The commander had stopped by the Sakura dorms in order to speak to Nagato on a few matters, and also to talk to Yuubari about the research he had asked her to do. She quietly gave him a note, knowing that he preferred this matter to be a secret. He had concluded his business with relative ease, seeing as Nagato was understanding of his own struggles for reasons he decided not to inquire about- they both respected each other's private thoughts. After dealing with that, it was time for him to head back to his home.
Or it would be, if the weather was cooperative.
This wasn't even the kind of weather he might accept a soak from, no, there was a time he'd be willing to grit his teeth and throw everything in the dryer after he got home. The rain outside was... You just opened a door and there was... water. Just water. He checked his phone and saw that the storm was going to be around for a while, and so he was stuck inside the Sakura dorms until the whole thing passed.
It's not like there weren't things he could do while waiting for the storm to pass, though he didn't want to particularly loiter in their housing- it wasn't his intention to be a creep. He mainly busied himself with checking up on people he had dealings with before, such as making sure Niizuki was okay, as well as making sure that Mutsuki and her sisters hadn't been bothered by any strange people, and so on up the line of the various ship classes on hand. Many of them were busy with their own fun or work, so he didn't impose.
When he was wandering around, he encountered someone who had no problem with being soaked, and was currently dripping water all over the floor without any care at all. And he should have guessed that sort of person would be a submarine. Albacore was standing outside the door to Taihou's room, standing on her tiptoes to see if she could take a peek through the peephole. Albacore's relationship with Taihou was a bit strange, considering their past- she never actually pranked Taihou, and seemed to want to be the carrier's friend.
The feeling was not entirely mutual.
Albacore knocked on the door a bit, and got no answer, and from the look of things, this wasn't the first or tenth time. The diminutive, barely-dressed blonde looked like she was about to call for Taihou before she noticed commander. "Ah! Commander! Everything's soaked outside, it's great!"
"At ease." She looked between Albacore and the door. "Going to see if you can try to hang out with Taihou again?"
She nodded quickly. "Mhm! She lives alone, so, sometimes I come by here myself to see if she'll hang out. Sometimes she even does it!"
Well, how about that. "All right, so there you go. And she's not responding this time?"
She shook her head. "Nuh! She's just sitting in her room or something. And... Well, besides, wanting to hang out, I just want to check on her to see how she's feeling."
That wasn't a bad idea. Taihou was not known for being the most level-headed sort on the roster, and she did live alone for various reasons, so checking up on her was something that just should be done. Whether Albacore was the correct one to do it was a bit questionable, considering. "So, you're worried if she's okay."
"Yep!" She looked back to the door. "I mean, I know that this kind of weather can give some people a case of the blahs, but Taihou usually has something to say."
The commander considered that she might say "go away.", but he wasn't usually around Albacore during her visits. As for Taihou, he knew firsthand that the woman could have some powerful moods. "...You know, if you're having trouble, I think I'll check up on Taihou today."
Albacore just stared at the commander. "Are you really sure that's something you want to do? I mean, she only ever really listens to you and maybe Nagato sometimes."
"Yeah..." He looked at the door himself. "But that's more of a commander problem than something you need to worry about. Come to think of it, I've only really been in here the one time, when I needed to convince her I didn't hate her."
Albacore pondered something as she stared at the door. "Soooo.... You're really sure that you want to go in there?"
"Yeah." that door was both enticing and foreboding, much like what lay beyond it. "Whatever's going on in Taihou's head, she would never actually hurt me- she has a love-sickness of some kind, but she doesn't think she can keep my soul or anything."
Albacore rocked on her heels. "Soooo... You don't want me to stick around?"
He shook his head. "Nah, you can go home- I don't think she'd take too well to you being around on a day like today."
She saluted him. "Sir!" and then headed off to get into whatever mischief she could get into on a day like today. Commander did think of something, though, that he'd have to ask her later- he would've thought she would prank Taihou in the same way that Victorious made her attempts to woo Tirpitz.
The commander collected himself and knocked on the door.
Her voice came from the other side. "Annnh... I'm not coming out today no matter how much you knock... I don't even care if even Yamato comes here and says so..."
He took a deep breath, wondering if he'd regret what he said next. "Taihou, it's the commander... May I come in?"
There were several hurried foot-noises and the movement of a few locks, and the door opened a crack. He saw one of Taihou's red eyes peeking through the crack- and then a big, bright, manic smile. "Ah! Commander...! You would.... You would like to come in?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Since I'm here and can't really go home in this weather, I thought I'd check up on you."
That eye looked around and even looked down at herself. "My commander- I haven't even brushed my hair today."
She really wasn't expecting to go anywhere today, seeing that this was very much in the afternoon. And Taihou was more than capable of hunkering down, seeing as she could very handily cook for herself. "Look, Taihou, it doesn't matter, I'll just brush it for you and then it won't be a problem."
That eye widened, and she opened the door, and before he knew it he was in her room, minus his shoes.
The thing about Taihou's place is that it looked nothing like one would expect from the mentality of the owner. It looked very much like the sort of place that would be owned by a rather traditional Sakura woman- there were no shrines to the commander, no corners stacked with commander's stolen things, and nothing else that would be an external indicator of the state of its occupant. Taihou knew what she was about, she didn't need any extra reminders.
Taihou herself would be a bit of a curiosity even if it wasn't for her love-sickness. She had an impossible knockout body and a cute, sweet voice, which was already an odd contrast. Unlike many other Sakura carriers, she didn't have a partner from way back when- the only other one in port to share that distinction was Houshou, and that one contented herself with being the eldest sister or even mother-figure of all other Sakura carriers.
And the thought of his first encounter with Houshou still made him blush.
And then there was Taihou, gleefully kneeling right there on the floor, brush in her hand, holding it out to the commander. He took it in hand and found a place to sit behind her, and got to work. It may have been because he had mostly seen it done up in twin tails or otherwise arranged, but Taihou rarely cut her hair except to keep it out of her eyes. When it was unbound or undone, that black, silken waterfall always seemed to reach to her ankles, and caring for it was probably a job and a half.
Taihou closed her eyes as the commander helped her out. "Ahh... My commander... my commander is helping make me pretty for him~" Her breaths became slightly heavy as he worked on brushing her astonishingly long hair. Aside from that little outburst, things went quietly. He wasn't about to try to arrange her hair, though, as that was well beyond his training as a naval officer, and he couldn't pick up every skill outside of his main set.
It took some time, but he did as good of a job as he knew how. "All right, that should do it-" and he was interrupted when she suddenly turned around, and put her hands on his knees, and looked right into his eyes not a few inches from his face. She just looked at him, unblinking for a good while, before sitting back. "Ah... My Commander can't get home? Does that mean he'll be staying here with me for a while?"
The commander gave her a nod. "I don't see why I wouldn't," he said, knowing very well there were reasons not to. "I do think about you too, after all." He wouldn't say in what context, of course.
Taihou giggled and lay down on the commander's lap. "Ah... When my commander thinks about me, he knows that there's just no other girl that can compare, so he comes straight to me when he's in trouble. If you want to be in my room, I won't stop you from staying- I might not like it if you leave, though~" She looked up at the commander. "My commander. My home, my hands, my body, they're all yours."
He began to stroke the top of Taihou's head, and she leaned into his hand, making some ominously pleasant noises. He looked to the door to make sure she hadn't locked him inside with her, and was relieved to see that she hadn't done any locks he couldn't undo in a hurry. Her breaths were sharp and quick, her huge breasts heaving against her clothes. "...So, you hate weather like this?"
"Mnnnhhh... who wouldn't? It keeps me indoors, and makes it impossible for me to leave and look for my commander- and that blonde girl doesn't mind rain at all, so she pesters me." She looked to him. "But today, my commander came to me, so it's not so bad~"
He continued to stroke her. "So, are you comfortable there?" He moved to stroking over her back at this point, and she even arched her back under this attention. She just leaned against him, basking in the close presence of her commander for a good while, and he could feel the ferocious pounding of her heart.
"Mmmm~ How could I not be, when it's commander. If I ever lost my commander, I wouldn't know what I'd do... My commander is my everything who came to me when I had nothing." She giggled. "Now, commander, what are you afraid of?"
He had a response that was more ready than he would've thought. "Well, I would've thought you had found out everything about me by now."
She nuzzled into his lap. "I want to know so I can look after commander and squash anything he fears. Does commander fear death, or something?"
He considered. There was a time where the answer to that would have been yes, but now... Especially with what Yuubari was working on... "Death is a big fear of mine, like it is for most people, but it's not the greatest fear."
Taihou leaned up and nuzzled into his neck, pressing herself against him. "So, what terrifies commander the most?"
He shook his head. "Nothing that you can squash, I'm afraid."
"Mhmmm... Well, you can tease all you like, commander, but you know I'll find out." She giggled. "I can't be perfect for commander if I don't learn everything about him, can I?"
While he wasn't yet ready to tell Taihou his greatest fear, the fact of the matter is that she was, in her own way, oddly trustworthy- she would do absolutely anything he asked to a sometimes disturbing degree, so maybe he could trust her with other things. "How about this- I'll tell you something else about me- something not many people know."
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.
It was only when it was over that the commander realized exactly how transfixed he was. She slowly eased herself down on her knees and set her fans aside. "Did that please you, my dear commander?"
He had to snap out of it, and from the feel of things, he had almost forgotten to blink. And he could be perfectly honest. "I... Couldn't take my eyes off of you. Thank you for showing this to me."
She giggled. "Commander, I will show you absolutely anything you want, you only have to ask."
And then she crawled back into his lap for his attention, which he gave her. He decided to reward her for her hard work by giving her one of those massages he learned from Illustrious. She just closed her eyes and leaned back against him, remaining mostly silent as he tended to her. There were times during this when she seemed oddly calm, just wanting to be held in some way by the commander. It was in these peaceful moments that the commander believed he had a glimpse of what Taihou might be like if she were well- she had a stupendous amount of love to give, but struggled to do so in a healthy way.
The evening passed oddly comfortably, with Taihou only ever really leaving the commander's side in order to make dinner for the two of them. Besides that, if she had the commander for any amount of time, she was going to make the most of it, and the commander was willing to indulge her up to a point- She seemed generally happy to be held and stroked as she curled up against him.
The night came, and the storm stayed- it was unfortunate, because it meant he would have to stay here longer, and he didn't have many preconceptions of what she might do with him if she had him alone at night. She, however, had a full grasp of the situation. "Mmmm~ Looks like my commander is stuck with me tonight, after all. Will he be sleeping over?"
There really wasn't much of a choice, even though he had some idea of where, at least she might want him to sleep. "I think so- I'm sure I can find a good spot."
She cooed. "My commander... You know there's only one place you can sleep when you stay at my home~"
It was worth a shot. She put out most of the lights and slid under the covers of her futon, patting the spot beside her. "Don't leave your spot waiting for you, commander."
The commander learned the best way to handle Taihou was to sail with the wind- and it's not like he hated her or anything, there was just something off about the way she behaved in many ways. But still, doing this seemed to keep her calm, by some measure of the word. So, his uniform left him (but not everything else) and he slid in to join her in the bed.
Once they were under the covers together, Taihou just looked at him for a long, silent moment, before poking his nose. "Mmm~ It's strange... I had always thought that once I had my commander alone with me, at night, in my room, I'd plead with him to pull off my clothes and have his way with me over and over again until I couldn't remember my own name, but I don't think that you would have fun if you didn't want to do such a thing."
She was always saying things like this to the point where it had just stopped shocking him. "...You're right about that."
Taihou smiled at him. "I had wanted to offer you the same thing when we were alone after the cooking contest, but I couldn't get it out then... But I also came to know that no one in this world loves me more than commander does."
He nodded to her. "So, that's why you offer me so much."
She giggled. "Mmmm... My commander gave me everything. Why shouldn't I offer you everything of mine?" She half-closed her eyes. "Mmmm... I hope you're there when I wake up- coming here to see me, and staying here so long... I don't want this to have been a dream."
She scooted over to squeeze against him, making sure he could feel her warmth and her viciously-pounding heart. He slowly rubbed her back until he could feel her body begin to relax, and under his attention, she gradually fell asleep.
The commander thought about things as she began to cling to him in her sleep. While not, perhaps, in the way that Taihou intended, the commander had a great interest in her for a very strong reason. If things had gone just a bit differently, he may well have ended up like her, hopelessly obsessing over the first person to show him kindness after a long drought of isolation to a near-impossible degree. There was no miracle cure to this love-sickness of hers, but perhaps with time and understanding, she would be well.
Her grip on him loosened a bit once she was satisfied that he was still there.
--------------------
The next morning was sunny, which would probably do wonders for Taihou's mood, but he couldn't exactly leave the bed while she was still clinging to her. So, he decided to gently wake her, stroking the back of her head until she slowly opened her eyes. "Anh... So commander is here... It wasn't a dream after all..."
"Good morning, Taihou. How are you feeling?"
She giggled. "Ahhh... My commander waited for me..."
"I'll take that to mean that you're all right."
She nodded to him. "Of course."
He continued to stroke her. "Well, I need to go back home now- I kinda have to do my job if I'm going to stay on this base with you, after all."
Taihou half-closed her eyes, and then looked back to him. "Mmmm~ Go if you must- I'm not worried, though- my commander is never far away, and I can always catch up to him, even when he thinks I can't."
The commander somehow managed to take his leave- all of his clothes were still there.
Once he was back out and about, he decided to head straight back to headquarters to catch up on whatever he missed, and along the way he became aware that he was being accompanied by Albacore. Which was why he wasn't startled when she spoke up. "Sooo.... How did it go?"
"Hm?"
She giggled. "With Taihou! Did she only let you go if she could keep your underwear or something?"
The commander shook his head. "Taihou doesn't need any keepsakes- she needs no reminders about what her goals are. Anyway, Taihou is doing... I won't really say she's well, but spending time with me seemed to cheer her up."
Albacore put her arms behind her head. "That's good! There are reasons to worry about her."
That was true. "I had to stay the night, but she didn't stop me from leaving. So, like I suspected, Taihou may be obsessed, but she wouldn't actually hurt me."
The submarine giggled. "Soooo... See anything juicy while you were there?"
The commander needed a moment to think of it. "...I think I had a glimpse of what Taihou might look like if she was well."
Albacore's eyes widened. "What! Tell me! What would she be like?"
The commander thought about it for a moment, to put it in a way that Albacore would appreciate. "...She would be the kind of person who would let you sit in her lap when you play video games together."
She had a big smile. "Ooooh... Comfy headrest!"
The commander remembered his question from earlier. "So, I've been meaning to ask you- you're full of pranks and tricks, and considering what happened in the old days, why don't you pull any on Taihou?"
She blinked. "First, that's actually dangerous, and even besides that, I like making friends- I'm not gonna prank anyone who can't take it."
"Is that so? Like Niizuki?"
"Erk..." She put her hands up. "I said I was sorry about that! In fact, you made sure I was extra sorry about that! For a pretty long time! I was aiming for someone like Kawakaze!" She relaxed. "Besides, when Taihou shut herself up in her room that one time when I thought I was just joking around, I was scared of what she might do."
He shrugged. "Taihou is certainly a handful, but she's committed to the mission as much as anyone else. Anyway, I'm going back to do things you'd certainly find extremely boring, and besides, it's not like you have an empty day yourself."
"Toodles!" And then she was gone.
The commander made it back to his office without further incident, and then unfolded the note that Yuubari had given him concerning his request.
"Though it was tricky, and a little dangerous, we think we were able to create what you requested.
Now that they exist, I understand what you said when you asked for these.
'The commander must provide for the future.'
Even aside from what you may plan to use them for, these 'promise cubes' are proof of our humanity.
We hope you consider us for further requests, commander. -Yuubari"
The commander folded up the note and put it away. He had always relied on these living ships to soothe his worries about the present, the past, and the future, and Yuubari had just provided him with a powerful weapon against his greatest fears.