Day off

The weekend. A time for normal people to relax and decompress, something that even people in the military occasionally got.  A luxury that you assumed was out of your grasp, until you saw the unread message on your phone that morning.

'Don't bother coming in. Try your best not to get in trouble today' – Goto.

Tough luck; that's not gonna happen unless you keep the bolt shut on your door. Even then you wouldn't put it past someone like Kongou to walk right through it anyway.  You decide to at least try and heed that advice and promptly get back in bed and get a couple more hours of sleep.

 -

You wake up an hour later than you planned, cold sweat on your brow as you frantically jump up and flail around for your phone, the scenarios racing through your mind on how many meetings you may have already missed.  It's not until you actually find your cell phone that your racing heart finally slows, as you realize that you still have the day off.  You sit on the edge of your bed and try and wonder what exactly a day off even entails these days. Have you forgotten what it means to do nothing?

...Maybe you can finally get some civilian clothes and helpful sundries for your room.

Oh. It looks like you really have lost the concept of free time. And nobody will ever give it a proper burial.  If you get something productive out of the way first you'll probably feel lazy enough to do nothing in the evening.  You waste no time getting dressed. You managed to keep in your luggage some jeans and a T-shirt, the ultimate in American fashion.

- -

It's almost 1100 by the time you get to the base exchange. It's overcast, you're hungry, and want to go home already. Instead you press on, to the men's clothing section. You need more socks. After all, you never want to run out of those. You're walking through the men's section, surprised by its fairly large size and variety. You suppose that's what happens when you're on a real base and not bumfuck nowhere.  You're tall enough to see over most of the displays and racks, and are about to round one when you bump into somebody.

“Sumimasen!”  Says the body that you've pretty much almost ran over.  It's a short lady, that's almost entirely eclipsed by the clothing stands.  She has her hair in a high top ponytail and is wearing traditional Japanese clothing similar to what Akagi and Kaga wear, although it's much more conservative.  She couldn't be... Isn't she a little short to be a carrier?

“I'm sorry about that, I didn't see you.”

She looks you over, eyes focusing on your cane and your facial scars. A smile slowly forms on her face as she replies to you in perfect english. “You must be Admiral Settle.  I''ve heard a lot about you.”

 If the rumor mill around base is even half as effective as a warship's, this is basically a polite way of saying 'So you're a real fuck-up, aren't you?' The short shipgirl carries on.

“Thank you for being supportive to all of us. You've had quite the exploits so far... In particular Tatsuta and Choukai seemed to give you a lot of praise.”

You haven't seen Tatsuta in some time; and that sort of worries you. After your recent experiences you don't feel  that safe around anyone new, even so, you find it hard for this meeting to go badly.

“Uhh...” You start eloquently.
“Oh!” The short girl places a hand over her mouth in a practiced movement. “I haven't introduced myself. I'm the aircraft carrier Houshou. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Likewise.” There's something disarming about this girl, but you can't place it.
“I had heard from Admiral Goto that you had the day off,  and I would be honored if I could make dinner for you tonight.”
Apart from Kongou and her sister's almost unnatural baking skills you haven't heard anything near positive from the culinary efforts of the ship-girls, and you don't want to spend tomorrow morning on the toilet.  You'll have to sneak out of this.
“You don't have to do anything like that for me, I'm fine eating at the O-club or something.”

Houshou clearly notices the apprehension on your face as she replies. “I've worked in a real kitchen before, you don't have to worry about eating anything weird.  I'm quite good if I must brag.”

“I'm not doubting you, but I'm not really interested in a date on my one day off. I'm just trying to take it easy.”

Houshou doesn't seem fazed by your rejection. “I think you may have misunderstood me. I'm not interested in building some romantic relationship with you.  Think of me more as... Maybe  somewhat of a maid?  Unless of course YOU were trying to maybe go on a date with an old carrier like myself?”

Tsh, she's a lot more eloquent compared to the other kanmusu.  Well, you haven't exactly had a great meal since you've came to Japan.  At worst it's still probably going to edible.  Still, who just  'Comes over to make dinner'?  You're not buying it.

“I have a lot of work to catch up on tonight.  I don't have the time to entertain you, unfortunately.”  You weren't planning on working but it's not a lie that you could actually be doing something productive.

“Admiral Settle.” Houshou's tone is deeper, like she's scolding a sibling. “I can take care of myself fine enough. You can do whatever you wish while I cook. I do not expect a philosophical conversation over dinner either. It is simply my way of appreciating the work you've done looking after the other Kanmusume since I've been gone.”

You feel like you haven't been given a choice at all in this matter. You can already feel the impending regret as you answer Houshou.

“If you're going to be like that... You'll just have to show me how good of a cook you are.”

Houshou smiles and claps her hands together as she replies to you. “You won't be disappointed. We just have to stop at the commissary before heading back to your room.”  Before you can agree to Houshou's plan you spot the unmistakable mop of silver hair in your peripheral vision, moving towards your position. Shoukaku.  While you aren't against seeing her right now, she tends to complicate matters wherever you are.  Like a magnet, she's in front of you and Houshou in a heartbeat.

“Admiral Settle, what a coincidence meeting you here.”

Why marine, what a coincidence you are also at work late. With all your tools, too. Such a hard worker.
Houshou still has a smile on her face, but there are tell-tale twitches of strained muscles.   “Ah, Shoukaku. How are you doing?”

She turns to Houshou, as if she's just noticing her now. “Oh, Houshou-san, I was just going to ask if Admiral Settle wanted to spend the day together?”

You've just been put in an incredibly awkward position. Thankfully, Houshou never gives you enough time to hang yourself.  “Is that so? I'm surprised such a young lady such as yourself would want to spend the day with an old hardened admiral. Besides, Admiral Settle is quite busy this afternoon, he told me that he had a lot of work to catch up on tonight.” Before Shoukaku can realize that she's being cock-blocked a third party joins the fray.

“SHOUKAKU!” Yells out a third voice that's faintly familiar. You've heard it before, but just can't place it. The voice shouts out a second and third time, each instance getting a bit closer. A twintailed head pops up with each shout. Shoukaku clearly knows who the voice belongs to as she's biting her lip and turning around slowly.  Houshou wastes no time in seizing this opportunity, as she draws close to you and places a single finger to your lips as she starts to push you backwards. She steers you as you stumble backwards, first into a smaller room, and then a much smaller room where you stop when the back of your legs hit a bench.  You're in a changing room and Houshou is inches away, hands on your shoulders. Well, after almost having you head blown off being raped was basically an inevitability at this point.

“Sorry about that,” Houshou says as she takes a seat sideways on your lap. “I thought that Shoukaku might complicate things. She is such a  nice girl though.”  Houshou looks you right in the eyes at that moment. “Isn't she, Admiral Settle?”  A shiver runs down your spine as you suddenly feel dangerously close to death.

“Of course.” A safe reply. Houshou seems to be appeased by that. “We'll leave in a couple of minutes. Zuikaku is probably giving her sister an earful right now.”

Sure enough, Houshou leads you out of the changing rooms, and says she'll start food shopping while you finish up at the exchange.

- -

You meet up with her later the Commissary, one hand full of plastic bags while she carries a folded-up blue parasol in the other.  There's no way you're about to walk back to your room with the food and the junk you bought.  “I can get us a ride, my room isn't exactly in a convenient location.” Houshou just gives you a smile back along with her reply.

“There's no need for that. Admiral Goto appropriated a vehicle for us. It's just parked a few blocks away, however.”

You groan inwardly. After everything that's happened you don't really want to spend more time on your feet walking.  Despite supposedly leading the way, Houshou takes her place a few paces behind you; as if the natural place for her to be.  The overcast sky seems to be on the brink of opening up, a relief from the typical scorcher summer days.  After you've cleared the vicinity of the commissary and BX foot traffic has dropped considerably, giving you time to closely observe each pedestrian you pass by.  You instantly recognize the next person coming down the sidewalk, his gait the one of man who's frustrations and problems barely kept in check by a modicum of discipline. Hate. “I don't want to deal with him right now...” you mutter to yourself. Seemly spurred on by your comment; Houshou increases her pace and overtakes you, placing herself between you and Hate. As he closes the distance between you, Houshou calls out to him. “Good Afternoon, lieutenant.” Hate's eyes are focused on you. He tries to walk around Houshou, but she's ahead of him; simply sliding backwards into his path. “Are you kidding me...” He starts, before raising his voice in your direction. “Hey skipper is this your new babysitter? I'm surprised they only gave you one.”

“Excuse me,” Houshou replies, popping open her parasol to obscure you. “Admiral Settle is a grown man and does not need to be babysat, unlike a few of the junior officers around here.” Hate just rolls his eyes to that and attempts once again to move around her to no avail. “Admiral Settle is very busy today and in a hurry, could this possibly wait for tomorrow?” Houshou adds, still as polite as can be.

“Yes, I'm sure he's very busy courting as many girls as possible.” Hate tries to bend his head around the parasol. “Listen Settle did you ever t-”

“It's extremely rude to ignore a lady in front of you, Lieutenant.” Houshou interrupts him with with surprising volume.

“I don't give a fuck about you right now. I'm not here to see you.” He spits back. You're barely holding back snickering, as Houshou's approach is clearly getting under his skin.

“...You seem like the kind of person who's been in combat, haven't you?” Houshou says, idly spinning her parasol.

“...I was in Fallujah, years back.” Hate replies with a little bit of hesitance in his voice.

Houshou folds up her parasol before delivering her next statement with cold precision. “You must have lost all your manners there, along with all your friends.”

Any laughs you had building into your throat have frozen into a solid mass, choking you. Hate's eyes bulge outward, as his brain has to reprocess what he heard.  You're just as confused and surprised as he is, neither of you expecting such a low blow out of the blue. You don't even see the strike from Hate.  You only hear Houshou's feminine grunt as she falls to a knee from the impact, a few groceries bouncing onto the concrete. Hate's already hopped back, hands up in a typical fighting stance.  Houshou slowly rises after she's picked up that which has spilled out.

“Are you satisfied now? Having taken out your frustrations on me?” There's no response from Hate. “You're not enlisted anymore Lieutenant Hate.” Houshou says with a barely concealed snarl.

“You're in a different world, with different rules,” She carries on. “And if you don't adapt you'll soon find yourself in a worse place than were you started.”

Hate's still staring her down, waiting for her to play the next move. Houshou turns her head and looks up to the sky. “Still, perhaps I have said too much.” She steals a quick glance at you. “I must apologize.” With that being said, Houshou bows deeply to Hate. You can't sense any sort of duplicity from the seemly sincere gesture.
“Excuse me.”

Houshou gives Hate a wide berth as she walks around him and continues down the sidewalk. Hate's frozen up as only his eyes track Houshou.  You can't even remember a time a fight he tried to start never happen.  You're thankful that he never pulled a weapon on her. From what you've seen of Houshou she's quite unlike Jintsuu, and such a maneuver would probably have left Hate with a broken arm at best. Although she has none of her own, so to speak, you can definitely tell that Houshou is a mother.

Hate goes slack as he looks at you. “I had no part in this.” You reply preemptively.  “Hey, listen I brought up your plan a few days back to some of the admirals and it wasn't completely shot down so that's good right?” You attempt to change the subject with the subtlety  of a broadside.  Hate stares you down for a couple of moments.
“Just go chase after your goddamn house maid or whatever before she stabs herself with a steak knife,” He says before walking past you.  This was your challenge of the day, right? There's no way things can get worse.

Aha.

- - -

Houshou was waiting by the car Goto had apparently “appropriated” for you. You think that at one point in time it was a Honda Civic hatchback, but those days are far over. It's covered in so many chassis add-ons and ridiculous lights that it's become a class of its own. Even complete with a garish red white and blue paint scheme that is thankfully devoid of any anime characters.  Houshou was quiet during the car ride back to your room, even when you asked her what was going on with Hate. She just said that she was worried about him. Who isn't?

 When you pull up to your apartment on base and park you've noticed that it's not quite the same as you left it. There's a small grill outside along with a large cardboard box. A quick glance towards your passenger shows a knowing look telling you that she's in on this.  You help Houshou bring in the groceries while she drags the box into your kitchenette.  “It'll be a few hours before anything is ready, so feel free to catch up on your work.” Houshou says to you as she's grabbing a wok and other kitchen accessories out of the cardboard box.

With your earlier lie you've basically trapped yourself at your computer desk, doing 'work'. Yes. You are going to put your dwarves to work all right.  As you slowly work yourself into an autistic dwarf-fueled trance you hear the sounds of cooking in the background: oil crackling, knifes chopping, water boiling.  It's almost enough to motivate you to go take a peek....buuuut you have more important things to do. Like making sure your fort inhabitants aren't murdered by dire carp.

-

You actually did get some real work done before Houshou called you for dinner, so nobody can say you wasted the entire day. It certainly smells good, that's for sure.  You round the corner into your kitchenette were Houshou is standing next to a table. It's not your normal one, that's for sure.  This one almost twice the size, and covered in a navy blue tablecloth with a little light blue squiggly highlight on the edges, to give the impression off of waves. Cute. The tabletop is packed with plates and a few bowls of all sizes. Houshou's standing at the other end of the table, face slightly flushed from being over a grill, doing that damn closed eye smile.  “Please enjoy!” She says. Well, it looks and smells pleasant, so no point in hesitating.

You're hesitating.  There's an absurd amount of food here for one person. There's only one empty plate set for you.  This isn't right.

“Aren't you eating too?” You ask.
“Oh?” Houshou tilts her head slightly. “I thought you didn't want a date.”
A different approach, maybe. “There's no way I can eat all of this.”
“That fine!” Comes her bright reply. “I have containers to store any leftovers you might have.” Her smile has turned into more of a smirk at this point.

It's obvious that she wants to eat with you, despite what she's saying. She knows that you would want that too. You bet that she even knows that you know that she knows that ... Uuunngh.  Are all the japanese like this? So obtuse!  She's making you say it directly.

“I wouldn't be able to enjoy a meal like this alone.  Would you like to eat with me?”
“Ara?” She says with feigned surprise. “Is that really ok?” She's playing you like a damn fiddle, and you're dancing with all your might.
“I insist,” you manage to force out. After hearing your response Houshou claps her hands together, and fills a small cup by your plate with what you assume to be sake. She does the same for herself after quickly clearing room at the other end of the table for a plate of her own. You'll start with what looks like chicken skewers, you guess. Yakitori? Something safe. You take a big chunk off of the wooden stick into your mouth.

…

It's really good.  You follow up with some tempura vegetables. They're not soggy and just the right amount of crispness. Oh god.  Is everything on this table going to be as good?  You can probably get out of any PT tests easy, but still.  There's all sorts of dishes. Some steamed dumplings, pickled vegetables, beef wrapped in what looks like scallions, a few pieces of nigiri, udon soup. All in all it's very impressive. One thing seems off. “Where's all the rice?” You ask.
“Well, when you're served sake, that usually takes the place of a rice dish.” Houshou replies, sipping some of her own.  You take a big sluuurp of soup. It's much better than the normal instant brand stuff you normally eat.  Houshou isn't much of a talker during dinner. She wouldn't even reveal where she learned to cook.  She does ask your a little bit about your past, but never prys too deep. She asks about your recent experiences with the other kanmusu and conveniently skirts around any of your fuckups.  Still, as far as food goes it's been your best experience here yet.

With the combined efforts of yourself and Houshou you've managed to clear off the table of most food, along with plenty of sake. “I hope you enjoyed everything.” Houshou says to you.
“It was excellent.  I wish they had someone like you cooking over at the base club.” Houshou blushes a little at this.
“Oh, I'm really nothing special... But I'm still glad you enjoyed it so.” Houshou says while starting to pick up the now empty dinnerware. “I was just wondering now... If you could maybe do something for me?” She says innocently. Oh no. She's got you trapped. You're inebriated, full of food, in a closed area, and there's no security cameras to possibly save you this time. You force a smile onto your face while you grip your dinner knife like it's your last possible hope. “huu-Oh?” You sputter out, “What would be?”
“I've heard so much about American movies, but I've never got to see any. Could you maybe show me one on your computer?” That's it? Really?
“What.”
“I-it's true! I've never seen a single one!” Houshou puffs her cheeks out after that. Cute. You wipe off the sweat forming at your brow before asking,
“What sort of movie do you want to watch?”
“Oh...Umm. Something with action. That's really American!”
“I'll see what I can do.” You leave the kitchen, trying to push thoughts of scenarios that were not out of your mind. You hear  Houshou cleaning the dishes as you search through your laptop for something. You know exactly what to play. You scrounge around for an HDMI cable to hook up your laptop to the TV in front of your bed, and pull over your desk chair, so Houshou can watch without sharing the same piece of furniture as you. A few minutes late Houshou comes in and gently sits on your bed while you take the chair. She shoots you her trademarked smile as you start the movie.
“This movie probably has shown it's age by now, but it's definitely very 'American'”

- - -


“Well. That was... Impressive.” Houshou says.  “I really liked the part where he went Pow! 'Welcome to earth!'”

“I'm sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting.” Maybe America saving the world was too American?

“No,” Houshou shakes her head. “I enjoyed it. Thank you for humoring me.  I have to finish the rest of the dishes and pack some things up.  You should get ready for bed as well, it's getting late.” Hmm, That sounds like a pretty good idea, you'll just take a quick shower before bed.

You reflect on the day's events as the hot water pours down your body.  It seems you managed to pass a day without fucking up or crushing someone's hopes and dreams.  Good thing there's always tomorrow for that.  On the surface Houshou seems like the nicest and most reasonable person on port, but you also saw her other side.  You can't really pin her down.  You finish up washing and get out to dry off. By the time you exit the bathroom the rest of your apartment is dark aside from a dim light in the kitchen.  Did Houshou already leave for the night?  You're not sure how much sake you drank, but it's certainly enough to make you want to fall asleep.  You inch your way through the darkness and  clamber into bed, ignoring the pain in your leg.  You've just pulled up the covers and closed your eyes when you hear movement on the carpet.  Your eyes burst open and you are only slightly relieved to see Houshou standing by your bedside. Her kimono is pulled slightly down, revealing her bare shoulders and her small bust.

“A-admiral. It's time for dessert.” The unshakable confidence normally in her voice is all but gone.
“What the hell are you talking about?”  Your eyes have adjusted to the dark and you can see Houshou look away as she answers you.
“T-to take me in bed of course, if it would please you. Do be gentle with me.”  Her lines are stilted and forced, like she's reading from a teleprompter.

Part of you feels vindicated. You knew from the beginning that something was off. You almost want to yell out in victory as your gut feeling was correct this whole time. You want to take a pistol and shoot the ceiling, so to speak. Another part of you just feels annoyed, and just a little bit scared as you remember the strength of the kanmusu in times of peril all too well.

“Why me?” You ask.

A little “eh?” squeaks out from Houshou.

“Why do this for the foreign devil when you have Admiral Goto here?” You say, the frustration clear in your voice.

“I...I was under the impression that he was already in a relationship with Kongou... Is this wrong?”

“That,” For all intents and purposes she's right. “Yes, he is. Why are you doing this?”

“It... It's my duty.” Houshou tells you, matter of factly.

“That's bullshit. You're a carrier, are you not? Your job is to help us fight the abyssals and keep the seas safe, not be a glorified Meiji-era prostitute.” Houshou visibly flinches at your attack.

“This is all I can do. I can't fight. I'm not strong enough.”  You can't help but roll your eyes. Another one, great. “Do you mock me, Admiral Settle?”

“Let me just say that I've heard this story before and that it's bullshit.” Houshou swipes her eyes back and forth, in thought.

“I have no lack of motivation. I just don't have the strength.” You give her the look of a seaman who just had to spend 2 hours getting a safety brief before leave. Houshou sighs in response and takes a seat at the foot of your bed, facing away from you. “Let me tell you a story, Admiral Settle.  It was around winter last year when I first came back.”

That... That isn't too long after the abyssals first appearance. But she's just shown up recently on base?

“I washed up on the shores of Shikoku, confused and alone...” She looks through you. “Have you heard that one before?”

“Not, exactly.” You reply. Houshou continues on.

 “I knew who I was. The aircraft carrier Houshou. And yet...”  She pauses here, unsure of how to proceed. “I denied my own existence.  I must have just been a shipwreck survivor with amnesia, I told myself!  How could anything else make sense?”

She's not looking at you anymore. Her head is looking down at the floor.

“I still told others to call me Houshou, I lived a lie!” She yells out in frustration. Houshou takes a small breath to steady herself, and returns to her her previous volume. “A contradictory experience.”

“I ended up living in a small coastal town, not too far from the city of Tokushima. By chance I had befriended a family who happen to own an izakaya.  They took pity on me, seeing how I had nowhere to go.  No relatives, No memory.”

You can hear a hint of nostaglia in her voice.

“I worked there full time, learning to serve, to cook. To be human.  They were able to set me up with a tiny apartment.” Her voice wavers here, struggling to maintain her bearing. “...I can never fully repay them.”

Houshou carries on. She talks about her experiences there, some of her mistakes and her triumphs.  It sounds like she was enjoying life. “...I never really watched the news. And most of our patrons wouldn't really bring such a topic up either.  Because of that I only knew faintly of the abyssal threat.”

Her voice increases in intensity.  “I still lied to myself. 'This is normal' I told myself at night. Then, last month the abyssals attacked our town.” Houshou is gripping the bedding tightly. “I couldn't lie to myself any more. The 'human' Houshou was instantly pushed away, and the aircraft carrier, Houshou, came out. I summoned my weaponry, bow in hand, and with perfect grace, I launched my aircraft.  Do you know how many aircraft I carry, Admiral Settle?”

Well, that other light carrier, the one with that silly hat. You remember Goto saying she held about 45. Houshou is probably an older model, so many about... “Thirty” You guess.

A sad laugh comes from Houshou. “I carry 15 aircraft.” Jesus. Ise and Hyuuga both carry more than that. “They're old, biplane designs. Cast-offs. Rejects. Training aircraft.  I... I watched as the slow  planes were all shot down effortlessly.”

Houshou coughs down the tears that threaten to flare up.

“I thought I was in a nightmare. The best I could do was fire what few guns I had.” Another pitiful laughs comes from Hoshou. “It's funny. I had those removed later in the war. Carriers didn't need any sort of big guns like that.  I never thought I would be jealous of Kaga's armament. I managed to at least distract them until the real navy came.  I was ashamed of myself.”

Houshou leans back completely. Her upper body lying on the bed while her feet dangle off.

“The next day was the first time I ever called in sick. I came to terms with my existence and came to the conclusion that I couldn't stay here any longer. I researched what I could of the abyssals, which wasn't much, to be told.”

“I eventually found out that there were others such as myself.  I decided that it was my duty to do whatever it takes to help them, even if I couldn't fight myself. I said my goodbyes and left Shikoku, to travel to Yokosuka.  I walked here.  I told myself that it was safer than sailing.”
Her voice dims, and you're barely able to hear the last part.

 “While that was probably true, it was fear that kept me on land.”

What do you even say to that? She fought with everything she had and still couldn't protect what she cared about.  How is that any different than you? You're here not fighting. She's here not fighting. Houshou pulls herself up and interrupts your thoughts.

“I'm sorry I ruined your night. I don't know what I was thinking.”

Your throat feels incredibly dry as you respond to her. “You're just looking for your purpose in the world. Your niche.  Everyone looks for it. Human or not.”

“Admiral Settle this is incredibly selfish but... This isn't about duty or responsibility, or anything like that. Just my desire.   At least for one night. I want to feel important. Needed.”
She takes a big breath in to steady herself.

 “Could I sleep with you.  Nothing further, just sleep.  I just want to know... that feeling.”

[] Only because I've never seen anyone do that to Hate before
[] I can't. It would set a bad precedent for the other girls.  I have to at least try to have a semblance of being impartial.
[] Other