As soon as I entered the back office, I realized I had no clue where anything was. "Uhhh…do you know where the first aid kit is, Haguro?"
Her red eyes scanned the room before she shook her head. "No idea, sorry."
"Alright," I grunted as I pulled out a chair and helped her into it. "You just rest there and I'll take a look around." She nodded as she got comfortable, and I began searching for a first aid kit.
About ten seconds into my search, I realized that I might not recognize a first aid kit since the label might very well be in Japanese. I thought about doubling back to Haguro for a quick, impromptu lesson in what "first aid" looked like in katakana, but there was still a chance the Sakura Empire still stamped first aid kits with the large cross on them, so I continued looking.
As it turned out, my concerns about the language barrier were entirely unfounded. Rounding a corner, I saw a large white box affixed to the wall with the logo of a first aid bag and the words "medical kit" written on it in English. Just to double-check my good luck, I opened the box, confirmed it had all the medical supplies I needed, and pried it from the wall.
"Found it!" I announced as I headed back to her and knelt down to take a close look at the wound. "Now, let's take a look here…" She had two cuts, one on each leg, with the one on her right leg looking rather nasty, the blood already running down in rivulets. I didn't think she'd need stitches, but the size of the cut meant I would probably need to use a gauze pad or two instead of a simple bandaid. The cut on her left leg looked pretty small and was barely bleeding. I was fairly certain all she'd need on that one was a bandaid once I'd cleaned the blood and applied some healing ointment.
"Well, I don't think we'll have to amputate," I teased as I began to lay out everything I'd need.
"Ha ha," she deadpanned, clearly not appreciating my keen wit and insight. "Just…stings like hell. Can't believe my shoe just failed like that."
"I can't believe you weren't wearing a skirt," I replied as I began to clean the left leg, wiping up the blood before quickly dabbing the antibacterial ointment on the wound and applying the bandaid. "Might not have helped all that much, but still…"
She shot me a look as if I'd lost my mind. "My skirt? Yeah, I'm wearing a skirt today…" I pointedly looked up at her, then down to her bare thighs, then back up at her, raising my eyebrow. It took her another second before she looked down at her legs and it finally kicked in. "My skirt! S-stop, don't look!" she cried out as she buried her face in her hands. "...ugh, what am I supposed to do about this now…"
Immediately, I took off my jacket and draped it across her lap, the garment providing more modesty for the cruiser than her flimsy maid apron. "This should help," I consoled as I got back to dressing the wound on her right leg.
It seemed to mollify Haguro somewhat, who finally lowered her hands, although she still looked equal parts perturbed and horrified. "Thanks, I guess, but…what am I gonna do for the rest of the day?"
I didn't immediately have an answer for her, so I shrugged as I got back to work cleaning the wound. She let out a hiss as I sanitized and treated the wound, but to her credit, she didn't jerk away. As I worked, an idea came to me. "Did you change before coming here or change once you got here?"
"Once I got here, thank goodness," she sighed, and I silently agreed with her. Traveling all the way through a busy city with no pants on would qualify as an absolute nightmare.
"Why don't you use your everyday skirt?" I offered as I began to tape the bandage over the cut. "It's got that little purple thing hanging from it, but it's still black and it looks like it would fit with the rest of your outfit. Probably wanna change into some non-broken shoes, too."
"...dammit," she sighed. "Those were new shoes, too. I should probably check with Musash-"
"PAUL!" Musashi's panicked cry rang out through the building, and my heart stopped. Without thinking, I leapt to my feet and charged out into the dining area where I saw her frantically searching around the table I'd been sitting at.
"Musashi!" I called out to her, and her head whipped around to face me. That's when I saw it: the absolute terror in her eyes. She looked more frightened than I'd ever seen her before or since, and in a heartbeat, she charged towards me. So quick and so reckless were her movements, I was afraid that she was going to bowl someone over in her haste to reach me. She barely slowed down before she slammed into me, knocking the wind out of my lungs as she picked me up in a fierce hug.
"Where were you I was so worried I thought I lost you!" Her words came out in a rush, almost too fast for me to comprehend them, and I was stunned at this seemingly uncharacteristic behavior from her. It felt extremely odd to have the shoe on the other foot, but I was resolved to be there for her as best I could. It was the least I could do, given how she had been there for me every time I needed her.
I managed to quickly find my voice as I awkwardly put my arms around her in a comforting embrace. "Hey, hey, I'm fine, it's okay," I soothed, gently stroking her hair. "You wanna take this to the back office so we can talk about it?"
After a moment, she nodded, set me down, and I ushered her into the back room. As I shut the door behind us, I heard the chatter in the cafe return to normal levels, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like Musashi's outburst was swiftly forgotten. I would hate it if I had caused her any embarrassment or loss of face because of some miscommunication.
Before I could even ask, Haguro was already on her way out, tossing my jacket back to me as she finished putting on her skirt. "I'll give you two some space," she muttered as she slipped by.
"Thanks," I nodded gratefully, to which she grunted in reply and left the office. Now alone, I turned back to Musashi, who was still looking very rattled. The last time I'd seen her this shaken was during the Siren attack, and she followed up that particular incident by violently sinking an entire fleet with lightning bolts. I honestly didn't know how she would react now, but I felt like there was more to this than her concern for me.
"You…you okay, Musashi?" I asked slowly, studying her face for some clue.
She nodded silently, still trying to calm her visibly shaken nerves. "I'm fine," she said, almost as if she were trying to convince herself of that fact. "I'm fine, just…when I couldn't find you and then there was some blood on the ground and I…" Her voice shakily trailed off.
"Hey, it's okay," I said softly. "In your position, I'd have been rattled, too. But it's alright now, I'm here, I'm-"
"It's not alright!" she quietly hissed. "I could have lost you! It's my job to keep you safe and I won't fail at it again!" That last word threw me off for a second until I remembered the debris that almost killed me.
"You didn't fail at that, you saved me!" I countered as I unconsciously reached up to gently feel the still-healing wound on my forehead. "If it hadn't been for you, that cap badge wouldn't have been there to stop the debris." Musashi gave me a quizzical look, and that's when it clicked. "...you're not talking about me, are you?"
Her eyes were filled with anxiety as she realized she'd let something slip she didn't intend to, and I suddenly realized what Shinano meant when she said Musashi and I could help each other. Without saying another word, I walked over, grabbed both the chair Haguro had been sitting in and another one against the wall, and dragged them over to Musashi. As I took a seat across from her chair, I gave her a reassuring smile and gestured to the empty seat. "Please," I said softly. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but…speaking from recent personal experience," I wryly admitted, "I think you'll feel better."
Still uncharacteristically unsure, Musashi nodded slowly and sat down, still trying to find her voice again. "My hull has…memories," she began softly. "I…it…was once the flagship to no less than two of the leaders of the Combined Fleet. My memories of them are vague at best. One was jovial, colorful, and warm, but tinged with sorrow. The other was more guarded, more like a stoic samurai of old. Both of them left me, flying to some far off-destination. The second simply vanished into the sea. The first…only his ashes remained. I carried him home one last time…"
"The Admiral's Cabin," I exhaled as it all fit into place. "That's why you don't like being in there."
She nodded. "It wasn't anything I really had to worry about before taking you aboard, since I could spend time ashore or with the ship summoned as rigging. I didn't think about it becoming a problem until you tried inviting me in that evening." She sighed and took a deep, shuddering breath as her eyes finally met mine again. "But more than that, I wanted to right the wrongs of the past. I wanted to do as a kansen what I could not do as a ship: keep my commander safe. And now…now it's moved past that. Losing you is more than a failed mission or a broken vow. You have become…precious to me, my kintsugi, and while I do not know how long I will be able to be by your side, I do know I am not ready to lose you so soon. If it were up to me, I would whisk you away to the Sanctuary and my castle, where I could be certain you would be safe."
"But you have to know that's no way to live, hiding away from the world because something might happen."
"I know," she sighed dejectedly. "It wouldn't be fair to you, or to anyone else, to steal you away like that. I'm just…afraid of losing you like I lost them."
My first instinct was to tell her I would be fine, that she wouldn't lose me, but that would've sounded hollow, even to my ears. In the past two months alone, I'd been kidnapped as well as nearly had shrapnel embedded in my skull. And that wasn't even mentioning all the other close scrapes I'd had as the Commander of Azur Lane. No, I needed to find some other, more tangible way to convince her. After giving it some thought, I came upon an idea. "These…former commanders. You said they left you and never came back, correct?"
"Yes," she sadly confirmed. "They flew off on some mission and died."
"What if I never left you?"
By the sudden shock and soft gasp, I doubted she considered this option. "You…you can't…"
"Why not?" I countered. "You've saved my life twice already, and there's no one else I feel safer with, you can clearly handle yourself if things get dangerous, and…I like having you around. You're already in my life from sunup to sunset, and I don't think I want that to change any time soon."
Her eyes welled up as she quietly exhaled, "Paul…"
As one, we both got to our feet and embraced each other, her lips pressed against mine in a tender kiss. When we broke, I grinned up at her and smirked, "So that's a yes to my plan?"
"What do you think?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"I think I'm gonna need another kiss just to make sure…"
"I bet you are," she grinned as she pulled me in. This kiss was no less tender but with greater passion and hunger than before. I think if I asked for a third, I definitely would have gotten it…and a whole lot more I wasn't quite ready for just yet.
"Mmm," I hummed when we parted. "Yep, definitely felt like a yes to me."
"Glad I could help," she smiled warmly. "And…thank you."
A faint blush crept across my cheeks and I shrugged sheepishly. "After everything you've done for me, it's the least I could do."
She leaned down to gently kiss my forehead. "You know, I still would like to take you to the Sanctuary and my home there, sooner rather than later."
"To keep me safe?"
"Not quite" she answered. "To keep you someplace a bit more comfortable than my ship. Not that it isn't luxurious by most naval standards, except perhaps for the Sardegnians, who are another story altogether. But instead of a lagoon in the middle of nowhere, we would have a few more luxuries. An onsen, a proper kitchen…" Her tattooed cheeks colored slightly. "A bed big enough for two people."
"Oh." I suddenly felt a blush creep across my own cheeks at the less-than-subtle implications. "That does sound…ah, very enticing. Although isn't your bed on the ship big enough for two people?"
Her eyes lit up and her smile grew. "Why Paul, I had no idea you were so eager," she teased.
My blush went from faint to beet-red as I realized what I'd just said, and I sputtered and stammered before I finally managed to get out, "Well, I mean…I wasn't…but I do, but I mean…I'm just…y'know…"
Musashi put a gentle hand on my chest as she smiled softly. "Breathe, Paul, it's okay. When you're ready."
I took a few deep breaths and nodded. If I was being honest with myself, I was ready this morning when I first saw her outfit. At least, my body was ready. My brain was still a little unsure. "Getting there," I breathed, "but…I think I'm going to need some help clearing that last hurdle. Just scared about a repeat of…last time."
"I know," she soothed. "When you think you're ready, just let me know and I'll make sure our first time is a memorable one…for all the right reasons."
"Thank you," I smiled softly.
Musashi took a deep breath and looked around before she changed the subject. "Now then, why didn't you tell anyone you were taking Haguro back here to treat her injuries?"
I just stared at her in disbelief for a second before I blurted out, "I did! As I was taking her back to the office, I told one of the other shipgirls to tell you that I was helping her out in the office! Did she not tell you?"
"Of course not!" she shot back. "If I knew where you were, I wouldn't have given myself such a fright! Who did you tell?"
"Uh, I don't know her name…" I shrugged. "She had dark brown hair with an orange bow, and a really colorful black and red maid outfit. Oh! And horns, she had horns."
"I know who you're speaking of," Musashi scowled. "I'll have to have a word with her."
It was one of the few times I had seen her mood darken, and I suddenly worried for the poor shipgirl. "Just…go easy on her, okay? I know this was a big mistake, but at least it had an overall positive outcome."
She gave me a disarming smile and bowed her head. "As you wish, Commander."
Just then, the door to the back office swung open and Haguro stuck her head in. "Hey, if you two are done doing…whatever, can Musashi come back out here? Mikasa's getting a little overwhelmed and needs a hand." She eyed us up before commenting. "At least you kept your clothes on."
Musashi opened her mouth, presumably to chastise her aide, but I beat her to the punch. "Hey, I don't wanna hear it, Miss I-Forgot-A-Skirt."
Her cheeks flushed a deep red and she fixed me with an angry stare. "It was a mistake! Are you gonna give me hell about it?"
"Dunno," I shrugged. "How long are you gonna give me hell about the couch?"
She stared angrily at me for a few more seconds before she sighed and rolled her eyes. "...fine."
Sensing an opening, Musashi interjected. "Tell Mikasa I'll be out in just a moment."
Haguro glared at me for another second before she withdrew and closed the door behind her.
"It seems I must get back to things. Do you wish to stay back here, or will you go back to your seat, if it's empty?"
"I'll go back to my seat," I said when I was struck by a flash of inspiration. "You have your phone on you?"
"Of course!"
"If something comes up, I'll text you, that way there's no middleman, alright?"
Musashi gave me a relieved smile and nodded. "An excellent idea. Now come, I have work to do and you must be starving!" As she began to lead us out of the office, she stopped, then turned back to face me. "You know," she mused, "We don't have much in the way of food, but once we're closed for the evening, I would love to take you to a restaurant. What do you say?"
How could I turn this beautiful woman down? "It's a date."
A/N-Hey, that historical reference I kept hinting at! Both Admirals Yamamoto Isoroku and Koga Mineichi used Musashi as their flagship, both left via H8K "Emily" flying boats, and both died before returning(Koga was actually leaving Musashi for good, deciding to set up HQ on an island). Combined with some of Musashi's overprotective quotes, I thought it would make for some good character development.
