"Sir, someone is at the door. She wishes to see you."
"Yes, yes. Who is it?"
I hear a faint mumble across the thickly armored door.
"Sir, she says she is 'Shigure' and that she wishes to privately discuss something with you."
"How peculiar," I mutter to myself. "Let her in, and ensure nobody else comes in the vicinity."
"Affirmative, sir. Opening door."

The massive vault-like door emitted a hiss and slowly began to swing open. I rose from the couch and stood tall in front of the door, hands held my back.

Between the cold stares of the two tall men guarding the entrance stood a girl standing as tall as my shoulders, hands held together in front. Her single, long, black braid fell over her left shoulder, and her sky blue eyes only accented her dark blue, almost black serafuku and black skirt, common across all her sister ships.

"Greetings, Shigure. What business do you have today?"
"Good afternoon, Admiral Gui. I have urgent matters to discuss with you regarding the fleet as a whole."
"Please come in. Allow us to discuss this in the privacy of this room." I glanced over to the guards. "Close the door."

Shigure stepped in, and the door began swinging back towards me as it closed. It shut with a thud.

"Welcome to my little abode," I said as I gestured to the underground apartment. "Please, take a seat."

We both sat down in opposing leather couches. "So this is where a few of them sheltered during the New Year's raid," Shigure mused.
"Indeed," I confirmed, "it was a tight fit."
"From the looks of it, it seems rather spacious."
"You'll have to thank the architects for that one. This is by no means a big residence. It's so small because it's designed and padded to survive a 100 kiloton of TNT explosion one kilometer directly above us."
"That's... terrifying." She set her hands down in her lap.

After a brief moment of silence, I piped up. "What brings you here?"
"I come here to bring concerns of the base as a whole," she repeated. Her usual delicate demeanor hardened considerably.
My eyebrows twitched in anticipation. "Please elaborate."
"I am concerned about whether your emotions are affecting your ability to carry out your duty as an admiral."

Her statement was a straight dagger to the heart. "How dare you!" I sneered as I jumped to my feet, "Who do you think I am?"

Shigure frantically waved her hands and bowed her head. "S-sorry! I did not mean it in that way. I meant to ask if you are doing alright. I saw you leaving earlier, working from afar, and even a little sad."

I sighed and eased back down into the couch. My back was killing me. "Thank you for your concerns, but there is nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure? Check the time."
"It's 1431. Why?"
"Isn't this during the daily optional siesta period?"
"Yes...? Why?"
"Weren't you the one who would always competitively destroy everybody at table tennis and jam out with Tachi-san?"
Of course she would know. She watched all of the matches and impromptu concerts that she could.
"Yes... In that case, I should probably go take care of something..."

I stood up and took a step, but Shigure reached out and grasped my wrist. "Please."

I struggled back onto the couch, this time sitting a little more loosely. "What is your point?"
"If you need to talk, I'm here to listen to you."
"No, I'll pass."
"Please. I'm not doing this for me, it's for the entire base."
"No, thank you."
"I'm doing this because I... care about you."

I shot my gaze at her, and she had turned away. She was twirling her hair and fidgeting for no reason. What an angel.

My mind and heart were torn apart as to what to do. The debate came to a boil, but I caved in to my heart's desire.
"Here, I have something to show you."

I walked up to a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. The book had to be somewhere... not here, nope, ah, here it is.

I pulled it and brought it back and placed it on the table between the two couches. Contrasting with the dark wood of the long table, the cover of the book was white. The inside was filled with pictures, as Shigure found out, like a gallery.
Every photo was of a past me.

"I don't remember much about these photos nor the events they commemorate. But these images do help me remember what I do know."

Shigure points at an image of me with a couple of other guys at a park, huddling over a soccer ball. "How old is this photo?"
"The caption says 25 years ago."
Shigure's hair flaps folded inwards. "Then how come this guy on the left is wearing a Messi shirt? And that looks a lot like a 2015 FIFA Cup commemorative ball."
I gulped. "Maybe I'm misremembering?"
Shigure pouted. "It's entirely possible. It's awful to have your memory messed with, isn't it?"
I snickered, "You're one to talk, aren't you?"
Shigure sighed, "Yeah... my doubled memories certainly don't help. Especially those at Surigao Strait..."

I sensed massive discomfort in the air, so I stood up and grabbed my cap. "If you are only worried about my mental health, there is nothing to worry about. I appreciate the concern, but, please..."

I walked over to the intercom to the outside. Shigure followed right behind me.
"I have a feeling that you're tucking something away from me. Please, if there's anything you want to discuss, tell me."

I shook my head and lifted the telephone slightly.
"Please," she begged, "please tell me that your second job is going well."

I paused. "What do you have to care about that for?"
"I heard that times are tougher over there. Making fewer people do more work."

I set down the telephone. "That is true... but how in the world did you find out?"
Shigure waved a sheet of paper. "I have Aoba to thank for that."
I reached to grab the paper, but she kept it out of my reach.

"Give it to me."
"No."
"That is an order."
"Fine."

I snatched the paper from her hands. "No wonder... I probably should do my work here instead. The office is too open."

I ducked into the storage room and locked the document in a filing cabinet. Shigure stood beside the doorway, waiting for me.

Shigure flattened her hair flaps and begged me again, "Please, if there's anything on your mind, please tell me."

I hesitated.

"With that picture in the book and your mysterious second job, you've made an entire identity for yourself! Can you at least tell me who you really are?"
"Why do you care..."
"Because... I... care about your... feelings... Admiral."
We locked gazes, but she turned away. Her face had turned beet red. Saying something like that twice must really take some guts.

"I need to check with some higher-ups. This is actually confidential information, and I'm not allowed to share this with anybody until the high command has given me or Tachi-san explicit permission to do so."
"How do we do it?"
"I'll ask."

I made multiple phone calls, and eventually, the high command affirmed Shigure's wish. We just needed a two-party consent form, which we printed, filled out, then scanned in.

"High command has acknowledged receiving the document."
"Run out of excuses, now, have we?"
"I guess this leaves me no choice..."

I stood up and relaxed my breath. I was about to do my transformation, but this time in front of a spectator.
"Avert your eyes. This is going to be bright."

In a long flash of bright light, I was transformed back to my true self. Thankfully, no more back pain.

Shigure's mouth was agape. "Whoaa..." she gasped. "Who are you?"
"The admiral, of course." My voice was noticeably less deep.
"But you look like you're in your 20s."
"I certainly look that way, don't I?"
"But you're 40, aren't you?"
I shook my head. "Falsified records."
"But why?"
"I have to protect my identity since there are people after my head. Abyssals, other competing officers, you name it."
"It's quite a gruesome world out there."
"Yeah..." I started as I stared into space.

I walked over to my work desk in the corner. There was a digital window to the side of it, but it never was the same as seeing the actual sunlight. "I believe that I've more than answered your questions, Shigure. You are dismissed."
She walked to my side. "Pardon me, I think you haven't answered the first question I asked."
"Oh yeah?" I retorted without turning my gaze.
She crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't want to put up with your shenanigans anymore."
"What a way to talk to a higher officer." I checked my inbox. I still had work to attend to, after all.
Feeding off of my discontent, she continued, "You're starting to lose my respect."

I froze. She just ignited a war between my heart and my mind. Yet again, they were fighting over what to do. My mind as inflating my ego, wanting Shigure to walk back her words and reprimand her for insubordination. My heart was telling me to just let her in on my feelings.
The conflict evidently made me look peculiar and spaced-out since Shigure asked, "Admiral? Are you okay, Admiral?"

After she asked, I snapped out of my thinking. I shut down the computer and declared, "I need to lay down."
Shigure stood still while I walked towards the bedroom. "It would be imprudent for me to force you to endure my snoring," I told her, "so you are dismissed."
"Answer my question, will you!"
"Not with that attitude."
"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."
"Fine by me. You'll be here for a while, though."

Shigure sat down on a couch while I retired to my bedroom. It was still siesta time, so I would have to make the best of it.

I woke up on my own accord. My alarm clock read 1352, so I was thankful that I didn't oversleep or have to endure the discordant shrill of the alarm.
After swinging my legs over the side of my bed, I checked that my eyes were responsive before promptly dressing myself in uniform again.

As I walked out to my workstation, I noticed that somebody was curled up on the couch. The guards outside had a tendency to sneak in while I slept so they could lie down on these couches.
I half expected one of them, but that was not the case. Shigure was still there, after all. How could I have forgotten?
She was sleeping soundly, but a small note lie on the table next to her, with some Japanese and English scribbled on it. She was still learning English, after all.
It was addressed to me, so I picked it up.
"If only the Admiral was honest to me, maybe I could return the favor."

I smiled a little. I scrawled my own response to it.
"Thank you for thinking of me. Seeing you brightens even the darkest of my days."

I walked over to my desk and actually got to work this time. Resource ledgers to review, planning meetings, sending emails, setting the day's expedition plan, discussing the future direction for our operations, and a whole load more. Thankfully, I love this job, and I put my all in it. It is exceedingly rare for anybody to have the same job as me, so I have to make the best out of it.

In the middle of an online meeting with higher-ups, I heard some movement on the couch behind me. I instinctively looked out of the corners of my eyes to see if Shigure is just walking about. I didn't see her, so I redirected my attention to the meeting at hand. Answering simple questions over logistics, resources, training priority, and operation details (even though it seems like they are out-of-touch with what I do).
Towards the end of the meeting, one of the men comments, "Well, Admiral Gui, that's the first time that I've seen you as yourself."

I immediately touched my face. It was indeed my younger self. I smiled.
"Sir, I thought it would be a nice change of pace, given that you know who I truly am already."

"Well, in any case, I wish you and your gals the best of luck in the upcoming operations."
"Thank you, sir."

We closed the meeting, and I turned to look around the room.
"Hey there."
Shigure had snuck up to my side during the meeting, and I did not notice one bit.
"What are you here for? Some of the topics that we discussed were classified, you know."
"I won't tell, I won't tell. I just wanted to sit next to you since we barely see each other now."
"I appreciate it, but we're still in work hours, you know?"
"Aww, come on..."

I stood up and stretched briefly. I was so used to my other body that I forgot what it felt like to be youthful.

Shigure, after a bit of thought, quipped, "So, are your emotions also part of the confidential topics that you guys discussed?"

I dropped my arms and turned my tired gaze to her. "We didn't talk about it, but it's still confidential."
"Hn? Why's that?"
I pulled my arms behind my back and turned to the side. "As a commander, I am obligated to not display any of my personal emotions if I can help it. So people can't misconstrue my intentions or so it can't interfere with my thinking.
"Alas, I do feel like my feelings are rather overwhelming at times. I have no choice, though."
I grapped my cap. "I just have to do my best."

"Bottling emotions is not healthy, y'know," commented Shigure.
"Any alternatives?"
"You could tell me," she offered, "We're on good terms, right?"
"...I guess."

I looked to the floor. I had to honor her request. I had to be honest to her about my feelings.
"Shigure, could you please sit at the couch?"
She nodded her head and moved herself from her chair to the couch right behind the workstation, the same one she had slept on earlier.
I sat beside her. She was visibly uncomfortable, shifting around and adjusting her clothing.
When I brought this to her attention, she brushed it off. "Just some random jitters," she answered.

I was no less uncomfortable. I took a big gulp and asked, "Mind if I just hug you for a second?"
Shigure stopped "jittering", and slid her smug stare to me. I felt my face heat up, so I turned away to try to mask my embarassment.
"Hmm? What was that?" she teased.
"Please... you heard me..."
"I don't think I diiid!"
"Never mind, I'll just do it."

So I slide over to her and gave her what I thought a side hug should look like. I had never done one myself, so I moved around quite a bit while figuring out what was the most comfortable.
"Stop squirming," she giggled, "You were the one who asked for it."

After a brief moment, Shigure whispered to me, "It's rare to see this cute and vulnerable side of you."
I blushed even harder and rested my face on her shoulder. "What am I doing?" I pondered, "Am I allowed to do this as an admiral?"
I finally brought myself to say, "I always feel like this, like I'm not cut out for the job... yet like so I have been chosen. I hope that you'll be with me for the rest of this amazing journey."

Shigure smiled, that angel. In many ways, we shared so many things, not only memories of the early base but also strife in our childhoods and past and exeriences that would rather be forgotten.
But what matters is that we put our best foot forward, no matter where we came from.

"Admiral... should we get going now? It's about 1612."
I let go of her and stood up. "Yes, you're right. Just one second."
I changed back to my 40-year-old self, and fixed up my uniform. As I prepared to give the order to open the thick, armored door, Shigure stood in front of the door, anticipating its movement.

"Oh, right, Shigure. One last thing."
"Hm?"
"According to your file, you have gained enough experience to be considered for the ceremony, right?"
"That is correct."
I smirked. "So for the spoils of that mission shall go to you and you alone."

Shigure started at me blankly while turning over my flowery words in her mind.
"Open the doors. We are requesting to exit."
"Does this include you, sir, and your guest?"
"That is correct."
"As you wish, sir."

I turned back around and I met Shigure's gaze for a second before she looked away. I guess she did uncover my true meaning.

The door opened with a hiss, opening up to a staircase back up to ground level.
"Follow behind me," I instructed Shigure. She nodded.

So much happened in that fruitful afternoon, but my biggest takeaway was that Shigure was and always wil be this:

An angel.