I do not own any of the characters of Azur Lane, just this interpretation of the Commander
A sight of the bright blue sky hung over the specs of land surrounded by vast oceans. To anyone traveling long voyages, the small islands were a haven for resupply and refueling. On the said island was a heavily fortified island packed to the brim with coastal defenses. Coastal guns pointed in all directions with hidden AA turrets nearby to take on any aircraft trying to disable the main defense. A dock housing many battleships, destroyers, and cruisers were begging for an enemy to test the armament there. Lastly, underneath the ocean, were submarines patrolling the area as an early reconnaissance team.
Despite all that, the island itself was quite beautiful from afar and up close. Just beyond the docks were buildings to house the various humans that ran the day to day operations. Further down the dock was a series of stores maintained by locals or some of the shipgirls themselves. Just beyond those was an academy with classes, storage facilities, and munitions to service the shipgirls themselves. Finally, hidden through the vegetation was a single building smaller than the rest.
But this smaller size did not reduce the effectiveness of the structure's purpose. This was the commander's personal home and office. Entering the building, guests would be greeted by one large hallway with many rooms to the left and right side of it. There would be insignias of the various ship groups that each door corresponded to. Smaller insignias would display the ship type, especially for those of the Eagle Union and Royal Navy who had many ships. But at the very end of the hallway was a set of double doors that opened up into a large office.
A large desk was the first thing in sight with piles of paperwork that had either been completed or reports given by the various fleets. Apparently, the task was given to one person for a set period of time before they would be replaced. Behind the desk was a smaller door that was the commander's personal office area that also functioned as a room if he found himself too sleepy to walk to his actual room.
The commander was busy working on paperwork with a weary look on his face, his eyes looking a bit bloodshot due to lack of sleep, "How many more damn piles will they keep sending me?"
He put the pen down once he slew the current monster in front of him, pushing back from his small desk with a sigh. The Sirens being silent was a good thing for him, but also a curse as now he had to catch up on paperwork. Thankfully the many shipgirls he had acquired and got to know made this a lot more bearable, to an extent. When it wasn't Sirens causing a problem, it was the shipgirls themselves that were the issue.
The various fleets did not always get along with each other, sometimes even threatening to shoot each other on the spot. These tensions boiled in the early weeks when the commander was basically assigned to hell. It took months, years, to get the factions to at least get along enough to not have guns firing. That didn't mean they weren't throwing insults every once in a while and occasionally a fight broke out. Mainly the prideful Italian ships and their German allies would try to stoke the flames of the British.
Before the commander could think more about the past events and how he was put in this situation, the sounds of knocking broke his concentration, "Come in."
The door opened to reveal with youthful, but still mature, woman dressed in a white kimono with red eyeliner on her face. Her pale hair matched her outfit which gave an impression of a crane due to the ends of her sleeves forming wings. A hairpiece nestled on the left side of her head firmly and her calm blue eyes were entrancing to look at. She had white stockings that reached all the way up her thighs with her factions standard wooden sandals. She was a newer addition to the combined force on the island, along with her sister, which was always an added bonus.
"Shikikan, the paperwork is all done. You need some rest," the woman spoke in a soft voice filled with both wisdom and calmness, that caring sister feeling
"I still have another set from the I-," the commander tried to reply back but the woman had walked up to his desk and took his pen, disarming the officer from his war on paper
"Rest, now. Save your strength for another day and do not let it be wasted on wishful thinking," the tone of her voice was enough to have the commander let his shoulders slump a bit in defeat
The commander slowly rose from his seat and made his way towards one side of the room, finding his lone bed there to allow him some rest, "You have a way with words, Shoukaku."
Shoukaku let a light smile trace her lips as she sat down on the commander's bed before he could lay down, patting a spot next to her, "My sister, Zuikaku, would do the same thing. Never resting until the enemy was destroyed, and almost getting herself destroyed in the process."
The commander laid down on his side and found his head lying in the lap of Shoukaku, the maiden lightly tracing his hair, "If I remember right, she and Enterprise fought many times."
"Yes, far too many for my liking," Shoukaku admitted, her smile turning into a frown, "I fear that one day she will get over her head and I will not be there to save her."
A frown formed on the commander's face while his eyes closed, "I try to get them to work together. It always seems to blow up in my face."
"Maybe it is for the best they don't fight side by side, yet." Shoukaku let a weary sigh escape her lips, prompting the commander to open his eyes to look at her
"You're just as tired as me," he noted, his finger tracing an area near her eyes that was sagging a bit, a result of stress or exhaustion
The crane maiden only shook her head despite the commander's observation, "The little ones got scared from Washington's 'smile' that she so desperately tried to make. I had to play for them until they calmed down to sleep. By the time I stopped, it was already my time to assist you."
"Then you're getting some sleep, that's an order," a smug smile played on the commander's lips, prompting Shoukaku to blush slightly
"In the same bed, Shikikan? I didn't think you were t-,"
The commander had scooted over until one side of the bed was open for Shoukaku to lay on, "I'm not perverted. I just want to make sure you're giving your best out there. That and I don't think the destroyers will quiet down anytime soon."
The Sakura Empire carrier couldn't argue against that argument. It would be hypocritical of her to deny that order for both her own honor and her own order for her Shikikan to rest. Laying herself on the free space given to her, she closed her eyes and found herself in sleep's embrace quickly.
It had been hours before the sound of light knocking was heard. Shikikan and Shoukaku were still entranced under sleep's spell to hear the knocking before the door opened. The day had gone to night at this point, making the whole room almost void of light. With the door now opened, more light filled the void inside revealing another feminine figure now standing over the sleeping duo.
Shikikan began to stir out of his sleep when he felt a shake on his leg, looking up to find another pale haired woman wearing a darker uniform over him. Even though his sleepy eyes, his mind immediately recognized who this woman was based on the fact she had one of her index fingers up to her lips as if pondering something. It was Prinz Eugen, the heavy cruiser that joined Shikikan's fleet a couple of weeks into the battle against the Sirens.
Although, Eugen was always a bit of a mystery to the commander. She had a completely different way with words, usually being sarcastic or teasing. At this very moment, this was a perfect opportunity for Eugen to really get Shikikan.
"Enjoying a Sakura carrier's bosom are we, Commander? You rascal," the German Heavy Cruiser had a slight smile
Shikikan rose a brow at her words until he looked downward to find Shoukaku pressed against him with her head resting against his chest. Part of her kimono was slightly falling off her shoulders which revealed more of her cleavage much to Shikikan's dismay. Anyone seeing this would assume that he was being a pervert which was the perfect moment for Eugen.
Blushing quite red to amuse the heavy cruiser, Shikikan slowly detached himself from Shoukaku, "I'm assuming you aren't just here to tease me."
"No, but it was well worth it." Eugen replied putting her hands behind her back, "I'm here to relieve Shoukaku from being the secretary."
The Commander gave a nod as he slowly got out of the bed, careful to not wake the sleeping carrier while rubbing his eyes. At least the sleep was good, too good. He had set up a rotating schedule so every faction had a ship as Shikikan's secretary during certain portions of the day. One for the morning hours, one during the afternoon, and one during the evening. As more and more factions appeared, the schedule came in handy to lower the tensions. Of course, who was sent was decided by the factions themselves.
"I forgot you purposely request night hours," Shikikan commented, fixing his uniform a bit until a hand stopped him
"No need to be formal, we'll finish the paperwork later," Eugen insisted, wanting to see her commander looking more comfortable
Shikikan let a small smile grace his lips at that, his hand finding itself lightly holding Eugen's, "Having something special planned or is this one of your fantasies?"
The heavy cruiser only smiled while her hand was being held by Shikikan. However, usually she wore gloves but since there weren't any operations she was a part of, she had them removed. Her smooth and pale skin felt Shikikan's slightly tan and calloused ones, years of wielding the pen while she wielded the gun. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but a gun hits from further away.
"For you, something a little special. That's why I waited until now to see you," Eugen spoke after some time passed
The light from the hallway had struck a specific part of her hand on her ring finger, where a beautifully cut ruby rested. She hardly wore it during combat but now that she was going to be around her Shikikan more often, the gloves had to go.
Pulling on his hand, Eugen led Shikikan out of his room, leaving Shoukaku to sleep peacefully.
The two were now walking down the street that circled the entire island and led to all the important facilities. Most of the other shipgirls were asleep besides those who either had the night shift or were night owls. All the street lamps were on and evenly spaced to allow good lighting for all the inhabitants.
The sea looked dark due to the sun being replaced with the moon. The parts of it illuminated by the light of the streetlamps or the patrolling ships made it feel like specs of blue in a sea of black. The stars shone brightly above with a few constellations visible at this time of year while the rest were viewed elsewhere.
"You certainly picked a night for this," Shikikan noted, staring up at the glittering night while his hand firmly grasped with Eugen's
The Iron Blood heavy cruiser had her index finger of her other hand to her lips, humming, "We're not there yet."
Shikikan raised a brow, where would Eugen take him? There weren't really any restaurants or luxuries that could be expected on the island. The only shops were the ones the shipgirls made themselves, using the coins they scavenged from sunk vessels. How they got the rest of the materials was still a question.
Shikikan wanted to ask what Prinz Eugen had in mind but decided against it. He then felt her press against him as they walked, making the simple act of walking more romantic. The stores they passed by were closed or closing. There was only one that Shikikan knew would be open for at least another hour or so.
Walking to the end of this particular section of the street, one single store was still open. The yellow lights were still enlightening the storefront with the smell of food begging for hungry stomachs to enter. The smell was reminiscent of bread, vegetables, and herbs. This had to be the one shop the new Italian shipgirls owned.
Shikikan opened the door for Eugen to step forward first, the smell of food intensifying greatly now with the barriers down. Several tables were arranged with neatly having chairs of two or four, depending on the party size. The front, where the cashier was stationed, was manned by a lone girl that looked roughly in her teens.
She had her golden hair neatly curled up as usual but she didn't wear her normal uniform. She seemed to wear something more of a waitress. She was shorter than Shikikan and Eugen with violet eyes that displayed both youthfulness and discipline. It was the Sardegna Destroyer Carabiniere, Shikikan's self-promoted 'bodyguard' when he was in a pinch. Her eyes looked up at them, going wide for a moment before saluting.
"Commander! I wasn't expecting you, f-forgive my attire," the little destroyer fumbled, trying desperately to save any shred of honor she had left to her superior
The commander chuckled while waving the salute off since it was late in the night, "At ease. No need to be formal, or was Cavour chastising you again."
Carabiniere sighed, her shoulders slumping in relief, "Just the usual, Commander. But what is the occasion that brought the unkillable Prinz Eugen here?"
Eugen hummed once more before she laid her head on Shikikan's shoulder while still having her index finger on her lips, "A date of course, or were you thinking of an ambush?"
The Sardegna destroyer jumped up at the mention of an ambush, looking around quickly with widened eyes and some of her hair losing "A-ambush?! Where?!"
Both Shikikan and Eugen laughed at Carabiniere's reaction, prompting the destroyer to look down in shame before getting serious once more. Since it was obvious these two were on a date, the destroyer quickly set up a single table for two with candles lit and roses encased in a vase. No menus were given since the Sardinian ships knew a little about romantic dinners. Lastly, a bottle of wine was left on the table for the couple to share.
"You know, I haven't seen any of those shipgirls try to swoon you yet. Do you not like Sardegnian tastes, commander~?" Eugen asked, trying to pry into her superior's head during this late night
Shikikan poured a glass for both of them before answering, "I mean, Carabiniere is always around during the day but I haven't exactly spoken with them all too much. Don't they communicate with the Iron Blood?"
"Hm, yes and no. Allies at first but it was as fragile as poor glass. Interests often clash between us when we were your enemy. I think they're jealous I got to you first," the Iron Blood heavy cruiser mused before taking her glass and raising it towards him, "To an endless night like this."
Shikikan smiled while raising his own glass in response, "To an end to this damn war."
Both took a sip of the wine, aged perfectly for the best possible taste. Neither seemed to pay attention to a pair of amber eyes watching them from a doorway. Her eyes narrowed at them for a moment before turning her gaze elsewhere. No need to cause a scene when these two were perfectly content with their date so far. But it did make this stranger wonder what tomorrow had to offer.