Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fanfiction using characters, settings, abilities, etc. from Fate/Grand Order and Fate/GUDAGUDA Order; and Azur Lane, which are trademarked and owned by Type-Moon; and Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi, respectively and all their related animation and publishing entities. I do NOT claim any ownership. I do NOT make any money off of this fanfiction. Please support the original creators Type-Moon; and Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi and their respective animation studios/publishers for making such awesome works.
Please do not repost The Fool of Azur Lane anywhere else.
Chapter 1: The Great Phoenix
"Noooobuuuuu!"
"No, don't touch that! And you! Stay there! Kippoushi, hurry up and give me a hand!" A frantic and exhausted Okita Souji, who was wearing her trademark light blue and white Shinsengumi uniform, pleaded as she tried to round up all the various Nobbu currently wreaking havoc inside Chaldea's precious Rayshift Room.
"Wahahaha! But Okita, you already have me in hand." Oda Nobunaga, who preferred to be called Kippoushi to avoid any confusion with the other Nobus in Chaldea, casually pointed out, currently enjoying just watching Okita struggle. The famed and notorious Demon King of the Sixth Heaven wore his usual outfit of a short teal mini-jacket, black cropped undershirt, and black pants with a long, ornately designed red half skirt. Of course, Kippoushi's voluminous, spiky black hair had been tied in an extensive ponytail with his hallmark hat askew on his head.
Technically, Kippoushi was correct. Okita was indeed currently holding one of the Nobu-Sengumi by the scruff of its uniform in her right hand. "This isn't funny! Whose idea was it to let them out in here anyways?!"
"Hm, well my cute Archer and Berserker selves were busy planning our Nobu Trio debut. Maybe it was Archer me who wanted to distract you in the meantime while using one of the grails to build a new bomb."
"WHAT?!" Okita seethed at the revelation that Archer Nobu had potentially set all of this disorder in motion to once again repeat the mistakes of GUDAGUDA. Ironically, that past event had spawned the very creatures that were currently the bane of Okita's existence.
"Either that or maybe the Nobbu just escaped? Well, it can't be helped now!" Kippoushi said with a toothy grin.
Truly, today was not Okita's great victory. Having to deal with both the Nobbu and Kippoushi was more than any heroic spirit deserved. Upon hearing about the Nobbu released once again, every hero and staff member had stayed clear of this entire section, not wanting to intervene. "Your nonchalance about this situation is annoying!"
"But where's all that famed Sakura Saber speed?"
Okita was now very tempted to use her Noble Phantasm against Kippoushi, consequences be damned. Having captured several of the Nobbu and trapping them in a nearby utility closet, Okita was dismayed by the fact that there were dozens of Nobbu still roaming free. Fortunately, none of them had decided to use their weapons or explosives, which would have made this infuriating experience far worse.
"Hey, isn't that one of the Grails over there?"
Okita's eyes followed the direction of Kippoushi's pointed finger. Kippoushi was correct. There was a Deka Nobbu casually throwing the golden cup in the air like a ball. The Nobbu were in possession of the Holy Grail. The almighty wish-granting device that had the power to change reality itself. This was a catastrophe just waiting to happen!
"Kippoushi! We have to stop them!" Okita shrieked, having experienced the Nobbu menace in full during the events of GUDAGUDA.
"Eh, what're they going to do? I'm sure it'll be fine."
Kippoushi would quickly learn to regret those words as the Holy Grail suddenly began brightly shining in the hands of the Nobbu.
"Nobu?!" The Nobbu all shrieked in surprise.
Kippoushi reacted in an instant, swiftly moving toward the position of the grail. He then heard a blaring alarm in the room, indicating that the Rayshift process had been activated. Probably from the Nobbu's meddling. This entire situation was out of the ordinary as it should not have been possible for the Nobbu to operate the wish granting device. I should have destroyed the grails the moment I arrived in Chaldea, after all. The moment Kippoushi's fingers touched the metal surface of the artifact, the Holy Grail's radiance only increased tenfold. Well, shit.
Before Okita could react, a blinding flash of golden light erupted inside the Rayshift Room. When she opened her eyes, Okita saw the figure of Kippoushi, several Nobbu in his immediate vicinity, and the grail completely gone. The remaining Nobbu looked extremely scared and worried upon witnessing this event. Okita could not believe what had just happened.
"Kippoushi!"
It wasn't supposed to be like this…
A lone woman inside the flag bridge wondered how fate could be so cruel to her. Wearing a short, but intricately designed, red kimono accented by golden trims with brightly colored purple and orange feathers on each respective sleeve, Taihou by all accounts possessed a voluptuous beauty that surpassed human imagination. Her exceedingly flowing locks of luscious black hair, which were tied into a pair of twintails, and crimson red eyes stood out amongst a most lovely face. Dark brown stockings made from a strange material and a golden phoenix skull ornament on the right side of Taihou's head completed her unique look.
But in this moment, Taihou struggled to stand, watching in abject horror as the remaining sailors desperately scurried along her flight deck, trying their best to recover the dozens of wounded and put out the roaring flames. The horrid stench of acrid smoke, aviation fuel, and smoldering human flesh filled the air around her, making it difficult to even take in a single clean breath. Taihou clutched her abdomen in agony as she felt the intense burning from the fires in her sides. If not for the pain in her sides, Taihou would have used her hands to slam them against her ears to help stop the terrible cries ringing within them. Taihou could hear the anguished screams and shouts from the hundreds of crew members still trapped below deck.
This wasn't what was supposed to happen!
Just ten hours ago, Taihou had been ecstatic for the opportunity to finally prove her worth. Her life had always been a lonely existence from the very beginning. Unlike every other aircraft carrier, she had no sister to relate to or share her most private thoughts with. But Taihou had been told that she was supposed to be special from all the rest. She alone would be the Great Phoenix who would turn the tide of the war for her nation. Like her namesake, Taihou received numerous praises that she would be nearly invincible and destined to become a legendary figure, and Taihou had taken solace in those words. So, she pushed aside those crippling feelings of isolation to fulfill her sacred duty.
When Taihou had met her Admiral, she admitted to herself that she had some reservations. The elder military man was clearly a no-nonsense and by-the-book figure, usually ignoring Taihou and practically regarding her as nothing more than a weapon. But on the day that he first boarded, the Admiral had stared at his sailors standing at attention, proudly declaring that he would never leave her deck until their mission was complete and victory was at hand. As the rest of the crew cheered, Taihou took his fierce words to heart, cherishing the very idea that he would always be there for her. So, despite the poor way he treated her, Taihou continued to act faithfully and perform her duties diligently. For the first time in her life, Taihou had believed that her future would ultimately be a bright one.
Then, the torpedo had hit her.
Taihou had doubled over from the savage blow. When she had recovered, Taihou was in a state of panic. She had never been wounded in battle before. Had she not been told that she would be like the mythical phoenix and be impervious to such attacks? But her Admiral had taken control of the situation, expertly barking out orders and having the damage control crews make haste in alleviating her burden. As a result of her Admiral's resolution, Taihou did her best to ignore the lingering pain and continued her vital work. After several hours of intense damage control attempts, it seemed as if she would recover fully. Perhaps the mission could continue after all.
Unfortunately, such an outcome was not to be, when the head of the damage control teams proposed opening up every valve and utilizing her ventilation system to try to air out all the internal smoke. Taihou had thought the idea was sheer idiocy. But the Admiral had agreed. She had tried everything she could to stop them. But it was as if they could not even hear her forlorn pleas. All she could do was wait in excruciating silence until tragedy struck. Just only a little over six hours later after the torpedo attack, an explosion horribly tore through Taihou's very being.
Now here was Taihou, stuck on the flag bridge in utter agony. There was no hope for recovery this time. Only a dark, merciless end awaited her. But suddenly, she spotted the familiar uniform of her Admiral. His clothes were no longer pristine, as they were covered in scorch marks and soot just like every other crew member. Nevertheless, to Taihou, he still looked like her noble hero. Even if this were to be her death… at least she would not be alone in her final moments.
However, she then recognized the portrait of the Emperor tucked in the crook of his right arm. Taihou also noticed exactly where he was heading toward alongside several of his chief officers. The lifeboats.
No.
The reality of the situation cruelly dawned on her. The last comfort she had left was abandoning her. Her death would be just like her birth: alone. Taihou could only sob helplessly as the lifeboats were lowered. Soon however, the flames were so scorching against her body that she had no tears left to shed. Taihou realized she truly was a phoenix in the end. Destined to burn away into nothingness.
Please… don't leave me…
A final fiery explosion ripped through Taihou, and then... there was only darkness.
Taihou woke up screaming. She took deep, heavy breaths, almost gasping. But instead of the putrid, choking smell of burning gasoline, there was only the cool, sweet, and fragrant scent of cherry blossoms. Taihou realized that she was sweating profusely and upon touching her cheeks felt fresh tear tracks. It was that same nightmare… again…
Her tragic past... before she had been reborn as a Kansen. Taihou shook her head furiously as if to make those terrible memories disappear. But she knew that they would always be part of who she was. Sighing, Taihou rose unsteadily from her traditional futon. She looked out the window of her room and saw that it was still far into the nighttime. The Kansen supposed it would be best to sleep as soon as possible to be fully rested for the following morning. But what was the point? After her past ignominious sinking in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Taihou was widely considered an utter disgrace and failure. Akagi had callously told her that she had no need for someone like Taihou in her plans to take on Azur Lane. So, Taihou spent her days alone in her room. She gazed miserably at the single futon in her bedroom. At least the other Sakura carriers and even most of the battleships had someone to sleep next to. While Taihou had no one.
Without warning, an incredibly bright light erupted in the middle of her room as a figure in a strange mix of relatively flamboyant attire suddenly tumbled out of thin air, crashing into her table and one of her drawers. The already timorous Taihou shrieked in response to the strange phenomenon.
"Uwaa… that hurt. Oi, Okita! Stop shout-" The individual with the long spiky hair in a ponytail abruptly halted speaking, having noticed Taihou's presence. "Eh, you're not Okita. Who're you?!"
On this bizarre night, the Great Phoenix met the blazing Fool who would change her fate forever and perhaps bring an end to her loneliness.
"AHHHHHH!"
A lilac and fancily designed wooden door was slammed open with a force that nearly ripped it off its hinges. Wearing a neat and fetching white and navy blue maid uniform that denoted her position in the Royal Maids, the white haired head maid Belfast had immediately dashed upstairs upon hearing the terrified scream from Her Majesty. "Your Majesty? Are you all right?"
Queen Elizabeth, the short but charismatic leader of the Royal Navy, was currently in her favorite silk pajamas and standing on her luxurious bed. "W-What in the world is that?!"
Belfast turned her head and saw some kind of odd creature. Despite the darkness in the room, Belfast could see a large white pupil-less circular right eye with the other covered by a bang of dark black hair. It wore a strange large hat that had a golden ornament and black military uniform plus a red cape. It stared at Queen Elizabeth and Belfast unflinchingly before opening its mouth.
"Nobu!"
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for checking out this story! This was kinda hastily written, so apologies for any errors or storyline discrepancies.
After watching the 4th JP Anniversary Stream and seeing Taihou's gorgeous wedding dress, I couldn't help but celebrate and try writing a piece with Taihou. I believe that this is the first main Taihou crossover fanfiction on this site, so I hope readers can enjoy it. Oda Nobunaga Avenger (especially the Kippoushi version who was recently and officially confirmed to be male by F/GO source material) also does not get enough love and appreciation (Grailed to 100 and Maxed). Lastly, Taihou and Nobu are an interesting pairing given the symbolic/thematic similarities in their lore, and the fact that Taihou and Okita are both voiced by the incredibly talented Aoi Yuuki. I hope that Azur Lane continues to have amazing success in the future given the unique and incredible level of diligence, dedication, and outreach from the developers and CEO of Manjuu in their work for the fanbase. Especially Intern-kun. He is the best bro after all. Happy 4th Anniversary to you all!