Our Bonds

"See you later!" (Zuihou)

"Take care!"

I watched as Abukuma's group left the port. As promised, Zuihou will be joining her on a sortie. It should take a day to complete the mission and make the return trip. That's why, I will be accompanying Shigure for the whole day.

"Admiral... this position... is a little embarrassing..." (Shigure)

"No it isn't. You like it anyway, right?"

"That's not the point!" (Shigure)

"You're not denying that you like it?"

Shigure is sitting on my lap, with my hands locking her in. I know she is slightly embarrassed but this is rather fun. Shigure is usually demure when it comes to work, so seeing her like this is a nice change of pace. If someone were to come in now, rumours would probably spread. Not like it will bother me though.

"Excuse me! What the? Admiral, what is this?" (Tenryuu)

"Oh welcome back. Just some work. So how was the expedition?"

"Another great success of course! We managed to get more bauxite and steel this time! Wait, answer me properly!" (Tenryuu)

Shigure buried her face in her hands. Yep, she is cute.

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The day went on as per normal. I spent the whole time playing with Shigure while finishing my work. Talking to her, stroking her hair, I gave all her the attention she wants.

"Admiral, thank you for today." (Shigure)

Shigure laid on my lap. The way she does these things resembles a dogs'. She does it so naturally too.

"It's the least I can do. I can keep you company anytime you want."

"Won't Zuihou get jealous?" (Shigure)

"She definitely will. But I will make it up to her."

"As expected. Speaking of which, they should be back by now." (Shigure)

"Yeah. I'm a little worried that something might have happened."

As soon as I said that, someone knocked on the office door.

"Third Mobile Fleet has returned! Abukuma, coming in!" (Abukuma)

"There they are."

"Pardon my intrusion!" (Abukuma)

"Great jo- What the heck happened!?"

Entering the office was Abukuma, Kawakaze and Zuihou, who was being carried in.

"Was she damaged?"

That doesn't seem like the case. Her outfit is still intact.

"Eh? Oh. Don't worry. I think she is just tired. Akashi-san said that." (Abukuma)

"Zuihou was amazing today! The way her planes intercepted the enemy before we even spotted them. I was surprise!" (Kawakaze)

"Yeah! Zuihou-san somehow felt that something was off and launch a few fighters. As it turns out, a fleet of Abyssal fighters were locking in on our position. Thanks to Zuihou-san, we managed to fend off the enemy planes and destroyed the carrier. It was amazing!" (Abukuma)

"I know right! I thought Zuihou-san would need us to protect her because of what happened back then, but instead she saved us! She was so cool!" (Kawakaze)

She managed to predict the enemy's flight path? Zuihou is still paranoid, so was it by luck that the enemy was in the direction where she launched her fighters? Or did she develop an ability to sense them?

I directed Abukuma to lay her on her bed for the time being. Luckily she was just tired. She must have been on high alert the whole time after leaving the base. Once she returned, her body finally relaxed and she ended up falling asleep. Abukuma and Kawakaze finished their report and went to resupply. No one was hurt during this mission, so it was a complete success.

"Now then, I will return to my room." (Shigure)

"Eh? But it's still early. You could stay longer if you want."

"I had my fill today. Besides, Yuudachi might be waiting for me." (Shigure)

The door closed behind Shigure, leaving me with this sleeping child. Today, she managed to exceed my expectations. It's nice to see that she is slowly returning to her usual self. Come to think of it, she hasn't resupplied yet. Shoukd I wake her up? Or let her continue sleeping? Apparently, I didn't need to decide as the Zuihou's eyes flutter open.

"Mmmh... Huh? How did I get here?" (Zuihou)

"Morning sleepyhead."

"Admiral? Oh I see. Abukuma must have carried me here." (Zuihou)

"I heard what happened. You did a good job, saving the rest."

"I didn't do much..." (Zuihou)

Zuihou suddenly moved to the side of the bed. It look as though she was thinking of something. A few moments later, she took a deep breath and looked at me with a serious expression.

"Admiral, can we talk?" (Zuihou)

I wanted to make a joke but this is serious to her. I sat down next to her, wondering what is she about to say.

"You know about my history, don't you?" (Zuihou)

Her history... I guess she is referring to the time when she sunk back in the war. During the Battle of Engano Cape, waves of American aircrafts sunk Zuihou with torpedos and bombs. This is the source of her fears... and her rebirth.

""At the time, I felt hot and cold at the same time. After the fourth time, I couldn't move at all. There were screams echoing through my head. Soon, everything went dark. The last thing I felt was the sea's freezing embrace. The next thing I knew, I was here at Maizuru Naval Base. Shigure told me that I was found during an major operation. I still remember how there were tears in her eyes and she welcomed me back. Admiral as well. You were literally crying tears of joy as you welcomed me back. At the moment, I felt a wave of nostalgia. Until now, I have always wondered why." (Zuihou)

Four years ago, we found her after defeating a Battleship Princess during a major operation. That was in the same week I lost her. Back then, i was relatively new. After winning a few battles, I was full of myself. I was fully aware of the risks when i ordered them to advance. In the end, Zuihou protected the flagship who was still new to battles and sunk as a result. Filled with grief, I wanted to quit my job as an Admiral, but I had to at least finish the operation and clear the area Zuihou sank. The area was cleared, and everyone else returned safely... with a long lost shipgirl in tow.

"For the next four years, I enjoyed the life I have here. All the sorties, the times I got damaged, how long it took for me to get repaired at the docks. Though I'm scared of sinking again, the fact that I'm experiencing all these is proof that I'm alive. And then, it happened. After I got kidnapped, the fear of sinking became stronger. When I first saw the one called Enterprise, all the memories and feelings I felt on that day come flooding back to me. I wanted to confide in someone, but I thought it would be a problem for everyone, especially Admiral. That's why I thought it would be best if I just hide it. Gradually, the fear grew stronger and during the excercise with Azur Lane, I was unable to take it anymore. I became scared of everything. From going on sorties to thinking about an Abyssal. Even the slightest mention of an American aircraft of ship was even to paralyze me. But the thing that scared me the most..." (Zuihou)

Zuihou suddenly hugged me. Her voice became wobbly.

"Was that you might abandon me! I already knew I became useless as a shipgirl. I know that useless shipgirls are abandoned and scrapped. I was a burden, I knew that! The results were clear as day. It was easier to just cast me away." (Zuihou)

Tears burst forth, spilling from her face. Her hands clutch on to my uniform as her voice starts to break. Taking short breaths in between, she tries not to choke on her own words.

"But instead, Admiral helped me get back up. Even when you know I was trying to put on a brave front by saying I want to sortie, you put me with Shouhou on patrols. *sob* You let me go on expeditions and participate in practices *hic* so I would retain the feeling of living as a shipgirl.You made sure I was strong enough before letting me go on sorties. Even though I was given more attention, you, and everyone else, treated me as per normal... *hic* Most importantly, you didn't cast me aside. No matter how many times I cried, all the mood swings I went through , all the nights I woke you up due to my screaming, you didn't complain even for a bit. You cared for me, retrained me from the bottom. No matter how much of a burden you knew I was, you stayed with me I'm... *hic* I'm really thankful for all that. Thank you!!! Thank you so much!!!" (Zuihou)

Her heart wrenching wail echoed through out the room. All of her bottled up emotions erupted from within Her fears, sadness, feelings of gratitude, she laid it all bare for me to see. Oh man, her emotions are affecting me as well. Why does my face feel wet? Why is there a salty taste in my lip?

"Thank you. It must have taken a lot of courage to tell me all these. Thank you, Zuihou. No matter what happens, I will remain beside you. I won't abandon you.That's a promise."

"Thank you!!! Thank you!!! (Zuihou)

Zuihou remained like this for a while. She would take short pauses of recovery breathes before continuing. I'm not sure how long it took, but by the time she started to calm down, my uniform was drenched with her tears.

Just like any cliche setting, a low growl can be heard once she began to calm down.

"I'm hungry..." (Zuihou)

"It seems like it. Mamiya should still be open. Let's get some dinner and then a bath."

"Mhm..." (Zuihou)

I brought her to Mamiya for some food. I watched as she silently ate her dinner and Bauxite replenishment. After that, we went to take a bath. Not together of course. She might take a while so I went straight back to my room to wait for her.

When she came back, in her night yukata, I tucked her in as usual. It has been a tiring day for her, because no sooner had she touched the bed than her eyes clamped shut, but not before saying one last thing,

"Admiral, thank you for everything so far... I will... do my... Zzzz~"

"I will do my best. That's what you want to say, right? That's all you need to do."

She looks so relaxed now. Since she finally opened up her feelings to me, I feel a little relieved. I finally felt that I was able to do my part in her recovery. The whole time, I was afraid that my words didn't reach her, that I wasn't doing enough to help her. I was sort of blaming myself for putting her through all this. In the end, it wasn't all for naught.I brushed away the stray hair falling on her face. I should sleep too.

I felt something move and realized that Zuihou had rolled closer to me. Her arms wrapped around mine. Is she awake? Nah, doesn't seem like it. At least I don't think so.

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I felt something tap my cheek. I try to shed the residual sleep away. My eyes adjust to the sudden brightness from the morning sun. In front of me, a smiling Zuihou, wearing an apron, greeted me.

"Good morning, Admiral! Let's eat breakfast! I have cooked some Rolled Omelette.Would you have some?" (Zuihou)