"I still can't believe you got a hold of these," Musashi marveled as I finished setting up her foot bath.

"Thank Shinano," I smiled up at her. "She was the one who got them. I can't take credit for it."

"But it was your idea."

I shrugged. "Yeah, sort of. I mean, I was going to try and find something like this, but Shinano knew I was going to ask and had them ready to go." I paused for a moment. "Does it ever get less unsettling when she does that? The whole, 'she knew it five days before you did' thing."

She smiled and shrugged. "A little bit. She doesn't do it that often. Not unless you've asked her to look into your future, or she feels it has to be done at exactly the right time."

The last part of her answer threw me off a bit. "Well, I didn't ask how our first date would go, and I didn't think our first date would have had to be tonight. I was willing to wait a few days."

Musashi's smile faded somewhat as she shook her head. "A few days wouldn't have worked out because-" Something clicked, and her smile returned as she nodded to herself. "Ah, now I understand. While you were making dinner, I received a message from the mainland. They're having an event in Nagasaki, and Haguro and I were invited to attend. I was going to ask if it was alright with you before accepting, of course, but if you agreed, it would have meant that the date would have been pushed back further."

"Alright," I slowly replied as I put everything together. "So it was important that we have this date, and we have it before the event in Nagasaki. By the way, what kind of event is it?"

"A pop-up maid cafe."

That piqued my interest. "As in a cafe for the Royal Maids? I didn't know they would be stopping by the Sakura Empire."

Musashi giggled at my naivete as she shook her head. "Not quite, but that is an amusing idea. No, a maid cafe is a cafe where all the staff are dressed as maids."

"Huh." Completely oblivious to where she was going with this, I asked, "So are you going to show support for the girls who will be attending as maids?"

She simply gave me a Cheshire grin and shook her head. "Nope."

No doubt she took great amusement as she watched me work through it. "So…if you're not going to support…wait…are you going as a maid?"

"Correct," she giggled. "I will be running the cafe." When the shocked expression refused to leave my face, she followed up with, "Does that seem so out of character for me?"

"It's just…" I started, still trying to wrap my head around the idea. "Running something, not at all, but…I keep trying to picture you in a maid outfit and my brain refuses to put that image together."

She reached out to reassuringly pat my forearm. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't exactly be wearing a traditional, western maid outfit."

"Oh? What will you be wearing?"

Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "You'll have to come along to find out." The grin faded slightly, replaced by a more severe and anxious expression. "If you're comfortable, that is."

Now it was my turn to give her a reassuring smile for a change. "I think I'll be okay," I replied, "And I'd love to go, even if it's just to see what you're wearing."

A soft sigh of relief passed her lips and the mischievous, playful look returned to her face. "I'm sure you'll love it. Both the outfit as well as the event. But for now, let us get back to enjoying each other's company right now."

"Agreed," I nodded as I leaned back and stared up into the violet sky. As the last light slipped beneath the horizon, I could begin to make out the individual pinpricks of starlight, twinkling in the evening gloom. Between the warmth of the foot bath, the beautiful sky, the beautiful woman beside me, and the aura of warmth and peace radiating from her, I felt calm. The calmest I'd felt in months.

I must have made some sort of noise because Musashi glanced at me and said, "Sounds like you're enjoying this."

My cheeks flushed as I wondered what kind of sound I'd made, looking over at Musashi to try and deduce what it was based on her reaction. She seemed amused but in a relaxed, contented sort of way. "What did I, uh…say?"

Her smile broadened slightly and she reached out to take my hand. "Nothing really. It was more a sigh, but a very relaxed, happy sigh."

"Ah." My anxiety faded and a sheepish grin slowly spread across my face. "Well, I'm definitely very happy, and very relaxed. Honestly, I was just thinking how I hadn't felt this relaxed in a very long time, and…I was starting to wonder if I could ever feel this calm again."

Her eyes lit up in the pale moonlight, and she beamed, "I cannot tell you how happy that makes me, truly."

"I think the smile on your face is a pretty good indicator," I replied with a grin. "Thank you. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Don't sell yourself short, my kintsugi," she demurred. "You're stronger than you know, and I think you would have recovered in time."

Despite her pet name for me causing my cheeks to flush further, I sighed and shook my head sadly. "I don't think I would have. I kept pushing everyone away, trying to keep them out until I could fix myself. But I see now that wasn't the answer. I needed someone like you, someone who wouldn't simply respect my wishes, someone who cared enough to step into the mess of my life and help me clean it up. And I still don't know if I ever will be whole again, but I do know that whatever happens, I'll be okay. Because of you."

Without another word, Musashi pulled me to her for a passionate, yet awkward kiss as we had to lean over the armrests of our chairs. As we broke, our hands found each other once again, our fingers intertwined with one another. "Next time we do this," Musashi grinned, "it will have to be in a proper ashiyu, one with benches so we can sit together a bit more comfortably."

"Agreed," I nodded as I shifted to stop the armrest from digging into my ribcage. "I'm a little surprised you don't have one aboard, to be honest."

"I've never really needed one," she shrugged. "More often than not, I'm in port or at my home where I have the proper facilities, and when I'm out on a mission, I do not have time for such a distracting luxury."

"That makes sense." Suddenly, something she said registered in my brain. "You have a home? Where? Why aren't we staying there?"

Musashi giggled at the sudden barrage of questions before answering. "It's more of a castle, really. And it is located deep within the Sakura Empire Sanctuary, a place only Sakura Empire kansen and their guests are allowed to go. I would have preferred to have you stay there, but in the end, we decided the offer would sound more reasonable if we picked a location closer to Eagle Union territory. Offering to whisk you away to a secret Sakura Empire stronghold might seem like we were simply attempting to steal you for our own ends."

I thought back to those ulterior motives she mentioned last night but opted not to press her on those. The date was going so well, and I didn't want to chance ruining it. Instead, I decided to go with something more positive, but still truthful. "One day, I'd love to see it."

"The castle or the Sanctuary?"

"Both, to be honest. The Sanctuary sounds like a beautiful place on its own, and I would like to see your home…castle." Just then, an odd thought popped into my head that made me giggle giddily. "My girlfriend has a castle."

My laughter must have been infectious because Musashi joined in, softly at first, but before long, our peals of laughter were echoing off the lagoon. As I wiped the tears from my eyes and shook my head. "Sorry about that," I chuckled. "It's just…such an incongruous thought. A couple of months ago, I had a normal-ish life, a wife, house, picket fence. But now I'm on a date with my kitsune girlfriend who has a castle. It's a bit much to take in sometimes."

"I'm just happy you're laughing about it," she beamed, her hand taking mine once again. "And one day, I promise to show you the Sanctuary, and my home. Hopefully soon."

I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. "I'm eagerly looking forward to it."

Sharing one last smile, we turned our gaze back up to the silvery moon and the possibilities that the future would bring…


A few days later, we found ourselves moored in Nagasaki, the bustling city just a few short kilometers away. A staff car awaited us on the pier below, and Haguro had already gone ahead of us, wanting to change at the cafe itself so she "didn't have to wear that weird-ass getup" more than she had to.

For me, my "weird-ass getup" were the civilian clothes I had changed into. Jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and a light jacket would help me blend in with the crowd, but after months and months of wearing a uniform of one type or another, it felt odd to be wearing something else. I idly wondered if Musashi would feel the same way about her outfit, along with wondering for the thirtieth time what it was going to be. For the latter, I wouldn't have to wonder for much longer.

"All ready to go, Paul?" A familiar voice came from behind, and I turned to face Musashi, an answer on my lips. That answer died as soon as I saw her.

Her "maid outfit" was a black silk kimono, with beautiful white and magenta flowers on the sleeves and around the hem. The top of the kimono was open, exposing her soft skin as well as a great deal of cleavage, and held up by an ingenious pair of straps that connected to the silk choker around her throat. White gloves, a white lace apron, and a frilly white headband with a pair of violet flowers completed the outfit and gave it a feeling of being maid related.

I stared as respectfully as I could for several long seconds until I finally engaged the higher functions of my brain and put thought into coherent words. "You look…amazing. Fantastic! Gorgeous! Wait," I paused, leaning to either side to get a good look at her. "Where are your tails?"

"I can hide them using magic for a while," she smiled, conjuring them for a second before hiding them once again. "Having tails in the kitchen of a cafe is inviting for them to receive some sort of injury."

"Or to have a bunch of purple fur in someone's latte."

She giggled and nodded in agreement. "That, too. But tails aside, what do you think?"

After studying her outfit a bit longer, and finally able to craft a more nuanced response, I stated, "I think it looks great on you. Very sleek, I love the kimono but with just enough touches to get the maid theme you're going with."

She smiled and bowed theatrically for me, saying, "'Welcome home, Master.' Rather, that's what all the children were telling me I should say to you when I greeted you in this outfit. Hehe, is this some new custom?"

"If it is, I clearly didn't get the memo," I chuckled weakly as I tried to calm myself down. Why did it get fifty degrees hotter outside all of a sudden? "Although, it is what the Royal Maids call me when I'm around…"

"Oh?" As she straightened up from her bow, she shot me a playful smirk. "Do you wish for me to call you 'Master' as well?"

"No!" I answered, probably too fast and forcefully before I took a deep breath and repeated my answer a bit slower. "No. It's just…it's weird. I get why the maids call me that, even though I don't care for it, but coming from you…it's not what I want. I like what we have now. Equals, partners in life, helping and supporting one another rather than one person having power over the other." When she continued to look at me, I blushed even harder, shrugged my shoulders, and muttered, "Sorry about the tangent, just…how I feel about relationships."

"Nothing to apologize for," she said as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me. "And I agree, one should be there for their partner, always. Not to command them, but to help them, to be their bedrock, the foundation to build their dreams." We shared a brief kiss before she patted me on the hand and said, "We'd best hurry, the car is waiting and if we start talking about our hopes and dreams, we could spend the rest of the day here."

"Doesn't sound like such a bad idea," I grinned, earning a soft laugh from her before she ushered us off the quarterdeck.


While Nagasaki was a large, thriving city, I was somewhat pleased to see it wasn't quite as packed as I was expecting. Certainly, more people than I would see back in my old hometown, but not quite as densely packed as NYC. Upon arriving at the nondescript building, I could see there was already a line of people already waiting to get into the cafe, and I let out a low whistle. "Damn, I guess this maid thing's pretty popular."

"It's very popular in the Sakura Empire, and doubly so when it is staffed by kansen," she confirmed as we got out of the car. We quickly hurried inside, with Musashi waving at the excited throng of people as we passed them. It was almost like she was a rock star than a military figure. I don't think I've ever gotten such a reaction in public. Not that I was jealous, mind you. I'm perfectly fine living out my life in relative anonymity, but I had begun to surmise that might not be the case when I'm out with Musashi in public.

Inside the building was packed with people, most of whom stopped and stared up at Musashi when she entered. Considering she towered over everyone in the cafe, it made sense she would draw more than a few looks from the crowd. I was also grateful for her height as it made her easy to spot if we got separated. Once we got to the counter, Musashi stopped and turned to face me. "Would you also like to help out with our pop-up café?" She asked, her tone hopeful, yet understanding. "Though, I don't mind if you just stay put over there. I can't help but worry when I am unable to see you…"

Her unease was certainly understandable, given this was a crowded cafe in a major city compared to the quiet restaurant we visited back at Itsukushima. I gave it a bit of thought before I shook my head and gestured to where she wanted me to stay. "I'll just hang out over there and watch you girls work," I declined with a smile. "I'm not the fastest cook in the kitchen and I don't think I'd look all that great in a maid outfit."

She laughed and theatrically eyed me up before nodding in agreement. "Probably not. I'll see you later, my kintsugi."

Almost reflexively, I smiled at her name for me and I felt a rush of heat across my cheeks as I sheepishly waved to her. "See you later, and good luck!"

As I sat down at the table, I looked around at all the other kansen already in maid costumes as they gracefully hurried back and forth between tables, most of whom I didn't recognize. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Haguro, but so far, no such luck. Every so often, I'd glance over at Musashi and catch her eye. We'd share a quick smile before she turned her attention back to her work at hand, happier than she'd been a moment ago. It was surprising how at ease I felt, despite the crowd of people coming and going from the cafe. I still kept something of a watchful eye, and when I cast a look at Musashi, I could tell she was doing the same thing.

As I was perusing the crowd for the third time, I caught sight of a raven-haired kansen with red eyes, a black kimono top with maid ruffles, and only a maid apron for a skirt. It took me a second, but I finally recognized Haguro, and I waved at her. Then disaster struck.

As soon as she waved back, one of the straps on the wooden geta she had been wearing snapped, and the poor girl immediately tumbled forward, coming down hard on her knee. I quickly rushed to her side, kneeling down next to her as I examined her injuries. "You okay?"

"Ow! That freakin' stings…" she grumbled as she shifted to a sitting position, revealing a rather large scrape on her shin. "Can't believe I actually slipped and hit my foot. Just how clumsy am I?"

"Not clumsy if it's equipment failure," I consoled her as I helped her back up to her feet. "C'mon, there's gotta be a first aid kit to patch you up in the back…"

As we headed to the office, we passed another shipgirl and I stopped long enough to instruct her, "Tell Musashi that Paul went to the back office to help Haguro," and then kept moving. I sometimes wonder how things might have played out differently if I'd confirmed that she'd heard and understood that message…

A/N-Gee, that sounds a little ominous. I'm sure it's fine. …yeah, it's fine. In other news, the poll for the next character is now open, you can find the link to it on my twitter page ( admiral_fluffy). Characters are Dido, Gangut(still a cliffhanger), Yorktown(Broken Wings vol 2), U-47, and Chikuma. Although, full disclosure, Yorktown has a commanding lead right now of 13 out of 21 possible votes. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!