This will be an interpretive take on Azur Lane and does not apply to the lore whatsoever. I will be taking inspiration from real events to shape this story. This is supposed to be educational as well as a compelling new story told by cute ship girls. This is a work of fiction all relations to people alive or dead are purely coincidental.
I met her on a hot summer day.
I was young, probably about twelve but she was even younger. At least by human standards. By ship standards she was reaching maturity.
She had black hair that just reached her waist and golden eyes that begged me to stare for longer each time I glanced at her.
My father had taken me with him while he worked at the shipyard. I could have sworn we were visiting new ship yards everyday at this point, but my father would not let me complain as his heir. My father would repeat some kind of superstition with a silver axe everytime, but this specific time he would not be using an axe.
The hull of a ship laid before us prepares to enter the water as my father takes out a ceremonial katana to cut the ribbon. My father called it "christening a ship" but I was too young at the time to understand what it meant and too scared to ask my father for fear he would strike me for asking a question in the middle of a ceremony.
My father muttered something under his breath before cutting the ribbon and exciting jubilation from the crowd that had gathered. After we watch the ship fall into the water, my father turns to a stunning young girl. Even at twelve I knew she was captivating. Even the birthmark under her right eye was somehow beautiful as she waited for my father to hand her the Katana.
"You are bound by this Katana to the Sakura Empire. This Katana is proof of your loyalty to the Empire. I trust that you will gain your honor and bring glory to the Sakura Empire. With this, I put my faith in you that you may be fit to hold the name Atago"
The girl bows and respectfully takes the sword from my father, speaking with the voice of an angel, "On my honor I will bring victory to the Sakura Empire."
My Father nods and puts no more attention on her. However my eyes remained locked on her, something she takes notice of and smiles brilliantly with a small wave. Her expression immediately changed back to reverence when my father looked back at me.
"Come, Hiroto." I look back at my father and nod silently.
As I pass by the girl she gives me a few pats on the head with her smile returning. Being so close to her, I could smell the Sakura cherries that her perfume must have been made from. I was infatuated with both her and the smell. She looked as though she could have been just older than I was but she was far more stunning than anyone I had seen at that age. She stops patting my head and finally speaks to me.
"It's nice to meet you, Hiroto." She bows deeply before I am whisked away by my father.
I would never see her again. My father would die the next day by an assassin leaving only myself behind. The Emperor was kind enough to take me in and give me an advanced education. My mind removed her from my memory and replaced my father's death over it. I wouldn't know Until 10 years later that I had been speaking to the flagship of the Takeo class of heavy cruisers, Atago.
"Come in Tsuyoshi." The Emperor called my name from outside his office in the imperial palace. I opened the grand doors that led into his work room where the Emperor sat behind his luxurious desk. A picture of his family in black and white sat next to a lamp which he used during his late night studies.
"I've received information that you've passed your officer classes with a perfect rank. I'm proud of you Tsuyoshi." He continues.
"Thank you sir, I could not have done it without your guidance." I bow deeply.
"Give yourself some credit. But I did not call you here to congratulate you. Have you heard of the plans for december?" He asks seriously. I shake my head no. "War is upon us young Tsuyoshi. By the end of the year we will be at war with the Eagle Union"
"A wise decision, Emperor." I respond in respect but deep down I knew something didn't feel right about this.
"Like hell it is. The military is forcing my hand because we cannot get enough oil into our fleet and army quick enough to sustain our campaign in the Dragon Empery. Our only option is to take in the Philippines but those are being controlled by the Eagle Union." I deduct on my own what that means for the empire.
"So, what is your plan?" I ask, respectively.
"Strike them where it hurts. Strike so there is no chance for them to strike back! I will be sending out a task force composed of our greatest carriers to Pearl Harbor where we will strike the American Pacific fleet to the point where they will no longer be able to stand."
"A bold strategy, but if successful, tide changing." I respond truthfully. This age-old Sakura tactic had not failed us yet. But the world was moving on, and I seemed to be the only Sakura who noticed.
"Indeed." He responds, leaving me confused. "What do you require of me, my Emperor?" He thinks for a second. "I need you to take your role as commander of the Sakura force Sentai-4 and prepare for the invasion of the Philippines immediately."
I pause for a second. Out of everything I thought he would tell me, this was the last thing on my mind. "But sir-" "No buts. Those are your orders. Your flagship is currently anchored in Mako Guard. I trust you will bring honor to the Sakura and your father." Agh. There's my father again.
"I will not fail you, Emperor." He gives a short nod of approval. I bow deeply and begin to walk away. The emperor stops me just before I close the door.
"Is this the first time you've commanded non-mass produced ships, Hiroto?" He asks seriously and without looking up from his paperwork.
"Yes sir." The emperor chuckles for the first time I had heard in years. "Good luck."
I silently leave pondering his change in expression.
"Ah, you're finally here, commander." An officer salutes to me as I walk off of my plane and onto the runway. "Good afternoon, lieutenant. How is the base?"
It was hot and sunny out today. It had almost been a week since my conversation with the Emperor and I was starting to get butterflies over meeting my first Kansen. From the rumors I heard at the academy, they were the most beautiful women in the world with ample strength and firepower to defend those claims if argued. However, the men at the academy did not seem to care too much about these otherworldly beings and neither did the teachers. The national pride getting in the way of feelings towards their weapons even if they were attractive. I, like many others, was mostly on the same page as them. I was raised by the Emperor himself, I was probably the most patriotic out of all of them. But while they had something to prove, I did not. I could relax while others worked tirelessly, both because of my ties to the Emperor and my incredible genius in Naval tactics. The heat was particularly unbearable on the tarmac which I desperately tried to escape off of.
"It is looking good. More ships are being made each day. So many that we've almost run out of oil to supply them with." I was told to keep the plans of December quiet by the Emperor. I could not let him know there was more on the way soon.
"That's alright. With our empire expanding, you will probably get a shipment within the week." He chuckles. "I sure hope so sir."
We walk in silence towards the naval docks from the air strip as a nice breeze cools off my sweating brow. I sigh in relief. Men working all through the heat are scattered throughout the port, doing menial jobs such as fueling, refining, and welding. It was a loud mess of machinery that plagued the ears of many a naval officer. Most of these ships had been mass produced, I only noted a few that had been manifested by Kansen. I look up and down each one to get a glimpse of these stunning ships in their human form but cannot pinpoint one on their massive decks.
"So where is she?" I ask, not even knowing the name or class of my own flagship. The Lieutenant points down towards the very end of the port where a sleek and long hull of a Takao class heavy cruiser sits, rolling with the tides. A twinge of familiarity sparks in the back of my mind but I cannot place where I had seen that hull before.
"Do you know which one she is?" I ask the lieutenant. "That is the Atago, sir. Just refitted after experiencing some issues with her stability." He responds with a hint of passion. "Wonderful work, I assume these are no longer issues?" "Indeed, she is perfectly sea capable. She even still has that new ship smell." He chuckles.
"Perfect. Well thank you Lieutenant but I can take it from here." We both bow and then salute to each other. "Good luck sir." He says before walking away. I turn my attention towards the large heavy cruiser. I admire the expert craftsmanship on her hull, not even a single weld or rivet out of place. Her guns all facing their starting positions and her high mast standing magnificently against the blue water that extends out of port. Her funnels lay dormant and silent along with all other machinery on board as I begin to take my first steps onto the cruiser.
As soon as I step onto her decks, I hear the call of a sweet and angelic voice.
"Up here commander~"
I am taken aback by the sound of it and immediately take a few steps back in response. I look up at the second turret from which the sound came from. My view being blocked by the gun house. I walk around the turret searching for a ladder until I find one on the starboard side. I slowly climb the ladder, almost half expecting for no one to be up there when I arrive. When I reach the top, I cannot believe the sight in front of me.
A beautiful young woman sits in a beach chair sipping on a yellow drink. She was in a white bikini with a transparent skirt that hardly covers anything which was a beautiful contrast to her pure black hair and black birthmark under her right eye. Her bust was obviously something she took pride in but her skin was absolutely perfect all the way around her figure. Something I didn't notice immediately were her black fox-like ears that swiveled when she heard me come onto the turret. I cannot stop myself from blushing at the sight of such a magnificent appearance. And apparently neither could my hormones.
She takes one final sip before acknowledging my presence. "Hello commander, like what you see?" She winks.
My response is to turn my head away so that I didn't embarrass myself any further. "Yes, she's a fine ship. I've never seen a more magnificent cruiser."
"Oh my, commander. Flirting with me already~? When you compliment the cruiser, you're also complimenting me." She says with a giggle at the end.
I stutter to form words except, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't kno-" She gets up and puts a finger to my mouth. "Shhh. It's alright commander, I knew you didn't know. You don't seem like a person who would go up to someone and immediately start flirting." She giggles again.
"Though if you were~" She playfully licks her lips which causes more than just the blood in my head to rise. "I'm just teasing, commander. My name is Atago, it's nice to meet you." She holds out her hand which I shyly take, trying to get a grasp on her personality. "Just Atago?" I ask.
"Yeah, named after the Mountain. What's yours?" I debate on whether to tell her as a senior officer, but I figured it could do no harm. "Hiroto Tsuyoshi." She smiles, "Hiroto, huh?" I turned bright red when hearing my first name from the beautiful Kansen and made sure to set the record straight.
"It's commander or Tsuyoshi if you have to use my name." I command a bit more seriously. "Alright~ So commander, what are you here for? Inspections? I swear I've checked out on all of them, I can fight!" She says as if she were tired of being in the same place for her entire life.
"No, no more inspections Atago. I'm here as your commanding officer for your next assignment." You could say I was relieved to change the subject.
"Alright! My hull hurts from sitting here all day every day. It's been years since I've gone and stretched my legs." As if to prove a point she starts stretching which gives me ample view of her bust as she bends down to touch her toes. She pops back up as if nothing happened requiring my eyes to shift elsewhere.
"Well commander, I am in your care. I shall go get changed, just call if you need me." She says as she jumps off the second turret and lands on the deck without a scratch.
I stare in amazement as she does so, still trying to wrap my head around everything.
"We won't be leaving for quite a while, so you don't need to rush!" I shout down at her. "All right, thank you commander!" She calls back up at me, strutting away to change.
I take in a deep breath yo try and control myself. If this is what life was like around Kansen. This was not so bad…
"Commander, you look dreadful. Would you like something to help cheer you up?" The beautiful fox walks up to me as I walk around port in her naval Uniform. It had been a month since I met her and the seasons had already changed. Now, fall was in full swing which means the day they would sortie was coming closer.
"I do? Sorry, they've been forcing a lot of paperwork on me recently." I respond truthfully.
"So that's why I haven't seen you around a lot. Do you need some help? I can at least sort through things for you." She asks, worried. "No but thank you. Maybe if they start giving me too much then I will need your help but I need to know how far I can push myself before a battle so that I know when to quit."
She walks up next to me and grabs onto my hand. It was only then when I had realized her height and mine were almost identical. Her ears give her an unfair advantage. "You need to relax sometime, I will always be here if you need someone to relieve your stress." She says seriously.
"Maybe I do need a little break. Do you know any good places to eat around here? I've only been having my rations." I could tell by her smile that my question's answer was yes. "Oh my, commander, are you asking me out on a date?" She teased.
"You know it's strictly forbidden for me to have a romantic relationship with Kansen." I state plainly.
"I know I know, but what if it wasn't, then would it be a date?" She asks excitedly.
"Whatever makes you happy." I tease back.
"Alright! I know this place at the top of the hill that has the perfect view of the ocean. We can go get lunch there!" She says excited and basically dragging me along with her.
One of these days I would have to get her to stop teasing me, but for now It wasn't something I was going to worry about.
I could practically see her golden eyes sparkle when we were seated outside. She took in a deep breath and sighed at the view. She was not wrong. The view was breathtaking, the ocean looked almost too perfect from that high up as the sun beat down on it. Transport ships were leaving and entering constantly. From the port they seemed huge but from up here they seemed so small. I join her in staring at the ocean and find the Atago floating casually in her dock. Even from up here she seemed big but I couldn't see the entire ship from down below, seeing her from up here was a different experience.
"Isn't it beautiful Commander?" She says as she keeps her eyes on the ocean. "Yeah." Is the only thing I say.
We sit down and order some drinks and a light snack, the cool breeze of Autumn sweeps in and makes the air a nice temperature between cold and hot. Our drinks arrived and we both began sipping on our tea and eating in between sips. We mostly enjoyed the silence and the whisking of the wind until I decided to speak.
"You know. Something that's always been curious to me is why you're the oldest but not the lead ship of the class?" I ask Atago.
"Oh that?" she giggles lightly, taking a sip. "My sister, Takao, was built in a different yard than I was. They say something happened with her wisdom cubes that prevented her from being laid down so I was laid down first. Incidentally making me the older sister."
"Ah I see, does that bother Takao at all, that you're older?" I ask, not knowing Takao's personality at all.
"Mmm, not that I can tell. She does think I'm a bit too possessive as an older sister though. But she's just so cute I can't help it." I laugh a little, perhaps I would get along with Takao. Atago seems confused by my laughter but I tell her not to worry about it.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get your sisters to join in on the operation, I know how much it meant to you."
"It's fine commander, there's nothing you could have done about it if the Emperor doesn't see it as advantageous. I just haven't seen my sisters in so long."
"I'll make sure to keep trying, maybe we will be able to get the same task force once. I am on good terms with the Emperor after all." I say as a half truth.
"Really? The Emperor? I'm impressed, commander. You're even prominent in the royal family." She takes another sip of her tea.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid I can only carry so much weight in my title."
"I think commander is a fine title."
"Thanks Atago, but to the rest I'm just a pawn that can accurately judge a battle."
"It's more than enough for me. You're also super friendly and kind, other commanders I've had haven't been that way." She says trailing off at the end.
"Did they not take the time to do stuff like this?" I ask, confused.
"Not really, they would only do something like this if I had to be sent back to dock so they could change command or refit me again."
There is a long pause. I am not sure what to say but Atago says something for me. "Enough about me, what about you commander? Do you have any siblings?"
"No, I'm the only child of my father. I grew up around the Emperor's children a lot so they're sort of like siblings."
"I see, so why do you know the Emperor? Not even I know the Emperor." She says excitedly.
"My father was the Prime Minister of the Sakura Empire. He and the Emperor knew each other very well."
"I didn't know we had a Prime Minister?" she said almost questioningly.
"That's because he was killed ten years ago."
Atago suddenly realizes a lot.
"O-oh. I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up something that would hurt you." She responded apologetically.
"It's alright. It was ten years ago, I'm more or less over it." In truth I was not. I deeply wanted to know who was responsible for my father's death and make sure they were punished for it. I hadn't given it much more thought though.
They sit in silence for a few minutes, both finishing their tea and snacks.
"This was a nice afternoon commander. Perhaps we need to do this more often. I shall bring a tea set along when we sortie." She gets up with a smile.
"That would be wonderful Atago. Unfortunately, I have to get back to work." I was already falling behind on my paperwork. I thought about Atago's earlier offer but decided against it.
"Alright commander, just don't overwork yourself okay? I'll see you when you get back to the ship. You can come to me for anything you need" She says with a worried expression.
"Thank you, Atago. You're far too kind to me." I say in response. Atago and I walk back about halfway to the port before I have to split off. She gives me a wave goodbye as I do the same.
"Dammit Hiroto, you're falling for her. You can't fall for her, you knew that coming into this." I speak to myself in the third person. I shake my head free of those thoughts and begin walking to my temporary office next to the airstrip.
"You ready Atago." I ask her as we gather on the bridge of the Atago.
"More than ready, I've been stretching all day! I feel like I could run the entire world if I had to!" She says passionately.
"That's the spirit!" I try to hide the fact that I had watched her stretch in her rousing uniform. "My first real run! I can't wait for this!" I also was starting to get excited at my first real combat experience aboard a Kansen ship.
Today was the day we headed out towards the Philippines to target specific landing grounds for our troops. The air around the port was intense and exciting as all mass produced and Kansen ships in the area came to life. The entirety of Atago's ship was empty which was strange to me for I came off of mass-produced ships led by man power, not beautiful women.
Atago stands looking out the bridge window, occasionally looking back at me for the order. It was cute, almost adorable seeing her excited about something other than teasing, which there had been no shortage of. I too wait for the order to begin marching down the atlantic towards the Philippines. It wasn't long before I was given said order.
"Atago…" I say to get her attention.
She spins around rapidly with excitement on her heels.
"Take us out."
"Aye-Aye sir!"
It didn't take nearly as long to get there as I thought. We had only been sailing for a couple of days before we eventually arrived at our rendezvous points. I had gone around the Atago a couple of times to make sure everything was working fine as a last minute check up while Atago played commander for a short time, casually checking in on her Kansen allies.
"We're here, commander." She says as her engines slowly come to a halt and we float slowly in the water. "Wonderful. Alert the others through the spotlight that we are ready to begin." "Alright commander." She closes her eyes to focus on the light for a moment before returning. "Orders received. We are to… begin firing when the lead ship opens up."
I take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Something in the back of my mind tells me that this will change the world as we know it. We can only hope that those carriers had done their jobs at Pearl harbor.
"Alright Akagi, here's to you sinking their fleet." I pray.
The lead ship opens fire and the war between the Sakura Empire and the Eagle Union begins.