Part Eleven – Hanami

I had bid U-47 fair winds and seas as after we had parted ways when I was almost to the Sakura Empire. She had said that she picked up a strange contact on her sonar and wanted to go and check it out, that was fine I knew I could make the rest of the trip just fine.

It surprised me to see that no escorts were waiting for me, no picket ships trying to intercept me. Yet perhaps the strangest thing was the sense of calm that I sensed as I sailed past these arches that sat out in the water. In various berths, I could see ships of every possible class docked, with an open space big enough for my hull. As I sailed closer, the fog started to roll in around the docks as the moonlight started to reflect on the water. I moved to stand at my stern as I turned to reverse into the berth, as I stood there, I reached out with a hand as flower petals floated down on the ever so gentle breeze, landing on my hull and in the water all around me. Once my drives shut down, the automated mooring lines shot out and locked into place while I lowered my ramp down to the dock.

Looking around as I walked down the ramp, I only saw someone sitting on a bench, an umbrella over her head. Even in the dark, I could see that she had long animal ears and a collection of tails behind her. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly I made myself ready to deal with Akagi, again. Balling my fists I took a slightly angled approach to her, watching for any movement that I could take to be hostile.

When I was about three arm's length away, I see her lift a hand under the umbrella and she makes a little coughing sound before standing and tilting the umbrella back. I see purple eyes looking back at me and in an instant, I know this isn't Akagi. Her long ears point towards me and she tilts her head to the side as she says to me, "I expected you sooner, Thunderer."

Taking a step back and giving her a sideways look I say, "And why is that?"

"From what I hear, your hull is rather quick for a ship your size." She says as her eyes look to my hull and she adds, "With the firepower that rivals that of even the Yamato class." She seems to sense that I'm still hesitant and she smiles as she adds, "I've sent both Akagi and Kaga away for a few weeks, you will not encounter her, during your stay."

Relaxing my shoulders a little and un balling my fists I ask her, "And who are you?"

She bows to me as she says, "Amagi, I lead the Sakura Empire after Nagato felt she wasn't strong enough to carry the Empire, she passed it to me."

"Huh." I say as I turn from an angled approach to being more square to her.

Amagi stands upright again and walks over to me, linking an arm through mine and getting us to start walking forward as she says, "Forgive me, but Bismarck said you would be stopping here. She said that you needed help with controlling the beast within."

With a sigh and hanging my head I admit, "I do, when I fight, I feel it getting stronger. I know it feeds on my anger and when it takes control, I do horrible things."

She nods and says to me, "As we all do when we let our emotions get the better of us. I think the first thing that you will need is a bath in one of our sacred hot springs."

My left eye twitches as I retort, "I don't see how a bath will fix that."

Amagi laughs a little before coughing and saying to me, "No, but it is a step towards purifying your soul."

"I don't see how that would work." Those words just sort of coming out of my mouth.

Amagi tilts her head at me and wiggles her ears back and forth as she says, "That's the thing about the Empire, and I'm sure you've seen our rigging often borders on being magical, who is to say that the soul cannot be mended here?"

With a shrug, I say to her, "Maybe, but I just don't understand how."

"Wait and see, wait and see." She says as we go through the town.

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Amagi had taken me to a bathhouse that had these arches all around it and told me to wait in the water. Once I was out on the deck around the hot spring I looked around and found that it was empty, just a steaming pool of water and rocks. With a shrug, I put down the little towel they had given me on the side and I lowered myself in the water, and to be honest about it, it made the tension in my muscles just melt away. After a little while, I sank a little in the water, placing my arms out and on the sides of the pool, closing my eyes I take a deep breath and lean my head back. When I blow the air out, I hear the sound of some kind of water tube falling and hitting a rock, over and over, it was so relaxing.

I'm not sure how long I sat in that water before I heard the sound of clunking on the stone. My eyes open and I reach for the tiny towel to cover myself. I just got myself covered as I sense someone kneeling beside me and she said, "Welcome, Milord."

Looking to my right I see a very beautiful woman and my head tilted to the side as I noticed her cat-like ears on her head. She smiled at me and dipped a cloth into the water before taking my right arm out of it and she started to stroke my arm with the cloth as she says, "I am Fuso, and it is my duty to help purify your body for your journey." From my other side, I heard someone stumble and make a surprised cry just before I hear several things clatter to the ground and Fuso added, "That would be my sister, Yamashiro."

"Sorry!" she says, clearly sounding younger than Fuso.

Turning my attention back to Fuso as she finished with my arm and started to rub the right side of my chest with the cloth, she leaned a little forward as she asked, "I wonder what you will see on your journey, Shikikan-san."

I ran that word over in my mind, it'd been a lifetime ago that I heard it, feeling my cheeks get a little hot at her touch I admit, "I'm no Commander."

Her cleaning of me goes lower than my chest and she asks, "If you are not a Shikikan, then who are you?" I'll be honest, this was kind of a turn-on with how she was rubbing me with that cloth and as she got lower, her lips got closer and she got quieter as she asked that question.

After a moment I whisper out, "I'm kansen, HMS Thunderer."

Her lips brushed my ear and she whispered, "If you are really him, then you honor us by your presence, how may I be of more service to you Milord?"

I was about to say something when I felt Yamashiro start to rub me down from the other side, it felt more energetic and not nearly as intimate, and this broke whatever was taking hold of my mind. With my sense back I asked, "Do you know how I'm going to purify my soul?"

Fuso's hand went lower and brushed against something causing her cheeks to flush a little almost as much as mine did before she said, "It is different for everyone, Milord. We will face what we fear most and we must conquer it."

With a groan, I lean my head back and say, "That should be interesting then."

"It's usually informative, Milord," Fuso says as she finishes up scrubbing me down and waiting for her sister to finish her side of me before adding, "do you need a moment alone?" My cheeks go bright red and I slowly nod up and down. With a slight little smirk Fuso leans forward again and whispers in my ear, "Just not in the water, alright?"

I was about to protest but she stood and walked towards the doors at the back of the room with her sister, both of them bowing to me before closing the sliding door. After a couple of moments and feeling like things had calmed down a little, I got out of the water, tying the towel around my waist and I moved to stand at the wooden fence that had been painted red and overlooked the harbor. Resting my elbows on the wood and leaning forward I took another deep breath, the air here was strangely soothing and I said, "Maybe Bismarck was right, maybe this place will do me some good."

Just after I said that a side door opened and I heard a couple of voices talking in their language, "Atago, tsumari! Minato de Igirisu no fune o mimashita. Kanojo wa Yamato ni hitteki suru jū o motte imasu."

"Takao, moshi sore ga hontōnara, watashitachi wa sonohi no hayai dankai de kanojo o bōju shitadeshou." Responded another voice.

I twist to look in the direction and over the rocks that were between me and where the voices were coming from and my eyes went wide at what I saw. Both of them were in the nude, one with upright dog ears and the other with downward pointed ears. The one with the downward-pointing ears held her towel in front of her and the other, not so much. When they noticed me, the one with the downward pointed ears went bright red and the other tilted her head to the side and made a sound, "Ara?"

Making sure my towel was covering me I bowed and said before doing my best to slip out of there, "Excuse me, I was just finishing up!"

Once I was back in the change room, I found that my clothing was gone; all that was left was a white robe. Luckily it seemed rather easy to get done up and once I had that done I stepped outside to see Amagi standing there, her head tilted to the side as she asked, "Were Takao and Atago not to your liking?"

I felt my cheeks get really hot and I looked down at the floor as I said, "No, they were really pretty, but right now, that is not what I'm here for."

She moves and links arms with me again and we start to walk as she asks, "Then what would please you?"

With a sigh, I say, "I'm not looking to be pleased like that, at least not right now. Besides between my mother and sisters, I doubt they would let me be pleased like that."

She is quiet for a moment before saying to me, "Perhaps you are correct, should I seek out a carrier or battleship to help?"

I clear my throat and look off to the side before saying to her, "I need to be better before I start looking for that."

"Of course, of course." She says but tucks my arm tighter against her bust before looking in my direction and smiling a little.

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Our next stop was what looked like a temple, then again almost everything here looked like a temple. When we went inside, it was dark and Amagi kneeled down just inside the door, I mimicked what she did and the door closed behind us. As soon as it shut, I could hear a match being struck before a candle was lit, seconds later candles all around the room lit right up. Amagi lowered her head and said, "Shinano-sama, I have brought you a traveler that seeks guidance."

I didn't look up, I kept looking at the floor as I hear movement at one end of this room. With my eyes on the floor, I saw what I could only call a butterfly, but it was glowing blue, it landed on my right hand before a second one landed on my left hand and I hear a voice speak, "You have brought me the World Breaker."

"World Breaker?" I mumbled out.

The wooden floor creaked as I heard footsteps get closer, keeping my eyes glued to the floor, but I could see feet in white stockings, then I noticed what looked like a white foxtail and her voice was soft as she asked, "Look up, so that I may see for myself." Lifting my eyes from the ground, I was struck by just how beautiful she was, her long white hair framing her features so finely, the collection of foxtails behind her, and her long white fox ears, but it was her blue eyes that locked onto my red ones and she spoke, "No, you are not the World Breaker, at least not yet." Her attention turned to Amagi and she said, "You have done well to bring him to me before it was too late, I will take it from here."

Amagi somehow bowed deeply even in that kneeling position before shuffling backward and outside while I asked, "What do you mean 'before it was too late'?"

Shinano kneeled in front of me and placed her hands on either side of my face as she said, "I see possibilities, nothing more, nothing less. You have the potential to do great things or terrible things."

Rolling my red eyes I say to her, "Yeah, I know that part already."

She shakes her head back and forth before standing again and offering a hand to me as she says, "Come, I need to get you ready to face yourself."

I followed her to a side room that had a bed as well as a brush and what looked like pots of ink that seemed to have a strange blue glow to them. As she shut the sliding door behind her she said, "Remove your robe, I need to write the sigils on your body."

Feeling a little embarrassed, I take off my robe and lay down, covering myself with my hands while she leans over me, dipping the brush in the ink and starting to draw on me. After what felt like a long time, she moved to place my head in her lap and she whispered to me, "Sleep."

Before I knew it, my eyelids got so heavy, so quickly and I slipped into the black.

XXXX

I found myself standing in a void before a sudden burst of light and I was standing at what looked like Midway. But it wasn't Midway at the same time, the buildings had been leveled, the ground scorched by fire. Looking out to where the water should be, it was nothing by broken and sun-baked dust and dirt. Resting on that dust and dirt were broken ship hulls, looking like they had been through a hell of a war.

As I started to make my way away from the broken buildings I could hear the sound of something being run along metal, like a whetstone being used to sharpen a blade. I followed the sound as best as I could and I saw a figure with their back to me, a tattered shoulder cape on one side, all around him were broken bodies. As I got closer I saw that they were sitting on a pile of broken corpses and they kept sharpening their blade, looking at the base of the bodies I was able to make out several of them, and I felt sick to my stomach, my sisters and my mother were most prominently displayed. Looking away from those I saw an expired and defiled-looking Illustrious. As I took one more step, the sound of sharpening came to an end. Looking in the direction of the tattered shoulder cape, I could see they were looking over their shoulder at me, and I knew that red-eye looking right back at me, this was me.

Before I know it, he's launched himself towards me, and slams his shoulder into me, sending me backward, and lashes out with his chipped and notched black bladed hand and a half blade. His swing is powerful but not controlled in any way. Reaching to my left side, I feel a moment of relief as my hand grips onto my blade. I just draw it in time to catch the edge of his blade against my crossguard, but feel the edge skin my knuckles before I shove it back and away. I follow up with an arcing downward chop, just catching the side of his face with the blade as he steps back and away.

He looks at me, his head tilting to the side and he lashes out again, tossing his blade to his left-hand mid-swing and chopping down hard, I have to get my left hand on the pommel of my blade to try and have enough strength to take the blow on my crossguard. Even then I'm driven down to a knee and I feel him kick me in the center of my chest and onto my back. With my down like that, he places a boot on my blade and spins his around to point downward and I know I've lost this fight, maybe this is what I'm meant to be.

I get ready to close my eyes and accept what is about to happen when I see a glowing blue butterfly land on his cross guard, in my ear I hear Shinano's voice whisper, "Do not meet him with violence, it only makes him stronger."

With his attention on the butterfly, I let go of my blade and roll away just as he returns his attention to me and drives the blade down where my chest had been a moment later. The blade drives deep into the broken earth and I use this moment to get to my feet, he leaves his blade there and starts to lash out with his fists. I do my best to block his strikes, but they are coming too fast and landing too hard that I cannot keep up with dodging or blocking them all. Just as one connects with the side of my face, I feel my nose break and I can taste as well as feel the blood starting to run down my face. He grins at me and lands a blow to my belly almost making me double over, again I hear Shinano speak, "Remember, he is violence."

It takes me a moment to understand what she means, as I stagger back again it clicks what I need to do. He lunges at me again and this time I open my arms wide, catching him tightly, holding him a tight hug I whisper, "I accept you."

I feel him struggle against me; he even starts to claw at my back before he bites my shoulder. Wincing in pain, I start to rub his back as I whisper, "I accept you." Slowly he stops fighting against me as I keep whispering those words over and over. It must've been nearly thirty times I said those words before everything went black again.

XXXXX

When I opened my eyes again, I could see Shinano looking back into my eyes from above. She stroked my left cheek and said, "You almost lost."

"But I didn't, thanks to you." I find I hoarsely whisper back.

Shinano stroked my left cheek again and whispered to me as she smiled, "Rest, your body has been through an ordeal the likes of which it had only faced twice before."

I nod slowly and feel myself drift back into the black for a dreamless sleep.

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The next time I awake, I find that I'm still in the same room, and beside me in the bed is Shinano, feeling a bit of fear, I slowly lift the covers and see that she is fully dressed and I have my robe on again. I watch as she stirs and sits up beside me before getting out of the bed as she says to me, "We did not do anything; I simply slept beside you to ensure you had a deep uneventful rest." I watch as she moves to a wall and opens some shutters as she adds, "Your future awaits you far from here, but I will welcome you back here again when you return to my homeland."

I nod slowly and start to get out of the bed and I ask, "Can I ask where my clothes are?"

"They are in a side room, waiting for you." She says to me as a normal-looking buttery fly comes over to land on her right index finger.

"Thanks," I start to say as I walk towards the side room and add, "for everything."

"You are most welcome, Mitchel Thatcher." She answers.

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A/N: That was a fun trip to the Sakura Empire to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it.