For a fleeting moment, it seemed that no end would come to our peace. Spending a week with Suruga, completely unbothered, was a dream like no other. A lifetime ago, or so it seemed…

The reality is that it had only been a few months, but two weeks ago, Sirens began a campaign, taking advantage while our own conflicts weakened us. Every nation was fighting with everything they had, just to hold off the Siren threat. In fact, this was the third time we'd just beaten back an assault on the JNOF.

They now considered the ships that had been allocated to us permanently allocated, but there was a motive behind that. Sovetskaya was here herself to explain the intel that her kansen had been gathering over the years, and how it was time to take action.

"Kohiko, Suruga. You've… provided valuable assistance, taking care of the aggressors. Yet now it is time to end this war once and for all. We've discovered the location of their principal base, and the source of their connection to wherever they come from. Once we sever that link, we believe they'll die, once and for all," She provided us with binders of data, and I looked up at her.

"Wait… how did you discover this?"

"We captured a low level one, brought her back in for interrogation. She was so cocky until we activated a cloaking device in the room she was being held in. Then she started panicking, screaming she 'couldn't feel it, she couldn't feel her touch.'"

"Damn…"

"What… what happened to her?" Suruga asked, as though she didn't want to think of the answer.

"She proved a very useful experiment, and now we must call on you to face down the forces of the Siren fleet and cut us a path to Svalbard. From there, we will infiltrate and destroy their connection while you distract them," Sovetskaya stated.

"This is… suicide…" I said, looking up at her.

"Come now, Kohiko, have you so little faith?"

Suruga sighed, "This is… if we're going to survive, we'll need reinforcements."

Sovetskaya stood up, "Gather what you need, and make it quick. We don't have long until their next push."

She left, and I slumped back in my chair. Suruga stood up and took a seat on my lap, wrapping her arms around me and resting her head on my neck, "This one is… I don't know, Kohiko, if it means peace, then…"

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," I said, but she just held up her hand, looking at her ring.

"I still can't believe it. Marriage, we finally made the leap. A few years ago I would have scoffed if someone said to me I'd be married, and to a human. Yet, here I am, and happier than I've ever been. We will do this, Kohiko, and we will succeed," she said, her conviction absolute.

I turned my head to look at her, "If you say so, Suruga, then I believe it as well. As for marriage… well, I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest man on the planet."

We smiled at one another, sharing a brief, tender kiss before we got to work.

I sent messages to everyone, but the answer was the same each time. No one could spare any kansen. So I came up with a different tactic. When the Sirens noticed we were heading to their principal base, they would likely pull back and allocate everything to its defense, which is why we would be flanked.

Once the operation was known to each country, they accepted the terms. They would give chase and destroy the fleets as they attempted to return to Svalbard. The Royal Navy and Iris Combined Fleet, or ICF, would immediately join in the assault after they destroyed the fleets attempting to flank us.

The Northern Parliament, of course, would spearhead into the base before our forces would retreat to stop the Sirens from surrounding us.

The Eagle Union and Sakura Empire were much farther away, though they needed to keep up the pressure in the event of an extended engagement.

Ultimately, we would be on our own for a long while, and the entire fleet would need to defend against relentless assaults as the Northern Parliament shipgirls did their work.

This would not be easy.

It was freezing. Even Suruga was drawing her coat around herself tightly as we stayed in a port city. The frozen North was living up to its name, and the entire fleet was here, with full rigging. They needed the flexibility and freedom of being able to transition between kansen and ship operation.

It added travel time, and the bay was absolutely packed, but the defenses of the Northern Parliament were second to none, coastal batteries kept the Sirens at bay, as well as a massive air force.

So I guess we could relax for one night. Tomorrow we would set sail for Svalbard, and there we would make our last stand.

Suruga pressed close to me as we looked out over the assembled ships, the view afforded by her citadel impressive. We had spent the journey together, and her stateroom was very comfortable indeed!

"It's freezing, can we go inside? We still need to eat," Suruga said, shivering. I looked down one last time, our faithful destroyers keeping watch over Suruga and I.

"Sure, sure, I suppose you get used to it," I said, wondering how the Northern Parliament girls managed. Hell, how did anyone manage this?

We hurried inside and prepared dinner together, Suruga's tail nearly tripping me a couple times. She was always apologetic, "Ahh, damn it… I'm so sorry, I still can't seem to get this thing under control…" She huffed, grabbing it and squeezing.

"You'll get used to it. I thought you said recently you were able to get your horns back whenever you want?" I took her hand as we sat down to eat, squeezing it in a comforting gesture.

She sighed, "It comes and goes… it's getting better, but… I just don't see a reason to hide it around you anymore. I don't have any trouble when I'm with the others, or when I have to do something publicly, but… I can't seem to control it around you."

I smiled, "Suru, that's so sweet~."

She laughed softly and shook her head, "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Let's say I am, and I'm not, I actually love every last little part of you… is it working?"

She reddened a little, "Y-yeah…"

"Then let's eat! You can put that disobedient tail to use later," I teased. She giggled, and after we finished, we wasted no time in making use of her stateroom. The spacious bed, her bare body pressed to mine, our insistent, ardent passion reflected in our kisses, hands gripping anything soft…

"So, what do you want with my tail, hmm?" Suruga asked, shooting me a coy look. I rolled over onto my back, my erection twitching, and she blushed. "Ah… well… let me see if I even can…"

Her floof poked at my member, then curled around it, gliding up and down the shaft. It honestly felt amazing, but it was new, and that was even more exciting!

"Tanuki tail is the best!" I gasped as she leaned down, her face blocking my view of her tail pleasuring me.

"Kohiko… this is so lewd…" she blushed, resting her head on my chest, watching me intently. I scratched behind her ear, a small smile appearing on her face along with a sigh of pleasure as I did so. "Why are you so crazy about me when I'm a tanuki?" She asked, her tail rhythmically stroking me.

"You showed me the one thing you never wanted to show the world… plus, your ears are just too cute!" I said, watching her blush deepen. "Honestly, though… this is you, Suru. This is who you are, at your core, and I love you for it, so much!"

"Oh, is that all?" She asked jokingly.

"Well, your true scent comes out in this form, and I love that so…"

She edged up and stuck her face into my armpit, inhaling, "Never think you're the only one who loves their partner's scent~."

Suruga's soft tail was bringing me close, "Suru, I'm gonna cum soon… this feels amazing but… I don't want to make a mess of your tail…"

"It's ok, Kohiko, I know you want to. Go ahead, cum~," she encouraged me, kissing my neck as I wrapped my arms around her.

She was stroking it pretty fast, my load moan as an intense orgasm tore through me making her tense up for a moment. Threads of cum shot from me, covering her tail, and making a mess in general.

She sat up, pulling her tail in front of her and looking at it. She sniffed it, licking a little of the cum off it, "You came really hard, didn't you? My lewd Kohiko~."

"The base of your tail…" I began.

"What about it?"

"You know your scent is the most concentrated there?"

She turned around, bending over on all fours, showing off, "Go ahead, sniff all you like~."

I did just that, squeezing her thigh as I stuck my nose right at the base of her tail, inhaling the concentrated musk of my lover. It tickled my nose, filling my sinuses with her very essence. I moved my hand up her thigh, teasing her slit, already slick with her juices. Soft labia parting, kissing my fingers as I pleasured her.

I still remembered the first time Suruga showed me her tanuki side, and how submissive she had been. It seemed like that was ages ago, but… ever since the Yamato incident, she's had so much difficulty controlling her appearance that her personalities blended together. Suruga the tanuki was no longer the sub, though she still loved it when I nibbled on her ear a bit.

Honestly, I think it's for the best. She can switch easily enough, but she is still scared of showing everyone her true form. I don't think she'll truly be ready for that, but having this side of her to myself wasn't such a bad thing, either!

"H-hey… you've been sniffing me for a while… ah… l-licking too…" she wiggled her butt as I licked the sweat at the base of her tail.

It was true, I never could get enough of her scent, "I guess I'll just have to move on to this place then." I pushed my tongue deep into her as I pressed my nose against her anus, inhaling her scent here as well. She moaned softly, her walls squeezing me as I pulled her cheeks apart with my hands.

Making her cum with my tongue was… well, it was one of my favorite joys. My reward was a messy face and a mouthful of her juices, and her begging for my cock. I gladly gave it to her, taking her from behind as her tail wrapped itself around my waist.

She turned her head to look back at me as I thrust into her at a slow, measured pace, "Haah… haa… are you enjoying your wife's pussy?"

I pushed her hips down against the bed, thrusting faster, her ass bouncing a little with each thrust. Lacing my fingers with hers, holding her arms down with mine…

She moaned as I whispered into her ear, "It's the best~, being inside you is always incredible. Are you enjoying your husband's dick?"

"It's so hot, and big… it's filling me up! Are you gonna fill me up even more? Pour your hot stuff into me?" Suruga said, getting out her words in a voice given to pleasure.

My cock pulsed, my loins ready to release again as I pushed myself deep into her. She squeezed me tightly, encouraging me to cum quickly.

"I'm gonna cum too, Kohiko, it's ok, just cum as much as you want!" Suruga said, and a moment later I felt her squeeze me, my moans as loud as hers as I filled her womb, cum pouring into her as I continued to make small, short thrusts.

"Haah… Suru…" I moaned, resting on my arms.

"Again… fill me up again…" she asked, turning her head to kiss me before presenting her ear. I nibbled on it gently as I got hard again inside of her. We took the rest of the night slowly, taking our time, making love and satisfying every desire we had.

"It feels bigger, somehow, like this…" she giggled as I pulled her up, her anus tight around the base of my shaft as her rectum squeezed me. She wrapped her legs around me, her ample breasts pushed up against my chest as we kissed. She moved her hips, but this position wasn't about pounding. It was about enjoying your partner.

I still came, filling her bowels as she clung to me, hot breath teasing my ear. When we finished, we had no choice but to change the sheets and bathe. I swear it took an entire bottle of shampoo to get her tail clean, but it was worth the time! Plus, she was cleaning me the entire time, her mouth managing to get one last load before I was well and truly spent.

After Suruga fell asleep, she shifted in the bed, turning away as she snored softly. I kissed her and repositioned myself, curling up under the covers with my face pressed against her ass, inhaling her scent even more until I shifted a bit, bringing my nose right next to the base of her tail.

I fell asleep, drowning in her scent. Paradise.

Things had gone so well. Wasn't much in the way of resistance, which wasn't surprising as most of the Siren fleet was deployed to attack the major powers. Yet now… now we were no longer attacking the island, but defending it!

Kohiko shouted orders through the shortwave on my bridge while I had to dedicate every ounce of my attention to firing solutions. It was strange, the need to be so focused. Normally, I could act almost instinctively with my rigging attached to me, but this was… so much different…

Each of my main batteries felt like a massive weight upon me, but the firepower they packed allowed me to lay waste to the enemies encroaching upon the Western edge of the island, closest to the Siren's base.

Kii took the southern approach, our guns providing cover for the numerous light cruiser/destroyer groups picking off the lighter targets. Heavy cruisers harassed the harder targets, while our carriers provided air cover safely from behind the line of battleships that were spaced out between myself and Kii.

"What do you mean, another twenty minutes? Just blow it up!" Kohiko's aggravation was obvious, this was taking far longer than the Northern Parliament kansen had promised.

"We are working as fast as we can," Avrora's voice came over the speaker. I unleashed another full broadside at Purifier. Her laughter as she danced and dodged, keeping her distance, was infuriating.

I felt my engines rumble to life, but Kohiko put a hand on my shoulder, "Don't. She's trying to bait you. Just hold her off. The Royal Navy and ICF will be here soon."

I gritted my teeth, and they fell silent. I tasked one turret to keeping Purifier at bay, the rest to fire support to weed out the endless waves of reinforcements as they appeared, as though out of thin air.

"Are you fighting your way through there?" Kohiko asked.

"Resistance is stiff, we will be there soon. If we could have blown it up, we wouldn't need your help," Avrora responded, and the connection went silent as he switched channels.

"Scouts, any sign of our backup?" He asked. All he received were negatives. He switched again, "All kansen, report status."

He relaxed a little after hearing that everyone was still in fighting shape, even after four hours of constant battle. In fact, a strange energy seemed to flow through me, as though I had an endless font of concentration and focus.

Kohiko looked out the window, and then his eyes widened in horror, "Look at the sky…" he said, backing away.

I looked out the window, my guns falling silent momentarily as I felt fear clutch at me. A vague purple tint turned foreign stars in an unknown galaxy into something sinister. My attention broke only for a moment, but Purifier was already racing towards me.

Ayanami, Laffey, Nimi, and Javelin met her head on, driving her back as they launched volleys of torpedos while peppering her with their main gun. Kohiko was re-tasking air support, and I locked a firing solution as the little ones distracted her.

"Ha! Got her!" I yelled in triumph, only to be dismayed when she blinked out of existence, only to reappear back at a minimum safe distance, taunting me again, completely repaired. "W-what the hell?"

"They keep bringing in reinforcements! This entire region is a gate… that's why they're flooding in! I wonder if they even needed to stop the attacks on the other nations at all…" Kohiko sighed. "It's up to the kansen of the North."

"They couldn't reach us, anyway… I have a feeling we are a very, very long way from home," I reminded him. He looked out the window and shivered, the unnatural sky beautiful yet terrifying.

"Brother-in-law, care to send some reinforcements my way? Tester Beta is being… difficult," Kii called in.

"Roger, Kii, re-tasking Akagi and Kaga to you. Iron Blood vanguard will support you as well," he said, and made the orders. She thanked him, and another battleship immediately hailed him.

"Commander, this is Washington… South Dakota and I can't hit Compiler at this distance and we're barely surviving her airstrikes!" The Eagle Union battleships needed help.

"Re-tasking Cleveland-class to you. Maintain your position as distract her while Azuma and Baltimore flank her," he ordered, and I heard an audible sigh of relief from Washington.

Directly in the middle of us sat Friedrich, bristling with weaponry and providing wide-ranging fire support that obliterated anyone who walked into her cone of fire. She had a few destroyers to lure in targets, but that was about it. Kohiko watched her for a moment, noticing how the Sirens avoided her like the plague.

"Hmm… Friedrich, you there?" Kohiko called out.

"Yes, Kommandant," she replied.

"Ahead slow, shift focus thirty degrees starboard, and engage."

"Aye, Kommandant." She followed his orders, and after her guns boomed, whoever wasn't eliminated had retreated, even moving into her previous cone of vision. My guns boomed as I caught some of those retreating into my trap. Two guns were now tasked to distracting Purifier, the little bitch was being so damn coy…

"Friedrich, grid pattern, maximum coverage. Don't overextend yourself," Kohiko ordered. She began performing her maneuvers, and suddenly the sea was awash with activity as Sirens actively focused on avoiding her fire instead of on the more immediate threat posed by nearby kansen.

For half an hour, we had some breathing room. Then, a figure descended… the unmistakable form of Observer. She manipulated each ship individually as she relaxed against her eldritch rigging.

Purifier retreated to meet up with her as I watched, moving outside of the bridge to clearly see the two in action, Kohiko next to me.

"What the hell…" I said, as Observer's weapons glowed. Purifier pulled in lesser Sirens to defend Observer while her weapon charged.

"Snipe her, Suru, don't let her fire!" Kohiko ordered, and I trained my guns on her, firing volleys in successively higher arcs as the four destroyers beat off smaller enemies trying to find a chink in my armor.

A destructive beam of energy short forth from Observer, making its way towards me. It boiled the surface of the water as it struck it, leaving clouds of vapor as nothing could be done to halt its inexorable advance.

I felt myself shake as I fired quick, staggered bursts, rushing to find an angle where I could hit her.

"Suruga!" Kohiko screamed, the terror in his eyes chilling me.

"I know!" I yelled back.

"You need to switch!" He said, trying to grab me.

I shook him off, "I almost have it!"

"It's gonna…!" A shell finally impacted, but it was too close. The beam hit the ship as Observer tumbled from the sky. I felt my aft turret tear from me, and I collapsed, screaming in agony, tears pouring down my face.

It felt as though someone tore one of my arms off and beat me with it, and I struggled to maintain control of the other turrets as Kohiko cradled me in his arms.

"All available kansen, defend Suruga!" Kohiko called as a swarm of Sirens headed our way. We met them with our own swarm, my guns firing wildly as I lost targeting control, my damage control subsystems fighting the fire that raged towards my magazine.

I lost all sense of time, only paying attention when I felt my body being handed over, "No, Kohiko… stay with Kohiko…" I cried, each word akin to swallowing acid.

"It's ok, it's Vestal, you'll be ok, it's under control…" She cooed, and she began working her magic, the pain in my body fading gradually. I held onto my horns, willing myself not to lose the strength to keep them.

She paused, and I knew I had lost the battle, my sobs winning over as my tail made itself known.

"Suruga… you're…" Vestal spoke, but went silent. So weak… I was so weak…

The cacophony of battle raged on, Kohiko's orders becoming more frantic as the tide turned against us.

"Avrora, damn it! They're killing us! Avrora, respond!" He screamed into the handset. I couldn't see him, but I felt his desperation as Vestal tended to me, unable to help anyone else.

Friedrich's guns bellowed their might as she positioned herself directly between me and the remaining Sirens.

"You will not lose this day, Kommandant!" She cried out, and lit up the sky with her raw firepower, screaming as wave after wave of Sirens fell before her.

But it was akin to plugging a hole in a dam with a finger. Yet, it was long enough. A massive tremor shook the island, the sea turning choppy as the sky shimmered, and with it, the surprised cries of the Royal Navy and ICF. They immediately put their firepower to good use, taking out Sirens as quickly as they could while they were still dazed from whatever had happened.

Our own forces fought with renewed vigor as I staggered to my feet, my fifth turret still unusable but the other four still capable of raining down hell!

"Fucking… die! You fucking cunts!" I screamed, throwing lead with all due haste, my anger and despair overcoming my pain as my true self showed itself to all who looked. Kohiko was at my side, staying silent as all battle plans disintegrated.

A desire for revenge took the fleet, and as I watched, I noticed that the Sirens were… they were bleeding. They were fighting for their lives, and none as hard as Purifier. I focused my fire on her, and on Observer. The two were heavily protected, but it was only a matter of time before they would fall.

One of my rounds finally connected with that bitch. Yet she still held that mocking grin even as she slipped beneath the waves, her body blown apart.

It was effectively over, and I collapsed again, spent. Kohiko held me up so I could watch as the battle ended, fondling my ears and making me feel some modicum of comfort… I didn't even care anymore, let the world see…

Suruga was a mess. She wasn't physically harmed, but… her screams of anguish… I don't think I'll ever be able to forget those. The fire never reached her magazine, thanks to Vestal's efforts to maintain the automated DC systems, and Vestal told me that she'd be able to fix the turret as well, given time.

I held her up so she could watch the battle. She had hit an airborne target from quite a distance… it was an impressive feat in a war filled with impressive feats.

"Look, Suru…" I spoke softly as our fleet retrieved observer, her injured form dragged back to us. Friedrich, Suruga, and Wales encircled the Siren, numerous smaller ships peeking in as the rest of the fleet switched to their Kansen forms to watch the spectacle.

"Haha… look at you all, so proud… you won… one world won, out of… how fucking many… damn it! I was supposed to rid of you all long ago, but then you had to mess up my plans… and now Purifier is dead too. So, what are you waiting for?" Observer stared directly at Suruga, paying no mind to any other.

She was gravely wounded, barely holding herself together… in a literal sense. Siren corpses littered the waters, and the way she held her hands over her midsection made it look like she was trying to keep whatever innards a Siren had from spilling out.

Black blood… everywhere…

"Why? Why all this? Just answer me that!" Suruga called out, "Why did you subjugate us to this horrible war?"

"You fought between yourselves more than you fought us, but… I suppose that was the point. This experiment was a failure. Too bad you closed the portal before I could escape. I won't be your test subject though… goodbye, and good luck," Observer let her hands go, and a thick black ichor spilled from her. She sunk beneath the waves a moment later, joining her comrades as an eerie stillness descended upon all present.

Silence. The kansen could hear the beating of their hearts as though the world knew a paradigm shift had occurred in that moment. No one dared to breathe, all eyes on Kohiko and Suruga, surprise at her appearance registering somewhere deep in their minds, but not becoming a fully formed thought.

Was this it? Could it really be over?

A plume of black smoke rose high into the sky over Svalbard, and some kansen thought they heard the sound of cheering. Cheering and curses and cries of victory, for whoever understood the language of the Northern Parliament.

A physical force seemed to knock everyone back into the present, and the sounds of loud music reverberated through the fleet as Avrora yelled out for everyone to join the party.

"We did it! We fucking kicked their asses! You get a bottle of vodka, and you get a bottle of vodka…" She was handing them out like they were candy, and it didn't take long for everyone to drink away the events of the afternoon, toasts being raised to Suruga, Kohiko, and everyone else present.

Though, when Kohiko spoke, he did so in a tearful voice, as though his emotions were too much to bear. He turned towards Friedrich; the battleship holding a massive stein constantly filled with beer… or schnapps, or possibly something stronger.

"Friedrich, I am… indebted to you. You saved not just my life, but Suruga's as well. If it wasn't for you placing yourself between us…" He choked back a sob, "and to all of you! All of my wonderful fleet, and the ones who pulled our asses out of the fire! You are all… thank you… we will make sure the world never forgets this day!" He threw his arms around Friedrich, and soon everyone was lining up for a hug, either from Suruga or him.

More drinks would be had, and the evening would become night, and night would becoming morning, the icy waters doing nothing to dampen the glee of a decisive victory.

What does the most powerful force in the world do when it is no longer needed? In the case of the JNOF… well…

It disbanded. Well, not entirely. Effectively, however…

We oversaw the tearful goodbyes as we finished our speeches, entreating them to make the world a better place, to help rebuild, to lead a broken world into a brighter future. A token force would remain, but we would not be leading it. Instead, it would become a peacekeeping force led by a joint effort between Kii and Wales, the Royal Navy and Sakura Empire earning the honor via their actions during the war.

Kohiko and I, well… we were wartime Commanders, but service came with benefits. Musashi assured us we would want for nothing, and her gift more than met that expectation. With it, however, was the unspoken agreement that we would never speak ill of Yamato, or tell the truth of what had really happened here.

What could we do, turn her down? Not likely. There are just some times where a secret is best kept that way, for the benefit of all. It was strange, however, to see the port so empty. While a little over a quarter of the fleet would remain, it still seemed a far cry from what it once was. It was our hope, however, that the shipgirls who spent so much of their lives here would return to their respective homelands and act as guides and role models to the other kansen.

I would miss them, and watching Kohiko do his best to keep his composure when he said goodbye to Ayanami, Nimi, Javelin, and finally Laffey… that was hard. Yet, one thing kept both of us ridiculously happy throughout it all. We would finally get to retire and live a normal life together!

It seems strange, but even after Vestal fixed my fifth turret, I just… I don't know. It's not like some cosmic force was taking our riggings from us, some of us chose to integrate into society, others chose military careers, and some would act as a peacekeeping force, a symbol of unity among the world's nations.

Outcomes like this weren't perfect, but nothing ever is. What mattered was that we had each other.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kohiko came and sat next to me on our bed, the last piece of furniture that hadn't been stripped bare, sheets and blankets packed and boxes stored on the plane we would be taking tomorrow. They would tow my ship into the coastal town well outside Tokyo, where our house awaited us.

Kohiko seemed quite happy and agreed immediately when I said I wanted to live in my homeland. It wasn't a brief conversation, but he convinced me he wanted to as well. We could speak fluently in Sakuran now, which was nice, and I knew he'd have no trouble.

"I'm fine, it's just… so much, so fast, and I still can't believe we actually get to live out our dream…" I said, wiping a tear from my eye. He kissed my cheek where it fell, and I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Well, the last four months have been hectic with all the paperwork and departures, but… I think it's time we care about ourselves," he said.

I nodded, "You're right! Oh, Kohiko, I can't wait for you to see our home. You'll love it, I promise. The town is beautiful, and the beaches are…" I trailed off. He was buzzing with excitement. I mean, so was I but…

"Suru, seeing you like this… it's amazing. I want to live a life where we don't have to worry about losing each other, about being targets for an enemy we never really understood… I know you were asked to stay on in your capacity, but that you turned it over to Kii. Thank you," he hugged me tightly, and I wrapped my arms around him.

It felt amazing, truly. While it was a shock, going from a military life to a civilian one, and one where we could live comfortably without ever having to work again… it was like a dream, and some part of me worried I'd wake up.

The door was thrown open, Cleveland rushing in, "Hey, Commander! It's happening, come on!" She rushed off, but there was no doubt what she meant. The one thing we've never seen. The miracle.

Kohiko and I rushed down to the square, and Vestal was holding the Wisdom cube as it grew brighter, until it was almost painful to look at.

"Commanders, look! She's finally coming home…" Vestal was crying tears of joy, not taking her eyes off of the cube as it formed thin, shiny threads that wrapped and weaved about themselves, forming the shape of a kansen. It was unmistakable, Enterprise was being shaped and born into this world.

It seemed an eternity, but in less than a minute Enterprise stood before us, looking at us with hope, confusion, and uncertainty.

"Enterprise…" Vestal said, smiling up at the carrier.

"How… do you know my name?" She asked.

"I'm Vestal, and I love you," the repair ship hugged her tightly, and Enterprise returned it with some uncertainty, but she relaxed in Vestal's arms.

"Where am I?" She asked, but Vestal shook her head.

"Let's get you something to eat, and then I'll tell you everything, ok?"

Enterprise nodded, and they left.

"Kohiko… promise me… promise me we'll have a family," I said, and his smile told me everything before he opened his mouth.

"Of course, Suru. We will, no matter what. I love you, now, and forever. No matter what," his sincerity was touching, and I threw my arms around him, grateful that Vestal had also fixed the issue with my ability to control my horns. Or maybe it was Bremerton… I forgot. Those Eagle Union girls were super nice.

I still preferred to be a tanuki around Kohiko, of course, but I think I rather like to show off my horns a little when we're out… hehe~.

"I love you too, now and forever, Kohiko!"