super ktkm and ooi adventures 4

It's been a long day, but we've finally arrived. At our room. It's hard to call it a home.  Kitakami immediately kicks off her shoes on lies face first on her bed.  It's a decent sized room, with a large bunk bed, a desk, a few chairs, and a large dresser.   Oh, and we recently got a refrigerator/microwave combo. That was nice, but we've never used it yet.  I was told this building was an old transient dorm that was going to be demolished. I guess that when 'we' showed up, they needed some space for us, so this building had a second chance. The walls are white, there's a window, a closet, and our own bathroom.  That's it. I've peered into different offices or seen secretary's desks and they all have some personality to them. Either pictures of friends or family, awards, little positive messages, small statues, something.  But our room has none of that.

I clamber up onto the top bunk, but I don't really feel like sleeping yet.

Kitakami spends a lot of her off time doing... nothing. It worries me. I can see her face, and hear it in her voice, that she's unhappy.  I ask KTKM what she wants to do and I always get a noncommittal answer.

“Hey Kitakami, don't you think we should get something for our room?”

“I don't really get what you mean.” At least she moved her head out of the pillow to reply.

“You know, like decorations or something.”

“Just get whatever you want.”

Kitakami needs... A hobby.  I can get her a present! That would be wonderful.  I wonder what she would be interested in.

 I suddenly feel uneasy, shouldn't I know the kinds of things KTKM likes?  But it mostly comes up blank.  I can't even name her favorite color.  It's always felt like I've known her forever, yet when I really think about it, we've only been around for a couple of months.   Are my feelings fake? Something wet rolls down on my cheeks. There's no way Kitakami is anything but my favorite person in the world.

A few minutes pass by awkwardly, still unable to think of something she would enjoy. I should.. I should... ask for help. Anyone.

“I'm going out for a little bit, Kitakami.”

“Alright. Can you turn the light off on your way out?”

I oblige her and step outside.  I'm not sure what time it is, probably around 2300, it's possible I won't find anyone.  A gift usually costs money, right? You need a job for money.  Getting a job would be difficult with all the fi-

Ah. We're ships. Made for fighting.  The military pays money.  I've never asked about a salary or anything.  Maybe I just need to talk to the Admiral.  I get to the common area, the lights are on, I think I'm in luck. As I open the door I notice the mission board has been updated. It lists the participants and status of all the ships that sortied. Mission Successful, Arizona and Kongou: Moderate Damage. Naka: Severe Damage. Tenryuu/Tatsuta/Jintsu: Light/No Damage.  After the days events I felt a little happier at knowing everyone was safe.
I round the corner and there's one person sitting at a table reading a book.  Unfortunately it's Shiranui.  I felt she was rude earlier, but I remember what KTKM said, and I really need someone to talk to.

	“Excuse me, Shiranui-san”

	“What is it?”  She doesn't even bother looking up from her book.

	“I needed some help, on a present.” Shiranui shuts her book, and turns to look at me directly. What a strong gaze.  “I-I've been thinking, that Kitakami seems to have a lot a free time, so I wanted to get her something to do, like maybe a hobby or something.”

	“I see.”

	There's an awkward silence for a few moments, until she speaks up again.

	“I can understand. I … “  She trails off, looking at something on the ground.  “I was the same.  It was only recently I picked up reading.  I find it very entertaining. I've been mostly reading history, it's fascinating to see the evolution of culture and technology. The mistakes repeated. The ever constants of war and political maneuvering.”

	“Do you-”

	“It's amazing to see the how much time and effort humans have put into devising new and exciting ways to kill each other.”

I felt like my initial suspicions about this girl were confirmed, but before I can start to edge away she addresses me directly.

“Anyway, Ooi-san.  You should vist the base PX. There's all sorts of interesting things there to buy. You spend a lot of with her don't you? Why don't you get her something both of you can enjoy?” She turns back to her book.

“I, uh how did you purchase them?”

“Go talk to whoever is in the dorm office.”

I can tell that this conversation is over.  Maybe I'll find something that Shiranui-san can enjoy too.

I go downstairs to the first floor. There's always someone in the dorm office now, just in case any of us have any issues, after that... pancake incident.

I enter the dorm office and inquire about money.  I'm handed a traditional looking money envelope. It's thin, and I can't help myself.

	“There's money in here?”

	“Well you know, it's a card.” The sailor on duty looks pretty bored, not really watching the TV, but not quite ignoring it either.

	“I-  I don't really know, could you explain it?”

	“You just swipe the card in there when you pay and put in the 4 digit code. Try not to go overboard.”

I thanked him and took my leave. I was actually getting kinda excited for tomorrow, something I've rarely felt.

I enter our room quietly and can hear Kitakami's rhythmic breathing as she sleeps.  I really want to make her smile tomorrow.  I undress and tuck myself in on the top bunk, ready for the next day.

- - - -

KTKM has been unusually unmotivated this morning. Getting her out of bed and to breakfast was almost a chore.  Normally we chat about random things at breakfast, but she's been tight lipped ever since yesterday. That whole fiasco must have really hit her hard.  She's just finishing off her sausages when I make my move.

	“I'm going out today, shopping. Is there anything I could get for you, my Kitakami-sama?”

	“Huh?”

	“You know, to buy things.”

	“You don't want to drag me along?”

She's asked the question I didn't want to hear. I sort of wanted it to be a surprise for her, and is normally fine with just hanging around the dorm yard.

	“I didn't want to trouble y-”

	“I'd do anything to get away from me right now too.”


I bite my lip. This isn't how today is supposed to turn out at all.  I'm conflicted if I should agree with her just to avoid a confrontation, but that isn't how I feel at all. Before I can voice my opposition KTKM stuffs her mouth with the last of her food, stands up and walks away to dump off our tray.

I won't let this ruin either of our days. I had briefly looked at the base map, so I had a decent idea of where I was going, but to be honest I didn't travel much on base.

I leave the dining hall, and set off on my journey [Of the day]. It's a sunny late morning, and the official looking base buildings and offices slowly turn into housing and small parks. It's weird  ... not having KTKM with me.  I hope she doesn't get into any trouble when I'm gone. My thoughts are interrupted as I hear the thumps of music not to far ahead of me  [http://puu.sh/gYnjI/04fbc2feb0.mp3]. I put my hand above my eyes and can see a few blocks down a figure moving at a decent pace down the sidewalk towards me.  It looks like it's gliding along the pavement. It's not until it gets a bit closer I can tell it's a guy ontop of a plank with wheels or something, holding what must be a large radio in one hand. He's wearing black shades, a bright, multicolored mess of a shirt, a backwards hat and shorts that are way too long and baggy. His frame is way too large to be some kid on base. Did this ruffian sneak in? Can you even sneak anywhere looking like that. I've stopped walking, entirely confused at what this person is doing.  His head moves with the beat of the music, impressively loud for what seems to be easy to carry. He seems to slow down as he gets closer to me, his torso already facing me. He throws both arms outwards in what seems to be an exaggerated shrug, as if to say 'Well, what is it?'. As he passes me he picks up speed and tries to do a short hop over a bump in the sidewalk. He doesn't quite stick the landing and ends up falling onto the pavement. Impressively he seems to have kept his radio intact.  Super Weird.

I think I'm getting closer, there's a lot more vehicle traffic on the roads by this part of the base.  There's a US marine coming my way up ahead, a good chance to get exact directions. I step just a little bit onto his half of the sidewalk, just enough so that he would have to move to get around me~.  I greet him, and he seems just a little flustered at first before easing up. He points out which building is the PX.

	“Say, are you military?”

	“Yeeeaaaah, I'm in the Navy.”

	“Cool, Cool. Normally we only invite marines, but I can make an exception for you. Feel free to bring some cute friends along.”

He hands me an index card with a handwritten address and the words “Marine BBQ”. Haha, this is so awesome. I thank him and press on.

As I enter the building it looks like there's a bunch of smaller shops, including a bunch of food stalls.  I've never really... eaten out.  Maybe I can bring back some food for Kitakami too.  There's so many people here too, I have to be careful not to stand in the way or bump into someone.  The entrance to the main store is wide, and all I can see are rows of merchandise and displays everywhere. It's so overwhelming.    There's tons of clothing on shelves and hangars, it would be easy to pick something out in Kitakami's size, but I don't think she would really be interested in something like that.  There's even jewelry and such. Where do I even start?  I begin looking down each aisle, until the in the third one, I spot a familiar dress. The bright orange and white uniform identifies the girl as one of the sendai class, the emerald ribbon giving it away as Jintsuu.  There's brightly colored and decorated stationary all along this aisle, and she seems to be inspecting them closely.

	“Oh, Jintsuu-san. I didn't really expect to find someone I knew here, do you come here often? Is it always this busy? And congratulations on your mission!”

	Jintsuu slowly turns around before addressing me.

	“Ooi.  I was getting something for Naka-chan.  Did you know she was seriously hurt?”

	“Well, I heard that she was badly damaged , is sh-”

	“You would know if you went and visited her, she was nearly blown in two.” Jintsuu cuts me off with a quiet intensity.

	“I'm not really that familiar with Naka...”

	“But you're familiar enough to interrupt me with pointless questions? Do you even care about anyone other than yourself?”

	“How c-”

	“Oh, that's right, you fawn all over Kitakami, while she does her best to ignore you.  She probably can't bring herself to tell you off.”

	My fists clench instinctively. I turn away from her and take a half step forward with my left foot.  A torpedo cruiser doesn't make feints and harassment attacks. They have to go all in, and take out the enemy in one salvo.  I'm at the perfect distance to spin around and knock her out, poised to strike before Jintsuu speaks up again.

	“Ooi-san. I.. I've had a really difficult day. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said.”

	People say what they mean. They may regret the words they choose, or the timing, but the intent is still clear.

	“Good-bye Jintsuu.”

	My heart is still pounding as I walk away, not even looking where I'm headed.   What does she know? Couldn't even protect her own sister and tries to project her failings onto others.   I stop walking,  hand braced on a shelf as I take a few deep breaths to regain my composure. I take a look around at my surroundings, there's rows of TV's and a lot of fancy looking equipment. I must have wandered farther than I thought.  I'm sort of distracted by the displays. The color is so crisp and clear, it's almost like a window into another part of the world.  I feel someone place a hand on their shoulder, and I jump a bit. They apologize and ask if there's anything they can help me with. An employee, I guess.  I tell them that I'm looking for a gift for a good friend, they ask a few different questions and show me some gadgets until one catches my eye.  It's called a vita: it's sleek, black, and apparently plays games anywhere. You can even play it with other people. I get this gut feeling that Kitakami would like it a lot.  I go right ahead and decide to purchase it, and some 'games' that go along with it.

	I went around to the rest of the store and picked up some other items. I got two light green blankets that felt really soft, that match our uniforms.   I also picked up some notebooks and colored pencils for sketching.  Another thing caught my eye, it was the book section. Purchasing something for Shiranui couldn't hurt.  I look at the best seller section and sort of randomly decide to pick up the book “America Again”. She seemed to be interested in all sorts of countries, right?

	It's a bit after lunch by the time I get home.  Kitakami is sitting on a bench outside our room.  I think she pretends not to notice me as I walk up, but I know she's not the kind of person to that oblivious.

	“Kitakami-sama~ I'm baaack!”

	“....Welcome back”

	Its probably the closest I'll get to an apology right now, but I'll take it.

	“You didn't get into any trouble when I was gone, right?”

	“S'fine.  You sure bought a lot of stuff for yourself.”

	“Eh?? But I have a bunch of presents for you!” Kitakami makes eye contact with me, as if she's trying to see if I'm lying or not.  I place all the things I bought for her on her lap, coming all the way up to her [just perfect] chest.

	Kitakami's face is one of extreme surprise, this really is her first time getting presents isn't it?

	“I... Thanks a lot Ooichi.  I don't really have anything to give you though.”

	“Just being around for me is the best present you could give Kitakami!”