"Here's the latest fuel reports, Commander."
I looked up from my current paperwork, expecting Musashi to hand me a piece of paper, only for her to cup my chin and lean in close for another tender kiss. While unexpected, it was certainly not unwelcome, and I found myself smiling as we broke.
Her gold eyes peered into mine as she smiled back. "How do you feel?"
After some self-reflection, I nodded and answered, "Still good."
"Good," she beamed before she headed back to her desk. I watched her go for another second, her tails swaying in counterpoint to those hips, before I picked up the fuel reports and got back to work.
We'd been doing this throughout the day, kissing at random moments, testing my limits, as it were. We both decided it would be better to try and find something that could trigger my trauma upfront than accidentally discover it in the heat of passion like the previous night. While we hadn't replicated the events of last night, and to be honest, I didn't know if we ever could, we had been trying just about every other way we could think of. And so far, the results were promising. None of the kisses had upset, unnerved, or otherwise discomforted me. In fact, I was rather enjoying this little experiment quite a bit. I'd missed the physical intimacy that came with a relationship.
Our work, both professional and otherwise, continued until five thirty when, as expected, there was a knock at the door and Haguro stuck her head in. "Admiral Clark with an urgent call, Commander."
"Alright," I acknowledged as I got up with a soft sigh. It was taking all of my efforts to look somewhat nonplussed about an imaginary phone call, but I think I managed to pull it off somewhat convincingly. "I'll be back in a bit, Musashi."
"Of course," she smiled politely. "I'll be here when you're done."
"See you soon," I said, blowing her a kiss. She giggled and returned the gesture, much to Haguro's apparent displeasure, who groaned and asked, "Can we go now?"
"Alright, alright," I shooed her out the door before following her, making sure it was shut behind me. Almost immediately, Haguro torpedoed my playful mood.
"We've got a problem," she bluntly stated.
My heart stopped for a moment as my brain tried to calm the rest of me down so I could approach this somewhat objectively. "What happened? Is Admiral Clark actually on the line?"
Fortunately, Haguro emphatically shook her head, setting me somewhat at ease. "I was able to get most of the stuff up to the main deck like you asked, but I'm having problems finding a table we can use. The ones that we need are too big to go up the ladders, and anything above the main deck is too small."
Something about that didn't sound right. "Wait. If they're too big to use the ladders, how'd they get in?"
She stared at me for a moment before she flatly answered, "Because she conjures all this once she un-summons her rigging."
"Right," I sheepishly nodded, now mollified. "So we can't move anything up, and anything we bring down won't be enough…is Shinano still in port?"
"Think so," she unhelpfully shrugged.
"Check," I ordered, and then added, "If she's there, see if she can't get a table over."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "You're off to go cook, right?"
I nodded.
"Well, got everything set up for you." She paused as she eyed me up and down. "You ever cook anything like this before?"
"I've never even cooked fish before today, let alone fried it."
Her grin was less than reassuring. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."
"Gee, thanks," I drolly replied before I waved her away and headed back towards the galley.
As soon as I set foot in the galley, I saw that when Haguro said "a ton of sea bream", she hadn't been kidding. Over a dozen of the foot-long fishes were staring at me as if they had been waiting this entire time. Their red and silver scales glinted in the overhead light, and they were still cold to the touch, meaning Haguro must have just set them out before she grabbed me. Knowing I had to act quickly, given the likelihood that I would make more than a few errors, I rolled up my sleeves, donned a nearby apron, and got to work.
With the help of a few videos I'd downloaded and a nearby cookbook, I began the slow, painstaking process of fileting the fish. My first mistake was almost immediate. As I was disassembling the first fish, I accidentally cut the gall bladder, staining the white flesh with the bitter juices, ruining it. I sighed heavily and threw it away, hoping that I wasn't going to lose many more.
As it turned out, I would. Mistake after mistake saw fish after fish butchered horribly, usually as I tried to cut the filet from the body of the fish, or when removing the skin. When I got to the last sea bream, with no more room for errors, and having had enough practice, I finally managed to get two perfect filets that I would be happy further cutting down and using for the tempura sea bream. One question haunts me, though. Did I get it right on the last fish because my back was to the wall and I had no more room for failure, or did Shinano know precisely how many sea bream it would take for me to finally get it right? I've asked this question of her many times, and I always get the same answer: a sleepy, knowing smirk and a shrug.
With two large filets now cleaned and ready, it was time for the tempura batter. I added the egg and ice-cold water to a bowl and quickly whisked it together before I checked on the next step. When I read the instructions, I did a double take and read them again. To my surprise, it didn't want me to whisk in the tempura flour, instead telling me to use "large chopsticks".
"How in the hell is that different from regular chopsticks?" I muttered as I looked around for "large chopsticks", whatever that meant. Eventually, my eyes fell on a sticky note with an arrow pointing to two large wooden dowels, about the same length and thickness as a drumstick. That's drumstick as in musical implement and not drumstick as in chicken leg, by the way. I picked them up and examined them slowly, wondering just how in the hell I was supposed to mix with these. "...hoo boy."
It was too late to back out now, and I wasn't about to fail, so I took a deep breath, grabbed the tempura flour, and got to work. And if anyone is out there thinking, "Man, it sounds like it'd be really hard to mix a batter together using giant chopsticks," you'd be right! It wasn't like making pancake batter, where you whisk for a few seconds and it all comes together, it was a much slower, much more difficult task as I tried to submerge small clumps of flour one at a time. But in the end, I managed to get it to what I hoped to be the correct consistency. Next up, dredging. …or whatever the Sakura term for dredging was.
Using a special brush, I lightly coated each piece of sea bream with leftover tempura flour. Once all preparations were made, it was time to fry. Following the directions, I checked to make sure the oil was hot enough by letting a few droplets of batter fall into the oil. When they sank to the bottom, only to quickly rise back up to the surface, I knew it was ready. Taking another deep breath, I coated the first piece of fish in the batter and slipped it into the wok. Immediately, it began sizzling and bubbling, which I took to be a good sign.
I carefully husbanded the lone piece, waiting until it was lightly golden before I pulled it out and set it on a drip pan to dry. Test completed successfully, I got to work in earnest. Working in batches of four, I fried up the rest of the sea bream while I got to work on the sides. Fortunately, cooking with Musashi has taught me a great deal about cooking Sakura dishes, so I was able to quickly stir-fry some mushrooms, daikon, and cucumber while keeping an eye on the tempura. Once everything was finished, I boiled some soba noodles while I got both dishes plated up. By the time I got finished plating everything, the now-cooked noodles joined them before I covered both dishes, finally complete.
Almost as soon as I leaned back and took a breath to relax, Haguro walked into the galley. "You finished yet?"
"Just got the cloches on," I nodded as I straightened back up. No rest for the wicked, it seemed. "Please tell me you got a table."
"Shinano had one," she replied, much to my relief. "Got it set up on the deck right now along with everything else. Only thing we're waiting on is you, Musashi, and those dishes."
I checked my watch and realized we wouldn't have the sunset for much longer. "Yep, and it's getting pretty late," I concurred. "You mind running these up for me and then have Musashi meet me on the deck? I'm going to go get changed while that's going on."
Haguro rolled her eyes and groaned, "Fine."
"You're a lifesaver," I smiled as I squeezed past her.
"You owe me for this!" she called out after me.
This being our first official date, I decided khakis just weren't going to cut it, and since I didn't bring any civilian suits along with me, that left me with my dress whites or my summer whites. Eating food involving sauce in any white uniform was always a risky operation, so it came down to aesthetics. While I felt that the dress uniform would be a bit classier than I wanted, the summer whites just didn't feel classy enough. In the end, I decided to be too formal, rather than not formal enough and opted for the dress whites.
After a final check in the mirror, I headed up to the deck to check on things, hoping I'd beaten Musashi there. As luck had it, I had, and I was able to examine how Haguro had set things up. She'd managed to find a low table, along with several large, comfortable pillows for us to sit on, and set out the dishes I'd prepared, as well as some hot tea and a bottle of what I presumed to be sake. To this day, I don't know how or where she got that from, and nobody's ever confessed to it. Over by the superstructure were a couple of comfortable-looking chairs along with the electric foot baths Shinano had delivered.
Everything had been set up just the way I wanted it, and now, with the setting sun casting a golden hue on everything, it was perfect. I definitely owed Haguro and Shinano both big time for this. Paying back Haguro was going to be easy: a long gaming session with her, but Shinano I wasn't sure how to pay her back. A really comfortable pillow? Replace the couch in the office with a futon?
My ruminations were interrupted by the sound of a hatch swinging open, and I quickly rushed over to the door, keeping myself out of sight for the moment. Musashi stepped out, a look of confusion on her face, no doubt wondering why I asked her to meet me up here. That confused look turned into one of shock and surprise when she saw the table, then me. A soft gasp slipped past her lips and she raised her hand to daintily cover her mouth.
I smiled broadly up at her and bowed slightly. "Good evening, Musashi," I greeted her as I held out my hand. "Would you please be so kind as to honor me with a date tonight?"
As the shock wore off, she smiled so brightly it rivaled the setting sun. "You mischievous little…there was no call from Admiral Clark, was there?" she grinned.
I shook my head. "I'm afraid it was all a cunning ruse so I could get this arranged. I do hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
Still beaming, she reached out and took my hand in hers. "I think I can let it slide, but you'll have to make it up to me."
"Yes, ma'am," I answered as I led her over to the table. Once she had been seated, I took my place across from her.
Musashi eyed the table with enthusiasm and curiosity in equal measure before she looked back up at me. "Did you do all this?"
"Haguro and Shinano helped with a few things," I replied as I reached out for her cloche. "But the dish," With a dramatic flourish, I removed the cover to reveal her dinner. "...is all mine."
Her ears twitched with excitement as she gasped, "Is that what I think it is?"
"Tempura sea bream," I confirmed with a smile and a nod. "I hope you find it to your liking."
She looked up at me with a reassuring smile. "Even if this wasn't, the fact that you made tempura sea bream for our first date is simply wonderful. Thank you."
Although I was confident in my work, hearing her say that was a huge relief. "You're worth it," I smiled back as I poured her tea.
"You are too kind," she smiled before she clapped her hands together and offered her thanks. I did the same, and without further ado, she took her chopsticks and grabbed one of the pieces of tempura, taking her first bite. If I was curious as to how it would be received, I didn't have to wait long.
Her ears twitched again, and her tails began to sway back and forth as she closed her eyes and smiled softly. When she finally opened them, I could see the excitement and passion behind those golden irises. "It's marvelous," she declared. "Have you made this before?"
"Never cooked fish before today," I admitted with a shake of my head.
Both of her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Have you tried this yet?"
Again, I shook my head. "Didn't have time when I was cooking."
Musashi grinned and she held out the uneaten end of her sea bream to me. "Then here, try some."
I grinned back, leaned forward, and took a bite. The first thing I noticed was how light and crunchy it was, followed almost immediately by the mild, slightly sweet flavor of the fish itself. I never had a lot of fish growing up, but this…this was very good. Once I'd swallowed, I nodded and said, "Oh, that is good. Really different from fried foods back home, but in a good way. Light and airy instead of the heavier stuff." I glanced down at the half-eaten sea bream, I got an idea, and I smiled playfully as I plucked a piece from my own plate and held it out to her. "You know, since you gave me a bite of your food, it only seems fair that I return the favor…"
A mischievous grin crossed Musashi's face and she leaned in to take a bite. "So that's how it's going to be, hmmm?" she purred as she held out her sea bream to me. As the sun slipped beneath the waves, we fed each other our sea bream, playful and flirtatious smiles on our faces.
Once the last piece had been devoured, we returned to our dishes. Feeding one another tempura fish had a romantic quality to it, but sharing a soba noodle across the table seemed to have a trickier, less sexy vibe. "So, is that the first time you'd fried something?" Musashi said, striking up a conversation once more.
I shook my head. "Nah, I used to make country-fried steak back home. Got pretty good at it, too. Tried fried chicken once or twice, but that is a lot of work."
Musashi gave me a quizzical look. "Country-fried? Does that refer to some local style of frying unique to country life?"
"Not really," I answered after taking a bite of stir-fried mushrooms. "It's pretty much the same no matter where you go. Pan-fried steak that's been cubed. I guess they call it country-fried because it came from the country, but you can make it anywhere."
"Interesting," she hummed thoughtfully. "Do you miss it?"
I grinned as I realized this would be my third "no" in as many questions and ruefully shook my head. "Not to sound overly negative…but surprisingly no. As I said, the longer I stay here, the more here feels like home."
She smiled warmly at me as she began to pour the sake into a pair of red dishes. "Perhaps this is where you were meant to be?"
I had to admit, while I wasn't a big believer in destiny, her question resonated with me quite a bit. "Perhaps," I agreed.
"A toast then," she announced as she handed me one of the strange dish…glass…thing. "To a new home, a new life, and perhaps… a new love?"
My heart skipped a beat with that. To say I hadn't had feelings for her would be a bald-faced lie, but love? Admitting that I would be ready, or even capable of love again, that would be a big step. Was I ready for it? Would I ever be? I realized that, as Musashi had pointed out, I would likely not ever be completely unburdened by my traumas ever again. But that didn't mean I should push love away if it ever came back to me.
And Musashi certainly cared for me. It may be time I gave in and followed where my heart led. I raised the glass and toasted, "To new love."
"Kanpai!" she beamed as she downed her glass in a single gulp.
"Kanpai!" I echoed and plunged headlong into a new chapter.
A/N-Oh thank god, it's all fluff! Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
