This is a work of fiction based on real events. This does not promote anything in regards to the war nor against any people living or dead. That said, any similarities to people, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Some aspects of the history have been changed to create a

better story.

"Brother! They found her!"

"What! When!?"

"Just now! I heard it on the news!"

"Has anyone told Grandpa yet?"

"I think we're all too nervous to tell him."

"We should let the media break it to him."

"I'll go get him. He's probably still sleeping, he's getting quite old."

"You do that, I'll rewind and try and find a good point."

"Do you think he'll be excited or sad?"

"My money is on the fact that he cries."

"I mean, did he even know what happened to her?"

"I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out.."

"Zuikaku. How are you feeling?"

"Good morning commander. I can't say I'm still not angry but at least I've calmed down."

"You have every right to be angry. Your sister was removed from you so suddenly…"

"I know, but there's nothing I can do about it except get revenge. I am ready to destroy anything at your command, commander."

"While I admire the enthusiasm, you are our last aircraft carrier. You are more valuable than the entire fleet combined."

"Thank you for the compliment, commander. But what is the point of not using your greatest weapon. Are you saving it for another battle? There may not be a next battle."

"I am well aware, which is why I want you to sortie with me. There is still so much to do in preparation but I know with you there we can do it."

"You would make me blush if I wasn't so furious, commander."

"Just make sure you're ready before then. I will see you around."

"Yeah, see you commander."

It had been about a month since I proposed to Atago atop Mount Atago. Afterwards, we returned to port and began preparations for the upcoming battle side by side. Atago had done very well keeping it quiet from everyone, only telling her sisters who congratulated her with a big hug. She wore her ring everywhere on her ring finger, keeping it out of sight from officials and if they asked it was just a fancy piece of jewelry.

I had spent every waking hour with her as we spent life more or less the same. However, privately she no longer called me commander. She called me "Hiroto" or "Darling~" which was far more effective at getting my attention than commander.

Life in bed had only become more passionate after I proposed. Something that Atago and I mutually found beneficial.

"Commander~ Takao wants to treat us to some food before the battle. 'A great feast of victory' or something like that. Maya and Choukai are already there."

"Well then we should go join them." I grab her hand. Atago squeezes my hand requiring me to squeeze hers back as we walk down the crowded streets of the port.

Almost a hundred ships lay in port, almost all with Kansen and their commanders. We all prepared for this decisive battle by acquiring as many ships as possible. Zuikaku, the last carrier, would be the flagship of the operation. Atago and I were placed as flagship of the center force which would be in charge of breaking through their vanguard and destroying their carriers in ship to ship combat.

It was not going to be easy but we no longer had any other choice.

The three Takao sisters give me a friendly smile and a wave as I approach their table. For whatever reason, Maya had become increasingly friendly along with her sister ship Choukai. Perhaps it was my marriage to Atago that had triggered it, though I found that unlikely.

"Hello girls, how are you?"

"We are good. All preparations are going smoothly, commander."

"Good. And what about the ordeal with your commander?"

"He called me pretty the other day as I stood against the ocean. I rarely have had my heart beat that fast outside of battle."

"That's fantastic! I knew you two would get along."

"It's all thanks to you, Hiroto."

I raise a slight blush when she calls my name. She smiles exactly like her sister, brilliantly and stunningly.

Atago grabs my arm and leans closer while looking at what she wanted to eat. "My offers still on the table Takao~"

"I-I would not dare interfere between the two of you and your marriage."

"There's an easy solution. Darling~ Why don't you marry Takao as well. That way we can both have you~"

"A-Atago, sister! You can't just go around suggesting such ridiculous things!"

"I wouldn't mind the presence of Takao, but suggesting marriage is a bit much dear."

"You're right, I'm sorry sister. I just love to watch your face turn red~"

"Y-You really wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not, you and your sisters I have known for two years. Each one of you is special in my heart. Takao, your fiery soul and shy demeanor compliment your beauty spectacularly both on and off the battlefield. Your expert marksmanship and swordsmanship are rivaled against none, especially not in the Eagle Union. " Takao tries to stamper in protest but I quickly move on to avoid the embarrassment.

"Maya, your calm, cool, and collected personality make you indispensable on the battlefield. Your presence requires attention. I could not ask for better from you because you always give it your all."

A rare blush forms on Maya's pale features. She shyly looks down at her feet with the tips of her ears turning red.

"Choukai, even though you're the youngest that does not hinder you in the slightest. You take the best from both of your oldest sisters and combine it into one different person. You are sweet, but you are shy. You are also confident and flirtatious. You are your own person and it is my greatest pleasure to know you and fight alongside you."

Choukai stutters as she tries to come up with a response. However, before she can I move onto the fourth and final sister. My wife.

"Atago… You are… everything. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about you. The way you flirt has no limits and you are constantly caring for me both physically and mentally. Behind your flirtatious nature is a layer of sweet kindness that melts my heart just thinking about it. Your overwhelming love is something I never tire of. Your prowess on the battlefield are nothing compared to how much you mean to me off the battlefield. I cannot put into words just how much you truly mean to me."

Atago's face was red as she followed in Maya's steps and tried to focus on anything other than my face. I laugh as the four sisters now try to cool themselves down.

"I love each and every one of you as if I had married all of you. You all have a place in my heart."

The four sisters look at each other with dumb grins on their faces. I smile along with them as Takao clears her throat.

"I think I'll have the Teriyaki sushi."

We all laugh simultaneously at Takao's comedic timing. Takao smiles behind her menu as we order our food and drinks.

I remembered looking back at the Midway force and thinning that was the most spectacular force I had ever seen. I was immediately proven wrong.

From port, we had left in 3 different forces. The Northern force , the Southern force, and the Center force. The Center force consisted of 5 battleships, 10 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 15 destroyers in the largest naval Task Force that had ever been assembled.

That was not the most impressive part, however. All three of the Sakura Empire's most famous battleships were present to partake in this battle. The Yamato, her sister Musashi, and Nagato. These three massive ships towered above our relatively small force of heavy cruisers in comparison. The Kongo and Haruna were also Legendary Battleships with Legendary Kansen aboard them. It felt as though we were unstoppable.

I led the force towards the Philippines in place of Admiral Yamamoto "With all great haste." The only thing slowing them down was the lumbering nature of the two Yamato class battleships. Atago had gathered all of her sisters on the bridge of the Atago and had been explaining to them the purpose of the battle in great detail.

Maya and Takao were great at asking questions while Choukai listened attentively. It felt like so much time and planning had been put into this moment. The entire war, all of the death and destruction, had led up to this point. I think back on everyone we had lost. From the Akagi and her entire carrier division, to Shokaku, Taihou, and all others we had lost along the way. Passion that far exceeded that of hatred began to swell within me, not just at the Eagle Union but at the Sakura Empire as well for starting this terrible war.

Atago eventually finished her briefing and hugged all of her sisters. You would never know if it would be any of their last time seeing each other.

I look at both the sonar and radar and find nothing but our own ships in the area. The flashing dots on the screen indicate the size of the ships in the fleet with Musashi and Yamato being the largest of them. The sonar does not reveal anything beneath the surface.

It was a long trip to Leyte Gulf.

The four Takao sisters walk up to me and kneel on the ground. Their fox ears all dangling in embarrassment.

"What's all this?" I laugh out haughtily.

"My sisters want some headpats before they go. They have never received them from anyone other than me before." Atago says, also wishing for her own headpats.

I chuckle loudly.

"Alright."

I take both my hands and head pat the two most serious ones first. Takao jumps at the sudden touch but immediately begins melting into my hand as I explore the top of her head and between her ears. Maya's reaction is much more calm as she forces my hand onto her head as I scratch right behind her hidden ears.

The two sisters close their eyes and enjoy themselves in the touch of my hands. I find the base of Takao's ears and begin rubbing where I know to be the sensitive part of her ears. Takao struggles to keep her moans down as Maya receives her own ear rubs.

Both Atago and Choukai seem to be getting increasingly jealous as Takao restrains herself from letting out so much as a peep. I slowly and carefully move my hands from the two sisters and place my hands on the other two.

Atago does not attempt to keep her pleasure a secret as she moans loudly at the touch. Choukai was a bit more shy but even she let out a small moan every once in a while. With the other two looking neglected, I had never wished for more than two arms until that moment.

"Alright you lot. Back to your ships. I promise to give you more after we're done here." I say with a smile.

The Three sisters acknowledge my request and make their way out to their ships, skating across the water beautifully.

"What I would give to have that ability."

"I could always carry you, darling~"

"Thank you dear, but it wouldn't be the same…"

Now it was my turn to receive headpats. Atago caresses my hair and kisses my forehead. I take the initiative to want more as our mouths collide once again.

…

It was the next day when we arrived in the Philippines. The silence spoke volumes as even our hulls slowed down to a crawl. Yamato and Musashi had both pulled close as I had ordered them to as we begin to make our way down the center to Leyte Gulf.

I watch as the islands pass by closely, hiding our forces from even the most perceivable eyes. On the islands were thousands of palm trees, each a different height. They dwarf the small villages which watch us in silence as we cross across.

The Natives had all been killed or were too scared to come out and watch the massive fleet of ships pass through silently.

"Hiroto, no matter what happens here today. I want you to know that I will love you forever above all else. Your touch makes me warm and fuzzy and your kindness sends my heart through the atmosphere. I also want to-"

This time, it was my turn to quiet her.

"Don't say stuff like that. We will succeed because we have to succeed. I dare not think what may happen to you if we don't…"

"You're always an optimist, Hiroto."

"I'm just trying to keep morale up. We can't be thinking about losing when we haven't lost yet. We will not lose."

"We will not lose."

…

We had been spotted by planes up above hours ago but our position was not relayed. The fact that there were carriers in the area was a high morale booster. Typically it was not, but in this circumstance we needed to sink as many as possible.

The Largest Naval battle in history was about to break out as we cut across the strait between us and Leyte.

Atago takes in deep breaths as she rubs her shoulders from the amount of tension accumulating in her muscles.

"Would you like me to help you there, honey~"

"Would you? That would be great."

I grab Atago shoulders and begin working away at the knots in her muscles. Atago moans out in pleasure right before the bridge is blown apart…

…

…

...

When I come to, the pain is unbearable. My vision was red from the blood in my eyes and the constant flames licking at the groaning metal. The loud ringing in my ears a clear indication that we had been hit severely by something.

I hear the faint and desperate pleas of one of Atago's sisters, though I could not tell which one as the ringing begins to subside. I try to lift myself off of the ground but find I can't. My body will not let me. My head could still turn and through the pain and tears in my eyes I see Atago's lifeless body as she bleeds out severely.

I reach out my arm to her in a desperate attempt to feel her touch. Atago turns her head slowly to me with tears in her eyes as she reaches out with her hand to grasp mine. Our hands grasp together as the sound of water rushing into the hull becomes louder and louder.

The damage was severe. There was no saving the hull and the water soon began to flow into the bridge. Atago and I share no words as we grasp each other in our last moments. Both our bodies had suffered severe damage from the impact and could no longer move almost any part of our bodies. The amount of blood was a clear indication that they were both not long for life.

Atago begins to sob as she thinks about her sisters and what they would do without her. I began to think about all the others we had lost before. Was this what they saw? Is this what they felt… Is this how their stories ended?

My life flashes before my eyes. The day I had met Atago, the day my father was murdered, the day I entered the Academy, the day I graduated, the day I met Atago, the times we had spent together bonding over the silliest things, and finally, the day when I proposed to her. All this passed by as quickly as their demise had come.

As we look at each other for the last time, it felt like I had hardly begun to live my life with her. I can see through the blood and tears Atago trying to summon her rigging. Her damage was too severe.

I grab Atago with all the strength I had left into a hug, our blood mixing on the ground.

"I love you…"

"I love you too…"

The Atago dips below the ocean and sinks within seconds of detonation.

There were no survivors…

The battle of Leyte Gulf would completely prevent the Sakura Empire from launching another attack in any real capacity. With half the participating ships sunk, including their last Aircraft Carrier and the cruisers Atago and Maya along with the battleships Kongo, Nagato, and Haruna being too severely damaged to effectively used in combat ever again, the Battle of Leyte gulf was the greatest military disaster in Sakura history.

Takao had also been severely damaged after trying to protect Atago from further damage in hopes that the two were still alive. She would continue to be used as an Anti-Aircraft battery up until the end of the war.

Choukai would sink at a later date leaving Takao the last sister to survive the war.

Almost a year later, the Sakura Empire would surrender in the face of great adversity from the Northern Parliament and the introduction of a frightening new weapon.

Atago would sink in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and to this day has never been found.

These are their stories…

"My Emperor. We have some terrible news." Yamato and Musashi, the two sister ships and the pride of the Sakura navy address their Emperor with respect.

"Let me guess, the battle did not go according to plan?"

"No sir, we have lost half of our navy in the battle including the last Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku. Among the casualties were Hiroto Tsuyoshi, son of Prime Minister Tsuyoshi."

"Excellent, then we can finally begin erasing his legacy. Begin by tearing down all statues of the prime minister in the square. The time has come for us to take control of our history…"

Out on a boat, the RV Petrel, we sail to what was lost so many years ago.

I stand out on the bow of the ship, hoping to arrive as soon as possible. The rest of my family was inside sea sick but I… I was born for the waves.

The waves were calm and the ocean a pleasantly mild temperature as spring begins to come into full swing. I wait from the bow to arrive at our destination, just south of Leyte Gulf.

In the background, I can hear the kids watching a documentary on the battle of Leyte Gulf as we slowly approach the straight. I had heard the story a thousand times before, it was not something new. However there is always one section I pay attention to…

"And it was on the very first day, before the battle had even begun, when the oldest of the Takao class, the IJN Atago, and her sister ship, IJN Maya, were both struck by torpedoes from the Eagle Union submarine USS Darter. Atago was struck four times and sank instantly without her captain nor Kansen being rescued."

I knew the story well.

As we slowly come to a halt, the kids call me inside.

"Grandpa look!"

I move as fast as my creaking old legs would let me. I still required the aid of my children to get me back into the ship where a huge row of screens lay. On each screen was a different image. However only one stood out to me.

I use my walking cane to get closer to the screen so my fuzzy eyes could see. A sonar picture of the ocean floor below of two cruisers side by side. I instantly recognized the two.

"The lead one, that's her."

I stare at the screen in amazement of technology. However, I wanted to see the wreck up close.

"Is there anyway we can send someone down there to take pictures?"

"No, it is far too deep. But we can send our submarine to take the first pictures of the wrecks if you would like to join us."

"Yes please." My English was getting worse.

Soon, the Petrel sends down a small drone submarine which was controlled right here in the office. It submerges and falls deep into the water, until it hits the ocean floor. It was impossible to see even four feet in front of it down there.

The Driver pilots her around for about an hour trying to find the wreck before something large comes into view. The IJN Atago lays down on her side with four huge gaping holes in her side armor.

I stare at the magnificence of the wreck as her hull had become homes for thousands of microorganisms. Most of her turrets had been removed as she sank, with only 2 of the 5 left still intact.

Her iconic bow shot sent chills up my spine.

I suddenly remembered why I had asked to be here.

"Could you drive her into the bridge?"

"I can certainly try."

The pilot drives the sub up to the broken bridge windows and peeks inside. The water was far too cloudy to make out anything within it. The pilot takes her closer to the bridge floor.

A silver glint peeks out of the sand in multiple locations. A wedding ring, definitely for a female as it was adorned with the most beautiful platinum money could buy, and a male ring, far less extravagant but still in perfect shape.

I get a little choked up as I wipe away a tear. The pilot digs up the last object, also still in perfect condition. Two small chains connected together to form a locket, something you would obviously wear around your neck. On each chain, only one word. On the right one, "Atago" and the left one "Hiroto."

"Mother… father…" I say quietly, my golden eyes sparkling with sadness. The children pat my back, their own golden eyes faintly gaining a slight glaze to them.

"I hope you're happy… Wherever you are….."

The End.

BuT RaNDoM CiTIzEn, I thOuGht yoU saID PaRt 1! Yeah I did. And I soon realized how quickly Atago sank in the battle of Leyte Gulf so unfortunately, this is the end. Sad I know, but unless the ship was turned into a museum they all had sad endings. Thank you for reading! I may or may not continue this series at some point so keep a look out for that. I wish you all good luck and fair seas in your future.