this, not one tiny bit. Why? Reason 1: Maho and Erika walking around everywhere (it explains itself, especially after what happened a few days ago). Reason 2: The St Gloriana girls' morale will slowly drop because of the known history of fighting Kuromorimine (as well as Pravda) and it rarely ends well for the British-themed school.
A long, exasperated sigh escaped the lips of the St Gloriana's Commander. She was tired and there was still so much to do. Her clubmates were working diligently in preparation for the upcoming match against the Big Cats of Kuromorimine. Darjeeling considered asking the Student Council to extend their budget so she could get better tanks, but this close to a match with such importance is too short of notice. She'll bring it up in the next meeting, but St Gloriana has gone underpowered for too long and needs to 'bring it up a notch' against the powerhouses that are Pravda and Kuromorimine.
Maybe get some 17 pounders, A Firefly like Saunders' (even though the VC Firefly is a British adaptation of the M4A4 Sherman, somehow it still ended up with Saunders instead of something similar like the Easy Eight) or even perhaps an A34 Comet, that would make an impact indeed. Maybe some Littlejohn adaptors too, for the Matildas. An increase in firepower is nothing to take lightly, so Darjeeling would need to think long and hard about how to use the budget of the Senshado club.
"Oh, good morning Darjeeling. You seem pretty deep in thought," Orange Pekoe approached Darjeeling on the bench she was sitting on. Darjeeling had gone to the park after breakfast for some peace and quiet, to think about the situation she was in and considering the pros and cons of it all.
"Good morning Orange," a quick smile from the blonde Commander and shifting to one side so her friend could sit down. Orange Pekoe obliged and sat beside her. "I've been thinking about our upcoming match with Kuromorimine, I think I may be overthinking it, however..."
"Of course not, we've always been the underdogs. On the contrary, we have proven that we can fight back with malice equal to a cornered Collie," Orange smiled warmly at her commander, now recognising the tiredness in her posture. Something was off about her, and she could tell pretty easily.
"We always have, but I was thinking that maybe we can ask for new additions to our armoury. It may be a stretch, but I was considering asking to temporarily extend the budget so we can purchase improvements."
"I see, that doesn't sound like a terrible idea. Though..." Orange Pekoe paused in thought, seeing exactly what Darjeeling had seen when thinking this, "isn't a bit late for our fight with Kuromorimine? I mean, it will definitely come in handy for later..."
"Yes, but we can only cross our fingers for the match in a couple of days," Darjeeling sighed again and closed her eyes. She straightened her posture and put her hands in her lap.
"Besides that, how's Kay? How did it go last night?" the ginger-haired vice-commander questioned with as much energy as would be seen by Rosehip. It was surprising to see Orange this energetic for something.
"Hm? Oh, well I believe it went quite brilliantly. I made it up to Kay, and I'm sure she had a good time too. I miss her already..."
"You're so lovestruck... oh how I wish I could find somebody like that..."
"You will one day, Orange, I'm sure. You're a beautiful, smart and conscientious girl; I'm surprised no one has approached you yet actually."
"Hm, I'm more focussed on your relationship with Kay. Not to sound weird or anything, but I just love what you two have got between yourselves. Assam, too, hopes the best for you two."
"Thank you, Orange, that means a lot. I'll relay that to Kay when I get the chance."
There was a short pause, a moment for the wind and the whistling branches to be the only things they could hear. A sublime quiet, tranquillity for just a moment and all was right.
"We best be returning to the dormitories, lest we get told off by Assam,"
"Oh, yes, of course. How could I forget? Let's go then," Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe stood up from the park bench and headed towards the exit that took them to the school. On their way, they spotted - quite coincidentally - the Commander and Vice-Commander of Kuromorimine Girl's Academy. Darjeeling tutted, as she didn't necessarily want to give the idea she was ignoring them as she actually wanted to talk to them, but she wasn't a big fan of being late to meetings.
"Ah, Darjeeling, I-"
"Sorry, Maho, maybe another time, I've got to go," with such power and pride of a lioness, Darjeeling stormed past the opposition without a second thought. Maho and Erika were left in her dust, looking confused at Orange, who just shrugged and followed her commander.
"Wait, I wanted to apologise!"
What? Maho? Apologise?
Darjeeling stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. Did her ears deceive her, or was Maho seriously going to apologise for what she had done? Darjeeling took a few steps toward Maho and Erika, with the two of them walking slightly closer too.
"You want to apologise? For what? Stealing my first kiss? Almost ruining my relationship with the girl I love? Your hubris and your selfish idea that we should be together? What is it? I don't have the time for this." Darjeeling furrowed her brows at Maho, and this was something that surprised Maho, Erika and even Orange Pekoe. The hurt could be read all over Maho's face, realising the impact of her actions but still trying to stay strong.
"I'm sorry, Darjeeling. I... didn't think about the consequences, and you're right, I was being selfish." The taller girl sighed, her brown eyes unsure of where to look. "However, I don't want to give up. I know I'm being stubborn but I still want to have your approval. I still... I still want to be with you,"
"We have passed that opportunity, and you know it. I'll see you on the battlefield, Maho Nishizumi," there was a flash of disgust in Darjeeling's eyes, something that scared Maho, and nothing scares Maho...
Darjeeling and Orange continued on to the dormitories of St Gloriana, but during the walk, Darjeeling began slowing down.
"Did I really say those things to her? I... I don't know what came over me I... I should apologise-"
"Stop right there, calm down..." Orange wrapped a supportive arm around Darjeeling's waist, a feeling of worry wash over her. It was a flurry of emotions in the past few minutes, and Darjeeling couldn't handle it. It confused everyone involved, even the writer (wait, what?).
"I was so full of anger, I let it get the better of me," Darjeeling pressed her hand to her forehead, wondering to herself what the bloody hell had just happened.
"You really seemed like another person, I guess Kay really does mean a lot to you, doesn't she?" Orange rubbed Darjeeling's back, reassuring and calming down her friend.
"I do," the blonde nodded, "but that doesn't give me the right to say such hurtful things to Maho... I'll tell Assam I can't come, I've got to talk to Maho one-to-one."
"Are you sure? You might let your emotions spill again,"
"No such thing will happen if it's over a cup of tea and coffee," Darjeeling stood up straight and brushed her pleated skirt. She took in a deep breath and washed away the negative emotions.
"Spoken like a true lady," Orange chuckled lightly, smiling at Darjeeling. "Are you still coming back to the dormitories?"
"Yes, I'll explain what I intend to do with Assam and assign our get-together for another time,"
"Good, now, let's get going,"
"Thank you for agreeing to this, Maho. I'm so terribly sorry for earlier, I have no idea what came over me," Darjeeling led Maho to a table in a tea room, one near the centre with only two chairs. The tea room was St Gloriana's most popular place in Yokohama, but because it was pretty late and the weekend was just about to begin, most of the girls went to the dorms or other places to relax. There were a few other girls here, but they paid Maho and Darjeeling little mind, mainly because these were first-years and the commanders are very intimidating.
"It's alright, I must have put you under a lot of stress. I'm glad we could have this conversation, though, Darjeeling," Maho sat down in one of the chairs, placing her hands on her lap as she settled. Darjeeling sat opposite her and leaned into her chair, crossing her legs.
"Now, first things first: I would very much like it if you ceased your advances onto me. You know my feelings, and I know yours. Those feelings do not see eye to eye. I hope I'm on the mark on this assumption?" Darjeeling wrapped her fingers around the handle to a teapot and began pouring into Maho's cup and then her own. Maho nodded, a hint of disappointment on her face.
"Yes, you're right," Maho paused, looking into the black liquid that was settling in her cup, "but you know as much as I do, that feelings such as hate, pride, and especially love, do not go away easily."
Darjeeling let out a short breath and nodded slowly. She took her cup to her lips and sipped carefully. "I know. Although I encourage letting one's feelings out rather than repressing them, I wish you could control yours a bit better."
"How about friends? Can we go back to being friends?"
"I like the sound of that, but it will stay only as friends."
"I understand, I simply just want to spend time with you, with how little time we have left," Maho's chest tightened, and so did Darjeeling's. Their feelings were not equal, nor vastly different for that matter, but Darjeeling still wanted to be 'close' to Maho as a friend, but not as close as she wants to be with Kay. Maho wanted the opposite, she wanted Darjeeling with her, and for Kay to be completely out of the picture.
"We won't be too far away from each other once we leave Japan. Germany is just but a hop and a skip away from England,"
"Meaning you still want to be friends after High School?"
"Of course, I don't want our last match against each other to really be our last time together. Do you?"
"No, I would very much appreciate it if we could visit each other when we graduate."
"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," Darjeeling sipped her tea again and gently placed it on the saucer on the table. Maho looked away, taking her cup in her hands and bringing it up to her lips. She took a moment to think. It was quiet. There was nothing but the distant chatter of the other patrons, quickened footsteps of the staff, and the clinking of cutlery on plates.
It was almost peaceful, but there was an air of unease between the two girls. They were silently drinking their tea, pretending as if there was nothing wrong between them. An on-looker would assume it was as simple as the commanders of St Gloriana and Kuromorimine having a friendly chat and cup of tea, but those who knew otherwise, knew otherwise.
"Maho," Darjeeling broke the silence, placing her now empty cup on the saucer.
"Yes?" Maho hadn't finished hers yet, she was making as much time as possible for them to be together. The blonde's tone didn't seem serious, but with no follow-up, it didn't infer good things. What surprised Maho the most, was that Darjeeling poured herself another cup of tea.
"Perhaps in another life, we could have been together. I would have happily wanted to be with you. In that life, many things would have had to happen for us to be together. For example, our parents' approval, our peers' approval, Kay not being the kind of person that she is... All of those are very difficult to imagine." Darjeeling without realising had leaned forward, her legs still crossed but there was now a shorter distance between her and Maho. She leaned back. Looking away to the side, Darjeeling silently questioned herself.
"I see..." The brunette sighed, finishing the cup she held in her hand. There was some hope for them to return together, right? Maho held onto that lasting thread that bound their feelings together for dear life, and it meant she could weave the rest as long as she was careful, gentle, and methodical. Just as Shiho taught her.
The atmosphere became awkward and neither knew what to add. Maho didn't want to leave just yet, and Darjeeling felt like they still weren't on the same page - she also believed she was beginning to repeat herself too.
"I just... want us to be on the same page, Maho, and I don't want to ruin what I have with Kay. There are promises I have to keep, and I fear I'm breaking one as we speak,"
"She needn't know, it can be just between us."
"The other girls may talk, the staff may talk, it's unlikely it will be just between us,"
"Right, is that why you wanted us to come to a public place? For others to see?" Maho felt betrayed, with a hint of sourness in her voice.
"No, of course not," Darjeeling quickly and firmly placed her cup down, staring Maho in the eyes as she spoke, "I brought us here because it is a place that is quiet, somewhere we can talk without being interrupted, somewhere we can settle our differences without the interference of others."
"I see, thank you."
"Don't think for a moment that I will deliberately set out to do something that will hurt you in one way or another. You are still my friend, and I do not hurt my friends,"
"Darjeeling I... I am the same. I'm sorry I forced you to-"
"It's in the past now, and I don't want to be reminded of it. I know your feelings, and I have forgiven you," a heavy sigh escaped Darjeeling's lips, "but if you do it again, then I will take back my previous statement. Do not make me dislike you, Maho. I don't want it to come to that."
"I don't want it to, either."
They were finally on the same page, and Darjeeling felt a wave of relief wash over her. They made an agreement that both of them agreed on over a cup of tea in a relaxing atmosphere like a sophisticated tea room, nothing can be more satisfying. Maho and Darjeeling finished the tea and parted ways for the day. Maho left while devising a plan to win back the blonde wonder she's in love with, Darjeeling left thinking about Kay and what she'd be having for dinner that night.
A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long, but I've been drowning in school work and I needed to focus on that for a little while. As promised, this has been released before Christmas, so hope for one relatively soon. I will start working on the next chapter the day after this has been published, but don't think it's going to be released in the same week.
Thank you to those who have been supportive and been leaving reviews, I greatly appreciate them and have been hyping me up to write more!