The time has come… I can sense the waning interest in this little endeavor of mine, so I will have it come to an end. In this chapter, I will put the final touches on a project two years in the making. Something that helped me become known in the community, and something that I made specifically to give attention to the shipgirls I had oathed in my own game.
But the bell tolls, and I will not drag out the twilight of my most well-known fic to a painful end. Don't get me wrong, ending this brings a lot of sadness, but… it also gives me the chance to redirect and refocus onto single-shot fics or 'short' multi-chapter works. It's better that way, giving each shipgirl, or maybe a couple (cause Indy and Portland are a package deal and I won't be convinced otherwise) the attention they deserve, instead of just sticking them into the harem, giving them a scene, and being done with it.
Though I fear that I have become synonymous with mediocrity over the years as well. I once thought I could keep CD going forever… now I am not so sure, and once this is finished… well, I suppose I'll do things differently. For those of you who've read everything, and who've followed along, thank you… a million times, thank you. It's been a pleasure.
A Commander's Duty… never did I think would it end, but now I realize it must. This final chapter won't a smut filled kink adventure, rather… it'll be what it needs to be. A brief window into the love I feel for each and every shipgirl, and my desire to give them everything they deserve.
All my love,
Former Reactor Operator, USS Theodore Roosevelt, ETN2 delusionalcookie
You can just call me Petty Officer if you like. Just kidding, cookie is fine~.
A playful energy swept through the room as a small, boisterous form jumped onto the bed and began pushing both myself and my shipfu to wake up. The little tanuki pulled at my arm as I groaned, the spitting image of her mother.
"Daaaaaaaad!" she groaned in typical kid fashion. "Wake uuuup! You promised we were going to have a picnic today!"
I slowly opened my eyes, the light coming in through the window almost blinding. Summer in Japan was something else… though I never minded it. Suruga got me thoroughly hooked on every local cuisine we came across, and I was already salivating at the thought of tamago and sushi rice for breakfast…
Also, coffee.
"Owari… come on, Owari…" Suruga groaned, turning over and burying herself in my shoulder.
"Stop cuddling! Eww! Don't kiss! GROSS!" Owari jumped off and ran from the room, making a gagging noise as Suruga and I exchange a tender morning kiss.
"I love you," I said, and she smiled, nuzzling my cheek affectionately.
"Love you too, Kohiko." She said and sat up, her tail swishing as she pulled off her shirt. She turned to me, and I admired her breasts for a moment before she got up to have a shower. I joined her naturally, and while we spent a little time fooling around, it was still a little too early for anything serious, and the insistent banter of Owari certainly would not put us in the mood.
I suppose I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Instance SR-71 serves as a prime example to other commanders of success. Or so I was told. I was in recovery for some time, but when it was all said and done, the Sirens… well, they vanished. There was nothing left to do, and the Instance was preserved. However, something strange happened.
Before we get to that, I should say that the shipgirls were in an uproar. My shipfus were about to mutiny, but then the strangest thing happened. That big portal, the one where I still have absolutely zero explanation for how or why it happened? Yeah, that thing… it came back, and we went through it. When I came out the other side… I was with Suruga and no one else.
Then I felt it. I felt what each and every one had given to me to replace what I had lost… it was given back, in the form of another me.
Yeah, I was confused as hell, trust me, but somehow, against all odds, every shipgirl got what they wanted. Helena and Cleveland, for example? Well, they got one me, because that was more of a love triangle. Lena and Cleveland round off their little family. We went to visit once, they were adorable.
On the topic of Helena, Helena META got a copy of me whose memories of their time as an exclusive item were completely intact, and he had lost all of his memories with the other shipgirls. She had this strange look when she explained it, so I'm sure she was behind it. However, her commander was happy and madly in love with her.
Akagi and Kaga each got one. You think they'd share? So many others… too many to list. They finally, after all this time, got the exclusive love and affection and attention that I could never give them. And I… I finally got to give my beloved Suruga every piece of me.
You see… she gave it back. My soul was back where it belonged, as was hers. We still had our unique ability to… become one, I suppose you could call it, but there was still one thing inside me. Purifier's protection still lingered, and I hoped that one day she would get what she so truly deserved just as the others had.
Oh, so a fun note… did you know kitsunes reproduce in litters? Yeah, we went and saw Kaga and Akagi once… there was so much floof I was at a loss. Owari was the center of attention that day, being the only one with a single tail and different ears.
Anyway, that's just how things worked out.
"Hey, Kohiko…" Suruga's gentle scent surrounded me as she sat in my lap, arms wrapping around my neck as she put her face so close I felt her breath on my lips. I had taken a seat to wait for her while she got ready. "You still remember everything, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. It seemed so strange to leave it all, especially after all the work to rebuild. Yet now… I couldn't imagine it every other way. I love you, Suruga… I knew it years ago when I first laid eyes on you. Now we're celebrating our ninth anniversary this new year, and Owari is almost seven. Time is so… fleeting. I want to spend it all with you and Owari."
"Lucky for you you don't have to work anymore. We may not be rich, but you'll want for nothing. Central Command sure is flush…" Suruga giggled. She received a pension as well. All my former kansen did, as did the commanders. That's a rabbit hole you don't want to get involved in, trust me…
"Moooom! Daaaaad! Come ooooon! You can kiss laaaaaater!" Owari grumbled, wagging her tablet at us. "Also, Yukikaze said she was gonna be stopping by, can I have some money?"
I chuckled, "My six-year-old daughter already has a gacha addiction, sheesh…"
"I'm almost seven!" She retorted.
"Alright, alright. Three thousand yen, ok?"
"Yaaaaay!" She bounced away to collect my wallet, and Suruga and I took the opportunity to snuggle for a few more minutes, exchanging tender kisses all the while. I loved her more with each passing day, and our closeness was something I'll never take for granted.
Her hand in mine as we drove to the park, her body against mine as we ate our lunch, Owari running around and stopping to eat and drink every so often. Yukikaze came by and showed just how lucky she was when she managed to pull every limited character in a single ten-roll. She had developed into a fine young woman, and mellowed out considerably.
We chatted for a bit before she wandered off, the sound of Shigure and Yuudachi likely drawing her attention. The three of them still got into so much trouble…
Owari passed out in my lap, the warm day making all of us sleepy. Even Suruga couldn't resist the comfort of my shoulder, and I held my family close, loving them with all I had. All these years, all the trials and tribulations, the scars, the pain, the joy, the success, the happiness, the fulfillment, the night and days spent alongside the best damn fleet of kansen that would ever exist…
This made everything worth it.
As they slept, I sensed something change inside me. A subtle thing, but I felt its loss. For a moment, I saw Purifier in front of me, smiling and waving, then the last copy of me turning for a brief moment and nodding before taking her hand.
The last vestige of another time left me, and I became aware of the tears that stained my cheeks. I sniffed and smiled even as they flowed. I was not sad… no; I was happy that she was alive and happy and with someone who would love her unconditionally. They were all with me, in the end… but now I could truly say that every fiber of my being could now love Suruga, and little Owari…
This… this is not how I thought my time as a fleet commander would end. Yet… a better ending I could not think of.
I love you, Suruga. With everything I am, I have, and I ever will be.
To everyone... Thank you.
