*DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT OWN THE STORY/CHARACTERS/COPYRIGHT FOR KINGDOM HEARTS OR AZUR LANE

*A/N - Soooo, yea... about that note I left last time about doing shorter chapters. I'm gonna delete that soon. Once I started writing it turned into 4k words then turned to 6k and then 10k. lol. Expect long chapters now.

After the meeting had concluded at the conference hall and all the other girls went their separate ways only Sora and Wales were left. The duo continued to make their way toward the dorms that hosted all of the ship girls from the Royal Navy and Eagle Union along with other factions' that were part of Azur Lane.

Wales was walking next to Sora who looked content while holding the back of his head with both of his hands and with a smile on his face. Taking a peek at Sora did not help Wales at all since she was still infatuated with Sora in his pirate outfit and getting a closer look at Sora made her realize more and more that Sora was cute. The way he presented himself with an easy-going attitude while being friendly to anyone he met and even striving to become friends with everyone. Not to mention, Wales had processed everything that Sora had recounted in his most recent adventure and how he fought in an all-out war over the fate of not just one world but many worlds.

Just thinking about the hardships that Sora went through and how he was still able to smile even when all seemed lost. All of it got Wales' heart beating faster and faster with her breathing increasing while also having a bright blush grace her beautiful face which was looking closer and closer to a tomato. A small smile had now graced Wales' lips while her mind planted some interesting thoughts in her head.

Wales started to daydream and pictured Sora in different scenarios within her mind. One scenario depicted the two of them walking together on the beach holding hands all while smiling and feeling at peace with the water brushing past their feet. Another scenario had the duo having dinner together while Sora was describing to her many of his adventures while making hand motions which got Wales's attention not only to Sora's stories but how cute he looked describing all of the adventures he went on with a smile. However, the best dream scenario that she came up with was that she was on her ship out at sea with someone sneaking up behind her. That someone was Sora who gave her a warm and comforting hug radiating with love. But the best part was that Sora was in his pirate attire and gave her a cocky grin that made her legs start to shake and breathing start to hitch along with her heart beginning to melt.

Sora seemed to snap out of his tranquil state of mind and noticed Wales looking a bit flushed in her face and staring out into space. Becoming worried for her, Sora called out to Wales while turning towards her and trying to get a good look at her face.

"Wales, are you ok? Your face is red are you not feeling well?" Sora asked concerned for Wales.

Snapping out of her fantasy, Wales shook her head back and forth while trying to regain her composure in front of Sora but still had a blush covering her cheeks.

"Er...yes, Sora, I'm fine. All is well, I was just thinking of something at the moment" Wales said trying to ease Sora's worry.

Figuring that Wales was ok and just had some stuff on her mind, Sora gave her a nod acknowledging that things were going to change from here on out for Azur Lane. Wales silently let out a relieved sigh seeing that Sora wasn't going to ask any more questions.

Continuing the walk to the dorms, Sora began to realize something else that he forgot to ask back at the conference hall which was very important and caused him to facepalm at his stupidity. Donald must be letting out a laugh...or a quack at Sora's absentmindedness.

"Hey, Wales."

"Yes, Sora?"

"I uh... I forgot to bring up a question regarding my situation. How are we going to explain my situation to the other girls?" Sora asked realizing that he really should've asked this question at the meeting.

Wales seemed to be processing several things on her mind and had brought her hand under her chin giving her the typical pose of someone thinking about something. After pondering on the question for a moment, Wales then spoke up.

"Well, for now, I believe the best option to take would be to say that you were found out at sea during Enterprise's incursion with Sakura Empire and Siren forces. After the enemy retreated, she ran into you. As for how you ended up in the middle of the sea, say that you fell into a Mirror Sea which tampered with your cognition leaving you confused on where you awoke" Wales commented trying to come up with a good enough response for Sora's sudden appearance.

Listening to everything Wales was saying, Sora gave her a nod making sure to have his story be on the same level so that no discrepancies would happen if girls asked the two of them. However, Sora did worry about the girls who would begin looking into Sora and fact checking everything he said later on. But for now, Sora pushed those thoughts to the side.

"Got it. That'll be the story for now. But...I hate to say it but sooner or later the others will find out. I still need to find Cleveland and talk with her about the from another world topic before she mentions it to anyone else" Sora said feeling a bit worried.

"Yes, but for now it would be best to keep this between only the people who attended the meeting. If word got out that you were from another world, then I'm sure some girls would brush off the idea and call you crazy. But other girls would become curious and ask you outright whether you really are from another world-leading to confusion and frustration" Wales elaborated.

"Right. I don't want to cause any trouble. Everyone I've met so far has been so nice and understanding about my circumstances. Besides, with the Sirens attacking the world, Azur Lane has its hands full" Sora replied feeling grateful for the help Azur Lane was going to provide him.

"Nonsense, Sora. You are lost in a world that you've never been to. Of course, any one of us would help you. Besides, our job as kansens is to do our utmost to help humanity fight back against the Sirens. And though you are not from this world, you are still a member of humanity" Wales stated letting Sora know he was in good hands.

"Hmm. Thank you, Wales" Sora said while giving Wales a bright smile.

Feeling flustered all over again, Wales pulled at the hem of her skirt while looking off to the side with a blush painting her cheeks red yet again. While continuing their peaceful walk, Sora suddenly had a plethora of questions pop up that he wanted to ask Wales before they reached the dorms.

"Wales, you mentioned kansens what does that mean exactly? That word was also brought up back at the meeting" Sora asked a bit curious about the word.

"Kansens is another name for what we are, ship girls" Wales replied to Sora's question.

"Ah okay, gotcha. Well, I have another question that's on my mind if you don't mind answering" Sora muttered since it had to do with Wales herself.

"Ask away, I'll do my best to answer your question," Wales said becoming curious about Sora's question.

"Do you have any siblings here at Azur Lane?" Sora asked wanting to learn more about Wales.

"Why yes, I do. I have four siblings. Two younger sisters and two older sisters. Their names are Monarch, Howe, King George V, and Duke of York" Wales answered feeling proud of the family she has.

"I see, that's good to hear that you have sisters. Hopefully, I get to meet them soon" Sora spoke wanting to make some new friends.

"I believe they would love that very much since word has spread about your sudden appearance. They would most likely want to meet you out of curiosity" Wales said with a small smile.

"Hmm, can't wait. I always wished that I had a younger brother or sister. Being an only child can get lonely. If it wasn't for my best friends Riku and Kairi, then I don't know what I would've done for most of my life" Sora noted with a sad smile.

Taking note of Sora's sad smile, Wales called out to him wanting to talk more about Sora's friends. "Your friends mean a great deal to you, don't they?" Wales asked wanting to try and cheer Sora up.

"Yeah, we have so many memories together. From us wanting to leave our home and try to find other worlds with only a raft. To traveling from world to world all while striving to be reunited with each other. And now having fought in a war over the fate of the worlds. It honestly sounds crazy just thinking about how far we've all come" Sora said taking in the realization that he's been on so many adventures with his friends.

"It sounds like you have a great number of stories to tell" Wales commented to Sora.

"You bet; I could spend a whole day talking about just one of the worlds I've been to and the people I met there that have now become great friends of mine that will always be in my heart" Sora stated feeling happy remembering his old friends.

Feeling a smile make its way to her lips, Wales embraced the incoming smile feeling a great deal of joy and happiness while talking with Sora. Just getting to spend time with him made her heart race and feel like butterflies were flying around her stomach tickling her so that she would smile even more. Realizing that now would be the best time to ask Sora for a date or as Hood called it teatime, Wales spoke up trying to maintain her posture and let her heart speak.

"S-Sora, if it wouldn't be too much of a hassle. Like Hood mentioned about the two of you getting together for some tea to talk about your adventures. Do you...Would you be so kind as to join me for tea as well? Just the two of us, so I could hear more about your adventures" Wales said feeling nervous but proud of herself for telling Sora now before any other girls got the bright idea to do the same.

Taken aback by Wales's sudden request to have some tea together, Sora smiled at her while staring at her beautiful ruby red eyes before replying, "Of course, I'd like that very much. I have a lot of adventures to talk about, so it'll take quite a while if that's alright with you?" Sora said smiling while ruffling the back of his head.

Feeling like she was on top of the world, Wales was mentally cheering and celebrating for asking Sora out on a date. She couldn't help the bright smile that escaped her lips while her ruby red eyes shined bright now looking forward to their teatime. For now, she decided to play it cool while she shut down any weird thoughts that popped up in her head and let her moment of happiness brighten her day.

"Of course, I'm looking forward to our teatime," Wales said while smiling and looking forward to her date.

A little while later, Sora and Wales were continuing their walk to the dorms while talking about the various girls in Azur Lane and how Sora could make good first impressions with the girls that might take a problem with Sora staying at the dorms.

"So, San Diego has a thing about being number one?" Sora asked Wales while tilting his head.

"Yes, the young girl is the second ship after Enterprise to have earned the most stars in the line of duty in this world's second world war. A total of 18 stars which means that she is highly regarded with respect along with a blast to be around. She has a thing about being a lively idol and strives to be number one" Wales said while explaining a great deal about San Diego to Sora.

*A/N - I'm aware of New Jersey having 19 stars and being the second ship after Enterprise to have most stars with Sandy having 18. However, I plan on having this be corrected in a comedic way later on.

"And you mentioned that there are other girls that have siblings. Is that thanks to the Wisdom Cubes? I mean, from what I understand you guys said that you were brought to life with the help of the Wisdom Cubes" Sora said trying to get a better picture of the girls' lives.

"In most cases yes, thanks to the Wisdom Cubes' influence we can summon kansens based on different models and specifications such as light, heavy, or specialized ships. However, the process of using a Wisdom Cube is not a 100% guarantee that we will get the ship we are pinning for" Wales explained hoping Sora could get a grasp of the Wisdom Cubes' randomness.

"Wait, does that mean that there are some girls here that have sisters but can't be together because the Wisdom Cube either works or doesn't work?" Sora asked confused about the Wisdom Cube concept.

"Correct, it's a rather sad and difficult thing that a number of the girls have gone through. Honestly, while we have no commander here at Azur Lane and our orders come in from command. The process of Wisdom Cube summoning is not used very often" Wales elaborated further to the interested Sora processing everything.

"I see, it sounds like a very complicated process of dealing with," Sora said frowning at how some girls couldn't see their families. Sora understood the feeling of helplessness and not seeing those who are dear to your heart. Thanks to his many adventures, Sora was reminded of a few his friends in different worlds that at one point felt sadness at not being able to see their friends and family.

"Yes, yes, it is. There is also the matter that the Wisdom Cube summons materials for certain girls to use and develop their weaponry and ships. Of course, it's all up to chance" Wales mentioned feeling sadden by remembering the many failed attempts at summoning a kansen.

*A/N - I figure that for simplicity that Wisdom Cubes would either spawn new ship girls or just 'materials' that are configured to certain kansens. Rather than saying that the Wisdom Cubes summon 'new' versions of the girl(s). Don't know if I can handle the idea of dealing with multiples of the same girl lol.

Feeling like he needed to do something to help the girls of Azur Lane since they'll be helping him as well. Sora raised his hand to his chest while feeling his heart and confidently spoke up gaining Wales's attention.

"Leave it to me! I know the feeling of not being able to see those that you care about and there's nothing you can do about it. The heart works in many strange ways. But if you'll let me, then I want to do what I can to help the girls see their sisters again. No one should have to suffer not seeing those that they love" Sora proclaimed listening to and following his heart.

Wales could only stare at Sora while her admiration for him continued to grow more and more. The feeling of warmth was radiating off Sora. So many girls were hurting at the prospect of not being reunited with their sisters. If Sora was able to do something about it, then...

Before Wales could finish her train of thought, Sora let out a chuckle while ruffling the back of his head again while speaking up.

"Well, that is if I'm given the chance to use a Wisdom Cube. As I said, I don't want to cause any trouble for you guys here at Azur Lane. I should get to know all the girls first before I go rushing into something I'm not prepared for. Don't want another Power of Waking situation, I only just got here hahaha " Sora said wanting to help the girls find their sisters but also wanting to go about this problem with a plan beforehand.

Letting out a little laugh, Wales couldn't agree more with Sora's backtracking since he did just arrive at Azur Lane after rushing in to save his friend, Kairi. Perhaps once things have calmed down and the opportunity arises, then Sora can do what he does best and save those that are lost.

Not long after, the duo finally arrived on the outside of the town filled with shops and restaurants, and other buildings surrounding the port town. In the center of the town was a plaza of sorts with a fountain in the middle. Many girls were chatting with each other talking about a range of things all while either standing or sitting and looking happy. Other girls were walking in groups talking amongst one another almost like there was not a worry in the world.

That is until Sora and Wales started to come into view.

It happened all so fast that Sora had to take a second to process what just happened. One second, he and Wales were walking along the trail entering the port town while looking for the dorms. And the next all the girls who were hanging around suddenly stopped talking with each other and spotted Sora.

"..."

"..."

Silence ensued in the area.

That was until a girl screamed and pointed at Sora yelling out, "Ahhhhhh! It's him!"

After that, the flood gates collapsed with most of the girls in the vicinity running up to Sora and start bombarding him with questions.

"Aaaahhhh!"

"No Way!"

"Wahhhhhh!"

"It's you! Can you sign my riggings?"

"Are the rumors true?!"

"D-don't come near me!"

"Are you human? Are you an alien?"

"Please don't take my hairspray!"

"Where are you from?"

"Why do you look so weird?"

"What's with your weird clothes?"

"What's with your cool clothes?"

"Are you from the Eagle Union? Or are you from the Royal Navy?"

"Is your hair always spikey?"

"You're cute."

"Stay away!"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Are you our new commander?!"

"What's with your big shoes?"

"How old are you?"

"Are you a boy kansen?"

"How often do you wash your hair?"

"You look straight out of an anime!"

Sora was not feeling well. Having so many girls all rush at him within a split second without letting him prepare himself mentally and emotionally. Some of the questions he heard being asked were silly or confusing but some he heard made him wish that he would've stayed floating in the ocean.

Wales during all the commotion was pushed aside during the chaos and stood outside of the group surrounding Sora. Starting to become irritated Wales yelled out to the girls to give Sora some space but no dice the girls either didn't hear Wales or chose to ignore her. Other girls that did not join in the chaos merely stared wide-eyed at what the poor boy was going through.

Taking a look at who did not join in the ruckus, Wales spotted several familiar faces that brought her a sense of relief. Baltimore, Massachusetts, and Hornet.

Hornet was one of Enterprise's sisters and a reliable yet energetic member of the Eagle Union. She has a slender frame and a medium bust with long blonde hair tied in twin tails and green eyes. Currently, she's wearing a black bulky collared cape with yellow linings wrapped on her shoulders along with her black bikini top, black denim shorts with a yellow belt, black arm-sleeves with yellow linings, white thigh-high socks underneath a black thigh-high, silver metal boots with red bottoms and a black cowboy hat with yellow bands. Many girls have wondered where Hornet found the cowboy hat, but she has yet to tell anyone where she got it.

Massachusetts was a sweet woman who was kind to all those around her. She is however usually quiet and doesn't express herself as often. Nevertheless, if you were to strike up a conversation with her then you would be enraptured by all that she has to say. Massachusetts can be identified as a tall dark-skinned woman with a slender frame and a large bust. She has long and beautiful silver hair with a green feather-like ornament and brown eyes. She also has a marking on her forehead and white body markings that add to her characteristics. She was wearing a black collar with pieces of jewelry, a black & white bikini top underneath a black unzipped jacket, black shorts, a pair of black straps on her right thigh, and black straps crossed around her calves, and black & gray camouflaged sneakers.

Baltimore was known to be somewhat of an overachiever. In some cases, mind you. Baltimore had the mentality of someone who always strives to do their best while also wanting to help those in need. When it came to athletics, she was always the star player. As for her current, appearance, she was wearing steel-tipped shoes with black thigh-high socks that reached to the middle of her thighs. A black swimsuit-like outfit that was left open in the middle of her stomach and right under her large bust, and she was wearing a dark navy blue and lime green jacket that could cover her body if she zipped up the jacket. She also had white gloves on each hand and short brown hair that reached her neck along with her dazzling yellow eyes. In addition, Baltimore was not only friendly to everyone and helped them in times of need but very beautiful leaving the other girls motivated to follow in her footsteps and do their best at everything.

Wales spotted the three girls not taking part in the chaos ensuing with Sora and made her way over to them.

"Baltimore, Hornet, Massachusetts it's good to see you all" Wales called out to the standing-by trio.

"Wales! Good to see you too. We thought the meeting was never going to end. You guys were in there for so long I was planning on heading in there myself. But Enterprise waved me down and told me the meeting was coming to an end" Hornet explained rather energetically to the point that it was almost contagious... almost.

"Likewise, Wales. Hope the meeting went well though gotta say your friend looks like he's in quite the pickle" Baltimore said while catching a glimpse of one girl handing Sora what appeared to be an autograph of herself... never mind that was just Sandy being Sandy. Poor Sora.

"I take it that everyone on the island is aware of Sora's presence now?" Wales asked already knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it outright.

"Yes. That's all everyone has been talking about" Massachusetts uttered while taking a sip of her tea.

Wales could feel a headache coming not only for her sake but for Sora's as well. Looking over at Sora, Wales could see him with his hands up trying to calm a couple of girls who were accusing him of stealing their shampoo last night. Sora wasn't even in this world last night.

Realizing Sora needed her help urgently, Wales turned back to the trio and pleaded her case.

"Right then, Baltimore, Massachusetts, Hornet I need your help" Wales pleaded hoping the trio would help.

"Of course, you needn't even ask. We're friends, aren't we? What's the problem?" Hornet said while the other two shook their heads in agreement.

"Sora and I were on our way to the dorms to see if we could get him a room for the night until the Manjuu can construct a sleeping quarter personally for Sora. But as you can see, he appears to be surrounded all around and the three of you didn't show any interest to run up and surround him as well. Do you think that you would be so kind as to help me get him to the dorms without the mob surrounding him?" Wales asked praying that the trio would help her in her endeavor.

Baltimore turned to look at Hornet and Massachusetts and get a read of their expressions and nodded once she had her answer before addressing Wales's request.

"Sure, we'd love to help you get Sora to the dorms. Though you're wrong about us not wanting to run up and ask Sora questions or get his attention" Baltimore replied while making Wales curious behind the trio's interest in Sora.

"What do you mean by that?" Wales asked interested in Baltimore's reasoning.

"I mean have you seen Sora? Even from a distance, he's pretty cute and the clothes he's wearing look so cool! Maybe I should get a jacket like that with a hoodie. I've been wanting to change my style for some time now since sis won't stop lecturing me about dressing like a lady. Ugh, but if I change my style to a hoodie then Yorktown will still be lecturing me on ladylike attire again" Hornet cried out while going into her reasons for taking interest in Sora.

"Not to mention, while the rumors flying around Sora depict him as some crazy thieving lunatic stealing hair products for that spiky hair of his. The rumors are only rumors. From what I can tell, Sora looks like any ordinary person, but his clothes do look weird. Not in the weird way mind you, just that they look almost like athletic clothes or something one would wear on the go or doing some sort of physical activity" Baltimore continued to elaborate on her thoughts towards Sora.

"Besides, getting a better look at Sora you can see that it looks like he's got a good upper body build with his toned arms. He must be in good shape and his clothes mean that he's used to physical activity of some sort. It would be nice to ask him to join in a game of Basketball one of these days. Plus, he's ve-very eye-catching" Baltimore finished speaking her thoughts while having a little blush pop up on her cheeks.

Massachusetts then perked up somewhat realizing that it would be her turn to give her thoughts on Sora.

"I just thought that with everyone talking about him. I would want to see what the big deal was. I'm curious about him but for now, that's all" Massachusetts said while having curiosity be a big part of her interest in Sora.

Listening to the trio's thoughts, Wales let out a little chuckle while realizing that everyone on the island would have some sort of reason for showing interest in Sora. Be that as it may, Wales smiled back at her friends before getting ready to create a plan of action to save Sora.

"I guess we all have our own reasons of interest towards Sora. Once things calm down if you all would like I can introduce you to him. He's a very kindhearted and all-around fun person to be around" Wales explained to the trio of girls.

"Really?! That would be awesome! I can't wait to ask him all sorts of questions and whatnot" Hornet said while becoming fired up at the idea of talking with Sora.

"Wales, surely you're not exempt from having some sort of interest in Sora. There must be something you're interested to learn about him?" Baltimore asked Wales figuring that the blonde beauty had some sort of interest in Sora.

Hearing Baltimore's question about any interest in Sora, Wales got bright red with her eyes widening and her mind going somewhere perverted. The image of Sora in his pirate outfit and her fantasies of the two of them were brought back to the front of her mind. Closing her eyes and shaking her head rapidly, Wales tried composing herself but wasn't doing so well.

When she opened her eyes the first thing, she saw was the smug looks on Hornet and Baltimore. Massachusetts merely tilted her head and looked back at Wales but if you were to look close enough you could see a small smile tug at her lips. Getting back on track Wales pushed those thoughts and began working on a plan to help Sora.

"Ahem, cough, right then, let's get to it and help Sora with that mob surrounding him" Wales prompted taking command and charging well walking to the mob surrounding Sora with the trio following her.

Meanwhile, Sora was busy trying to answer all the girls' questions one at a time, but they weren't even listening to him. Any time he would try to plead his case and dismiss a rumor thrown at him another girl would just jump right into the conversation.

"Please let me fin..."

"Are you sure you're not our commander?"

"Yes, I'm not... at least I think I'm no..."

"Do you like ice cream?"

"Of course, I do I'm a fan of sea sa..."

"Why are your shoes so big?"

"I...I don't kn..."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"I've never even gone on a date"

"Are you a prince?"

"Not that I'm awa..."

"Where did you come from?"

Right before Sora was going to address that question, he bit his tongue and was coming up with a solid and reasonable explanation. However, not a moment too soon Wales walked up to the group with three other girls following behind her.

"Alright girls! That's enough, can't you see that you are overwhelming Sora with all your questions. There will be a time to ask your questions later but for right now please give him space" Wales said gaining the mob's attention.

Baltimore, Hornet, and Massachusetts were easing the girls to move away from Sora and give him some space. Some girls were more stubborn on being asked to leave wanting to ask Sora who knows how many more questions, but after some more pushback, the stubborn girls left. Once several girls had spaced themselves out, a good chunk of girls had decided to go back to whatever they were doing before surrounding Sora.

There were still girls hanging around Sora, but the Baltimore and the others were talking with them and trying to get them to leave Sora alone for the moment. Wales moved to stand next to Sora after he was given some space to breathe.

"Thanks, Wales. For a second there I thought I was a goner. So many questions..." Sora said feeling fatigued from being surrounded and interrogated.

"No problem at all, Sora. Besides, I should've realized that the girls on the island would have come looking for you and bombarded you with questions. I'm sorry" Wales proclaimed feeling bad about having Sora overwhelmed by the girls.

"Don't worry, water under the bridge. Besides, it looks like you got some help to break the crowd up" Sora muttered looking at the trio of girls that helped Wales.

"Correct, were it not for them helping me then I doubt the crowd would've dispersed as easily. I will need to make it up to them" Wales replied happily that her friends helped her.

Taking a better look at Wales' friends. Sora noticed the brown-haired girl with the navy and lime green jacket along with the other girl who had dark skin and silver hair standing next to her. The other girl who had blonde hair and a cowboy hat was waving to a few girls who had finally decided to go about their business.

The brown-haired girl was having a conversation with a red-haired girl who was arguing with her about having questions about Sora. The navy blue and lime green jacket girl face palmed herself before nodding to the red-haired girl who smiled brightly while handing her a signed autograph of herself before slipping away.

Letting out a smile, Sora looked to Wales and had a question on his mind, "Hey, Wales. What are your friends' names?" Sora asked curious about who his saviors were.

"The brown-haired girl with the navy and lime jacket is Baltimore. The girl with dark skin and silver hair is Massachusetts, and the blonde-haired girl who is wearing the bikini and cowboy hat is Hornet. She's one of Enterprise's sisters" Wales said informing Sora of her friends' names.

"Baltimore, Massachusetts, and Hornet" Sora uttered remembering the girl's names.

A moment later, all the girls who were part of the crowd had finally taken off leaving only the five standing there. The trio of girls all walked up to Sora, who now got a better look at the girls and realized that he would need to battle the blush trying to appear on his cheeks. The three girls were extremely beautiful. At this point, Sora was just going to accept that many of the girls in this world are very attractive.

"Hey there, thanks for the help. Things were getting kind of hectic back there hahaha" Sora said while realizing that he was almost toast back there with all the girls surrounding him.

"No problem at all. It was the least we could do, and Wales here asked us for help, and we just couldn't say no" Massachusetts muttered to Sora while observing him, especially his crown necklace.

"Besides, we all were somewhat interested in meeting you as well but didn't want to put you in a corner. And I want to apologize for the girls that did that to you. That was completely rude and inappropriate to do especially since you just got to Azur Lane" Baltimore said feeling guilty for the girl's behavior towards Sora.

"Not to worry, while it was a bit of a panic attack having so many girls surround me all at once. I'm not upset about it. Everyone's curious about me showing up on the island and from what I was told, most of the girls haven't exactly ever interacted with a boy before. Is that correct?" Sora explained hoping to ease the girl's worries.

"That's good to hear. Thank you for your understanding, and yes, most girls haven't ever interacted with a male before" Baltimore replied while silently relieved that Sora did not hate the girls for surrounding him.

"Oh! Where are our manners? My name is Baltimore, pleasure to meet you".

"Hello, nice to meet you, Sora. My name is Massachusetts".

"Heyya! My name is Hornet. You might already met my sister, Enterprise".

"Baltimore, Massachusetts, and Horney. A pleasure to meet you all and thank you for your help" Sora said while giving a small nod to the girls.

With everyone now acquainted, Wales coughed into her hand to get everyone's attention.

"Now then, since everyone has exchanged pleasantries, we should get back on track and get you to the dorms. The day is coming to an end" Wales said wanting to get the ball rolling.

"Right then, well, Sora. It was great meeting you and hopefully, I'll see you around. I'd still like to chat with you if that's ok?" Baltimore asked Sora hoping to get a positive answer.

"Of course, I'm always happy to chat with friends anytime" Sora replied cheerfully while letting out a smile at his new friends.

"Friends? Even though we just met?" Baltimore asked confused if Sora truly meant they were friends.

"You bet! Any friends of Wales are surely friends of mine. Besides, I'd like to get to know you guys and chat with you when things settle down" Sora said happily about making new friends.

Hearing Sora's declaration of making the trio his new friends, Baltimore and Hornet had huge smiles on their faces while Massachusetts had a very small smile tug at the corner of her lips while making it not apparent.

"I'm glad to hear that. Can't wait to catch up with you, but for now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Sandy with a project of hers".

"Eh, what project is Sandy making you help her with?" Hornet asked curious about whatever San Diego needed Baltimore's help on.

"She's working on another idol project of hers and she asked me for help in exchange for leaving Sora alone for the moment. She still had a great number of questions to ask you, Sora" Baltimore replied becoming more concerned with what help Sandy might need.

"Oh... uh... I see" Sora said feeling a bit concerned about this girl.

"Either way, I need to take my leave. It was good meeting you, Sora. See you later girls" Baltimore said while making her way away from the group giving a wave to the group before taking off to wherever she was needed.

Massachusetts turned to Hornet who acknowledged her unspoken message before turning to Sora and Wales.

"Well, we will be on our way as well. Massachusetts and I need to meet South Dakota and North Carolina for some maintenance on our riggings. It was nice meeting you, Sora. Next time we meet you gotta tell me where you got that cool-looking jacket of yours" Hornet said hoping to get an answer from Sora on his jacket.

"Ugh... I don't...remember where I got my jacket. My jacket was given to me by a friend. I don't know where they got the jacket" Sora replied honestly not knowing where Master Yen Sid got his new attire.

"Really? Man, that's a shame. Oh! I know, maybe I can someone to use your jacket as a model to recreate your jacket's design" Hornet said while getting excited at the idea of getting her own jacket designed.

"Any way we'll be taking off now, see ya Sora. And see ya later Wales" Hornet said tipping her hat to the two.

"Likewise, it was nice meeting you, Sora. Hopefully, we can get the chance to talk later. Take care, Wales" Massachusetts said before accompanying Hornet to meet her sister for maintenance.

Massachusetts and Hornet gave their final wave goodbye before walking off in another direction. Leaving Sora and Wales alone yet again after having an eventful moment being surrounded by a group of girls.

"Right, shall we continue to make our way to the dorms?" Wales asked Sora ready to get him settled in.

"Hmm, lead the way" Sora uttered while looking forward to settling down somewhere and relax for a minute.

Leading the way to the dorms, Wales started to head to the dorms with Sora walking beside her hoping they wouldn't have any more difficulties to deal with.

After a little bit of walking through the town and quickly greeting more ship girls, the duo finally came across a large building with windows all over the place and fancy-looking front doors. The building also had the Azur Lane flag hanging in the front of the building with a large sign posted on top of the doors with the title 'Dorms' in large text.

Finally, having arrived at their location, Wales was about to open the door and head in when she had a moment of realization and stopped short of opening the door. Confused by her action, Sora tilted his head and looked to Wales for clarification. Wales then turned to Sora with a worried look on her face.

"Sora, perhaps it would be best for you to wait out here for a minute while I go in and check to see if there is a room available for you to use for the time being," Wales said while having a bit of a troubled look on her face.

"O-oh, okay. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's just that I would much rather prefer that only a select number of people know where it is you will be settling in within the dorms for now. If word got out that girls knew your exact room, then we would have a repeat of you being surrounded"

Realizing that Wales had a point and that being surrounded would be troublesome, Sora agreed with her idea and gave her a nod understanding her reasoning.

"Alright then, give me a minute to get you situated into a room. I'll be right back" Wales said while making her way into the building leaving Sora alone.

While standing outside the dorm building, Sora was recollecting his thoughts about all the girls he's had the privilege to meet. Everyone here at Azur Lane seemed happy and cheerful even with the fear of war with a mysterious enemy that could destroy the world. Thinking about the girls doing their best to fight back against the Sirens and against other factions who separated from Azur Lane got Sora thinking about his friends back home.

The idea of his friends not here with him physically but still with him in his heart made him let out a small smile. He had to be strong especially if he was going to help his new friends bring back their lost families and separated friends. Closing his eyes, Sora let out a deep breath he didn't realize that he was holding onto. Opening his eyes and feeling relaxed, Sora adjusted his eyesight and was greeted by three girls staring at him.

Feeling surprised by the sudden appearance of the two girls, Sora let out an awkward wave at the two while smiling like a dork. One of the girls was wearing a blue jacket over a white button-up shirt with a red tie around her neck. She also had black and orange headphones on her head with her brown hair reaching her back. Her eyes were blue and the way she wore her jacket made it so her hands were hidden from sight.

The other girl was wearing white boots with white tights and a blue shirt. She had a pink jacket over her shirt and a red bow on her head, along with a pair of rabbit ears stuck in her white hair. This girl also had red eyes that looked to be trying to stay wide open but were forcing themselves closed. She also looked to be falling asleep while standing up.

The third girl had purple hair in a ponytail and a purple scarf around her neck. She was wearing a white tank top with a pink and purple plaid skirt with purple boots. The girl also had what appeared to be a crown on her head.

"He-hello there, how long have you been standing there?" Sora asked feeling embarrassed at the girls seeing him.

"Not long, we only just got here and noticed you with your eyes closed. Why did you have your eyes closed?" The purple-haired girl responded while looking a Sora curiously.

"I was... I was just recollecting my thoughts. Everyone on the island is...very excited to meet me since I'm the talk around the town" Sora replied to the girl hoping she would buy his excuse.

"I see, well then, in that case, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. Apologizes, my name is Javelin" The purple-haired girl now identified as Javelin said.

"Laffey... tired and sleepy. Oh...my name is... Laffey. Nice to meet you" The bunny girl said now known as Laffey.

"I'm Long Island nice to meet you, Sora. Can I just say that you look really cool" The brown-haired girl whose name was Long Island said to Sora.

"Oh, thank you. I don't mean to brag but I also think that I look really cool" Sora replied feeling proud of how he thought of himself and how this girl saw him as well.

"What are you doing outside of the dorms? Are you lost?" Javelin asked confused about why Sora was just standing outside.

"No, no, I'm not lost. Wales asked me to stay out here while she gets something situated" Sora said not wanting to give too much information to the girls.

"I see, hopefully, miss Wales will get things resolved. In the meantime, is it ok if we hang out with you" Javelin asked curiously if the boy would ask them to leave.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind chatting with you girls. By the way, my name is Sora".

"We know. You're pretty much famous now. Everyone is talking about how you look like your straight out of an anime with your spiky hair" Long Island said while explaining what all the other girls were talking about.

"I see, I guess I can see how my appearance is different. But I'm not from an anime" Sora muttered feeling a little self-conscious about his appearance.

"Laffey has... question. Who all have you met?" Laffey said still struggling to stay awake.

Recounting who he has all met, Sora began to process everyone that he's met today. Not to mention, it's big a long day and so many things have happened. Putting his hands behind his head, Sora began to answer Laffey's question.

"Well, let's see. I've met Enterprise, Cleveland, Wales, Hood, Illustrious, Unicorn, U-chan, Elizabeth, Warspite, Belfast, Baltimore, Massachusetts, Hornet, and now you three. I did run into a bunch of other girls but didn't catch their names and the ones I did overhear I'm mixing their names up now" Sora said while trying to remember every name he's been introduced to today.

Before anyone could speak, Wales was coming through the door with a somewhat pleasant look on her face. She spotted Sora and the trio of girls next to him walking up to them.

"Ah, Sora, I see you've met a few familiar faces. Hello, Long Island, Javelin, Laffey. What brings you, girls, here to the dorms?" Wales asked curiously why they were in front of the dorms.

"Miss Wales, we were planning on heading to Long Island's room to try a new video game she got. Along the way we spotted Sora standing out in front of the dorms alone, so we figured we would stop by and see if he was lost" Javelin explained enlightening their situation to Wales.

"That sounds like a great deal of fun. Thank you for spending your time chatting with Sora and not leaving him out here alone. I apologize for making you wait, Sora" Wales said feeling a little guilty about leaving Sora out here alone.

"Haha, no worries. I was daydreaming when the girls spotted me. Besides, I had a lot of fun talking with you guys. Once things settle down, we should all get together, and chat maybe even play some video games" Sora said enjoying his time with the trio.

"Ah! That would be terrific! I can't wait for when we get to hang out. I got a bunch of games to play. Hope you're ready to get your butt kicked, Sora" Long Island said feeling excited to play games and hang out with friends.

"You bet. I can't wait to try your video games, Long Island. And who's to say that I won't kick your butt" Sora proclaimed while feeling his competitiveness start to come out reminding him of his many competitions with Riku back home.

"How exciting I can't wait till we get together again. Well, we'll be on our way. Goodbye, miss Wales and goodbye Sora. Hope to see you two later" Javelin said while giving a little bow to Sora and Wales.

Javelin started to make her way through the dorm rooms with Long Island following suit and waving her ... hands? Actually, it was her sleeves she was waving at the two while smiling before entering the dorms. Laffey was swaying back and forth before she startled herself and followed Javelin and Long Island. Before she entered the doors, she turned to look at Wales and Sora and sleepily muttered to them.

"Laffey sleepy, gonna go to sleep on Long Island's bed. Bye-bye Sora and miss Wales" Laffey said while giving the two a small wave before making her way into the dorm.

With the trio of girls entering the dorm, that left Sora and Wales to themselves. Sora smiled to himself as he just made three more new friends. Wales smiled at the prospect that Sora was getting along with so many of the girls. He truly was a friendly soul that could get along with anyone.

Wales turned to Sora and began to explain to him about his living quarters for the moment.

"Sora, I was able to find you a room to settle down in for the foreseeable future. Until the Manjuu finish constructing you a personal quarter. That may take a while since the Manjuu are busy with orders on repairing several of the girls' ships" Wales explained hoping to ease Sora with the news.

"That's alright, I'm truly thankful for all the help you've done for me. I really want to make it up to you for everything you've done" Sora expressed his gratefulness towards Wales feeling like he would've been lost without her help.

Blushing at Sora's words, Wales was left dumbfounded for a second before quickly composing herself and smiling at Sora.

"There's no need, Sora. You've become a dear friend of mine even if it's been a day. Quite a lot has happened today, and I feel like we've gotten closer throughout the day. I truly cherish our newly founded friendship. But...if you do want to make it up to me, then can we still go on our dat... I mean our teatime session" Wales said hoping that Sora would still be accepting of her date.

"Of course, I'm very much looking forward to our get-together. Don't worry I promise to be there, just tell me when and I'll be there...And maybe some directions I'm still not familiar with the entire island haha" Sora charismatically replied looking forward to hanging out with Wales.

"Right, once things settle down, I'll arrange everything so we can have a great time together. In the meantime, I found you a room. Shall we go take a look?" Wales elaborated excited to go on a date with Sora.

Nodding at Wales' idea, the duo made their way into the dorms to find Sora's room. The inside of the dorms was decorated with a modern look that had several rooms that looked like offices and bathrooms. Continuing down to look around the dorms, Sora spotted many different doors that were all closed and must've been rooms already in use by other girls.

"As you can see, a great number of rooms are on the bottom floor. We haven't even gotten to the other side of the building where there are even more rooms. There are several levels to this building with many more rooms. Of course, if and when we can reunite the other factions to Azur Lane, then the Manjuu will need to construct another dorm building" Wales explained since Sora seemed amazed at how many rooms, he was seeing just on this side of the dorms.

"Moreover, there have been discussions as to whether we want to include faction-based dorms where an Eagle Union and Royal Navy dorm would be made along with any other faction. However, the usage of one or two large dorms with a mix of different factions may have the tendency to have the girls build better connections and relationships with other girls. Plus, it's more fun to have your friends close by to the point where they are next door to you" Wales finished with a smile remembering the many times she stopped by Hood's room and the two spent the night talking nonstop.

"Wow, that's a bit tough. Maybe the idea of a few mixed dorms would be good for helping the girls make new friendships. But there's still the chance some girls will have grudges and whatnot that could be a problem" Sora said while thinking of the best scenario.

"Honestly, maybe a bit of both. Build a good-sized dorm for each faction-specific but still focus on building the mixed dorms for those who will give it a try. Who knows? Some of the girls might just meet their new friends at the mixed dorms" Sora explained hoping Wales could see his take.

"That's a great idea, Sora. Something I will bring up the next time we have our weekly conference on things going on at the base and in Azur Lane in general" Wales proclaimed happily to hear Sora's thoughts on the matter.

The two continued to walk past many closed doors hoping to not cause a ruckus. However, before the two could get any further, a door suddenly opened and a girl with long blonde hair in twin tails walked out.

The blonde-haired girl was wearing thigh-high red boots with the part covering her feet colored in white. She was also wearing a white and black formal-looking shirt that acted like a skirt ending near the top of her thighs. A red jacket was covering her shoulders and her shirt skirt giving her the look of someone serious. When she came out of the room, she had her eyes closed but opened them and spotted Wales and then Sora.

"Huh, Wales, what is he doing here? Don't you know that this is a dorm used by the kansen. Meaning a girls' only dorm. What reason could he possibly have for being here?" The blonde-haired girl asked in a demanding tone which caused Sora to straighten himself out of a sudden worry.

"Ah, Nelson, it's good to see you. I hope you are doing well today. As for why Sora is here in the dorms, well, it was decided that until the Manjuu can construct a personal quarter of sorts. Sora will stay in a room designated to him" Wales replied hoping to answer Nelson's question.

"I'm doing fine on this beautiful day. However, when are we going to have a commander assigned to the base. Many issues need jurisdiction to resolve and improve the base's functionality. Not to mention, what is to become of him" Nelson said while giving Sora a weird look almost as if Sora had done something wrong.

"U-um hello there my name is Sora. A pleasure to meet you, Nelson, was it?" Sora hesitantly asked not wanting to get on this girl's bad side.

"Correct that is my name. And nice to meet you, Sora. Do be aware of your surroundings. You are in the company of many girls of all ages on the island. Now then, since it seems you'll be staying here for a moment I suggest you familiarize yourself so that you can do your part here at Azur Lane" Nelson proclaimed expecting Sora to learn the ins and outs of Azur Lane.

"Right, understood. I'll do my best to make sure I'm not a nuisance and work to help Azur Lane fight the Sirens" Sora said understanding the importance of helping Azur Lane.

"Good, that's relieving to hear that you are willing to do your best for Azur Lane. In any case, I have some things to do before the day is over. If you'll excuse me, Sora, Wales, then I'll be on my way. Good day," Nelson said while giving Sora and Wales a small bow before taking off who knows where.

After a moment passed with the confirmation that Nelson was gone, Sora let out a sigh that he didn't even realize he was holding onto. Wales noticed Sora loosen up and let out a small smile.

"I apologize for Nelson's strict behavior. She's someone who may come off as harsh and disciplined but that's just because she really cares for everyone. It's her way of pushing everyone to better themselves. She's seen many of her friends hurt in combat with the Sirens. It's almost like she's ashamed of herself for not protecting her friends. Hence, she pushes everyone to do their best and it tends to be through somewhat harsh words" Wales said explaining Nelson's personality hoping Sora wouldn't be troubled by it.

"Everyone has their own way of bettering themself and those around them. I know a guy who acts a bit grumpy and cold to his friends but deep down he cares for them deeply. Nelson seems like an interesting girl to be around. I hope I can get the chance to chat with her later on" Sora said while realizing Nelson's unique personality trait was something he wanted to learn more about.

"Well, that's good to hear. She wouldn't show it in public but in private she's a joy to be around. She's just worried about her reputation putting her in a bad light with her somewhat harsh criticism. But I digress, let's get you to your room" Wales finished while setting Nelson's personality to the side and finding Sora's room.

The duo continued to walk past many doors until Wales stopped at a certain room numbered "137". Pulling out a key from her pocket, Wales began to unlock the door and turned to Sora getting his attention.

"I apologize for the lack of decor. For a moment there while I was getting you a room, I feared there wouldn't be an available room. But as luck would have it, I found a spare room that has not been used. However, there's only a bed and window in the room. The room was used primarily as a storage room when the Manjuu were constructing the other rooms in the dorm" Wales explained easing Sora inside the plain-looking room.

Entering the room, the duo found that the room was plain looking with the walls painted white and the window closed with nothing else but the bed inside the room. Sora gave a small smile while looking at the bed not needing anything else.

"It's ok, Wales. This is more than enough, truly. Thank you for everything you've done today. Honestly, the bed looks so comfy right now. I don't remember the last time I slept on an actual bed" Sora said feeling his eyes start to become heavy and a yawn escaping his lips.

Taking notice of Sora, Wales nodded and moved toward the window to open it up while Sora made his way to the bed and sat down on it.

"Well now, it seems you're due for a snooze. We can continue our guide on the rest of the island later. For now, perhaps it would be best to let you get some shuteye wouldn't you say, Sora" Wales said looking at Sora who was looking like he was going to pass out any second now.

"Yeah, I think I-I'm gonna do that. Thank you, Wales for everything" Sora muttered while laying down and resting his head on a pillow. Not even a second later, Sora started to snore peacefully after having gone through quite a lot of things in one day alone.

Wales smiled to herself while seeing Sora sleeping. Normally she would start to fantasize about Sora sleeping now but seeing his sleeping form reassured her that this boy...no this young man...this hero has been through a lot. And he deserved some rest after going on back-to-back adventures even fighting in a war and being banished from his home.

Making her way towards the door, Wales stopped slowly in front of Sora's sleeping form and smiled down at him before speaking up, "Take care, Sora. You've earned some rest. I'll see you later".

Exiting Sora's room, Wales closed the door and began to make her way to her dorm before meeting up with her majesty to discuss other matters regarding the Royal Navy. Not to mention, she still had to show Sora around the entire island and get some information on the Heartless and their tactics for attacking people.

Tomorrow would certainly be an interesting and eventful day for Sora and Wales. Moreover, the entirety of Azur Lane would need to adapt and come up with a plan for the impending fight between not only the Sirens but the Heartless now.

Meanwhile, while Sora was asleep his mind wandered through many of his memories with all of his friends. But what surprised him most was that he dreamed of the girls he had just met in Azur Lane which made sense since they were all now part of his heart and connections. Tomorrow would certainly be a new day.

A new day...

Without any warning, sirens started going off sending all sorts of sounds to be echoed throughout the island. Sora woke up in a jump hearing the loud sound of the sirens going off alerting the base of an incoming threat. Running to the window, Sora peeked outside to see if the fighting had started and saw what appeared to be a storm brewing in the distance with lightning going off in all sorts of directions.

Sora figured that this must be the Sirens preparing to strike at Azur Lane. Without a second to waste, Sora checked himself to see if everything was in his possession and straightened his jacket. Realizing that a fight was about to start, Sora took a deep breath while calming himself and collecting his thoughts. Letting go of his deep breath, Sora stretched his arms along with his legs getting limbered and prepared for the worse to come.

Running out of his dorm room, Sora ran past many other dorm room doors that were opening with girls exiting and readying themselves for the upcoming battle. Dashing out of the main dorm doors, Sora began running in the direction of the town he was at yesterday hoping to meet up with Wales or someone familiar and get an idea of how he could help.

What no one else realized at that moment with Sora summoning his keyblade with a determined look on his face was that the world was about to change...

The Keyblade's Chosen One had entered the fight.