APRIL 5th.
HE embraced Shigure and held her close.
"Admiral..."
"Do you know that I love you, Shigure?"
"..."
"Really, I do. I've loved you since I first met you. You're very special to me. Just your being here puts me at peace. Out on the battlefield, you're amazing, Shigure. Just amazing. ... well, what else can I say?"
She sighed. "I don't know... ... I love you too, Admiral."
"... I lost you once, you know?"
"... you told me, before."
"I'll never let anything like that happen again. How stupid I was."
"... don't worry about it, Admiral... you don't have to apologize. You did that a lot, before."
He smiled softly and broke the embrace. "I've always liked the rain, you know? So, naturally, you're one of my favorites."
She smiled back. "I thought you didn't play favorites, Admiral."
"Yep..."
HE embraced Minegumo and held her close.
"Admiral, what are you...?"
"Do you know that I love you, Minegumo?"
"Admiral? ... I know you take good care of me. And of everyone else! Really... I'm grateful. Everyone is."
"You mean a lot to me, Minegumo."
"Why me, Admiral? I'm not very special."
"You were the first special ship that I brought home. The others, I built, and could build again if I needed to. But you're special. One of a kind. That's not to say the others aren't, or that they aren't important; that's far from the truth. But you, for one... bring back memories of a more innocent version of myself. A younger one. A weaker one, admittedly... though I felt that, with you in the fleet, anything was possible. You and Murasame work perfectly together. And you two are very strong. That makes me happy."
"We just do our best, Admiral. That's what we're made for. I know I'm happy to do it." Minegumo smiled warmly and returned the Admiral's embrace. "Thank you, Admiral."
HE took Jintsū's hands and held them together in his own.
"A-Admiral..."
"You were my first light cruiser, and look at you now. You reminded me of myself, you know. Shy, maybe not that confident… but look what you've become. The strongest, most determined light cruiser in my fleet."
"Th-thank you, Admiral... that's..." She blushed.
"I'm grateful to have been your Admiral all this time. You've been amazing. You've always performed your best, and your best is… damn, what else do I say?"
"..."
He shook her hands and let them go. "Thank you, Jintsū."
HE knelt down and embraced Janus.
"Heehee! What's this for, Admiral?"
"Do you know that I love you, Janus?"
"Love me?"
"Yep..." He squeezed her a little, humming real soft-like.
"What's… gotten into you, Admiral?"
"The usual. ... Janus, I told you about that one operation, right? In late spring, of last year?"
"Nope! That would have been before you rescued me, Admiral."
"Right. Well, the operation was in Pearl Harbor... before that, there were the battles in Japan, and then in the Aleutians. Reinforcing Okinawa... that was painful. The enemy's air power was overwhelming. It really took a toll on me. The operation in the Aleutians was difficult, still, but certainly smoother. (The fleet brought Garibaldi home once they defeated the Heavy Cruiser Princess; you'll remember that we brought her sister, Abruzzi, home after the victory in Toulon, just before we went to Anzio to get you.)"
"Yep!"
"But Pearl Harbor... I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. It wasn't the fleet's fault; it was mine. And soon, I was out of oil, bauxite, repair buckets... I couldn't save her. Colorado..." He stopped, hung his head, and clenched his teeth. "... why, dammit, why... why was I so weak?"
"Admiral, I don't think you're weak."
"... I certainly was, then." He pulled Janus closer to him. "I failed. ... but in Anzio, I didn't. I didn't fail. Your being here is a testament to that. Bringing you home warmed my heart. You warm my heart. You're warming me up right now. I love you, Janus, I really do."
"I love you too, Admiral!"
He let her go and smiled softly. "Keep being you, Janus."
She chuckled in return. "Whatever you say, Admiral!"
HE embraced Zuihō and held her close.
"Admiral? What's wrong?"
"Nothing at all. Do you know that I love you, Zuihō?"
"Love me?"
"Yep. You're amazing, you know? You don't disappoint. Yep, as you say, you may be a light carrier, but you do your best and fight like any carrier should. Who wouldn't love you, Zuihō?"
"... I don't know how to answer that, Admiral..."
He chuckled a little. "Well... yeah. I love you." Soon he let his arms fall back to his side.
She hugged him now. "I want to thank you, Admiral, for having so much faith in me, taking good care of me, for everything you do... especially for eating my cooking."
"Heh, of course."
HE took Fubuki's hand and shook it. "Here's to my hardest working ship, whom I love very much."
"Commander..." Fubuki smiled warmly. "What's this about?"
"I just wanted to say thank you, and remind you that I love you. Don't you know how amazing you are, Fubuki? You're an inspiration to everyone here."
"R-really?" She blushed softly. "I mean, I can't be that special..."
"You're the first special type destroyer. It suits you. It's fitting. Murasame, Yūdachi, Yukikaze, Asashio, everyone, really, they all look up to you. It's when you're doing your best, Fubuki, which you can do very well, that they do their best as well. The base wouldn't be the same without you. Nobody would be themselves if it weren't for you." He clasped both of his hands over hers.
"C-Commander… you're being too kind… a bit... flattering, I think…"
"You think so?" He pouted a little. "That's not what I was going for, but... still, I mean what I say."
"..." She hugged him. "Thank you for everything, Admiral. I love you too!"
"That makes me happy. ... If you're happy, then I'm happy."
"I'm very happy, Admiral."
HE grabbed Yamato's hand — at that moment he made sure he could feel the ring around her finger — and kissed it. "... where do I begin?"
"You're looking very content today, Admiral. And well-rested as well, for once."
"Suppose so. I'm just happy to see you again, you know?"
She smiled warmly.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You've made me a very lucky man. I love everything about you. Your warm smile, your chocolate hair, your warm cheeks, your determination, your intelligence... your ability to put up with someone like me." He smiled softly. "You're an inspiration to everyone. You're ridiculously strong, and yet so humble, kind to others, caring... just perfect."
"Why did you give me that chance that day, Admiral?" Yamato asked.
"... I couldn't just have you do nothing. I knew what it would mean, to make you an integral part of the fleet. I knew it would take a lot of resources. But that's what you were made for, Yamato. You were born to fight, not to sit idly by and watch this war unfold without firing your guns for our side. And when I saw firsthand what you could do, I knew that I'd made the right choice, and it was time to make you the backbone of the fleet."
She nodded. "But besides me, there were so many other girls here that you could have married; why not someone like Haruna, Admiral? Why me?"
"... you remind me of myself, that's why. I found you to be a bit timid, but very kind; and, of course, strong and determined. That's what I hope to be; strong and determined, but most of all, good to others. ..." He leaned up and kissed her softly; she squeezed his hand and kissed him back. Once he pulled away, he adjusted his glasses and tie, and blinked. "... a better version of myself... good to others... yeah. You're perfect, and I love you."
"I love you, too."
He clasped both of his hands over hers, shook them, and turned away, waving back as she waved towards him; and he walked towards the door of his office.
HE walked out the door and headed downstairs, past his two dogs, sleeping on their respective beds. Down in the living room he found that the solitary lamp in the corner of the room was illuminated. This sight brought a smile to his face.
There are two holes in my heart; one is shaped like God and one is shaped like my family. It's time to fill them.
He opened the Bible that sat on the reclining chair and read aloud the first line he saw: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
Opaline through her hair
Born on an April tide
Glowing in the wonder of our first child
There my promise is
A spur
A rein
The world upon my back
The pressure upon this earth
Drought's heir
Sown my money
Sold my shirt
Sown my money
Migrate
Job on the threshing line
Mute I walk
Idle ground
Westward bound