Here's chapter 3. I made some minor adjustments before I uploaded it.
Opening
Tenkai was getting closer to Japan. The waves, tired of their attempts to stop his continuous approach, calmed. He was laughing his throat out. "Teito, Teito, at last, you shall fall! But first, I'll let you all watch your precious Teikoku Kagekidan slaughtered before you!" His laugh frightened the birds which were on the water, looking for fish.
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Chapter 3: The return to active duty
A sailor went to Admiral Sato and saluted, "Sir, here are our top men capable of doing the task." The sailor gave the data to Admiral Sato and left.
Admiral Sato gave the papers to the council. He could tell that they were thinking hard, looking earnestly at the papers with the men's records. Their eyes moving left to right, stopping to think then started moving from left to right again. They were murmuring to each other the sailors' names and profiles. Admiral Sato restlessly waits in his seat, staring at the naval ensign flag. Finally, after about ten minutes of discussion, the council gave the sailors' names they've chosen to Admiral Sato. He agreed but without Yoneda's approval, it can't be finalized.
Admiral Sato got the papers and quietly proceeded to dock 29 where Yoneda and Ayame are inspecting the installation of the Spirit Cannon on the Maya. He was amazed by the size of it. He was glad they chose the Maya. It has a strong, metallic deck which can withstand its presence and at the same time, fight.
The Spirit Cannon had a long, rectangular, metallic base with wires covered in metal. Of course there was insulation in the metal. At the edge of the base, the part facing the superstructure and bridge of the Maya is like a dome. That part obviously rotates and raises the height of the cannon. The cannon is tucked neatly in the base which has the shape of the cylindrical cannon in the centre. Under the cannon is a bendable metal plank which is used to support the cannon when you adjust the height. the end of the cannon, which is placed on the dome-like part of the base, also has metal covered wires with insulation. It also has a very, very sturdy piece of glass which shows each of the Ryoushi Crystals inside it. Beside the whole thing are a pair of semi-circle shaped objects. The flat parts rested on the ship's deck. Those were probably generators to power the crystals.
Admiral Sato looked at the Kanzaki engineers who are inspecting the Cannon to check if it's good to go when Yoneda caught his attention. "Hey Admiral, what you got there?" and he pointed at the papers.
"Oh, yeah. The council have decided on these men to be the crew of the Harusame. All they need is your approval and they will be informed immediately of their assignment." Admiral Sato handed Yoneda the papers. "You are given only two hours to decide or else those men will be chosen with or without your approval." Sato then turned his attention back to the cannon and the men installing and inspecting it.
Yoneda, who was looking at the papers gasped, "Nani!?"
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The cock of a rooster woke up the Shinguujis in their apartment. The rays of the morning sun penetrated through the curtains in their apartment. Ichiro started to do his usual daily routine: Wake up, shower, brush teeth and read the papers as Sakura cooks breakfast. He is already on his reading the papers part of the routine. He shot a quick glance at his wife who is cooking earnestly while humming to herself. He smiled then return to reading the papers. "Oooh," Ichiro mumbled. "Steam prices reduced by 4%. I don't have to pay as much as before!" he continued to mumble happily.
"Breakfast is ready!" Sakura happily called him. They were having fried rice and tempura for breakfast.
"Mmm! This looks good!" Ichiro exclaimed as the aroma of fried shrimp caught his taste buds.
Sakura was very happy at his remark and simply thanked him. Looking at her happy husband, Sakura began to remember the dream she had that night, the smile on her face slowly fading. She just stared at her food, thinking about it when Ichiro snapped her out of it.
"Sakura, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing!" she then forced a smile. "Now, let's start eating before the food gets cold!" when she saw his happy face, she then thought, "It's just a dream. Dreams don't always happen right?" she calmed down and started eating.
After the meal, Ichiro and Sakura both helped each other wash the dishes and silverware.
Suddenly, their phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Sakura went over to the phone and answered it, "Hello?"
"Ichiro! It's for you!"
"Who is it?"
"Shihainin."
"Arigatou Sakura." He then went to the phone "Hello?"
Yoneda, who was on the other line, spoke with a somewhat sad tone in his voice, "Ichiro, do you have time? Can you go to the Teigeki right now? There is something important we want to discuss."
"Hai Yoneda-shihainin, I'll come over right away."He was a bit puzzled at what Yoneda-shihainin meant when he said 'we'. He walked over to Sakura who was waiting in the balcony. The sunlight made her hair shine. Ichiro stopped a little then smiled.
"What did shihainin want Ichiro?" she asked.
"He wants me to come over to the Teigeki. You want to come along?"
"Sure! I'll come along. Well, better get ready!" with that, she went to the dresser to get some clothes.
Ichiro stayed in the balcony thinking about what Yoneda and the 'others' wanted.
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Upon arrival at the Teigeki, they were greeted by the Kazegumi.
"Is Yoneda-shihainin in his office?"
"Hai. You better hurry up, they've been waiting for you." Kasumi replied.
Ichiro looked at Sakura. "Sakura, I'll go ahead to Yoneda-shihainin's room."
"I'll just be in the salon if you need me." Sakura replied.
Ichiro smiled and proceeded to Yoneda's room while Sakura joined the Hanagumi who were talking in the salon.
"What now?" Yuri asked.
"We'll listen to them." Replied Tsubaki.
Kasumi, scratching her head retorted, "But we'll be eavesdropping!"
"So what?" Tsubaki replied. "We've done this lots of times."
"Let's invite the others so it'll be fun!" Yuri suggested.
"No! I wanna be first to tell them. It won't be much of a gossip if they come along."
"Are you guys sure that we won't get caught?" Kasumi asked, a little worry in her face.
Tsubaki made a wide grin and showed them the key to Ayame's room.
The two gasped, "Where did you get that!? Don't you know it's bad to steal!? What if we get caught!?" Kasumi asked, covering her mouth.
"Relax, Ayame-san lent it to me. She said we've got every right to know."
"Okay, as long as Ayame-san lent it to you."
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"Ah, Shinguuji Ichiro, glad you could make it. Pleasure to meet you."
"Count Hanakoji, a pleasure too." The two shook their hands.
"Ichiro, Count Hanankoji is from the wise men council. We have a very serious matter that we should discuss." Yoneda spoke. "Have a seat Ichiro."
"Arigatou." and he took a seat in front of the desk of Yoneda. "Well, Ichiro,-" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Yes, who is it?"
"It's Kasumi, sir. Kayama-kun and Admiral Sato is here."
"Ah, come in, come in."
Kasumi led the two in and they too took their seats beside Ichiro while Kasumi hastily went to Ayame's room where Tsubaki and Yuri are. "What is Kayama-kun, Admiral Sato and Count Hanakoji doing here?"
"I don't know, Kasumi" Yuri replied. "That's why we got to find out. They might be discussing something very important right now." And the three pressed their ears against the wall.
"Kayama?! What are you doing here?"
"Yo Ohgami! I mean, Shinguuji! You're a lucky guy eh, having Sakura as your wife."
Ichiro then blushed. "Well,..."
"Okay you two that's enough. Ichiro, this is Admiral Sato, the current Commander of the Imperial Navy."
Ichiro abruptly stood up and shook hands with the Admiral "Sir, a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah, so am I"
"Let's leave the the formal introductions to that and continue with the meeting." Yoneda interrupted. "There is no other easier way to say this, so I'll get straight to the point. *sigh* For the past hours, our steam radar network picked up a strange reading in the Pacific ocean, near Japan." Yoneda handed Ichiro and Kayama the procured data and some pictures of Tenkai's approach.
"So, Tenkai has returned." Ichiro muttered.
"We sent four ships to fight him but he destroyed them." Admiral Sato said
Kayama asked "Which one?"
"All of them."
He couldn't speak anymore and just fell back in his chair.
Ichiro studied the data and the pictures. "I'm assuming that you want me to dispatch the Hanagumi to fight him? As much as I want to, I can't. The Kobu-"
He was cut-off by Count Hanakoji, "No, it's not that."
"What do you want us to do then?" Kayama asked, finally regaining his strength.
Yoneda, Count Hanakoji and Sato told them of what they did the past hours, the preparations, and the assignment which asked for Kayama and Ichiro's service.
"I can't sir! I'm assigned as the Teikoku Kagekidan Hanagumi taichou! I'm sorry but I can't do it."
"Neither do I sir, I'm the Taichou of the Tsukigumi. I can't leave my post. I'm sorry but I have to decline."
"There must be some other people who are capable of doing the job." Ichiro stared at the floor, looking miserable.
"Is it because of Sakura?" Yoneda asked.
Ichiro suddenly looked at him "Yoneda-shihainin."
"Listen, Ichiro. I remember before, when you became the Hanagumi taichou, you said that you will fight and never give up. You said you will defeat anything which threatens Teito with your life on the line. You said you would do anything to protect the smiles of the citizens and your subordinates. Everybody believed in you including me and you did just that. And because of it, you almost died in a battle. That was very selfless of you. We were correct in our decision to make you the Hanagumi taichou. Staying with Sakura in this dire moment is a very selfish act. Remember, what you said was a promise you made to us and Teito. I, personally didn't want you to go but now, I understand. It is the responsibility of the Hanagumi taichou to protect Teito and its citizens no matter what. It is your responsibility. It is the reason you live. Teito needs you badly. Think about it."
"Ichiro-kun," Ayame added. "Remember that saying, 'It's not a sin when men do nothing; It's a sin when good men do nothing' or something like that. You get the point, Ichiro-kun? So please"
Ichiro just looked back at the floor and kept to his mind what Yoneda and Ayame just told him.
The meeting went on for another hour.
"That can't be possible!" Tsubaki exclaimed.
"Tenkai's back. I just can't believe it!" Yuri said.
Kasumi sadly spoke. "They're gonna take Ichiro from us and Kayama-kun from Tsukigumi."
The other girls' faces fell in sadness. The door opened and Kayama came out followed by Ichiro.
"Think about it." Yoneda called out before Ichiro closed the door. The two continued to walk up to the entrance of the Teigeki.
"What now Kayama?"
"I don't know Shinguuji. I don't feel like I want to."
"Cheer-up Kayama, I feel the same thing. You're even luckier."
"Eh?" The two stopped walking.
"You should be lucky. You can bring some Tsukigumi commandoes to fight while I..."
"You, can't bring along Sakura and the others?"
Ichiro simply nodded "Kobu can't work on water. The girls can't fight much when on a ship." He turned his head to the dining room where they are happily talking with each other while Kanna is cooking lunch.
"At least you'll be protecting them by not bringing them along. Away from the battle."
Ichiro smiled a little. Kayama bid him good-bye and he closed the door. On his way to his old room, he met Kasumi, Yuri and Tsubaki.
"Ichiro?" Yuri asked with sad looks on their faces. He knew they were eavesdropping but he didn't care. They would find out sooner or later. He just forced a very faint smile and shuffled his feet towards his old room.
He flopped down on the bed, thinking about it.
It's your responsibility
The reason you live
Your promise to us
To lay your life
To defend Teito
To protect the smiles of the citizens
"Sakura... minna-san..." Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his face. "...I'm sorry."
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At the dining table, Iris barely spoke to anyone. Everybody started to be suspicious of her actions. They tried asking her what's wrong but she won't answer them so they decided to just leave her alone. She was never like that before. She would always talk with them and make them happy but now she is just in her little corner. "No, should I?" she kept thinking. "No, if Iris did, it'd be selfish of me." She went to her room. "If Iris didn't..." She started to cry. "No, Iris won't! But she loves him!" She started to cry harder. "But even if she did, no! She can't but she wants to!" She tried to stop her crying but the tears came flowing out of her eyes. "Oh, Jean-Paul! What should Iris do!?" She buried her face on her teddy-bear friend and cried harder.
Lunch was ready and everyone waited for Ichiro and Iris. Kohran had gone to Iris' room and told her to eat with them. Iris had already calmed down and she slowly went to the dining room and took her seat. Everyone including Ichiro were waiting for her. She could see him smiling, sitting beside his wife while talking and eating at the same time. She could see that he was very happy but deep inside, she could feel his heart in terrible pain.
That afternoon, Sumire saw Ichiro in the salon thinking hard about something so she offered him a cup of tea which he eagerly accepted. "Where's Sakura-san?"
"She went to the doctor. Said she wasn't feeling good. I knew she felt bad since this morning. I could see it. She didn't want to tell me until she felt worse so I brought her to our family doctor."
"Why didn't you stay with her?"
"As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. Our meeting will be continued in a few minutes but I still stayed with her for as long as I could."
Just then, a knock was heard at the door. Ichiro quickly stood up and went to the door. "Ah, Sakura-kun. How are you feeling?"
"I feel a lot better. The doctor gave me some medicine."
"You sure? Nothing bad? Are you okay?"
"Ichiro, arigatou for being very concerned at me demo, I feel much better. Is minna-san in the salon? I have to tell you all something."
"Wait, I'll call them."
"No, chuu'i. I'll call them. You enjoy your tea. You're working pretty hard lately."
"Arigatou Sumire-kun" Sumire then hastily left and looked for everyone.
At the salon, everyone are there, eagerly waiting for Sakura to tell them. Ichiro is still drinking his tea. Yes, still drinking the same tea Sumire gave him. He was thinking a lot more than drinking.
"Tell us already Sakura!" Iris spoke, rather impatiently.
"Well, you see,...I'm pregnant!"
The room was filled with wow's, congratulations and happy murmurs.
"Isn't it great, Ichiro?" Sakura smiled, looking at him.
"Yeah, that's great." He replied, while taking a sip. His eyes suddenly grew big anime style and he spat some of the tea from his mouth onto the floor.
"NANI!!?" his voice became squeaky "p-p-p-pregnant?"
"Hai! Isn't it great? You'll be a father soon!" Sakura happily replied.
"H-h-how?" he replied, still speaking squeakily.
"Don't you remember, silly? You impregnated me three nights ago!" Sakura then covered her mouth. "Ooops. I said too much."
"Woooo! Yeah! Taichou made the first move! Hehehe." Kanna exclaimed with her fist on the air while the others' mouths were hanging loosely.
The couple's faces turned even redder than the time they were caught almost kissing.
"Ichiro-han of course will make the first move judging by his 'player' personality." Kohran spoke in a matter-of-factly way.
"It is a miracle taichou isn't flirting while he's engaged to Sakura. Or is he?" Maria added with a curious look on her face.
Sakura quickly retorted "No, no, no! He's not like that! He's always there when I need him, there was never a time he had a relationship with another girl and he loves me very much!"
"You better watch him Sakura-san, you may never know." Sumire adviced her, a smirk spreading on her face.
"Y-you got it all wrong! I'm not like tha-" Ichiro stopped arguing when an idea struck him. "Hey! This will be very interesting." he said, trying to change the topic.
"What do you mean?" Sakura's face was regaining its normal color.
"When our child is born, he or she will have four aunts but no uncles." Ichiro's face contorted to a smile and he started to speak, rather amused. "Let's see uh, Aunt Maria, Aunt Kohran, Aunt Sumire and Aunt Kanna. Iris can be his or her cousin I guess."
"Okay, okay taichou. We get it." Maria retorted still emotionless.
"Yeah, Ichiro-han. We'll get married too, you know." Kohran added.
"Sooner or later." Sumire spoke.
Kanna's fist was back down in defeat.
"Yay! I'll have another cousin!" Exclaimed Iris. Though she still feels sad, she tries to cheer up.
Ichiro comforted them. "Don't be blue, I'm sure you'll find the right man for you sooner or later. I better go. The meeting is about to start." He hugged Sakura and whispered to her ear "Arigatou gozaimas Sakura, I'm overjoyed!" then, he started to walk towards the manager's office. "That worked out well." he thought.
Sakura looked at his form as he went to the manager's office and smiled.
Ichirou felt a lot better with the good news Sakura brought with her but at the same time, he felt worse. He might not be able to see their child at all. Because of that, he finally made his decision; his final decision. He opened the office's door and stepped inside. Kayama was already there. His face wasn't as cheerful as what it had always been whenever he came. The meeting then started.
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That night, on the dinner table, the group were talking about Sakura and Ichiro's child and how to care for babies. The topic currently being discussed is about handling pregnant women's cravings for things. The girls except for Sakura told Ichiro to get ready to spend a lot of money on Sakura. Everyone are happy except for Ichiro and Iris, whose happiness are only fake, hiding their true feelings.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Taichou, what happened to your meeting?" Kanna asked feeling somewhat curious.
"Yeah, tell us, Ichiro-han we're interested. What did you do?" Kohran added.
Ichiro's happy face turned into an emotionless face stuck between the border of sadness and happiness. "I-It's confidential. I-I can't tell you." Iris now felt his heart in much more pain than before. Her chest started to ache too.
"Come on, you can tell us." Sakura smiled. "We'll keep it secret."
"If I tell you, you won't be smiling like that anymore. I want you to keep that smile. It cheers up people, making them feel better." Ichiro thought. "I'm sorry, I really can't. I hope you'll understand. Excuse me." Ichiro went to the front steps of the Teigeki and sat there, tears starting to fall. Sakura followed him and sat beside him. He immediately wiped his tears, trying to hide it from her.
"Are you all right, Ichiro?"
"I-I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
Sakura placed an arm around his back and spoke sweetly, "You don't look fine. Don't hide anything from me. I know something's up. Come on, you can tell me. I'll help you in anyway I can."
"I don't think you can help me with this."
"What do you mean?"
"Promise you'll be alright when I tell you?"
Sakura nodded in agreement.
Ichiro wrapped her in his arm and trapped her in his warm embrace. He then told her about what has been happening. He told her about the Kobu not being able to work on water and what he and Kayama's being asked to do. He then told her that they can't come along.
"What did you tell them?"
"I said..." Ichiro was finding it hard to speak.
Sakura listened earnestly while they continued to hug each other.
With all the strength he could muster, he added "...Yes." There was silence. Sakura didn't say anything but bury her head in his chest and clutch the back of his polo harder. He could feel her crying. Her tears were penetrating his damp polo to his skin. "Gomen nasai Sakura demo, I must do this for Teito, for your sake and for our child."
"I understand. You will come back to us, right? I know how it feels when you lose a father. I don't want that feeling to pass on to our child. I love you so much!" She clutched his polo even tighter. "We don't want to lose you!" With that, she sobbed harder. "Promise us." her voice was starting to strain "Please, promise us!" her voice was beginning to become weaker with every word she spoke. "Promise you'll come back!"
"I promise. Don't cry, your smile is what matters most right now. It helps cheer up people." he started to stroke her hair, "Remember the promise I made when I became the Hanagumi taichou? I promised to always defend Teito and your smiles and, I promised that I will always come back." He comforted her, making her feel better.
Sakura stopped crying and continued to stay in his arms. She never wanted the moment to end for she knew that early the next day, her beloved will be out of her grasp.
Ichiro too, never wanted to let her go for he might never hold her like this again.
The others were watching the two from the balcony.
"Well, they didn't kiss." Kanna frowned "I give up."
"But why was Sakura crying just now? She was cheerful a while ago." Maria asked, concealed in deep thought.
"This does raise many questions." Kohran added.
"It must have something to do with chuu'i's meeting. Remember, he wouldn't tell us earlier about it?" Sumire too, was thinking hard.
"Exactly what I had in mind." Maria said "It must have something to do with Iris' behavior too. She was looking at taichou most of the time with worry in her face."
"We must investigate this serious matter immediately!" Kohran exclaimed and the four left, searching for answers. They first went to Yoneda's office. He just told them he didn't know about anything.
"What now?" Sumire asked.
Yoneda then suggested, "Why not ask the Kazegumi? They know too much." He knew that Kasumi, Yuri and Tsubaki were eavesdropping during the meetings. They always do that and, he didn't want to tell them himself; It is too much for him to bear when he sees them cry after telling them the news.
They went to Tsubaki afterwards. She told them what was talked about during the meetings and Ichiro and Kayama's duty. "They said Kayama-san and Ichiro-san are gonna ride a big ship. They will fight Tenkai without any Kobu. We want to help them but the Shougei-maru is under repairs."
"That bastard, Tenkai. We knew we should've sealed him." Kanna murmured with a slight anger in her tone. "What did taichou and Kayama say?"
"Ichiro-san will be the taichou of the ship and Kayama-san will be his first officer. They will fight Tenkai." The others were mortified with Tsubaki's answer.
"We can't do much now. Its Ichiro-han's decision. We can just sit, pray and hope for the best." Kohran slumped down on a chair and stared at the ceiling.
"If only chuu'i'd let me come along, I would've beaten Tenkai myself without a Kobu."
"Taichou..." Maria went to her room. She took out her locket and stared at her picture of her deceased taichou from the Russo-Japan war. "Please come back safely." She closed the locket and laid on her bed "We need you."
That night, Ichiro prepared his luggages. He took quick glances at his wife everytime he would pack something. She is sleeping peacefully. After packing, he placed his luggages beside the door of their bedroom. He neatly placed his two katanas on top of it and hung his uniform on the dresser. Drowsily, he went over to their futon. He kissed Sakura and slept, thinking about the next day.
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The next day, the couple woke up early. The two immediately got dressed because the mission will start in two hours. Ichiro holstered his sidearm on his left waist and placed his two katanas on his right. He took his luggages and they left for the harbor, hardly talking to each other. When they arrived, the others were already there, waiting for him. Kayama was just sitting on the bench, his cheerful side isn't showing up. A sailor came and offered to put his luggages on the ship. He accepted and the man took his luggages.
There were lots of people, mainly sailors. Their families were bidding them good-bye and there were many people crying. He could see at the far side of the harbor the Maya docked. Some Kanzaki engineers were on board, taking last-minute check-ups on the Spirit cannon. And there it was. The ship he will be commanding. It was bigger than expected. The others, too were in awe at the vessel. Men are loading in provisions and some wooden crates that are unidentifiable. The morale officer on the loud speaker is encouraging the men, giving them strength to do the job. Then, Yoneda and Admiral Sato came.
Since Ichiro is now in active duty, he saluted his commanding officers.
"Ah, Shinguuji-taichou. I hope your men are ready. I could see that the supplies are now onboard." The Admiral spoke, patting Ichiro on the back.
"All men are present and accounted for sir."
"Well, good luck."
Ichiro brought Yoneda someplace private and talked to him, "Yoneda-shirei, may I ask you a favor?"
"Go ahead," Yoneda replied, puzzled by Ichiro's sudden actions.
Ichiro took out an envelope and handed it to him "If something ever happens to me... can you please... give this to Sakura and the others?"
"Yeah, sure." Yoneda hesitantly took the envelope. It had the Hanagumi symbol on it and in the middle was a writing that says, 'My Family'
"Arigatou gozaimas, Yoneda-shirei. Now I must go back." and with that, he returned to the others.
The others were just silent and gloomy. Iris is thinking hard aside from being gloomy. "Now should Iris tell him? She only has a few minutes and once he's gone, there's nothing she can do about it. Iris wants to but she couldn't!"
The men were starting to board their ships. There were twelve men who aren't sailors but they had a red cross symbol on their shoulder. "Medics." Ichiro thought. He hesitantly took a few steps forward and turned around to look at his family. He could see Sumire, Kohran, Iris and Sakura weeping. Kanna and Maria aren't but they feel really bad about having their taichou leave them.
"Taichou," Maria finally spoke "Come back okay?"
"Yeah taichou," Kanna forced a smile, "Kick Tenkai's butt and come back to us."
Kohran managed to speak after weeping a little, "Ichiro-han, don't break your promise to us okay?"
"Chuu'i, when you come back, I'll make you my best cup of tea." Sumire smiled
"Ichiro, please don't break your promise. We trust that you'll come back. Our child will be happy." Sakura ran to him and the two locked themselves in a passionate kiss; their last kiss. Sakura cried inwardly as they kissed. Ichiro couldn't help but cry too. He is leaving them.
The others got what they were longing for. They could see the two kissing at last with their own eyes but this vision is already obsolete compared to the pain they're feeling.
After the kiss, the two hugged each other. Ichiro carressed Sakura's cheek with his. "I love you, Sakura."
Sakura placed her chin in his shoulder and tilted her head and rested it on his neck. "I love you too, Ichiro. Come back to us."
Ichiro then pulled out of it. "Sayonara, Sakura, minna-san. I will come back." and he walked towards his ship. He could see Kayama on the ship, looking at the city.
At the ship, Ichiro looked back one last time at his family who were waving at him, bidding him good-bye. He smiled one last time and went to the bridge.
Kayama was already there and he seemed to be a little more cheerful.
Just then, Iris screamed at the tip of her little voice, "ONIICHAN!! DON'T GO!!! PLEASE DON'T GO!!! SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!!! COME BACK! COME BACK!" Iris tried to run to him but the others stopped her.
"Iris! Don't! It's the taichou's decision. He has to go." Maria spoke, stopping her from running to him.
"DEMO!!"
Kohran knew that Iris can teleport. She had to act fast before she teleports on the ship so Kohran quickly snapped, "Iris, calm down. he's doing this for our sake. Ichiro-han loves us so much that he has to do this. He won't like it if we get involved. He promised us, Iris that he'll come back. We just have to have faith in him!"
Iris calmed down and sobbed quietly on Kohran.
"Captain, on the bridge!" At Kayama's remark, the others in the bridge stood up and saluted.
"Are all men present?"
"All men are present."
The first mate went to Ichiro and told him about the ship's systems and how they are used. After the lecture, he returned to his post "Orders, taichou? We're clear to undock."
"Take us out, low speed."
"Aye, sir!" the ship slowly left the dock. The four exhaust pipes spewing steam out into the air, making an artificial cloud. Sailors and their families were waving at each other as the vessel depared for its greatest battle yet.
The vessel creaked as its propellers started to move. "Relax. She's old, she'll hold." Ichiro comforted the crew and went out to the deck. He waved good-bye to Sakura and the others.
"We'll miss you Ichiro-san!" He could hear Yuri at the background.
"Remember your promise to us!" Sakura spoke at the top of her lungs.
"I will! I love you minna-san!"
Admiral Sato and Yoneda were watching the two ships depart. All the other military men including them saluted the two ships as they embarked for their mission. The naval ensign flag hanging proudly on the mast of the ships. "Ganbatte you two. May Kami-sama bless you." Then, Admiral Sato went to the control room. Yoneda stared at the envelope Ichiro handed him and placed it in his pocket.
"Shinguuji-taichou, they need you on the bridge." Kayama placed a hand on his shoulder as Ichiro watched the harbor slowly getting smaller and smaller.
"I'll miss them."
"I know. Now, your orders are important. We have an important task at hand."
At the bridge, the first mate picked up the reciever and handed it to Ichiro, "Taichou, incoming transmission from the Maya."
He eagerly took the reciever and spoke, "This is Shinguuji Ichiro of the Harusame."
The voice on the other line replied in a somewhat deeper tone. "This is Akagi Namuro of the Maya. We would like to tell you that it's an honor to have the taichou of the Hanagumi fight alongside us with his fine crew and ship."
Ichiro just smiled and he could see that the crew in the bridge were also smiling. "Akagi-taichou, it's a pleasure to have you with us."
"Arigatou. So lead on, good captain. We're with you all the way." With that, he cut off the transmission.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Aye, taichou."
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At the theatre, Yoneda sat on his chair and took out the envelope Ichiro handed to him and stared at it. "Ichiro no baka." and he tossed the envelope in the trash can. "I don't need to give this to them. You'll come back to us." he took out a sake bottle. "If you want, you give it yourself." He poured the sake in his glass and finished it in one gulp. "fool" with that, he leaned back on his chair and rested.
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Most of you should've known that Japan has two flags. Their national flag has the sun in the center. The naval ensign flag has the sun a little to the left and it has rays. This flag is used in the military but mainly in the navy. more info in http://www.flags.net
Please R&R. If there is something you want to emphasize, change or if you want to point out errors in my writing, I would greatly appreciate it. :)
Opening
Tenkai was getting closer to Japan. The waves, tired of their attempts to stop his continuous approach, calmed. He was laughing his throat out. "Teito, Teito, at last, you shall fall! But first, I'll let you all watch your precious Teikoku Kagekidan slaughtered before you!" His laugh frightened the birds which were on the water, looking for fish.
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Chapter 3: The return to active duty
A sailor went to Admiral Sato and saluted, "Sir, here are our top men capable of doing the task." The sailor gave the data to Admiral Sato and left.
Admiral Sato gave the papers to the council. He could tell that they were thinking hard, looking earnestly at the papers with the men's records. Their eyes moving left to right, stopping to think then started moving from left to right again. They were murmuring to each other the sailors' names and profiles. Admiral Sato restlessly waits in his seat, staring at the naval ensign flag. Finally, after about ten minutes of discussion, the council gave the sailors' names they've chosen to Admiral Sato. He agreed but without Yoneda's approval, it can't be finalized.
Admiral Sato got the papers and quietly proceeded to dock 29 where Yoneda and Ayame are inspecting the installation of the Spirit Cannon on the Maya. He was amazed by the size of it. He was glad they chose the Maya. It has a strong, metallic deck which can withstand its presence and at the same time, fight.
The Spirit Cannon had a long, rectangular, metallic base with wires covered in metal. Of course there was insulation in the metal. At the edge of the base, the part facing the superstructure and bridge of the Maya is like a dome. That part obviously rotates and raises the height of the cannon. The cannon is tucked neatly in the base which has the shape of the cylindrical cannon in the centre. Under the cannon is a bendable metal plank which is used to support the cannon when you adjust the height. the end of the cannon, which is placed on the dome-like part of the base, also has metal covered wires with insulation. It also has a very, very sturdy piece of glass which shows each of the Ryoushi Crystals inside it. Beside the whole thing are a pair of semi-circle shaped objects. The flat parts rested on the ship's deck. Those were probably generators to power the crystals.
Admiral Sato looked at the Kanzaki engineers who are inspecting the Cannon to check if it's good to go when Yoneda caught his attention. "Hey Admiral, what you got there?" and he pointed at the papers.
"Oh, yeah. The council have decided on these men to be the crew of the Harusame. All they need is your approval and they will be informed immediately of their assignment." Admiral Sato handed Yoneda the papers. "You are given only two hours to decide or else those men will be chosen with or without your approval." Sato then turned his attention back to the cannon and the men installing and inspecting it.
Yoneda, who was looking at the papers gasped, "Nani!?"
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The cock of a rooster woke up the Shinguujis in their apartment. The rays of the morning sun penetrated through the curtains in their apartment. Ichiro started to do his usual daily routine: Wake up, shower, brush teeth and read the papers as Sakura cooks breakfast. He is already on his reading the papers part of the routine. He shot a quick glance at his wife who is cooking earnestly while humming to herself. He smiled then return to reading the papers. "Oooh," Ichiro mumbled. "Steam prices reduced by 4%. I don't have to pay as much as before!" he continued to mumble happily.
"Breakfast is ready!" Sakura happily called him. They were having fried rice and tempura for breakfast.
"Mmm! This looks good!" Ichiro exclaimed as the aroma of fried shrimp caught his taste buds.
Sakura was very happy at his remark and simply thanked him. Looking at her happy husband, Sakura began to remember the dream she had that night, the smile on her face slowly fading. She just stared at her food, thinking about it when Ichiro snapped her out of it.
"Sakura, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing!" she then forced a smile. "Now, let's start eating before the food gets cold!" when she saw his happy face, she then thought, "It's just a dream. Dreams don't always happen right?" she calmed down and started eating.
After the meal, Ichiro and Sakura both helped each other wash the dishes and silverware.
Suddenly, their phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Sakura went over to the phone and answered it, "Hello?"
"Ichiro! It's for you!"
"Who is it?"
"Shihainin."
"Arigatou Sakura." He then went to the phone "Hello?"
Yoneda, who was on the other line, spoke with a somewhat sad tone in his voice, "Ichiro, do you have time? Can you go to the Teigeki right now? There is something important we want to discuss."
"Hai Yoneda-shihainin, I'll come over right away."He was a bit puzzled at what Yoneda-shihainin meant when he said 'we'. He walked over to Sakura who was waiting in the balcony. The sunlight made her hair shine. Ichiro stopped a little then smiled.
"What did shihainin want Ichiro?" she asked.
"He wants me to come over to the Teigeki. You want to come along?"
"Sure! I'll come along. Well, better get ready!" with that, she went to the dresser to get some clothes.
Ichiro stayed in the balcony thinking about what Yoneda and the 'others' wanted.
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Upon arrival at the Teigeki, they were greeted by the Kazegumi.
"Is Yoneda-shihainin in his office?"
"Hai. You better hurry up, they've been waiting for you." Kasumi replied.
Ichiro looked at Sakura. "Sakura, I'll go ahead to Yoneda-shihainin's room."
"I'll just be in the salon if you need me." Sakura replied.
Ichiro smiled and proceeded to Yoneda's room while Sakura joined the Hanagumi who were talking in the salon.
"What now?" Yuri asked.
"We'll listen to them." Replied Tsubaki.
Kasumi, scratching her head retorted, "But we'll be eavesdropping!"
"So what?" Tsubaki replied. "We've done this lots of times."
"Let's invite the others so it'll be fun!" Yuri suggested.
"No! I wanna be first to tell them. It won't be much of a gossip if they come along."
"Are you guys sure that we won't get caught?" Kasumi asked, a little worry in her face.
Tsubaki made a wide grin and showed them the key to Ayame's room.
The two gasped, "Where did you get that!? Don't you know it's bad to steal!? What if we get caught!?" Kasumi asked, covering her mouth.
"Relax, Ayame-san lent it to me. She said we've got every right to know."
"Okay, as long as Ayame-san lent it to you."
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"Ah, Shinguuji Ichiro, glad you could make it. Pleasure to meet you."
"Count Hanakoji, a pleasure too." The two shook their hands.
"Ichiro, Count Hanankoji is from the wise men council. We have a very serious matter that we should discuss." Yoneda spoke. "Have a seat Ichiro."
"Arigatou." and he took a seat in front of the desk of Yoneda. "Well, Ichiro,-" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Yes, who is it?"
"It's Kasumi, sir. Kayama-kun and Admiral Sato is here."
"Ah, come in, come in."
Kasumi led the two in and they too took their seats beside Ichiro while Kasumi hastily went to Ayame's room where Tsubaki and Yuri are. "What is Kayama-kun, Admiral Sato and Count Hanakoji doing here?"
"I don't know, Kasumi" Yuri replied. "That's why we got to find out. They might be discussing something very important right now." And the three pressed their ears against the wall.
"Kayama?! What are you doing here?"
"Yo Ohgami! I mean, Shinguuji! You're a lucky guy eh, having Sakura as your wife."
Ichiro then blushed. "Well,..."
"Okay you two that's enough. Ichiro, this is Admiral Sato, the current Commander of the Imperial Navy."
Ichiro abruptly stood up and shook hands with the Admiral "Sir, a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah, so am I"
"Let's leave the the formal introductions to that and continue with the meeting." Yoneda interrupted. "There is no other easier way to say this, so I'll get straight to the point. *sigh* For the past hours, our steam radar network picked up a strange reading in the Pacific ocean, near Japan." Yoneda handed Ichiro and Kayama the procured data and some pictures of Tenkai's approach.
"So, Tenkai has returned." Ichiro muttered.
"We sent four ships to fight him but he destroyed them." Admiral Sato said
Kayama asked "Which one?"
"All of them."
He couldn't speak anymore and just fell back in his chair.
Ichiro studied the data and the pictures. "I'm assuming that you want me to dispatch the Hanagumi to fight him? As much as I want to, I can't. The Kobu-"
He was cut-off by Count Hanakoji, "No, it's not that."
"What do you want us to do then?" Kayama asked, finally regaining his strength.
Yoneda, Count Hanakoji and Sato told them of what they did the past hours, the preparations, and the assignment which asked for Kayama and Ichiro's service.
"I can't sir! I'm assigned as the Teikoku Kagekidan Hanagumi taichou! I'm sorry but I can't do it."
"Neither do I sir, I'm the Taichou of the Tsukigumi. I can't leave my post. I'm sorry but I have to decline."
"There must be some other people who are capable of doing the job." Ichiro stared at the floor, looking miserable.
"Is it because of Sakura?" Yoneda asked.
Ichiro suddenly looked at him "Yoneda-shihainin."
"Listen, Ichiro. I remember before, when you became the Hanagumi taichou, you said that you will fight and never give up. You said you will defeat anything which threatens Teito with your life on the line. You said you would do anything to protect the smiles of the citizens and your subordinates. Everybody believed in you including me and you did just that. And because of it, you almost died in a battle. That was very selfless of you. We were correct in our decision to make you the Hanagumi taichou. Staying with Sakura in this dire moment is a very selfish act. Remember, what you said was a promise you made to us and Teito. I, personally didn't want you to go but now, I understand. It is the responsibility of the Hanagumi taichou to protect Teito and its citizens no matter what. It is your responsibility. It is the reason you live. Teito needs you badly. Think about it."
"Ichiro-kun," Ayame added. "Remember that saying, 'It's not a sin when men do nothing; It's a sin when good men do nothing' or something like that. You get the point, Ichiro-kun? So please"
Ichiro just looked back at the floor and kept to his mind what Yoneda and Ayame just told him.
The meeting went on for another hour.
"That can't be possible!" Tsubaki exclaimed.
"Tenkai's back. I just can't believe it!" Yuri said.
Kasumi sadly spoke. "They're gonna take Ichiro from us and Kayama-kun from Tsukigumi."
The other girls' faces fell in sadness. The door opened and Kayama came out followed by Ichiro.
"Think about it." Yoneda called out before Ichiro closed the door. The two continued to walk up to the entrance of the Teigeki.
"What now Kayama?"
"I don't know Shinguuji. I don't feel like I want to."
"Cheer-up Kayama, I feel the same thing. You're even luckier."
"Eh?" The two stopped walking.
"You should be lucky. You can bring some Tsukigumi commandoes to fight while I..."
"You, can't bring along Sakura and the others?"
Ichiro simply nodded "Kobu can't work on water. The girls can't fight much when on a ship." He turned his head to the dining room where they are happily talking with each other while Kanna is cooking lunch.
"At least you'll be protecting them by not bringing them along. Away from the battle."
Ichiro smiled a little. Kayama bid him good-bye and he closed the door. On his way to his old room, he met Kasumi, Yuri and Tsubaki.
"Ichiro?" Yuri asked with sad looks on their faces. He knew they were eavesdropping but he didn't care. They would find out sooner or later. He just forced a very faint smile and shuffled his feet towards his old room.
He flopped down on the bed, thinking about it.
It's your responsibility
The reason you live
Your promise to us
To lay your life
To defend Teito
To protect the smiles of the citizens
"Sakura... minna-san..." Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his face. "...I'm sorry."
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At the dining table, Iris barely spoke to anyone. Everybody started to be suspicious of her actions. They tried asking her what's wrong but she won't answer them so they decided to just leave her alone. She was never like that before. She would always talk with them and make them happy but now she is just in her little corner. "No, should I?" she kept thinking. "No, if Iris did, it'd be selfish of me." She went to her room. "If Iris didn't..." She started to cry. "No, Iris won't! But she loves him!" She started to cry harder. "But even if she did, no! She can't but she wants to!" She tried to stop her crying but the tears came flowing out of her eyes. "Oh, Jean-Paul! What should Iris do!?" She buried her face on her teddy-bear friend and cried harder.
Lunch was ready and everyone waited for Ichiro and Iris. Kohran had gone to Iris' room and told her to eat with them. Iris had already calmed down and she slowly went to the dining room and took her seat. Everyone including Ichiro were waiting for her. She could see him smiling, sitting beside his wife while talking and eating at the same time. She could see that he was very happy but deep inside, she could feel his heart in terrible pain.
That afternoon, Sumire saw Ichiro in the salon thinking hard about something so she offered him a cup of tea which he eagerly accepted. "Where's Sakura-san?"
"She went to the doctor. Said she wasn't feeling good. I knew she felt bad since this morning. I could see it. She didn't want to tell me until she felt worse so I brought her to our family doctor."
"Why didn't you stay with her?"
"As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. Our meeting will be continued in a few minutes but I still stayed with her for as long as I could."
Just then, a knock was heard at the door. Ichiro quickly stood up and went to the door. "Ah, Sakura-kun. How are you feeling?"
"I feel a lot better. The doctor gave me some medicine."
"You sure? Nothing bad? Are you okay?"
"Ichiro, arigatou for being very concerned at me demo, I feel much better. Is minna-san in the salon? I have to tell you all something."
"Wait, I'll call them."
"No, chuu'i. I'll call them. You enjoy your tea. You're working pretty hard lately."
"Arigatou Sumire-kun" Sumire then hastily left and looked for everyone.
At the salon, everyone are there, eagerly waiting for Sakura to tell them. Ichiro is still drinking his tea. Yes, still drinking the same tea Sumire gave him. He was thinking a lot more than drinking.
"Tell us already Sakura!" Iris spoke, rather impatiently.
"Well, you see,...I'm pregnant!"
The room was filled with wow's, congratulations and happy murmurs.
"Isn't it great, Ichiro?" Sakura smiled, looking at him.
"Yeah, that's great." He replied, while taking a sip. His eyes suddenly grew big anime style and he spat some of the tea from his mouth onto the floor.
"NANI!!?" his voice became squeaky "p-p-p-pregnant?"
"Hai! Isn't it great? You'll be a father soon!" Sakura happily replied.
"H-h-how?" he replied, still speaking squeakily.
"Don't you remember, silly? You impregnated me three nights ago!" Sakura then covered her mouth. "Ooops. I said too much."
"Woooo! Yeah! Taichou made the first move! Hehehe." Kanna exclaimed with her fist on the air while the others' mouths were hanging loosely.
The couple's faces turned even redder than the time they were caught almost kissing.
"Ichiro-han of course will make the first move judging by his 'player' personality." Kohran spoke in a matter-of-factly way.
"It is a miracle taichou isn't flirting while he's engaged to Sakura. Or is he?" Maria added with a curious look on her face.
Sakura quickly retorted "No, no, no! He's not like that! He's always there when I need him, there was never a time he had a relationship with another girl and he loves me very much!"
"You better watch him Sakura-san, you may never know." Sumire adviced her, a smirk spreading on her face.
"Y-you got it all wrong! I'm not like tha-" Ichiro stopped arguing when an idea struck him. "Hey! This will be very interesting." he said, trying to change the topic.
"What do you mean?" Sakura's face was regaining its normal color.
"When our child is born, he or she will have four aunts but no uncles." Ichiro's face contorted to a smile and he started to speak, rather amused. "Let's see uh, Aunt Maria, Aunt Kohran, Aunt Sumire and Aunt Kanna. Iris can be his or her cousin I guess."
"Okay, okay taichou. We get it." Maria retorted still emotionless.
"Yeah, Ichiro-han. We'll get married too, you know." Kohran added.
"Sooner or later." Sumire spoke.
Kanna's fist was back down in defeat.
"Yay! I'll have another cousin!" Exclaimed Iris. Though she still feels sad, she tries to cheer up.
Ichiro comforted them. "Don't be blue, I'm sure you'll find the right man for you sooner or later. I better go. The meeting is about to start." He hugged Sakura and whispered to her ear "Arigatou gozaimas Sakura, I'm overjoyed!" then, he started to walk towards the manager's office. "That worked out well." he thought.
Sakura looked at his form as he went to the manager's office and smiled.
Ichirou felt a lot better with the good news Sakura brought with her but at the same time, he felt worse. He might not be able to see their child at all. Because of that, he finally made his decision; his final decision. He opened the office's door and stepped inside. Kayama was already there. His face wasn't as cheerful as what it had always been whenever he came. The meeting then started.
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That night, on the dinner table, the group were talking about Sakura and Ichiro's child and how to care for babies. The topic currently being discussed is about handling pregnant women's cravings for things. The girls except for Sakura told Ichiro to get ready to spend a lot of money on Sakura. Everyone are happy except for Ichiro and Iris, whose happiness are only fake, hiding their true feelings.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Taichou, what happened to your meeting?" Kanna asked feeling somewhat curious.
"Yeah, tell us, Ichiro-han we're interested. What did you do?" Kohran added.
Ichiro's happy face turned into an emotionless face stuck between the border of sadness and happiness. "I-It's confidential. I-I can't tell you." Iris now felt his heart in much more pain than before. Her chest started to ache too.
"Come on, you can tell us." Sakura smiled. "We'll keep it secret."
"If I tell you, you won't be smiling like that anymore. I want you to keep that smile. It cheers up people, making them feel better." Ichiro thought. "I'm sorry, I really can't. I hope you'll understand. Excuse me." Ichiro went to the front steps of the Teigeki and sat there, tears starting to fall. Sakura followed him and sat beside him. He immediately wiped his tears, trying to hide it from her.
"Are you all right, Ichiro?"
"I-I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
Sakura placed an arm around his back and spoke sweetly, "You don't look fine. Don't hide anything from me. I know something's up. Come on, you can tell me. I'll help you in anyway I can."
"I don't think you can help me with this."
"What do you mean?"
"Promise you'll be alright when I tell you?"
Sakura nodded in agreement.
Ichiro wrapped her in his arm and trapped her in his warm embrace. He then told her about what has been happening. He told her about the Kobu not being able to work on water and what he and Kayama's being asked to do. He then told her that they can't come along.
"What did you tell them?"
"I said..." Ichiro was finding it hard to speak.
Sakura listened earnestly while they continued to hug each other.
With all the strength he could muster, he added "...Yes." There was silence. Sakura didn't say anything but bury her head in his chest and clutch the back of his polo harder. He could feel her crying. Her tears were penetrating his damp polo to his skin. "Gomen nasai Sakura demo, I must do this for Teito, for your sake and for our child."
"I understand. You will come back to us, right? I know how it feels when you lose a father. I don't want that feeling to pass on to our child. I love you so much!" She clutched his polo even tighter. "We don't want to lose you!" With that, she sobbed harder. "Promise us." her voice was starting to strain "Please, promise us!" her voice was beginning to become weaker with every word she spoke. "Promise you'll come back!"
"I promise. Don't cry, your smile is what matters most right now. It helps cheer up people." he started to stroke her hair, "Remember the promise I made when I became the Hanagumi taichou? I promised to always defend Teito and your smiles and, I promised that I will always come back." He comforted her, making her feel better.
Sakura stopped crying and continued to stay in his arms. She never wanted the moment to end for she knew that early the next day, her beloved will be out of her grasp.
Ichiro too, never wanted to let her go for he might never hold her like this again.
The others were watching the two from the balcony.
"Well, they didn't kiss." Kanna frowned "I give up."
"But why was Sakura crying just now? She was cheerful a while ago." Maria asked, concealed in deep thought.
"This does raise many questions." Kohran added.
"It must have something to do with chuu'i's meeting. Remember, he wouldn't tell us earlier about it?" Sumire too, was thinking hard.
"Exactly what I had in mind." Maria said "It must have something to do with Iris' behavior too. She was looking at taichou most of the time with worry in her face."
"We must investigate this serious matter immediately!" Kohran exclaimed and the four left, searching for answers. They first went to Yoneda's office. He just told them he didn't know about anything.
"What now?" Sumire asked.
Yoneda then suggested, "Why not ask the Kazegumi? They know too much." He knew that Kasumi, Yuri and Tsubaki were eavesdropping during the meetings. They always do that and, he didn't want to tell them himself; It is too much for him to bear when he sees them cry after telling them the news.
They went to Tsubaki afterwards. She told them what was talked about during the meetings and Ichiro and Kayama's duty. "They said Kayama-san and Ichiro-san are gonna ride a big ship. They will fight Tenkai without any Kobu. We want to help them but the Shougei-maru is under repairs."
"That bastard, Tenkai. We knew we should've sealed him." Kanna murmured with a slight anger in her tone. "What did taichou and Kayama say?"
"Ichiro-san will be the taichou of the ship and Kayama-san will be his first officer. They will fight Tenkai." The others were mortified with Tsubaki's answer.
"We can't do much now. Its Ichiro-han's decision. We can just sit, pray and hope for the best." Kohran slumped down on a chair and stared at the ceiling.
"If only chuu'i'd let me come along, I would've beaten Tenkai myself without a Kobu."
"Taichou..." Maria went to her room. She took out her locket and stared at her picture of her deceased taichou from the Russo-Japan war. "Please come back safely." She closed the locket and laid on her bed "We need you."
That night, Ichiro prepared his luggages. He took quick glances at his wife everytime he would pack something. She is sleeping peacefully. After packing, he placed his luggages beside the door of their bedroom. He neatly placed his two katanas on top of it and hung his uniform on the dresser. Drowsily, he went over to their futon. He kissed Sakura and slept, thinking about the next day.
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The next day, the couple woke up early. The two immediately got dressed because the mission will start in two hours. Ichiro holstered his sidearm on his left waist and placed his two katanas on his right. He took his luggages and they left for the harbor, hardly talking to each other. When they arrived, the others were already there, waiting for him. Kayama was just sitting on the bench, his cheerful side isn't showing up. A sailor came and offered to put his luggages on the ship. He accepted and the man took his luggages.
There were lots of people, mainly sailors. Their families were bidding them good-bye and there were many people crying. He could see at the far side of the harbor the Maya docked. Some Kanzaki engineers were on board, taking last-minute check-ups on the Spirit cannon. And there it was. The ship he will be commanding. It was bigger than expected. The others, too were in awe at the vessel. Men are loading in provisions and some wooden crates that are unidentifiable. The morale officer on the loud speaker is encouraging the men, giving them strength to do the job. Then, Yoneda and Admiral Sato came.
Since Ichiro is now in active duty, he saluted his commanding officers.
"Ah, Shinguuji-taichou. I hope your men are ready. I could see that the supplies are now onboard." The Admiral spoke, patting Ichiro on the back.
"All men are present and accounted for sir."
"Well, good luck."
Ichiro brought Yoneda someplace private and talked to him, "Yoneda-shirei, may I ask you a favor?"
"Go ahead," Yoneda replied, puzzled by Ichiro's sudden actions.
Ichiro took out an envelope and handed it to him "If something ever happens to me... can you please... give this to Sakura and the others?"
"Yeah, sure." Yoneda hesitantly took the envelope. It had the Hanagumi symbol on it and in the middle was a writing that says, 'My Family'
"Arigatou gozaimas, Yoneda-shirei. Now I must go back." and with that, he returned to the others.
The others were just silent and gloomy. Iris is thinking hard aside from being gloomy. "Now should Iris tell him? She only has a few minutes and once he's gone, there's nothing she can do about it. Iris wants to but she couldn't!"
The men were starting to board their ships. There were twelve men who aren't sailors but they had a red cross symbol on their shoulder. "Medics." Ichiro thought. He hesitantly took a few steps forward and turned around to look at his family. He could see Sumire, Kohran, Iris and Sakura weeping. Kanna and Maria aren't but they feel really bad about having their taichou leave them.
"Taichou," Maria finally spoke "Come back okay?"
"Yeah taichou," Kanna forced a smile, "Kick Tenkai's butt and come back to us."
Kohran managed to speak after weeping a little, "Ichiro-han, don't break your promise to us okay?"
"Chuu'i, when you come back, I'll make you my best cup of tea." Sumire smiled
"Ichiro, please don't break your promise. We trust that you'll come back. Our child will be happy." Sakura ran to him and the two locked themselves in a passionate kiss; their last kiss. Sakura cried inwardly as they kissed. Ichiro couldn't help but cry too. He is leaving them.
The others got what they were longing for. They could see the two kissing at last with their own eyes but this vision is already obsolete compared to the pain they're feeling.
After the kiss, the two hugged each other. Ichiro carressed Sakura's cheek with his. "I love you, Sakura."
Sakura placed her chin in his shoulder and tilted her head and rested it on his neck. "I love you too, Ichiro. Come back to us."
Ichiro then pulled out of it. "Sayonara, Sakura, minna-san. I will come back." and he walked towards his ship. He could see Kayama on the ship, looking at the city.
At the ship, Ichiro looked back one last time at his family who were waving at him, bidding him good-bye. He smiled one last time and went to the bridge.
Kayama was already there and he seemed to be a little more cheerful.
Just then, Iris screamed at the tip of her little voice, "ONIICHAN!! DON'T GO!!! PLEASE DON'T GO!!! SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!!! COME BACK! COME BACK!" Iris tried to run to him but the others stopped her.
"Iris! Don't! It's the taichou's decision. He has to go." Maria spoke, stopping her from running to him.
"DEMO!!"
Kohran knew that Iris can teleport. She had to act fast before she teleports on the ship so Kohran quickly snapped, "Iris, calm down. he's doing this for our sake. Ichiro-han loves us so much that he has to do this. He won't like it if we get involved. He promised us, Iris that he'll come back. We just have to have faith in him!"
Iris calmed down and sobbed quietly on Kohran.
"Captain, on the bridge!" At Kayama's remark, the others in the bridge stood up and saluted.
"Are all men present?"
"All men are present."
The first mate went to Ichiro and told him about the ship's systems and how they are used. After the lecture, he returned to his post "Orders, taichou? We're clear to undock."
"Take us out, low speed."
"Aye, sir!" the ship slowly left the dock. The four exhaust pipes spewing steam out into the air, making an artificial cloud. Sailors and their families were waving at each other as the vessel depared for its greatest battle yet.
The vessel creaked as its propellers started to move. "Relax. She's old, she'll hold." Ichiro comforted the crew and went out to the deck. He waved good-bye to Sakura and the others.
"We'll miss you Ichiro-san!" He could hear Yuri at the background.
"Remember your promise to us!" Sakura spoke at the top of her lungs.
"I will! I love you minna-san!"
Admiral Sato and Yoneda were watching the two ships depart. All the other military men including them saluted the two ships as they embarked for their mission. The naval ensign flag hanging proudly on the mast of the ships. "Ganbatte you two. May Kami-sama bless you." Then, Admiral Sato went to the control room. Yoneda stared at the envelope Ichiro handed him and placed it in his pocket.
"Shinguuji-taichou, they need you on the bridge." Kayama placed a hand on his shoulder as Ichiro watched the harbor slowly getting smaller and smaller.
"I'll miss them."
"I know. Now, your orders are important. We have an important task at hand."
At the bridge, the first mate picked up the reciever and handed it to Ichiro, "Taichou, incoming transmission from the Maya."
He eagerly took the reciever and spoke, "This is Shinguuji Ichiro of the Harusame."
The voice on the other line replied in a somewhat deeper tone. "This is Akagi Namuro of the Maya. We would like to tell you that it's an honor to have the taichou of the Hanagumi fight alongside us with his fine crew and ship."
Ichiro just smiled and he could see that the crew in the bridge were also smiling. "Akagi-taichou, it's a pleasure to have you with us."
"Arigatou. So lead on, good captain. We're with you all the way." With that, he cut off the transmission.
"Full speed ahead!"
"Aye, taichou."
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At the theatre, Yoneda sat on his chair and took out the envelope Ichiro handed to him and stared at it. "Ichiro no baka." and he tossed the envelope in the trash can. "I don't need to give this to them. You'll come back to us." he took out a sake bottle. "If you want, you give it yourself." He poured the sake in his glass and finished it in one gulp. "fool" with that, he leaned back on his chair and rested.
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Most of you should've known that Japan has two flags. Their national flag has the sun in the center. The naval ensign flag has the sun a little to the left and it has rays. This flag is used in the military but mainly in the navy. more info in http://www.flags.net
Please R&R. If there is something you want to emphasize, change or if you want to point out errors in my writing, I would greatly appreciate it. :)
