Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 13: Lonely Phoenix

That perked her up. "Mmmm~ Commander wants to tell me a secret?"

He nodded. "It's not something that's easy to find out these days."

She giggled again. "My commander, you can tell me anything you want, and no one will ever know. And if someone else does overhear- I'll make sure that commander's secret never, ever gets out~"

The commander kept stroking her back as she squeezed in against him. that was probably the only response he could hope for. "Well, I was lonely for a very long time, myself. Since I was little, all the way up to until I came here."

She just watched him. "Now, how did that happen to my poor commander?"

He shook his head. "People don't think of this much, but the Sakura Empire isn't the only place where the actions of one can disgrace the family."

Taihou began to understand. "So, was he a traitor, or..."

He wasn't called The Coward for no reason. "When I was little, he was the captain of a carrier that went to the Arctic to investigate the emergence of what we now know as the Sirens. He was the only one who came back, and wouldn't talk about what he saw, but once the logs were recovered, it was found that he fled on his own, leaving the rest of his crew to die under their guns. No orders to withdraw, no communications to the other ships... He just fled from what he saw up there and left thousands of men to their fate in the cruel sea." He was now holding on to Taihou for at least as much his own comfort as hers.

And Taihou seemed to pick up on this- she wanted to pride herself on being in tune with her commander. "Mmmm... But wouldn't he have been powerless in any case?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps. When he came back home, though, there was nothing of him left, and mom devoted all her time to try to bring him back from a place too far gone. So, I was left to me- and from school to the academy, I found that there were no friends in humankind for the son of The Coward." He rubbed Taihou's back, now. "I don't even want revenge, just to find out what he saw up there that made him turn tail and flee. And besides, now I have you and Azur Lane."

Taihou put her hands on his knees and got on all fours in front of him, looking him right in the eyes. "My commander... Just remember- if there is anything that you desire of me, I will do it. I will do anything for my commander to fulfill any of his desires. This is the truth, always."

It was strangely reassuring- but now it was time to do something Taihou might like. "If you're game, then, I'd like to see that fan dance you once sent me a picture of. After all, you have an audience of one this time."

Taihou was on her bare feet with a bounce in a flash. "Mmm~ I was wondering when the commander would ask me for this- don't worry, my practice is perfect, and doing it for commander... Well, you'll see what happens."

She grabbed both of her red and white fans from a closet with a grand smile, and then also started off her music.

One of the things that the commander noticed was that Taihou was as aware of her body as Illustrious was oblivious to her own. She had a superior sense of balance, certainly. And it's not that he didn't notice everything else, either. The fact that she was so easy on her feet made everything else just that more marvelous. Her normally manic expression disappeared as she turned and stopped on her feet and heels seemingly on a time, her curtain of black hair swirling about her. Every stroke of her fans was made to draw attention to her buxom form, practically inviting him to take it for himself. In front of a larger audience, it would be alluring- but given only to commander, it was a mating dance.

One of the things that occurred to the commander as he watched her was that Taihou and Illustrious were essentially opposites in most ways- Illustrious was peaceful and serene, Taihou was forceful and tumultuous. Every part of that came through the way she quietly carried herself through the whole dance, and in the performance he saw one thing as well- her vast, intense desire for him. He had no doubt that if watching her dance was the first experience other people had of Taihou, they would find her impossible to resist.