A/N: And now onto the last one. Happy 4th of July to any American readers. I actually finished this chapter on the 4th, while fireworks were exploding just outside my ship. The US Navy sure knows how to put on a wicked fireworks show.

Now I have pretty close to no actual knowledge on baseball, but that didn't stop me here.

And finally, the next chapter will be Admiral x Samidare...whenever I actually think up a topic for that one.

American Pastime

Iowa sat in the common room on the third floor of the battleship dorms, flipping idly through television channels.

"I'm bored!" she loudly proclaimed, tossing the remote off to the side and kicking her feet over the armrest of the chair she was sitting in.

"You could go outside, maybe read a book or something?" Musashi suggested, not even lifting her own eyes from her book.

"No that's not exciting either." the American mumbled, disappointed.

The television flipped back on, and the channel changed to something Iowa immediately recognized.

"Baseball!" she cheered, sitting up with a wide smile on her face.

"Uhhh yeah. Baseball is huge in Japan. Didn't you know?" Ise stated, putting the remote down next to her and sitting on the couch to watch the game.

"I didn't know before but I do now!" Iowa grinned, jumping up from the chair and heading out of the room with one destination in mind.

The Admiral's Office.

"For the last time Iowa, no! I have far too much work here as it is." Admiral Dixon groused, spreading his arms over the piled paperwork to accentuate his point.

"But Admiiiiiiral, baseball is an American favorite! I need to go see a baseball game!" Iowa pleaded, clasping her hands together and pouting.

"Then see it on the television! I've no time for this conversation as it is. As a Canadian, I don't give a damn about baseball." he muttered, rifling through some of the paperwork in the pursuit of a particular sheet.

"Humph. Fine then. I see how it is. How you don't truly value me." she mumbled, head falling low and eyes closing.

"Guilting me won't help your case." Andrew stated with narrowed eyes, looking at her.

"Dammit! And I was sure that would work." she thought, grimacing slightly "What is it all those shitty movies say to do for a girl to get her way? Cry? That's it!"

It started with a quiet sniffle, unheard over the scratching of a pen on paper.

But ohhh boy did it escalate from there.

Soon enough, he had a bawling battleship on his hands.

"You're so unfair Admiral!" Iowa shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks with no end in sight.

"Oh crap. Crap crap crap. I'm in deep trouble now." Andrew thought with a frown on his face, his discomfort easily conveyed outwards.

"Iowa…IOWA…IOWA ALRIGHT! I'll take you to a baseball game." he placated, attempting to get her to stop crying.

"Really? Thanks Admiral! You're the best!" she cheered, stopping the tears at once and crushing him in a hug.

Of course, due to their offset heights (Iowa was obviously much taller, even without her boots on, was much taller than he), Andrew had his face put into quite a compromising place.

The two fleshy mounds on either side told him where he had been pulled, and the feeling was not at all unpleasant, but he was her commanding officer and was required to maintain some sort of professionalism, even when the American battleship usually did not.

Sighing, all the while having a deep red hue on his face, he allowed his arms to encircle the taller woman, cinching her in a hug.

Unseen by the Admiral though, a smile formed on her face when she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

A promise to go to a baseball game the next weekend later, Iowa let herself out of the Admiral's office, flashing a thumbs up to Nagato at her desk, who merely rolled her eyes.

Step one of her plan, that she had been forming and waiting to put into action for months, was finally complete.

Nothing would stand between her and the Admiral's heart.

A week passed (which felt like an eternity for her) and Iowa was practically vibrating when she got in the Admiral's BMW and left the base, headed for the promised baseball game.

"Thank you for taking me to a baseball game Admiral." Iowa said with sincerity, once they had passed through the gates of the base and were out on the road.

"Don't thank me just yet. I had to pull a few strings to get us where we are." Andrew mused, keeping his eyes on the road as they headed towards the baseball stadium.

"Like what…?" Iowa asked, brushing her hair back and straightening her gun director.

"Guess you'll just need to wait and see." he replied back cryptically.

"I won't need to flash them, will I?" she questioned with nonchalance.

The horrified look on his face said it all.

"Guess not."

"Yeah no not happening." Andrew agreed "It's nothing like that I assure you."

"Good, because they're for your eyes-only Admiral." she sing-songed in her head, smiling lightly.

Handing their tickets over to the young man working the booth, they were directed up the stairs.

The game was set to start around seven in the evening and run for a few hours, until well after dark.

Making it to their seats, Iowa was surprised to find them in a small box, right down next to the field and over the dugout.

"Admiral it must've cost an arm and a leg for these seats!" she shouted, shaking him roughly by the shoulders.

"Uh…no…they were free actually." Andrew replied with a small smile "Everything for us this evening is actually free."

"How in the hell did you swing that?" Iowa asked, somewhat stunned with what he was saying.

"As I said earlier, wait, and see." he chuckled, pulling his USS Iowa baseball cap down a little and sitting in the seat.

Allowing him to win this round, she knew the final victory was hers, and sat down in her seat, fixing her uniform to make it perfect.

Her Admiral, however, had adopted a more relaxed dress of a T-shirt, shorts, and the previously mentioned baseball cap along with a pair of aviators.

"And now, before we begin the game, we have two special guests here with us tonight!" the announcer stated, causing a murmur of excitement to go through the crowd.

"Could Admiral Andrew Dixon of the International Kanmusu Program and his companion for the evening, USS Iowa, please stand up?"

"Was this what he meant by wait and see?" Iowa thought, as both she and Andrew stood up, receiving thunderous applause from all the people in the stadium and even the players who had begun to take their positions on the diamond.

"We'd also like to ask that Ms. Iowa could make her way down to the pitcher's mound to throw the first pitch of the game!"

"You didn't…" Iowa breathed, looking at Andrew with shocked eyes.

Shrugging, he grinned slightly, as she bounced in her seat with glee.

"You did! I can't believe it! I could kiss you right now Admiral!" she shouted with joy as she got up and hopped down the wall onto the field amid smiling players.

Soaking up the attention, she walked to the dirt mound in the center, and was handed a baseball.

"Not too hard, please I can't deal with the incident report for that." Andrew wished, watching as the battleship wound up her throw.

Now, an Iowa class battleship enjoys the propulsion plant of eight boilers, as well as four cross compound steam turbines, one side being high pressure, the other side, low pressure.

This is coupled to a reduction gear resulting in an 8.9:1 rpm reduction for a maximum shaft speed of 225rpm at 33knots.

With a 54,890-ton wartime load, the Iowa class requires 212,000 shaft horsepower to move it along at such speeds, which translates to a total of 158,000 kilowatts.

In laymans terms, this meant that Iowa had a hell of a lot of power, and that she wasn't afraid to use it.

But, in a shock to him, it was a normal pitch, resulting in 92mph clocked as the ball flew over the plate.

Breathing a sigh of relief that there was no major calamity, he watched as Iowa casually jumped the wall again and sat down next to him.

"How did you enjoy that?" Andrew asked, nudging her once she had returned.

"Oh my god that was the best thing ever! Thank you so much Admiral! You're totally the best!" Iowa shouted, once again crushing him in a hug, which caused the officer to laugh and return the hug fully.

"It was no trouble at all. All we needed to do to get the tickets was make an appearance. The stadium manager was tripping over himself when I asked if we could watch a game. It was even his idea that you threw the first pitch." he informed her, to which she shrugged noncommittally and tightened her grip on him.

"Doesn't matter. You brought me here. You're to thank." she mumbled, releasing him as the game actually started for real.

For the first ever baseball game he had actually taken the time to watch, it was rather entertaining in person.

Watching it on television sucked due to all the commercials and advertisements that were there, but being in the stadium in person, watching the game play out, it was exhilarating.

"I think the only thing that could make this better would be getting a baseball from the game." Iowa mumbled as the game finally finished, with the home team being the victors.

"Easy enough." Andrew thought, whistling and catching the attention of several players on the field who were putting their equipment away.

"Can I get a baseball for the USS Iowa?" he called, watching as one of them chucked a baseball up to the pair, much to the wonderment of Iowa.

"I only said it as a wish." she muttered, fingering the ball gently when Andrew handed it to her "I didn't actually think you would do it."

"Remember this Iowa, I'd do anything for you." he solemnly stated, touching the brim of his hat before standing up and stretching, joining the throng of people departing the stadium in an orderly fashion.

"That settles it." the battleship thought as she followed her Admiral out of the stadium to his car "He is mine. Kongou will not have him."

The trip back to the base was rather animated, with Iowa talking about the game and how like or unlike it was the baseball she had seen in the states, with Andrew listening attentively.

Getting back to the base around eleven at night, the pair yawned as they stepped out of the vehicle, parked by the Admiral's house.

Of course, he walked her back to the dorms, waving off salutes from other girls that he saw on the way.

"This was fun Iowa, we'll need to do it again." he chuckled, watching as the battleship turned to face him.

Without even replying, she dipped her head, locking her lips on his in one swift movement.

Never one to dally, he returned the kiss with fervor, until breaking apart for breath.

"That, Admiral, is something I've wanted to give you for a long time now. And I hope to give you more in the future." Iowa purred, the sultry look on her face easy for all to see.

A small cheer rose up from a couple of other girls who were walking past at that moment.

"I..I could definitely g-get used to recei-iving more of those from you Iowa." Andrew managed to stutter out.

With a wink, she sashayed away, glancing over her shoulder as she went through the door, pleased to see that his eyes were still locked on her retreating form.

"And that, is how you win the Admiral's heart." she mentally grinned, her imagination taking over and putting the two of them in more creative spots.

Turning around with a stupid smile on his face, Andrew wandered back to his own house whistling a tune.

In all honesty, he absolutely couldn't wait until he and Iowa went to another baseball game.

Fin