A/N: I'm going to be away for several weeks after this, so the next update might be longer than usual. The best case scenario is chapter 7 coming around the end of August, and worst case scenario is around the middle of September.
Anyway, here is chapter 6 of Disassembled. Enjoy~
Chapter 6: White Rabbit
What always made me happy to spend time with Akagi was the little things.
The adorable red gingham pajamas that she chose to change into that night.
The thankful grin she gave me as I agreed to accompany her to the docks.
The excited twinkle in her eyes when she saw the entrance to the baths.
"Akagi-san, do you like baths?"
"Well, the Navy said I should enjoy it as much as I can before I get sick of it."
I just stared at her. "...They said I would understand someday," she shrugged.
That's...uh, that's actually a good way to prepare her for what's coming.
"Hey, Kaga-san," she said, tugging at my arm, "Will you get in too?"
I could sense blood immediately draining from my face to the lower parts of my body.
Which wasn't good when my brain currently needed as much power as possible to think properly.
"...And why do you think that I will?" I asked her, trying my hardest to keep a straight face, "I can just wait outside."
"That's no good. It's cold outside. You should join in, Kaga-san."
My mind was still quicker than my body, which was fortunate because if it wasn't for that, I would probably go ahead of her and get rid of my clothes before I realized what I was doing.
No, no, no, wait, not so fast.
Quick morality check.
Why do I want to bath with Akagi-san?
1. It's cold outside and Akagi-san asked me to
2. I'm sweaty too so I might as well clean myself
3. Akagi-san will be completely naked in a hot steamy bath
If reason number 3 is stronger in my head than the rest, then I should not go in because it would be dangerous for both Akagi-san and myself.
Akagi watched me musing on her request and tilted her head to the side. My thoughts immediately ground to a halt.
...Forget it. She's too cute. It's number 3. I'd better run before I agree.
"Okay, Akagi-san. I think I should go no-"
But Akagi wasn't listening anymore. She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, giving me less than a second to prepare my heart.
It was dumb just standing there in the changing room. I fixed my eyes at the rows of baskets on the racks, figuring out how to come out of this dock with my friendship with Akagi still intact. I took a cursive glance at her and realized immediately that it was a huge mistake. Without saying anything, Akagi took off her clothes right in front of me and paid no heed to my dropping jaw.
I couldn't possibly imagine a better body.
Sure, some people said I wasn't bad myself... and I had seen girls with more toned, leaner frames, but good God... everything under that kimono of hers is perfection defined. There was just something about that smooth skin... those full breasts... and those well-rounded hips that mesmerized me as my eyes savored this truly enthralling sight.
At first glance, people might not expect her figure to be this alluring, but this...this is something else.
Please, please just give me some time to burn this into my memory forever...
"Kaga-san...?" she called as she took out a towel.
Uh... five more seconds.
She was probably getting worried because I had been standing there like a statue for several minutes.
"Kaga-san?" The completely nude Akagi took a step closer to me and hesitantly touched my face, "What's wrong...?"
That caused something to explode in the back of my mind.
I instinctively leapt away from her, nearly hitting my head against the racks.
God almighty, what the heck is wrong with me? I never reacted this way with other fleet girls I met in the docks...
"A-Aka... I'm not..." I gasped, trying to keep my cool, "Can I... Can I just sit around and wait?"
Akagi blinked. "But you could just..."
"No, really, no," I looked up at the ceiling, which was gleaming with fresh white paint. Staring at the most boring thing in that room was much more acceptable than at those least boring ones below Akagi's collarbones...
"It's okay, Kaga-san," she assured me, "Here, let me help you..."
As soon as her finger touched the knot on my clothes, a glimmering of a horrifying idea flashed inside my head and I grabbed her shoulders, putting a definite distance between me and her.
"Akagi-san," I said to her with a solemn voice, concentrating my eyes on her face, "I'll just...stay here."
"But isn't it cold in here?"
"It's fine for me. I have high body temperature."
"Oh..." she said with a knowing tone, "So that's the reason."
"What reason?" I asked her.
"Sometimes, when I feel down, I go to the docks to spend some time soaking and clear my head. When Kaga-san hugged me just now...I felt like my body was being put in a warm bath. It was so calming and relaxing. Thank you," she explained with a grin, "...If...you don't mind... Can I borrow that body heat of yours again sometime...?"
My brain directly played a clear flashback of it as she waited for my reply with a shy smile.
Everyone was always saying that my body temperature was too high, especially in a closed room where my mere presence seemed to make the air grow hotter. I guessed this was the first time ever that I felt grateful of it, and it still amazed me how Akagi could easily make me feel good about my imperfections.
I really wanted to answer that I would give her as many hugs as she needed, but my only response was just a nod and a lame "yes".
She gazed at my face for a while with a curious expression before turning around and heading toward the baths.
I let out a huge sigh of relief.
However, I couldn't shake off this weird feeling inside my mind.
From Akagi's strange response, I wondered if just for a moment, she could see that my eyes were glittering with desire.
I found out the hard way what Akagi meant when she said she spent much of her spare time in the factory "playing games".
It turned out that she got rather great at them after playing them enough times, and I regretted challenging her for a few rounds of shogi after her seventh consecutive victory. But when I watched her gloating over my loss, I figured that I didn't mind being beaten by her as long as this made her happy.
"This is nothing more than a glorified version of chess," I grumbled, putting the pieces back into its wooden container.
"If you practice more, you might be able to beat me, you know? I played this game with Tenryuu-san before and she said the same thing, but she got better eventually," she laughed, "And you almost won, remember?"
"But I still lost in the end."
"I have to admit, it was funny seeing your enthusiastic 'it's game on!' for a moment just now."
"Ugh, I'm never going to believe your dejected face anymore."
"It's called bluffing."
"Don't play silly games with me."
"But I wasn't cheating. Personally, I think of this as a simplified version of war."
"Thanks, but I'll have to pass. I've had enough of the other war already."
"You just need to take a break," she stood up and took the box from my hand, "And oh, that reminds me of something!"
I watched her with interest as she hurried to the wardrobe and picked something up from the lower drawers.
It took a while for me to realize what it was as she waved it in front of me.
It was a plastic keychain of a white rabbit relaxing in a hot wooden tub, with a red onsen symbol carved on its side. It is wearing a red ribbon on its neck with a little bell glued on top of it, making soft tinkling sounds.
"I've been wanting to give this to you, but I keep forgetting," she told me, "Kaga-san, you're from Kobe, right? I thought you would miss your hometown when you're here, so I ordered this keychain to commemorate your first battle, but it came rather late, and I should've ordered it gift-wrapped. It's a bit gaudily painted, but the seller said this is a famous Arima Onsen exclusive! Look, they also sent me this glossy brochure about the onsen!"
She put the keychain on my palm and I examined it for a few seconds as she stood in front of me with an excited expression on her face. Arima Onsen of my hometown is still, to date, one of the most famous and oldest hot springs in Japan that attract a lot of tourists every year. Tosa wanted to see what it looked like once...but she didn't live long enough to do it. I guess I have to visit it someday, when I have the chance to go back to Kobe. I felt touched that Akagi still remembered where I came from, although I didn't know why she thought a bunny keychain would be a perfect gift to commemorate something like a war.
I chuckled and said to her, "I never go to Arima, but I don't think they sell this there."
It seemed like there was something else she wanted to say, but she ended up choking on her surprise. "A-are you sure?"
"I'm pretty sure they don't sell famous exclusive keychains like this."
She deflated in an instant and started mumbling to herself in front of me. "I knew it was a marketing gimmick. Why did I believe them so easily? They even had the nerve to tell me that 'it would definitely remind her of Kobe!' and I quickly fell for it..."
"Akagi-san," I said, "It's okay, I like this."
"No, Kaga-san, that's probably just a cheap knock-off. They probably grind out lots of those everyday..."
"I like this," I repeated. I knew she would need some convincing. "I'll keep it. Thank you so much, Akagi-san."
It was probably too soon to say what I really had in mind.
I'm so happy that you took your time choosing a present for me.
I want to keep this with me forever.
I put the rabbit keychain in my pocket and she muttered something that sounded like an apology.
Before I could reassure her that it was alright, she let out a tiny yawn.
"Sleepy?" I asked her, and she nodded at me, her eyes glazing.
"I'll sleep in the futon. You can sleep on the bed, Kaga-san."
"That's no good. I'm okay with the futon, really," I told her, "You should rest well tonight. They might scold you to bits tomorrow for disappearing the whole day."
"Can I just forget about that tonight...?" she whined, plopping onto the bed, "I wish I could just relax somewhere, like in Arima."
"Then how does a trip to Arima grab you?"
"Really? You'll accompany me?"
"Yes, of course."
I found this childish side of hers endearing. Akagi usually keeps her cool mature image in front of everyone, so it is quite rare to see her like this.
My eyes were glued to her again before I realized it, and as she turned sideways to face me, she gave me a small smile.
However, it seemed a little forced, and I wondered if what happened just now was still gnawing at her.
I got closer to her and sat down next to her bed.
She looked up to me with those bewitching eyes and I wished I could get rid of whatever was bugging her mind at the time.
But I had no idea how, so I just carefully raised my hand toward her face, and her smile grew wider, as if she was giving me the go-ahead to touch her.
I put my palm on her temple and gently rubbed her head, as she began to relax and close her eyes. The strands of her hair felt so soft and damp against my fingers when I caressed her head and cheek. She brought her hand to mine and leaned her face against my touch, encouraging me to continue. I had no idea how many minutes had past when she opened her eyes and whispered to me, "I could never sleep on this date, September 23rd."
I listened to her in silence as I stopped moving my hand, but she didn't let go of it and pressed the tips of my fingers against her cheekbone.
"It was even worse back then. I kept hearing voices. I could only sit in the corner of my room and cry. I did not want to bother anyone. When Houshou-san found out, she made me tea and we talked about anything we could think of, until the day had passed. She said that I could depend on her... but I thought I was done depending on anyone but myself."
A single tear rolled down from her eye to my hand. "I... I don't know what I'm going to do..." she said with a strained voice, "I don't know what I'm going to do if I start depending on you..."
She continued to cry in front of me, holding my hand tightly in hers as she bathed it in teardrops.
Akagi-san...
"Everyone I depended on... Everyone I cared for... They all died before me."
Akagi-san...
"I don't want Kaga-san to die."
I'm sorry.
"Akagi-san...?"
I spoke to her in such a small voice that I was not sure if she heard me.
"I won't die," I said to her as I wiped her cheek, "We're already stuck with each other. We'll grow together as aircraft carriers. I will be here with you until the end."
At that time, I wasn't thinking about just how much danger a fleet girl was destined to go through before her inevitable demise.
I just gave her this promise out of my determination, because a promise was all that I could give her.
Although Akagi definitely knew how foolish my words sounded, she pulled my body against hers and hugged me for God knows how long until she fell asleep in my arms. We slept together on the futon that night, leaving the bed untouched.
I pressed my forehead lightly to hers as I drifted off to the land of dreams, where the two of us boarded the last train to Kobe and never looked back.
I couldn't exactly recall what I saw.
But I remembered putting the white rabbit keychain on my bag before holding her hand in my mine... and that matching pair of golden bands on our ring fingers looked so beautiful under the sunset.
