This is a work of fiction that follows real historical events. This does not seek to promote anything about war and is just a what if kind of scenario. Any similarity between people, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Some aspects have been changed to form a better story.

It was not long after our training exercises that the First Mobile Forces were ordered to take part in our first operation. We sail to the atoll of Tiwi Tiwi where our forces are regrouping with another large task forces'. I had no idea how large this task force would be until we arrived.

I also did not have a clue about how absolutely stunning the atoll would be. I had never seen more beautiful waters and beaches in my entire life. The tiny little island is housing the largest Armada I had ever laid eyes upon, filled with battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and now Aircraft carriers. It was an unstoppable force.

Taihou seemed on edge. All of these ships are Kansen and each one was a potential rival for her. I tried many times to reassure her but she demanded that I not leave her side for the entirety of our stay. I didn't mind. I had already wanted to spend more time with her.

Taihou drops her anchor into the water and waits until it hits the sea floor. It gently hits the sandy ground, allowing Taihou to take me across the water in her arms. The rest of the Mobile Force was greeted by a plethora of ships and commanders waiting for us. It seems we have become quite popular.

"Welcome, commander. It is an honor to meet the aircraft carriers of the Sakura."

"Trust me, Admiral, the pleasure is all mine."

Next to the Admiral stands a beautiful, tall, and black haired Kansen. Her long flowing black hair rivaled Taihou's, however she had two large ears and several large tails flowing out behind her back. At first glance, I had to double take at her beauty. Taihou is not pleased with my gaze.

"This here is, Yamato. She doesn't say much so don't mind her."

My jaw drops as she bows. I try desperately not to look at her lecherously but I can feel Taihou's gaze burning holes into my back. The pride of the Sakura was absolutely stunning in her Kimono, she was also much taller than any human. Her entire body seems pure and stunning which warrants a low growl of possessiveness in Taihou's throat.

I wish to tell her It's alright but I could not do so in front of the Admiral. An entire flotilla of stunning women had assembled at the small Atoll and each and everyone of them was fascinated by Taiho's appearance.

I bow to the mightiest battleship in the world in return, unsure of what to do in front of such power. Taihou refuses to bow to her.

"I would like to speak with you about our current situation alone, commander."

"Of course."

I turn to Taihou who suddenly had gone from angry to desperate in a matter of seconds. It pained me to see the hurt look in her crimson eyes. I wish to hug her and comfort her. But it would have to wait. For now, I give her a gentle head pat and lean in to whisper into her ear.

"I'll be right back, I promise."

Taihou stares back at me, pleading not to leave her. I look around, without moving my head, at all of the officers looking upon us. I back away slowly as Taihou hangs her head in sadness. Taihou turns tail and runs back into the ocean, towards her ship. I reach out for her, realizing I have just made a terrible mistake.

"Come, commander." The Admiral beckons for me.

I spend a bit more time watching Taihou's black hair flow behind her as she sails across the ocean. She covers her eyes with her elbow as tears fall into the ocean. My heart shatters as she moves onto her ship.

I turn around, with my heart in shambles to the commander and nod.

…

I could not bring myself to look at the Taihou as she sits anchored in port. It had been an entire day since I had last seen her and the effects of which I feel weigh heavily on my heart. I walk around port aimlessly, talking to myself as if she were still there. I feel her nodding next to me but when I look over I find no one there.

Perhaps I deserved it. I had hurt Taihou in the worst way possible, I had left her alone amidst an entire port of stunning shipgirls. Taihou was strong, but she could only handle so much. Especially when it came to me…

"This damned law. How can they expect me to contain my emotions around her… No… this is my fault…"

"I saw what happened." A voice calls from around the corner, causing me to jump at the voice. The voice however was calm and kind, the same as a mother's might be.

A stunning figure appears around the corner. The same black haired beauty I had seen earlier. The silent pride of the Sakura navy, the Yamato.

"Y-Yamato.. You did?"

"Yes, she seemed very hurt."

"I did something I shouldn't have. I should have demanded that she be allowed to follow me. I hurt her…"

"Are you in love with her?"

"..."

"It's alright, you can tell me. I loved someone once too. The war separated us and in that time he was killed. I have experienced the same feelings Taihou has."

I silently decide over in my head whether to tell her or not. Revealing this was serious and not something I could not take lightly.

"Yes. I love her, dearly. Which is why this hurts me so…"

"I see, I do not know much about your relationship, but she seems dependent on you. You are her anchor. Without you, she cannot stabilize herself so to speak. Upon losing my love, I went into grief for a very long time. It is only now that I am able to stand in front of you because I had learned to accept his absence from my bridge. I do not think Taihou can learn to recover from a grief that severe without you…"

"But she's locked herself away in her hull. I want to see her and talk to her but there's nothing I can do…"

"You will never get anywhere saying you cannot. They said I could not be made yet here I am before you. You must find a way. It is something we share with you humans, the will to always find a way even in the worst of situations. If you truly love her, you must find a way to reach her."

I felt a great sense of shame and a renewed sense of desperation to see her again as Yamato admonishes me. I look out over to the Taihou as she floats silently in the harbor.

"You're right. I must talk to her. Thank you Yamato."

"Of course I would be willing to-"

I dive into the water off the atoll, much to Yamato's surprise. I begin swimming out towards the Taihou despite the constant waves pushing me back. My arms do not care for the pain they are experiencing as I swim desperately towards her hull.

I am stopped by a large wave created by the rising and the falling of dozens of ships in unison. I flip over and begin to drown. I poke my head out of the water gasping for air, but I can not give up. I try again but again am forced back by another wave.

The sound of rushing water pulls up beside me as two pairs of water skates appear beside me. I cough up salt water as I wade beside the beautiful battleship. Yamato picks me up out of the water and skates quickly towards the Taihou.

"Thank you." I try not to cough on her.

"I lost my love not very long ago. I cannot let the same thing happen to someone else…"

She jumps up onto the deck of the Taihou and sets me down. I nod in thanks again before running through the lower decks of the Taihou, calling out Taihou's name.

"Taihou!"

There is no response on any floor. I check my quarters last and eye a box on my nightstand. I snag the box and make my way back on deck.

"She's not here." I tell Yamato.

"Perhaps someone has seen her around back at port."

I nod in agreement and jump back into her arms, moving quickly back to port. When Yamato returns, her commander is waiting for her.

"Yamato, where have you been? We need to be preparing for the operation."

"Sorry, commander. It seems I'm going to have to leave the rest up to you."

"Thank you, Yamato. You have been a big help."

"I hope to see you around, commander. Good luck."

"You too."

I shake her hand. She smiles kindly at me before following her commander.

I turn away from the two and begin sprinting across the port. I run faster than I had ever run before as the sun begins to set on this day. I run face first into a Kansen and we knock each other to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Another black haired beauty lays on the ground before me. She was tall but still quite small compared to Yamato. She also had fox ears just like Yamato's and had a stunning figure. None of which I pay attention to as I help her up.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, commander?"

"Have you seen Taihou? I can't find her anywhere."

"Is it bad? You sound desperate." The black haired fox asks.

"Its… It's important."

"I saw her earlier, she was on the west side by the rocks."

"Than you…"

"Atago. It's a pleasure to meet you commander."

"Thank you very much, Atago. I will repay this kind favor."

"Go get her, commander~"

…

"There you are."

Taihou is sitting with her knees against her beautiful face as she looks up at me. Her eyes are red from the obvious amount of crying she had been doing. Her face brightens for a moment upon seeing me, but then her expression turns back to sad.

"W-why are you here?"

"I came to talk with you."

"Taihou does not want to talk. Taihou knows she is being dumb."

"No. No you're not. I ignored how you felt, I should have brought you along with me. I know how you feel about being apart from me and being alone on a base with all of these Kansen must have been very hard for you."

"Commander is too nice to Taihou, I-I was just… Taihou was just worried that you might forget about her…"

"Taihou, I could never forget you. I've been there for you since your launch, I would never leave your side."

"But you did! You left Taihou alone! Y-You promised me… Teramoto, you promised me…"

"I know. I'm so, so sorry. I can never make it up to you for what I did. I broke my promise, but if it's still worth anything to you, I swear on my life, I will never leave you ever again."

"H-How can you be so sure."

"Because."

I dig into my pocket, grabbing the small box I had snagged on my way out of the carrier. Taihou's face lights up with recognition as she begins to cry.

"Taihou. Here is my devotion to you. Every living hour, every breathing moment, I give to you. For now and until the end of time, I will be by your side."

"T-T-Teramoto…"

"Taihou…"

Taihou jumps into my arms just as the sunset begins to disappear beyond the horizon. She cries tears of joy into my shoulder as she squeezes me tightly.

"I have loved you and will love you until the end of time. There is no one else in the world I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Taihou can only weep in response. She breaks the hug and I grab her hand. I silently slip the ring on her finger with a smile creeping to my face. Taihou laughs through her tears and raises her hand to admire her ring.

"C-Commander. I know everything about you, and from now on, I will love everything about you as well. I love you with all my heart."

"Taihou…"

We come together under the fading light of the setting sun. We kiss each other more passionately than I have ever done before, our emotions tying together in a display of loyalty and purpose in our mouths. Taihou allows me to partake in her mouth just as I allow her in mine. I have never felt more passionate about anything in my life as I did kissing Taihou under the setting sun. We break only for a moment before wrapping ourselves back into the passion.

"Commander, come claim what is yours~" Taihou opens her arms and reveals her bosom from underneath her Kimino.

I do not resist the pleasure of The Great Phoenix.

Taihou has not stopped admiring her ring since that night on the beach almost a week ago. Her displays of affection have only increased tenfold since then, especially when we are alone in moments like this.

"Commander~ You keep staring at my body, Do you need me to relieve you?" She licks her lips seductively.

"While it's a tempting offer, I was more admiring your beauty."

"Commander, you're so mean~"

She kisses me deeply on the bridge, squeezing my tight crotch playfully.

"Tonight we can, right now we have a job to do."

We have been at sea for 6 days, traveling to meet the Eagle Union forces at the Phillipine Sea. It is our first real combat trial and the decisive battle which we have been hoping for. It was confirmed that there were carriers present, but the location of such vessels has not been announced to us. The sounds of Taihou's hull slicing through the ocean was almost therapeutic.

Taihou leans her head onto my shoulder and gets a brief bit of shut eye while nothing seems to be happening. I move her hair from her face and give her forehead a kiss, causing the unconscious carrier to smile in her sleep.

I could watch her sleeping face all day, however the morning was coming and with it more opportunities to spot and strike the Eagle Union fleet. Taihou, despite the presence of Yamato, was hailed the flagship of the coalition of task forces. We sailed further behind the main force but still within spotting range of our friendly carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku.

The waters were silent except for the constant drone of Taihou's engines which disturb the immediate water around her, leaving a wake in her presence. The sun appears over on the East, casting its rays of sunlight right into the bridge and shining onto Taihou's eyes. Taihou rouses from her sleep, staring at me with her crimson eyes.

"Good morning, darling~" I say to her as she rises from my shoulder.

"Good morning, my dearest~ Are we almost there?"

"Getting closer, I'm waiting for Shokaku and Zuikaku to radio in."

"Okay, well I guess that's fine. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No, sorry. I was too worried about today."

"That's not good, you have to sleep commander. Come lay your head in Taihou's bosom~"

Taihou does not give me much choice in the matter as she presses her magnificent bust against my face. Though she was still clothed, I felt the heat from her begin soothing my nerves. Like the warm embrace of a mother caring for her newborn child. I doze off for a few minutes. When I next wake, I find myself completely wrapped up by Taihou's body as she sleeps next to me. Though it was a short rest, it was much needed. I feel all of the restlessness leave my body when I pull out from her breasts.

Taihou feels me do so and shoots her eyes open, slowly getting herself up from the floor.

"Thank you, Taihou. That was wonderful."

"Anything for my commander~"

Our moment of rest had not lasted long. Information of the Eagle Union's carrier positions are now being broadcast to all carriers in the fleet.

"I've got the fleet in my sights! Damn, they're much further South than I was hoping." Zuiaku reports in.

"Keep your eyes on them Zuikaku and launch a direct attack on their carriers. We need to at least knock one out of the battle."

"Yes sir."

Both planes from Zuikaku and Shokaku soar high above as they take off in the especially strong Eastern winds. The conditions were perfect for our task force. With the close relation to the air force base in Guam and the winds in front of us, there were few advantages that we didn't have compared to the Eagle Union.

Taihou turns her bow into the wind, preparing to launch her first strike. I note the time on the clock.

"Alright, begin roll." Taihou's planes follow my orders as if I had given them each the ability to simultaneously hear me. They roll off of the flat top and out into the sky, a result of our perfect training together. She beams at me with her seductive smile and launches the rest perfectly.

They begin to climb, the first of the squadron circle around the carrier waiting for their escorts to catch up to them.

Suddenly, a warning sounds over the alert system. The loud, blaring siren foretells of a torpedo attack launched by submarine. Taihou and I look at each other and then at the water. 6 torpedoes, all amateurly launched, are cruising swiftly towards the IJN Taihou.

"Port hard rudder!" I shout at her.

The hull of the Taihou groans as she tries to move out of the way of the torpedoes. Taihou looks strained as well as she tries to control the massive behemoth and force her hull to its limits.

Soon, it is obvious that we will not be able to dodge all 6 torpedoes with two making a direct line of contact with Taihou. Taihou takes the initiative to exit the bridge and summon her rigging. She unleashes an entire squadron onto the torpedoes, trying desperately to stop them from colliding with her hull.

She is successful, much to my surprise, at destroying one with her planes. However, it is too late as the 6th and final torpedo slams into the starboard side of her bow, causing the entire ship to shake violently. I wobble as I try to stand up straight. Taihou looks furious.

"Taihou. What's the damage."

"Small flooding and some minor damage to fuel storage. Also the forward elevator has been jammed open, however there is no major damage."

"Good, start repairing the deck with whatever you can find and slow your speed down a little. We cannot risk falling out of formation."

"Yes sir."

Taihou leaves the bridge to patch the hole in the flight deck while I radio in to the fleet. "Attention! We have been hit by a submarine torpedo. While we are fine, I must request that you keep your sonar at full alert. We have already set our aircraft to tail the enemy force. Be careful out there."

Taihou appears on the deck momentarily, carrying multiple dining room tables. She places the tables over the hull and repairs the deck temporarily. It was a good enough job, at least our planes could take off and land.

Taihou returns with a more detailed report on what damage she had taken. "It's minor, but aviation fuel has begun to leak out into the hangars. Taihou feels if a spark ignites the fuel it could mean trouble."

"Understood. We shall launch all remaining planes and then begin damage control."

Taihou does as she is told and sends up the remaining squadrons of planes, she watches them soar off into the sky where they move around in a dance before moving on to the next position of the Eagle Union carriers.

"Alright, first we should open the elevator shafts to release any gasses that may be trapped inside."

Without a word, Taihou opens her two remaining elevator shafts. A burst of aviation fuel fumes flood my sense as I try to avoid the nausea it was inducing.

"Alright-cough well done. But that is much more than I thought. We should let it vent out for a moment, see if that is working."

Taihou nods in agreement as we stand on her flight deck, waiting for the intoxicating smell to vanish. After about an hour, it has not.

"Alright, it still smells pretty bad. Start your ventilation system to refresh the air from the hangar, we can at least prevent a catastrophe until we get back to port."

"Okay, my dearest commander~"

Over the radio comes the callouts from the two aircraft carriers.

"This is Zuikaku, checking up on the other groups of carrier planes. Where is your location, my planes are already here."

"Sorry sister, I'm running behind just a little. Could you wait up for me, my planes won't survive without yours."

"Of course, dearest sister. Taihou, what is the status of yours?"

I turn to Taihou as her ventilation systems come online and begin to vent out the gasses which had accumulated. She had heard what was said over the radio and I was waiting for an answer. After a quick check, Taihou responds to me.

"They are flying but are lagging behind because of our previous encounter with the submarine."

"Understood. She informs me that they are trailing behind by quite a large margin. You should strike without us, we will keep the pressure on them."

"Good thinking. We should be ready whe-... Wait a minute. What are those? Oh shit. Hellcats!"

Zuikaku shrieks in alarm into the radio as a dogfight begins between her and the hellcat fighters from the Eagle Union.

The fierce battle quickly does not seem to be going in Zuikaku's favor as her disgruntled shouts do not give off praise for her planes.

"What's going on!? I can't shoot down a single one of them! Shokaku I need support!"

"I'm coming sister! I'm coming."

But it was too late. By the time Shokaku's planes arrived, all of Zuikaku's first strike had been shot down. Zuikaku began swearing both on and off the radio at her damned Eagle Union counterparts as her sister began her attack run on the fleet. After a long moment of silence, her report finally came through.

"One hit on a Union battleship. Crippled but not dead. No surviving aircraft from the first wave."

Her solemn truth rings out across the entire fleet. That was two whole squadrons gone in the blink of an eye. We truly were not ready for what kind of battle this would be.

"Shit. We're still not getting any better here. We need to find some way to counter this before a spark ignites the entire ship."

"I'm trying, commander. The ventilation does seem to be working a little."

"We can continue to try. Use all of the ship's ventilation systems, that way we can dispose of it quicker."

The concoction being created down below of seawater and aviation fuel on a hot and sweltering day was quickly becoming more and more catastrophic. As Taihou and I try our best to take care of the increasingly obvious problem, Taihou's squadrons eventually find the Eagle Union fleet.

"Hold on commander, I have to focus." Taihou turns into sort of a state of calm as I assume her attack aircraft were making their descent. With each plane destroyed she winces, not as though she were actually feeling the pain but because each one she lost was another chance she would not get to prove herself.

She turns back, breathing heavily. I grab her hand to help her calm down as she gasps for air. She shakes her head in shame.

"Not a single one made it through. They were all shot down except for a few. We need to collect them when they return."

I look at the opened elevators which continually spewed out aviation fuel and judge the worth of the planes in the hangars as opposed to the planes coming to land.

"When they start coming in, raise the elevators. We have to salvage what we can."

"Yes, dearest commander."

Despite our best efforts, the gas was still hanging around in the hangar. I give the order to Taihou to break every window and to open every door to help the fuel escape but to no avail. In fact, what I have not realized is that it only made things worse…

…

Six and a half hours pass by. Six and and half hours of waiting for the fuel to be cleared out of the Taihou and to resume regular operations. We had fallen behind, Now the carriers were far in front of us. They make no attempt to radio back at us to see if we needed assistance. Taihou and I ponder on the flight deck.

Slowly but steadily, we were making progress. Or so I thought.

I was on the bridge when it happened, trying to see what was happening with the war effort from above. Taihou is walking the decks, humming to herself when suddenly my world goes dark…

I wake with a jolt as I look around at the flaming wreck of the IJN Taihou. Her deck had been ripped in half with the other half already sinking beneath the waves. I panic.

"TAIHOU!" I jump from the bridge and rush down to the sinking deck. Taihou's delicate body had been torn and mangled. She was still alive, but not for long. I look desperately at her blood figure and begin to feel the desperation of the situation.

"No. NO NONO. Taihou. Stay with me!"

"C-Commander? I-is that you? It's okay… I'm fine… You need to… You need to get out of here…"

"No I refuse! I told you I was never going to leave your side, from now until the end of time! I will not leave you!"

"B-but commander…"

I do the only thing I can do. I kiss her gently as the water begins to wash up on us.

I take her gentle hand and hold it tightly.

"I'm never going to leave you Taihou… I promised you…" I begin to cry on her dying body.

"Teramoto…" She brushes her hand past my face.

I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable…

The wreck of the Taihou once again explodes when more fuel catches on fire. Taking both her Commander and her Kansen with her.

"The IJN Taihou was sunk on her first real sortie. She was spotted by the USS Albacore and fired upon with her torpedoes, scoring one direct hit but causing minimal damage. Structurally, Taihou held what she was supposed to. However, thanks to poor training and lack of practice, The IJN Taihou began leaking aviation fuel which evaporated and turned to gas, spreading all through the hangars.

Opening the doors and hatches only further enhanced the danger when the gasses spread into all compartments of the Taihou. It only took one spark, at 14:30 to ignite the gas and blow the flight deck and the sides of her hull clean off, splitting her into two flimsy sections of ship. No one survived the second explosion."

The Emperor sets down the papers and closes his eyes with a sigh. Another good man lost, along with the most powerful carrier in the fleet. Two very important resources they could not afford to lose. Not to mention the loss of the Shokaku in the battle as well and hundreds of aviation pilots who were all but extinct now.

"Get me my tea." He says to one of his servants.

"Yes, my Emperor."

Just as soon as the servant was leaving, a stunningly beautiful woman walks in. She is tall and has the most beautiful body you could imagine with white silky hair and 9 fluffy tails following behind her. She wears blue and accents her most appealing features. She yawns as she enters.

The Emperor stares the woman for a while before reading what was written down on the paper before him with his appointments.

"So you're Shinano huh?"

The End.