I know, I know, I know. Its been like two months or something since last update. Life has been complicated and busy, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Things are going to get heavy.


Roon awoke with a throbbing headache. She wasn't sure why; one moment she checked on the Commander and then….

"Mein Gott…." Roon groans, embarrassed. "What did I do last night?!"

The heavy cruiser sits up and rubs her eyes. The light coming into her room was too much for her; Roon was sure she closed her blinds before she left to see the Commander. As the sand fell from her eyes, She noticed she wasn't in her room. But in a Japanese apartment lying on a pallet!

She noticed a sewing station in the corner with a rack of handmade dresses. The aroma of cinnamon filled her nose, letting her know exactly where she was. "How did I get to Taihou's room?" Roon asks herself as she looks around the apartment. As she looks around, Taihou enters the room with one of the Commander's uniforms and a pair of his boots.

"Good morning Roon!" Taihou, clad in her usual red dress, greets her as she puts the Commander's uniform down by the bathroom door. "How are you feeling?"

The heavy cruiser rubbed her head as Taihou came to sit on the other side of the pallet to a large mound of something under the covers. "I feel like I was hit by a truck." Roon groans.

"I can imagine after being attacked by a META ship!" Taihou replies, reaching between her breast to hand her a small clear baggie with a few large Ibuprofen pills. "Please take two of these and drink some water."

"Wait, what?" Roon asks, confused at what she was told. "When was I attacked? How did I get here? Did you bring me here?"

"He brought you here," Taihou says, moving the covers back on the mound revealing the sleeping Commander holding her pillow between his arms.

The minor cuts all over his body and light bruising made Roon remember some fine details of what happened last night. "Mein Gott…. What did I do?" Roon laments.

"What do you mean, Roon?" Taihou asks, covering the Commander up again. "Were you not attacked?"

"I got to go; I- WHERE ARE MY CLOTHS?!" Roon gasps, covering her breasts. "What the hell happened to me last night?!"

"Shhhh! Let him sleep!" Taihou urges her, "He knocked on my door with you over his shoulder. You two were soaking wet, and I let you stay with me last night. Your clothes are dry over by your side of the bed."

"I don't remember much, Taihou," Roon regretfully says. "I remember fighting a strange girl that looked like Junyou. But I don't know what else happened after that."

The heavy cruiser felt terrible about everything, and she couldn't accept it. She threw the covers off and started getting dressed in haste. Taihou tries to talk to her, but Roon is either too proud or embarrassed at her situation. Taihou felt hurt by her silence; Roon is one of her close friends at the port. Why doesn't she want to talk to her? Taihou asks herself.

"I'll be around the port," Roon tells Taihou as she puts on her boots. "I'll see you around."

Before Taihou could reply, Roon rushed out the door and slammed it behind her. The slamming door disturbed the Commander, who rolled over and latched on to Taihou's thigh. "Why do people have to slam doors?" The Commander groans.

"It was Roon," Taihou tells him. "She's mad about last night, I think. I don't know what her problem is."

Karl sat himself up and starched his arms out. Moving his shoulder around, he only felt a slight pop and light pain, "Seems the Green Gunk did its job again. How does my side look?" He asks Taihou.

She removed the bandages to see slight scarring on his side and shoulder, but everything appeared fine. Though Taihou felt playful, "It needs something else, though." Taihou begins tracing her fingers around his scars.

Before he could respond, Taihou kissed him on the lips and pushed his head between her breasts. "You have a Taihou deficiency," Taihou says professionally, "Dr. Taihou will have to administer fifty CCs of Taihou essence to you stat!"

Taihou came off as extremely strong to him, but if Karl was honest with himself, he loved the attention the girls of the Sakura Empire were giving him. Taihou's guts, playful demeanor, and caring side were only a handful of her desirable features. He couldn't help but laugh happily as the softness overtook him. The Commander pulled her over onto the pallet and kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you for the urgent care, Dr. Taihou," Karl says, breaking away from the kiss. "But do you have the time?"

Taihou looks at her phone, "0722; I told the maids you were with me today. I put a new uniform and boots by the bathroom."

"I'll have to go by the office for more paperwork." Karl sighs, "Hopefully, there won't be as much today. I'd like to take you into town for lunch or something to welcome you back."

"Well…." Taihou says, her eyes wandering over him. "You still need to pay your doctor's bill."

The suggestive look on her face hinted at what the phoenix wanted. Karl looked up and down her beautiful body, his hands racing up her hips. "I'm afraid the META girl took my wallet…. Is there any other way I can pay you, doctor Taihou?"

"Are you suggesting dirty, depraved, and immoral forms of payment, my Commander?" Taihou says, her arms wrapping around him as his firm hands grasped her rear. The two giggled and kissed passionately, their tongues dancing lovingly.

To his surprise, Taihou broke the kiss and put her finger on his lips. "I'll give you this, but you must earn the rest." She says, teasing him.

Karl smiles, respecting that she wanted a proper date. "After we finish some work. But, first, I need to shower and wake up a bit."

"Coffee or tea?" Taihou expectingly asks him.

"If possible, both. Black coffee and some of that Sakura Empire special tea." He replies as Taihou dismounts him. Getting up from his comfy pallet, he waltzes to the shower.

Taihou smiles, seeing his pale ass as he goes to the shower. "I'll be back, my Commander!" She says lovingly as she leaves the apartment.

The phoenix may not have indulged in the Commander like she wanted, but Taihou tried to make it feel special. She, just like Atago, could smell slight traces of her archrival, Akagi, on the Commander. But she was determined to leave her mark on the Commander in many ways today. Taihou knew she had a lot to prove to many of her peers within the Sakura Empire, being one of the youngest carriers in the Sakura Empire alongside the PR carrier Hakuryuu.

She was happy to be known as the best seamstress at the port, making custom-made dresses and other lavish things for her peers and friends. Though Taihou did have a bad reputation amongst her seniors for being a loudmouth and hot-headed when dealing with Akagi. Taihou wondered why she and Akagi never got along, even before coming to Azur Lane. The phoenix assumed it was because she was better than that dusty fox!

Exiting the dorms, she spotted Atago walking into the Commander's house. Taihou raises her brow. Usually, Atago would be helping train the younger ships or aiding in duties with Takao. The heavy cruiser and carrier were friends, deploying on commissions together often with Atago and her sister recently. But Taihou felt a darkness creep behind her usually confidant appearance.

Could her friend be trying to steal something from her beloved Commander? No way, Atago may be lewd and overbearing sometimes, but she wouldn't steal from him!

She is very lewd… Could she be preparing a naughty surprise for the Commander's arrival for the day? "He will smell like Taihou!" Taihou thinks to herself. "But that might ruin her friendship with Atago…."

The worried phoenix stops and ponders momentarily to think about what she should do. Taihou had the Commander, hook, line, and sinker at her dorm. But could Atago be trying to surprise him later with some kind of lewd gift?

"She can't give him a gift if she doesn't see the Commander." Taihou chuckles to herself. Her greedy need to hold the Commander all to herself took over.

Taihou hurries to the Iron Blood café, knowing the Commander prefers his coffee black and rich. She chuckles to herself as Taihou is reminded that her rival, Akagi, hates the smell of The phoenix and walks directly back to her dorm, humming a cheerful tune to herself. To her surprise, she saw her Commander standing outside the entrance to the dormitory, looking over the grounds of the academy courtyard.

"You are fast, Taihou," Karl remarks as Taihou walks up to him to hand the coffee to him.

"Only for you, My Commander," Taihou replied, smiling as he sipped the hot coffee. "I assume you were waiting to start our day together. You are defiantly eager to spend time with me."

Karl gives her a tired smile, "I do. I need to get out of here for a moment."

Taihou noticed his gaze was only partially on her. She looked behind her only to see the empty courtyard and the large anchor display on the fountain. The phoenix looks over herself to see if something is wrong with her outfit.

"Is there something wrong with me, Commander?" Taihou asks him with a troubled look. The darkness of her insecurity felt like touching her as she waited for the Commander's response.

'Falcon… Raiden…' Karl thought to himself as he tried to recall the attack that started it all. The figure who initially attacked him had long black hair, but Falcon's was purple. 'Guess it was you then, Raiden. Do all the ashes appear from the storms? I wonder.'

"Just thinking about last night is all," Karl replies, an eerie feeling could be heard in his words. The grave expression solidified to Taihou that he wasn't alright, but she could nearly read the Commander like a book due to her almost superhuman intuition. Taihou didn't need words to describe what she wanted the Commander to feel. She simply took his free hand and pulled him over towards her.

"Think of Taihou," Taihou tells him. "Think of now and not the past."

A bitter feeling filled Karl's chest at Taihou's response. The offense of suggesting the past didn't matter was nearly…

He closed his eyes briefly, catching himself and taking a slow breath. Releasing it slowly, he tried shaking off the feeling of dread and anger. "I'll try. I'll try." He repeats to her slowly.

The carrier took the lead and began walking towards the back exit of the campus towards the port exit. As they left the control gate, Karl returned a salute to the Eagle Union guards and looked out to the parking lot for the government car provided to him by the Eagle Union. The two guards watched as the Commander and Taihou entered a blue sedan. One of the guards drew his radio and turned to an alternate frequency, "Major Dael is leaving the port. Blue sedan, License plate AZ-EU0002, with a Sakura Empire Carrier accompanying him."

"Solid Copy," A female voice replied. "Continue guard routine. The coyote team will observe from here."

"Roger that Coyote 6, Gatekeeper 2 acknowledged."

Karl and Taihou took the car down the only paved road from the port to the nearby town of St. Marie, an English settlement set up as a naval town in the late 19th century. Due to Siren's appearance, the city became an excellent area. Though the development of its roadways had much to be desired.

"Do you girls leave port much for R&R?" Karl asks Taihou.

"We do," She replies, holding Karl's free hand. "But we mostly take it in our home countries. I prefer to travel when not on a mission or spending my time with you. I returned from the Dragon Empery before going on the last mission."

"Interesting," Karl says, holding Taihou's hand gently. "I feel as if Azur Lane would keep a tighter grip on you girls."

"Azur Lane is very fair with us." Taihou begins. "They treat us like the women we are. Though some of the older girls aren't interested in exploring."

"Might be a generational difference," Karl replies. "The older generation of leaders preferred to keep us on base so we wouldn't cause trouble."

"I could understand that for some of the girls," Taihou says, breathing to be calm. "But not all of us are that immature."

"For us, it was just drinking too much and enjoying the fruits of peace," Karl tells her with a thoughtful expression. "We would eat well when on leave, drink the bars dry, and the boys would go to the whore houses."

"Whore houses?" Taihou replies in a deadpan voice.

Karl could only chuckle, "The only time I would go there was to either pay off the madam to get my soldiers back or fight someone to get them back. I kept playing Dad for my assortment of bastard kids."

Taihou rests her head on his arm, "You'll never need one of those dirty prostitutes with Taihou at your side. Or else I'll have to punish you, My Commander."

"So sweet, So dangerous," Karl remarks.

Taihou sighs sweetly and tightens her grip around the Commander's arm. Thoughts of innocent love with her Commander filled her imagination as they cruised past the woodlands on the way to town. "Only for you, My Commander." Taihou sweetly replies. "What would you like to do today?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Karl says honestly. "I haven't been here before."

"Then Taihou will show you around!" She says gleefully, sitting up and clutching the Commander's free hand with both of hers. "First, you need to eat! We'll go to my favorite cafés by the waterfront and take a romantic walk around town!"

Karl's stomach rumbled, answering Taihou and confirming her observations. "You'll love this café. We'll ensure you're fed and ready for a wonderful day with your secretaryship."

A day with Taihou? A café date and a walk around time? It all seemed odd to Karl as he felt the soft hands of Taihou cupped around his right hand. The aroma of cinnamon with a hint of the smell of fire danced across his nose as she moved closer to him to lay her head on his shoulder. Karl could feel an awkward feeling within himself begin to form as he drove down the road in a civilian car. This small detail made him think about this act momentarily: When did he ever drive a car in a friendly or peaceful environment?

'16. I was 16.' He thought to himself, taking a moment to think about his cringe-worthy teenage years.

The woodlands around him reminded him of the patrols and recon operations during the Arcadian campaign, thick pine trees, and rock formations where any fucker with an ATGM and a death wish hid from the watchful eyes of Crocodile and Black Shark gunships. Karl caught himself with a brief smile as he looked up to the sky for the ugly dragons that were the Russian-made gunships.

Taking a turn, the woods gave way for spaced-out buildings giving way to the backdrop of a 20th-century port town. From beyond the Anglo-Saxon buildings, he could see a basic seaport where the regulars of the factions' actual ships sat at the port, refitting and rearming for another sortie against the sirens. Taihou perks up and points towards the waterfront, "Take the main road to the pier. The café is there! You'll love it!"

The time of the hour was 0845, and the town was just getting fully woken up with busy townspeople taking to the streets to do their usual routines. Parents or siblings taking their young children to school, Sailors and Soldiers recovering from a night on the town, Old men talking about whatever was on their mind, and business owners finishing up opening their establishments. Everyone seemed calm, regardless of whether or not they enjoyed their actions. Other pedestrians in their cars seemed the same as they continued their daily routines.

"Just like in Juno or Frundsberg," Karl thinks aloud, thinking about his time on R&R in two of the major cities in Niflheim. "It's like the war is a distant memory."

Before Taihou could respond, she spots the café, "Here!" She shouts, pointing at the café on the corner. Karl parks the car on the other side of the café facing the way they came. The camouflage-clad Commander stepped out first and moved quickly to the passenger side to let Taihou out. She smiles and wraps herself around his arm as she steps out.

"Hunter 6 is stepping out of the vehicle to the local café." A figure says into a radio. The figure dressed in construction worker overalls working on a pothole in the road.

"Roger that," The female voice replies. "Stay in position 3. Coyote 4 and 7 take overwatch from the pier, 8 covers from the apartment, and 5 send out a drone to scan the area for other Kansen."

"Roger that Coyote 6." The worker replies as the shipgirl and Commander step into the building.

The café was quiet and quaint, somewhere he wouldn't have expected Taihou to go to, given her relatively confident appearance and demeanor. A teenage girl, no older than fourteen, is cleaning tables as a slightly older girl of eighteen is counting the drawer in the cash register.

"Hey, Taihou!" The teenager waves to Taihou. "Where have you been? Emily needs to ask you about a dress!"

"Thanks, pest!" The older girl, Emily, says to her presumed younger sister. "Sorry for Kimberly, Taihou. Welcome back to the Drowsy poet."

"No worries!" Taihou replies as she takes the Commander to a booth next to the window facing the pier.

"I'd like the seat facing the door, please," Karl tells Taihou. "Please sit next to me, if you will."

"How sweet of you, Commander." Taihou remarks, "That means Taihou can hold you more. Perfect!"

"Kimberly," Emily says to her sister. "Take their order. I'm almost done counting the drawer."

As the two sit, the teenager takes out a pen and paper. "Taihou's usual tea, got that alright." She says to Taihou, who replies with a smile.

"And you, sir?" Kimberly asks respectfully.

"Tea and some water if possible," Karl replies, briefly looking at the surroundings. "Do you have any kind of food? We missed breakfast at the port, it seems."

"All we have at the moment is ham and swiss crescents," Emily replies. "Mother is at the local grocery getting everything else. My apologies, Sir."

"That's fine, actually," Karl reassures her with a smile. "Three of them, please. The lady and I will share."

"Right away!" Kimberly replies, writing it down. "Do you want Taihou's green tea or English black tea?"

"Black tea," Karl says. "No milk or sugar."

Kimberly left for the kitchen, leaving the Commander and Taihou to themselves. Emily finished counting the drawer for the day and began cleaning around her barista bar.

Taihou noticed the Commander deliberately scanning his eyes around the café. His head wasn't moving, but the tense feeling in his arm and his index finger tapping on the table denoted that he was counting the entrances. "It's OK, Commander. Taihou is here for you." She reassures him with a whisper into his ear and a kiss on the cheek.

"My pistol is in your room," Karl whispers to her, embarrassed. "I feel naked without it."

"Taihou is all you need," Taihou replies, giggling. "Trust in Taihou."

"I keep forgetting you're a warship, too," Karl admits. "You girls are more human than a weapon. I wish I could say the same for me."

Kimberly returned quickly with a tray of drinks. "The crescents are baking right now. They should be out in about ten minutes."

"Thank you, Kimberly," Karl replies, passing Taihou her tea.

"Thanks," Taihou says, looking toward Emily next. "Hey Emily, What was she saying about a dress question?"

"Yes, actually!" Emily said as she finished cleaning the bar. "I saw some of the dresses you posted on Instagram and loved the blue one you made! I knew you were away, so I wanted to ask you about it in person!"

"Oh! I made that one for Souryuu!" Taihou exclaims as she recalls the dress. "I made it for her for a ball in the Sakura Empire!"

The two girls spoke about the dress, leaving Karl to listen on and off to the conversation. Peaceful things such as dress-making didn't interest him, but he was happy to see Taihou's face light up. He puts his hand on Taihou's thigh and rubs it softly as Kimberly reappears with a plate of crescents. Taihou then pulled her phone from between her breasts and leaned over the Commander to show Emily the dress in question in detail. Emily came out from behind the bar and started talking with Taihou. As much as Karl wanted to ignore the conversation, he couldn't miss the opportunity.

After Kimberly placed the plate on the table, he processed to get Taihou's attention.

"Hey, sweetie," Karl says, smacking Taihou on her butt several times. "Food is here."

The surprise on Taihou's face made him chuckle, even more so when she fell onto his lap. The carrier nearly fell out of the booth but was caught by the Commander. He pulled the carrier back to his side, and before Taihou could respond, Karl put a crescent in her mouth.

"Sit with us, Emily," Karl says, motioning for the older girl to sit across from them. "It would be better for you two to speak that way. I don't want my secretary to fall over."

"So you are the Commander!" Emily says, surprised. "I was wondering why she was with you! Usually, she is with Shoukaku. I thought the Commander here was a woman, though."

"I replaced Commander Helena a month ago," Karl said professionally. "She went off to do greater things, as we call it in the service."

"You defiantly are not a navy man," Emily replies, looking at his camouflage uniform. "You look almost like my brother in the Parachute regiment."

"I am Special Forces," Karl says humbly. "I did spend some time in jump school with Englishmen. I might have jumped with your brother before; who knows?"

Emily felt uncomfortable around the Camouflaged man. An uncertain feeling took over as she looked into Karl's eyes momentarily. They appeared sharp and ready as they looked around the windows and doorway behind her. 'Just like James… He was never the same after returning from the last war.' Emily thought to herself and quickly dropped the conversation to return to Taihou.

Karl finished one of the crescents and took a sip of his tea. His attention was soon brought to a couple entering the café. The couple, a blonde woman and a black-haired man appeared normal as they spoke about the weather. Karl studied the couple momentarily and returned to the conversation between Taihou and Emily. Though his gut told him, something wasn't right about the couple.

Emily broke off from the conversation, ending somewhere around her buying the dress from Taihou to assist the customers. Kimberly brought them their check, and Karl paid with a one hundred dollar bill, "Keep the change. Any chance you have to go cups? I'd like to walk around a bit."

"We don't, but you can keep the cups for the tip you gave me!" Kimberly replied happily.

Taihou smiles and rips one of the crescents in half, "You are too sweet, Commander."

Karl turns back to Taihou only for her to feed him a piece of the last crescents. "We aren't far from the pier. Do you want to walk there?"

The blonde woman turned her head towards them briefly. He felt her gaze on him. "Sure. I'd like to enjoy the sun again."

'Odd, I would think he always could enjoy the sunlight.' Taihou thinks to herself, picking her words carefully. But before she could speak, Karl stood up and offered his hand to help Taihou of the booth. Taihou's perception reflected a subtle change in his demeanor, The Commander seemed to become tenser, and his hand seemed to twitch oddly. His face seemed normal, with a slight smile on his face.

"You'll love the pier," Taihou says, taking his hand. The two paused for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. Taihou felt like she was losing herself in his green eyes as she drew closer. She put her head on his chest, and, to her surprise, he kissed the top of her head.

"We must go." He whispers to her.

Taihou agrees, wrapping herself around the Commander's right arm. The male orders a to-go, and the blonde woman watches the Commander and Taihou exit with tea. But just before the door shut behind the two, Karl looked nasty at the blonde.

The woman noted this and checked her phone, "Hunter is on the move." Says the text.

"Hunter noticed us." She texts. "They are going to the pier. Returning to Hotel London for debrief."

The shipgirl and Commander walked down the sidewalk undisturbed. Taihou felt joyful that she went to a lovely café she enjoyed with the man she loved. "Shoukaku and I sometimes took the Commander's or Zuikaku's car to the Drowsy Poet when we wanted to get out of the port after a mission," Taihou told the Commander as she held his arm between her breasts.

"I imagine you would want to get out from under the flag poll occasionally." Karl agrees.

"We mainly would just go there and to the shops. This town actually has pretty nice shops for a port town." Taihou continues. "If we couldn't get leave, we would usually go here. The rest of the girls are either working, on a mission, or abroad. I'm glad I get to spend the day with my Commander."

A warm feeling filled Karl's chest and made him blush a little. "I'm glad I get to spend the day with you too." Karl reciprocates. "It feels good to be away for a little bit."

A sigh came soon after, and it worried Taihou as they soon approached the pier. From across the waters, they could see cargo ships offloading goods onto the docks, mass-produced ships under maintenance by their crews, and civilian fishing boats returning from sea with today's catch. The look on the Commander's face changed to that of awe at sight before him, something Taihou couldn't understand.

"Something wrong, Commander?" Taihou asks him worryingly.

"It's just striking to see the difference the sleepy port town looks with a battlecruiser in port," Karl remarks at the sight of a Royal Navy ship in port with its Union Jack dancing in the wind next to a couple of Iron Blood and Sakura Empire destroyers as escort. The rising sun and iron cross flags fly proudly alongside the Union Jack. Judging by the formation of the ships, they were about to exit the port for a mission or otherwise. Tug boats could be seen pulling the English battlecruiser away from the docks and in line with the former Crimson Axis ships.

"There is a war going on out there," Karl says to her moving to a bench close to them. "And there they go out there to greet it."

"You seem sad, Commander," Taihou remarks as they sit down. "Did I make you sad taking you here?"

The darkness of her insecurity made her sick, as did her overthinking as he sighed again. "No," Karl replies. "It was just our luck to be here as those young men go off. I don't blame you; I just wish I was going off to meet the enemy, like them. But it seems I must stay here."

Karl looks back at her and brings her closer to him. "I guess I'm just in my head again."

Regret and, from what Taihou could tell, self-loathing could be heard in his voice. The Commander had a lot of issues, and he'd been through a lot recently between the attack last night and the one before. Taihou didn't have much combat experience but loved her Commander.

Taihou embraces him, "Everything will be OK, My Commander."

"I hope." He says quietly.

The two sat and watched as the ships sailed away. Taihou almost felt the melancholy feeling irradiated from the Commander as the vessel left the safety of the port.

"I hope those boys come home," Karl says nearly immediately. "Just like you girls, I hope everyone comes home. But sometimes I know that isn't possible. Though I'll always keep you all in my hearts and prayers."

"Think positive, Commander," Taihou says, kissing him on the cheek.

The kiss caught him off guard and made his face turn crimson red. "You keep stealing kisses like that; you'll be surprised what will happen," Karl tells her, putting his fingers on her lips.

"Not in public, please," Taihou replies, taking his hand in hers. "I'm not the exhibitionist like Akagi."

The vibrating sounds of a phone catch their attention as Taihou's chest vibrates. She quickly checked her phone to see it was Belfast calling her.

"Pick it up. It might be important." Karl tells her.

Taihou reluctantly answers, "Hey, Belfast."

"Hello, Ms. Taihou," Belfast says elegantly. "I believe the Commander is with you. May I speak with him?"

"Yes, of course," Taihou replies, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello, Belfast," Karl says. "You're on speaker. I'm alive, I assure you; I was just enjoying the morning with Taihou. Is everything alright?"

"Ah, so that's where you were," Belfast replies, relieved. "Some reports require your attention, and you have a meeting today with the Iron Blood fleet leader, Bismarck. I highly recommend you return to port."

He sighed and looked to Taihou, mouthing the phrase, "Duty calls."

"Alright. I'll come back right now. What time is the meeting with Bismarck?" Karl asks Belfast.

"1500," Belfast replies. "I'll prepare some tea for you when you arrive."

The phone call ended, and Karl sighed, "I was enjoying this. But it seems I have to return to work. But I'll at least give you this."

Before Taihou could react, Karl kissed her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Taihou."

Taihou kissed him again and held his hand tightly. "Thank you, Commander."

The two walked hand and hand back to the car by the Drowsy Poet. Before leaving, Taihou took out her phone and snapped a picture of them together before looking back at the café. "I'm going inside to get Emily's measurements. I should be back in about ten minutes." Taihou tells him.

"I'll be here," Karl said calmly. The carrier hurried into the café, leaving Karl alone, leaning against the car.

But like a flash of lightning, he turned towards the construction workers and strived forward towards one of them in blue overalls. The worker stumbled back, trying to escape, but was caught by Commander Karl and dragged into an alleyway without a word.

Moments later, Karl returned with a green duffle bag and threw it into the car's trunk. He returned to his spot, leaning against the car as if nothing had happened. Taihou soon returned, and they drove back to port without issues. A drone above watched them intensely, feeding information to the Coyote team. Their Commanding officer, Coyote 6, stared intensely at the live feed from the American-made drone.

"He didn't kill our man, did he?" Coyote 6 asked her subordinates.

"Negative." One replied. "Just stole some equipment from a cache and left him a message."

"What would that be?" Coyote 6 continues, Lighting up a cigarette.

"I'll call you when I need you."

One hour later

Karl escorted Taihou back to the main port just before eleven when all the shipgirls across the port were getting ready for lunch. Taihou kissed him passionately, begging to stay with him today while he worked. But Karl stood firm and told her he had to handle some things alone. The carrier initially took this hard, but another kiss and the promise of another date motivated her to trust the Commander's judgment.

The carrier was reluctant to him go regardless, but Karl felt that her intentions, like that of Atago or Akagi, were good in nature. Though he couldn't help but feel better about having his personal space back once he walked out of the dorm. Karl thought momentarily about the additional equipment he retrieved from the Spookhouse agent. Karl smiles at the collection of fine instruments he could bring out just in case he needed to play an enemy, Siren or otherwise, a symphony of death.

"I should take the bag out now," Karl says. "Last thing I want is a shipgirl going through the gate with that. Good to know Taihou would take the old Commander's car; I might need to keep the keys on me more often."

He returned to the car, grabbed the bag, and went back through the gate. The guards attempted to stop him, but with Karl's dark glare, they let him pass. He needed to figure out where they stood, whether they were Spookhouse or Azur Lane regulars, but it didn't matter to Karl. Going back to his office at a brisk pace, he was greeted by two more papers. One was a report from Akagi about Sakura Empire dive bomber training with a love note attached. The other was a file on Roon's PR development and a psychological evaluation. The Commander sighed deeply as anxiety and tension-filled his chest as Roon's attack began to replay in his mind like a nightmare.

"Those fucking demons were eaten up by that rigging of hers," Karl remarks, setting the back down at the right side of his desk. "It was like the terrors from Niflheim."

He sits and opens up the file on Roon, reading it intently. Karl's assumption was that this was what Bismarck wanted to speak about. The damage to one of the shrines might be one of the following meetings he might have to attend. Putting his black cap on the table, Karl runs his hands through his hair to calm himself.

The image of the demonic rigging throwing the corpses of the demons into the air to snatch them out of the air clashed with nightmares. Large, thick-skinned creatures with angler fish-like faces called 'Daemites' devouring his men in the darkness of the thick Niflheim woods in the early years flashed in his mind. Daemites ripping soldiers to pieces in the night haunted them for years…

"SAVE US! KILL THE FUCKERS! BURN THEM ALIVE! HELP ME! COMMANDER!"

He threw the folder on the table and instinctively reached for his cigarettes, but they were not there. "Fuck." He growls, banging his fist on the table.

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought, followed by the entrance of Atago. "Ah, Good afternoon Onee-San," Karl says to her with a light smile.

Atago giggles, "I'm not sure what makes me blush more, Babygirl or Onee-san?"

"My apologizes for the pet name of Babygirl," Karl says, embarrassed. "I'm not sure where it came from, but for some reason, it felt right."

Atago giggles again and puts her hand over her mouth to hide her smile. "No need to apologize, Commander. I like the pet name. It's personal and touching."

The cruiser closes the door behind her with a slight click of a lock. To Atago's enjoyment, the Commander didn't notice that sound. She could see he was focused on the papers in front of him. "Akagi brought the report to me; she wasn't exactly happy with me being in your office," Atago admits as she walks over to him. With a smile, she pushed his chair back just enough to sit on his lap.

Her boldness to do such a thing surprised the Commander, but he was in a good mood after his short date with Taihou. Atago noticed the lovey mood in his eyes compared to his troubled expression. Subconsciously, he wrapped his left arm around her as Atago settled into his lap. "I brought the folder on Roon as well. Prinz Eugen brought it over for Lord Bismarck; she said the fleet leader wishes to speak about her with you. But nothing else after that." Atago explained.

"Wonderful." Karl lamented, worried about the conversation regarding the heavy cruiser.

"Odd that she would want to speak about Roon." Atago begins. "Roon usually keeps to herself unless she's on the battlefield. I wonder what happened?"

Atago felt the Commander's body tense up, and he paused as he glanced through Roon's psychological evaluation. He didn't respond and tried to ignore the question, but Atago persisted and turned towards him, throwing her legs across him.

"You can't ignore your Onee-san," Atago says blankly, taking the file from him and putting it on the table.

"I'm not sure." Karl lies, recalling Roon's assault on him and later her attempt at trying to 'seduce' him. "Whatever it was, it must be bad."

"It must be to have Bismarck want to personally speak to you about it." Atago presses on. "She does have a tendency for violence."

"I think we all do," Karl interjects. "Roon just needs guidance from someone who understands her mentality."

"Maybe," Atago replies, removing the gloves from her hands and placing them on the table. "May I play with your hair?

Karl takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. It was hard to lie directly to her face, and it caused him great stress. But something as simple as a beautiful woman, shipgirl or otherwise, playing with his hair was always something he enjoyed.

"You may." He says to her with a weak smile.

Atago smiles and begins running her hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. The Sakura cruiser could almost feel the stress melt off from atop his head as her fingers combed through his thick hair. A happy sigh escaped him, making Atago's smile brighten.

"She tried to force herself upon me; Roon did." The Commander says regretfully. "I don't know why, but blame myself."

"What makes you think that?" Atago asks him.

"Because I hurt people," Karl whispers. "Whether I want to or not or even mean to. I get it; I'm a fucking soldier. But these girls... I can't...

"Why do you torment yourself like this?" Atago asks him, her voice filled with concern and pity for him.

"I don't know," Karl replies honestly. "I don't know at all."

The two sat quietly for a moment as Atago played with his hair.

"One day, you will know," Atago says, her voice shifting from sweet and caring to ominous. "I hope it's soon before your time comes."

"Why?" Karl asked her out loud.

"Why what?" She replies.

"Why are you doing this?" Karl asked her as she repositioned herself in his lap.

"Because I love you," Atago tells him honestly.

The surprise on his face and its bright red appearance took Atago off guard. She stands up and pulls the Commander out of his chair. "Do you need me to repeat myself, Commander?" Atago asks him.

"I just… I don't understand… Where did this come from?" Karl babbles.

"I think you know," Atago says vaguely. "Do you remember?"

"We've only known each other for a short time." Karl continues. "I only remember walking you home in the rain and cuddling with you. You can't love someone after that."

"You remember." She says again, this time firmly hugging him. "I know you remember me."

Atago kisses him ferociously. At first, he tries to release, but the shipgirl is more robust than he realizes and soon gives into Atago's softness and rough kisses. Karl moves his hands over her body and hair, matching her animalistic affection. But before they could go any further, Atago breaks the kiss and looks at him deeply in the eyes.

"Do you remember now, My Hunter?" She asks, her heart almost bared utterly open to him.

His face turned pale, hands clammy, and a cold sweat broke instantly. That name… That pet name was given to him by someone he once knew.

Karl broke out of her grip and backed up slowly as his nose streamed blood. A piercing headache appeared, putting him in great pain, and the world around him began to flicker between black & white and color.

"I love you," Atago says again, her expression dark and almost feral. "You know that, Right? I love all of you."

Her hair began to frizz and stand up, her teeth began to appear sharper, and her eyes began to dilate. "I just don't understand why you don't remember me. Your Babygirl. Your Atago."

Adrenaline filled his body, and the Commander looked around the room for an escape. The bag full of tricks was behind 'Atago,' but the direct path was closed.

"You aren't Atago… You aren't my Babygirl…" Karl whispers.

A loud banging at the door overtook the scene, "Commander! Commander! Open this door! That isn't Atago!" Belfast and Takeo shout.

"I'm here, Commander! Onee-San is right here!" The real Atago shouts.

"Please don't run." The woman in front of him says to him. "I don't like to chase."

"I don't run," Karl growls.

"Funny," The creature replies, moving the chair out of her way. "You ran when Roon attacked you. If I had been there, I could have protected you. Especially when she tried to fuck you."

She took a deep breath through her nose, slowly absorbing the scent of anxiety and blood. "You're mine, Karl Dael." The creature growls. "That Iron blood cow should know that. But she will today after I leave my scent on you. My man, My Commander, and my territory."

"I'm not an object!" Karl shouts.

"Oh, but you are to those girls!" The creature growls. "That Phoenix wench doesn't want to make you happy, and neither does that crazy cruiser or the fox. Not even Falcon or the maid wants you to be happy or loved. They want you docile and subservient, just like the bastards who took you away from the war and me. You're just a weapon and a toy to everyone but me!"

"And what do you know about any of that, beast?" Karl shouts, putting up his hands as more blood streams from his nose. The iron taste of blood filled his mouth as the creature's hands changed into claws as she grew closer to him. "What do you know of any of them, the girls? What do you know of the war?! What do you fucking know at all!?"

The creature raised her left hand and snapped her fingers, changing her appearance from young and feral to a more mature version of Atago with long black hair, a black jacket covering her white uniform-clad with more awards than before, and black thigh-high boots.

"Do you remember me now, handsome?" She says with a wink.

Frozen in shock, he stopped and stumbled back as the headache worsened. The pain in his skull felt like nails being driven into with a hammer. Karl instinctively reached for his pistol, but it wasn't there. Instead, he throws his holster at her as darkness surrounds his vision.

The creature giggles and closes on Karl, but the Commander crawls forward to the bag.

"You're hurting my feeling, my dear Karl Dael." She growls, kicking him over onto his back. "How do you not remember you Onee-San? Your baby girl."

"You are not Atago!" Karl shouts, shimming closer to the bag.

"There is nothing in there that can save you." The creature growls, her form changing into a demonic creature. "But I'm not here to kill you; Raiden wouldn't approve of that."

"I'm just here to deliver her love..."

A large shell from a naval cannon smashed through the door and into the creature cutting it in two. The flames from the propellent burned the office black and covered him in the dust. He was created in the haze of the blast by the sight of Atago, Belfast, and Sheffield with full rigging at the ready.

Atago rushed to him first and checked him out immediately. "Commander!" She shouts, running her hands over him for injuries. But Karl was fine and hugged her tightly, pulling her down to him.

Tears streamed from his eyes, "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry…. I'm sorry, my beloved…."

"Wha-What? What happened!?" Atago shouts, but the Commander passes out cold.

As it turned out, the creature, a siren drone, laughed in a robotic voice as the maids and Atago tended to the Commander.

"I can't wait to see my younger self again." It said as it sparked and leaked oil over the floor. "I'll see you soon at Attu…."