Hello, my fellow followers, 2023 has settled in and I bring to you a one shot which I hope will inspire me to get back into writing a little more regularly. There are many ships that are my faves from Azur Lane (Hood is best ship girl!), but I believe this beautiful fox girl Shinano deserves a little bit of attention. And I was going to put in a lemon section, but I wasn't feeling it for this one. Anyway, here we go with the first story of this year.

The Cabin Of Love

"Brrrrrr!" A young man weakly blurted out. "How d-d-did I get into this m-m-mess?!"

Indeed, it was a question for the man who was currently shivering whilst walking through the deep feet of snow in the freezing cold as the snowy winds plowed on through the area surrounding the poor commander. It was on one late afternoon that the young commander of a nation that represented the Sakura Empire faction was given a mission to patrol around the somewhat frozen areas near the northern lands of Japan.

He deemed the mission as acceptable, but he didn't account for the weather to suddenly change halfway through the assignment. But that was exactly what happened. He was on the front of a small scout ship he was given for the mission and the patrol was going quietly and smoothly until the weather picked up and started snowing heavily. Then the wind began to move at a rushing pace, almost making the commander lose his balance.

The ship suddenly moved away from the patrol route due to the push of the wind and he was then being steered to a nearby forest. He rushed inside one of the small rooms and braced for impact before the ship crashed into the nearby ground and grounded to a halt when the front part made contact with the rocks. The commander got out of the small room and stepped out of the ship before surveying the damage.

"D-d-darnit all!" He shivered. "Curse HQ for giving me such a g-g-garbage ship!"

So here he was, currently shivering, wishing he had brought along a winter coat. But he had to bear it and find a solution fast. He had left the ship a few moments ago since then and was wandering through the frozen forest. He was hoping there would be a nearby radio tower or something so he can make contact with HQ about an emergency change in the situation.

After walking through the snow, he then saw the sight of a somewhat normal sized cabin.

"Huh? I-is th-that a home?" He asked himself. "Brrr! I need to get in fast! I'm sure someone who lives th-there will understand."

Gaining a bit of strength to push through, he walked up the small hill and reached the cabin home...or at least, he tried to. But as soon as he got close, the freezing temperature was too much for him to bear any more. He immediately fell over as his body gave out just when he was a few feet away from the door. Just as if it was all over however, the door opened and the commander could only look up as his eyes began to close, the shadow of a woman with a few tails.

Several minutes had passed and the young commander began to wake up.

"Ngh...ugh, where am I?" He asked. "And why is everything...warm?"

He slowly moved up and looked around to find he was no longer out in the frozen cold, he was inside the cabin house he saw earlier and was resting on a warm bed. He could feel the heat and the warmth coming from the sheets as well as the fireplace he could see in another room. He was considering on getting up and finding whoever it was that saved him. But that was answered for him when he saw a woman walk in with a tray that had a bowl and a mug.

"Hello, Shikikan. I didn't expect you to find me here." She greeted.

The commander looked on in surprise, she had long white hair, dressed in a kimono outfit and had several tails on her back. That was when it hit him, as if a memory had returned to his mind. He was in a cabin home that must belong to Shinano, one of the ships from the IJN class in the Sakura Empire. He couldn't believe his eyes but the sight did not lie, nor was he dreaming. Deep down, he had been wondering where she had gone for a while.

"Shinano? Is that you?" He asked.

"Yes, it really is me. Now please sit back, you were out in the cold for a long time." She placed the tray on a nearby table next to the bed. "I wouldn't advise you in going out, the snow storm will not let up."

You glanced out the window to see the falling snow rushing by even faster.

"Yeah, I can see that." He turned back to her. "So what are you doing here? I thought you had a place back at the Empire docks."

"Well, considering the time of year, remaining docked over there can be quite...complicated."

"How so?"

Shinano blushed a little. "I'll explain after you've warmed up. Don't let the soup get cold."

"All right."

He took the bowl and ate away before moving to the mug of hot chocolate and sure enough, he could feel his body completely warm and relaxed. Taking a few minutes rest, he got out of bed and left the bedroom. He found Shinano kneeling by the fireplace, she smiled the moment she saw him again. The commander took a seat and Shinano sat next to him.

"You see, when it's the start of the new year, girls who take the form of foxes, like myself, tend to develop a longing for compassion."

The young commander could only guess. "You mean you have a season for where you wish to make love?"

"Yes. The month we're in now is fox mating season."

Suddenly, the guy's eyes opened wide as thousands of impure scenarios began to fly around his head. He then shook it off, trying not to think more of it.

"Excuse me, what?"

"I don't blame you, Shikikan." She replied. "It's the reason why we go into isolation at this time of the year. Nagato ensured that each of us fox girls would have a house to ourselves that are located in many parts of Japan that are far away from many civilized towns and cities. Of course, isolation can lead to loneliness on many occasions, but it's for the best while we try to brave through the season."

"I see, and how long does it last?"

"Until the beginning of Spring." She then sighed before looking into his eyes.

"Umm, are you thinking of doing...that to me?"

She moved away. "No, I wouldn't do such a thing without your consent. As much as it is taking every fiber of my mind to resist throwing myself at you, I will not allow my body to overtake my rational thoughts."

"Well, that's real kind of you. Then again, how long do you think the snow storm will last?"

"As someone who has gone through this before, it may take one more day before the wind dies down and the snow stops falling."

"Right. In that case, I better not go anywhere since it's near night time." He smiled. "As long as you keep your word, I'd be happy to stay here for tonight."

Shinano could only smile in return. "Thank you, Shikikan. It'll be wonderful to have good company this time."

As the evening sky rolled in during the storm, the commander got back into the bedroom he was sleeping in for the night. As he fell asleep, he began to think more about Shinano. Although he couldn't deny the fact that she was a beautiful girl, and knowing that she can make her tails appear at anytime, it would take a whole amount of willpower not to cave in and try to feel how fluffy her tails are. And he was the type to not let himself act without decency.

"Guess all I can do is sleep until late morning." He said to himself. "Would've liked to have said goodnight to her though."

He was then off to dreamland, dreaming about how he was going to be able to report back to HQ, along with other things on his mind.

The moment he was awake the next morning, he could see light coming from the window. he looked out to see that the wind was gone and the snow had stopped falling. Stretching a little, he got out of bed and dressed into his uniform before leaving the room, looking for Shinano.

"Morning, Shinano." He called, but there was no reply. "Shinano, you there?"

The commander was now feeling concerned. He then saw that the front door wasn't entirely closed. He wondered if she went out and knowing what she looked like, he couldn't help but feel worried about the cold snow outside.

"I better go and look for her."

After putting his shoes on, he left the cabin and went around looking for Shinano. He then heard the sound of a nearby lake and walking along the riverside, he then saw someone with fox ears kneeling on a soft towel. he could see that it was her, but upon sneaking in closer, he could see that she had feeling upset for a while.

"Shinano?"

She turned to see the Commander and gasped.

"Oh, Shikikan?"

"Are you feeling all right?"

She could only sigh in sadness. "If I can be honest, I am not well."

"Umm, is it because of what you said yesterday?"

"Yes. And what about you? I thought you were going to leave and find a town."

The guy rubbed his head. "I couldn't leave without saying to you, and I was worried about you."

Shinano blushed a little. "Why thank you..."

"So tell me more, because I still wanna help cheer you up."

She motioned him to sit next to her and he did so.

"I often come here to this spot when I feel the need to satisfy my urge since no one often visits around this forest." She said. "And to also feel emotions I never experience, like..."

"Love?" He guessed.

She nodded before wrapping a tail around him and rested her hand on his left shoulder. The young commander found himself feeling strange, but he couldn't turn away from it now. he still wanted to be there for her. So she slowly put his left arm around her. Praying that it didn't lead to her pouncing on him. The fear however was left unfounded as Shinano slowly cuddled him close whilst sniffing a little before letting a tear fall.

"Shinano...it's all right." He said before hugging her back. "I'm not going anywhere until you feel better."

"Shikikan...are you sure?"

"Never been more certain." He looked at her. "This may seem like it's going too fast, but I'd much rather be there for all those I care for."

She smiled and suddenly kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

The commander blushed at the sudden kiss. "No problem. Finding a nearby town and reporting to HQ can wait until later."

"Oh, if you're going to a town, let me come with you." Her face then went red. "Well, after you've helped me with my needs."

Commander realized that he had walked right into it now. He shrugged and accepted it to happen, and it was with a beautiful woman, he couldn't complain. When he helped her up to her feet and grabbed the towel, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips. This surprised Shinano, but she didn't move back, she joined in the kiss before they pulled away and rushed all the way back to the cabin. She then took him to her bedroom and she laid down on the bed whilst the commander got ready.

"Please, Shikikan." She pleaded innocently. "Take good care of me."

He nodded and their discovery and enjoyment of love had begun.

A short time had passed and the commander could only look up at the ceiling, thinking back to what he had just done. He had allowed himself to fall in love so quickly and he had ended up making intimate love with Shinano. He looked at her with a smile to see that she was sleeping away peacefully and completely satisfied with how it all turned out. The guy himself was surprised that he could last for as long as he did. As enjoyable as it was, he prayed that it didn't happen often.

Well, unless it's for one girl that he had fallen in love with.

"Mmm...Shikikan..." She whispered.

He slowly moved his arms around her, willing to comfort her once more and sleep for a little longer.

"Oh, Shinano...I love you." He whispered back. "I promise I'll be back soon."

"Mmm...I love you, too..."

He smiled and kissed her on the head before slowly getting up and putting his uniform on. As much as he loved to sleep with her, he still had to follow his orders. As he left the cabin and walked out of the forest to find a town, he wanted to keep his word to Shinano. He wanted to vow that if he ever visits around here again, he would go straight to Shinano to spend more time sleeping with her and making sure she is happy and well loved by him.

He would call it, a cabin of love, an isolated and welcoming home for him and Shinano only.

THE END

There we are, a simple one shot and I'll admit that it's not exactly special, but it has been a while.

Feel free to follow me all the same however, if you wanna see more of my other work.