My Camera

Viltus arrived in front of a room. At the sign, he could see this room belongs to Aoba and Kinugasa. But, someone uses a black ink to hide Kinugasa name from there. Viltus who sees that then mumbles,

"So... Kinugasa also sunk that day..."

Viltus then takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. There is no answer there. He then knocks it once more and this time he could hear someone walks towards the door and tries to open the door. When the door opened, he could see Aoba that surprised to see him.

Aoba immediately closes the door, but Viltus holds it using his arm. He could feel a sharp pain from that, but he ignores it. He then hears Aoba shouts,

"What do you want, killer? Go away from Aoba's room now!"

Viltus shakes his head and tries to enter Aoba's room. Aoba then pushes him away, but Viltus continues to enter her room. Until Viltus already inside her room and closes the door behind him. Aoba looks at him with disgust and says,

"What do you want now, killer? Do you want to kill Aoba now?"

Viltus didn't answer her at all. Aoba then says,

"Are you going to torture Aoba now? Is that the only way to make you happy?"

"No..." answer Viltus

"Then, why are you..."

Aoba really surprised when Viltus suddenly gives her some book. Aoba looks at Viltus for a while and then says,

"What is it? Is it the document about Aoba's scrapping?"

"No..." answer Viltus

"Then..."

"Just look at it..."

Aoba looks at Viltus and says,

"Aoba will not look at it... Just get out... Get out from Aoba's room! Aoba didn't want to see you or Haruto anymore!"

Viltus stay quiet and looks at her. Aoba then immediately charges him and pin him down to the ground. Every item that Viltus takes are fallen one by one as he falls to the ground and now Aoba is sitting above him. Aoba then says,

"Aoba says get out... Get out... Get out..."

"...."

"Why did you don't hear Aoba? Why? Why?"

Aoba then hits Viltus' chest weakly. Viltus didn't feel any physical pain at all, but every hit really hurt him inside. He tried to ignore the pain and then says,

"Those books belong to Kimura... I just want you to look at them..."

"Why must Aoba hear that name again? Aoba didn't want to hear that name again... Aoba didn't want to hear that name... Why... Why... Why..."

Aoba looks at Viltus and she is really surprised to see Viltus' face. He could see someone who also sleepless for a week. He also feels guilty about what he has done. Aoba then remembers how fragile Viltus is from the report that she and Kimura gather about Viltus in the past. After that, she could see tear start to fall from Viltus and hears,

"I know that I can't repent by doing this..."

"Viltus..."

"But, I believe this is one way to do that..." says Viltus as he closes his eyes

"..."

"I'm sorry... That the word that I want to say to you at the ship back then... But, I can't..."

"I..."

"I'm sorry... For everything... I'm sorry to take your happiness from you... I'm sorry for not able to hold him..."

"Listen Viltus... I..."

"I'm sorry... For everything... I'm a killer... I know that..."

"Please..." says Aoba as she tries to hide her tears

"I know that I am not worth to get your forgiveness... But, I know... This is the only way... For you... And him..."

Now Aoba understands that Viltus actually didn't want to tell Kimura about her location. But because of Kimura nature that is really stubborn, he couldn't do anything. And from every person that Aoba know the one that will be hurt by losing Kimura the most is Viltus. And in front of him is the person that feels guilty and responsible for everything. The one who broke the most from everyone at Yokosuka. Aoba then stops hitting Viltus and touch his cheek. She then says,

"Please... Don't cry... It's not your... fault..."

Aoba can't hold her tear anymore and leaning on Viltus' chest as she starts to cry again. Viltus closes his tired eyes and strokes her hair in order to calm her down. And with that, tears start to fall again on his face.

After both of them already calm, Aoba asks Viltus to sit down there. But, Viltus declines it. Aoba looks at Viltus with a confused face and hears Viltus says,

"You know... I do this only to fulfill his wish... So, could you look after his belongings here? I know it's hard... But, please..."

Aoba nods at Viltus and then takes the album first. She opens it and could see all photo that already printed by Kimura. She looks around there and sees the first photo where both of them meet the first time. Under the tree and clear blue sky together with Shiro, Viltus, and Haruto at the new Admiral ceremony.

Not long after that, she sees a photo of their first division where they become a team. And many more photo where her picture is the one that takes over most of it. Until she sees a photo of Kimura that she takes back then. A photo where Kimura smiles at her after they finished one of their mission. Aoba looks at the photo for a long time and didn't look at Viltus anymore.

Knowing that Aoba want to be left alone now, Viltus takes a deep breath and says,

"I must go back to my dorm..."

"Alright..."

"One more thing, there is one item that really designated for you from Kimura. If you..."

"I know..."

"If you say so... Then, I will leave you... And once more, I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault, Viltus," says Aoba without looking at Viltus

Viltus remains quiet and leaves her room. The moment he leaves her room, he could see Taihou stands there with a worried face. Taihou immediately ask him,

"Admiral, how is Aoba condition?"

"It depends on herself..." answer Viltus

Taihou looks at Viltus for a while and then she asks him,

"Then, how about you?"

"Me? I don't know about that..."

Taihou could see his face that really not sure what he should do next. Taihou then smiles a little bit and says,

"I could say someone like you could cope with ease about this... Especially knowing that you are a really stubborn brat."

Taihou then moves back really fast hoping for Viltus usual remarks. But, for this time he didn't do that. What she sees is Viltus that really surprised to hear that and then he laughs a little. After that, he starts to walk and says,

"Maybe... Only time who could tell..."

"Huh?"

"I will not answer it anymore, flat chest. I must leave this dorm immediately."

"Who do you call that?!" says Taihou as she starts to walk towards Viltus

Viltus then looks at Taihou that start to move to him. After she arrived at his reaching point, he immediately pulls her and says,

"Could you look after Aoba, please?"

"Huh?"

"Could you?"

"I will do it, Admiral."

"Thank you."

He then let her go and start to leave. Taihou only could smile after seeing what Viltus do to her. Meanwhile, Aoba still looking around the photo inside the photo album. After she arrives at the last pages, her attention focused on the other book.

She takes the book and she sees that it is Kimura's diary. She opens the book and reads it. From there, she knows that Kimura's family are murdered by the Abyssal when Kimura still young. And the first part of the book is full of his hatred of the Abyssal. Until he met with someone who taught him about photography. Since that part, little by little Kimura's writing changed into Kimura that she knows.

And then, she arrives at the page where Kimura first time arrived at Yokosuka. She continues to read it until the last entry where it is one day before the start of the operation. She could see that Kimura is really felt blessed to meet everyone at Yokosuka where he could get a lot of friend and experience. And from that, he could forget about his grudge towards the Abyssal. And the most important of all is when he could meet with Aoba. At the end of the entry, he wrote,

"I will confess my feeling to Aoba, and with that, I will give my camera to her. After we finished this operation."

Aoba remains quiet for a while when she reads that and remembers what Kimura says that he will tell her something. Tears start to flow again and she then says,

"Kimura, you are an idiot... Really an idiot... How could Aoba answer your feeling... If you are cut our communication back then? How..."

She then looks at the camera there and takes it. She looks at the camera and could see a crack there. She then remembers when Tadahisa finds them fighting over the camera and the camera falls because of both of them fall to the ground. And then, she remembers what Kimura says regarding all the photo that he already takes, he says,

"Well, you know... In the future, I will lead a different unit. Or maybe this unit will expand with another Ship Girl joining us. But at the same time, we will lose someone at the battle... Sometimes, the memory in our head will not remember everything. But, the photo that I take could help us remember something special at the time the photo is taken. Just like today."

Aoba laughs a little bit and then says,

"If at the end it is you the one who died... How could you see everything?... How could you see our division become bigger?... How could you see yourself gain a new rank?... You silly guy..."

She then continues to look around the gallery and then she remembers what Kimura says when she trains under Kimura. He says,

"But, when we lost those people, even the bad memory will become something that we really missed about them. Have you ever feel like that?"

Aoba can't hold her tears anymore and shouts,

"Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... Aaaaaahhhhh... Kimura!!!"

She then lays on the bed and hugs all of it to her chest. She then starts to cry again under the moonlight. After several minutes, she starts to calm a little bit. She then looks at a small box there. She takes it and peeks inside it. She is really surprised to see two beautiful rings there. Aoba then smiles a little and says,

"Kimura... Aoba can't believe that you already prepare the ring... Even before both of us dating... You are an idiot. What if I reject you?"

She then takes one ring and puts it on her ring finger on her left hand. She then kisses the ring and puts it on her chest. She mumbles,

"Kimura..."

She then remembers Kimura's hope regarding what will he do at the end of the war,

"I want to takes a picture of all of you. Everyone that fighting together with me to achieve peace for all of us. Viltus, Haruto, Shiro, and every Admiral that fighting here. Not only them! Uzuki, Yayoi, and every Ship Girls that fighting with us too! After all, that picture will become the most beautiful memory for all of us when we back to our home later."

Aoba looks at the ring once more and says,

"Aoba will fulfill your wish, Kimura... Because If Aoba didn't do that, who the one that will do that?"

She then sits down once more and says,

"Aoba thinks that Aoba already makes everyone worried... Especially Viltus, Haruto, Megumi, and Akihiko... Aoba should meet with them again and apologize to them."

She then stands up and takes all the books and the camera to her desk. That's when she found a small message. She opens it and she could see,

"For my ever-cheerful lover at all time."

Aoba smiles a little bit and says,

"How could Aoba do that without you?"

But when she sees the ring and Kimura's camera, she smiles at them and says,

"No... You always with Aoba... Aoba knows about that... And Aoba believes that... Forever."

She then kisses the ring once more and smiles at it.