Hey everyone, sorry for having to remake this chapter out of nowhere. There was some serious plot problems when I was brainstorming the next chapter so I decided to remake it. Now, enjoy the official chapter.


"Alright Martin, let's see what you got for me today."

Right in front of Gabriel was a small crate that looked no larger than a footlocker the average soldier might have during basic training. A wooden exterior kept the items inside safe from any harm although Sheffield had informed him there was a weapon inside. A weapon meant for him, but why would they ship a wooden box? If it was a weapon, High Command would have encased such things in metal containers or in much larger crates than this. So, what was in the box that required such a small size.

The answer came from a small slip of paper that came with the shipment. A slip of paper that described what was in the container. It wasn't for him; it was for some of his shipgirls thanks to the eggheads coming up with something quite genius. At least, it would be a genius idea if they told him what this weapon was. All he saw was a big sign that said 'CLASSIFIED' with multiple sentences inked out. Five cubes meant for five shipgirls but it wasn't specific on who at the time.

Really? They couldn't have at least given him some sort of clue as to who could benefit from all this? Gabriel shook his head with an annoyed sigh. Whatever, he'll have to figure it out the hard way. Lifting the lid open to see the Wisdom Cubes inside that had been tinkered with. Hopefully this would be a great weapon to hold over the Sirens once the attacks began again.

"I better head down to Akashi's warehouse before I have some girls try out these modifications. Besides, Christmas is coming soon."

The Admiral closed the crate before lifting the light box and heading towards the warehouse. He hadn't touched the armor for quite some time and maybe he should check out for little kinks. While Hipper was amazing at maintaining it, it wasn't fair of him to burden her with the task. With the crate in his hands, all he could think about was everything from the past month; from the beginning of his counterpart making contact with him to those machines.

One thing still befuddled him, what was with all the different Wisdom Cubes and that dream? Gabriel wasn't exactly the average human anymore yet, there was something nagging at his mind to complete. Like, he needed to accomplish something or that whole experience would be for naught. Pair that with Hood's plans for their marriage to happen sometime in the new year, the stress was beginning to climb. Not to mention there were the other shipgirls that he was really close to. Would they want to push for marriage as well?

Sighing to himself, Gabriel couldn't help but mentally prepare himself for the worst, "Now who would be next to marry? Let's see, Shoukaku is next in line compared to how much time we spent together but, when should I propose?"

Lost in his thoughts, the Admiral didn't pay attention to his surroundings nor the women he passed by. There was much to do since Christmas was only days away with a good portion of the decorations completed. Work to keep the snow off the roads was constant thanks to the weather but supposedly, it should clear up within a week. Presents were being gathered with some of the shipgirls having Secret Santa gifts ready. It was looking to be a good Christmas although much livelier.

Placing the crate down on the floor within the warehouse, Gabriel went towards the tech lab to see the unused suit. Neither Akashi nor Hipper were there which left him alone to mess around until they got back. The armor was placed on a table in pieces with its power source, the Pure Cube, resting on another table with scanners running constant analysis. There were still some secrets to it that he had yet to uncover, but what kind?

Looking at the cube compelled him to touch it once more. Reaching out, he placed his finger softly around the cool surface which glowed brightly in response. The warehouse began to shift and disappear from his peripheral vision. Reality was bent to the cube's will as there was just a single door surrounded by a dull field of white. A single golden lock kept the door shut, but what was beyond the door?

"Hello?" the Admiral called out to the large expanse that seemed endless. His voice echoed for an eternity to no one. Not a single soul was around and the only object was the lock on the door. A key was necessary to remove the lock and when he tried to reach for his revolver to shoot it off, it was missing.

Gabriel then resorted to inspecting the lock a bit further, possibly finding any clue to the shape of the key. Sadly, as soon as he touched the metal lock, the world shifted back to normal with the warehouse coming back into view.

"The hell was all that? Is there something I need to know behind that door?"

Deciding to think on it while doing some menial tasks, Gabriel set about fiddling with his helmet. The men who had fought on the frontlines would have died for technology like this if it was available at the beginning of the war. Well, technically it was, but humanity was still experimenting on the Wisdom Cubes and learning more secrets the more time they spent on tests. The shipgirls were the pinnacle so far but that begged the question; what would happen once more was unlocked?

"Master, pardon the intrusion."

The Admiral's attention went to the voice to find Sheffield standing at the doorway, "Is there something needed, Sheffield?"

"Akagi has requested your presence. She has fallen ill and wishes for you to take care of her."

"I'll be there shortly. Is there anything else?"

She shook her head, "Not as of now, Master."

The Admiral placed his helmet back down on the table before making his way out into the snow. Although there were plenty of Sakura who could take care of Akagi, he could entertain her better. Besides, he hadn't gotten to talk to her very much without Shoukaku butting in. As much as he loved the younger carrier, her antics were unnecessary. No need to rile up the Sakura when they should be unified under his leadership.

Right now, he had some snow to trudge through.


Cesare fiddled with her pocket watch, a thing she did to pass the time that it became her habit when thinking. However, she had been doing this for the past hour while staring at the sea of snow outside of Sardegna dorms. Her thoughts could only focus on Gabriel and their time in Italy. She hadn't expected him to be bold enough to kiss her and that left her thinking that scene over the past days.

"Still thinking, Cesare?" Cavour's voice rang, the eldest of her class sitting near the fireplace while reading the newspaper, "You aren't going to get any closer waiting here."

"Sorella," Cesare began, closing her pocket watch, "Do you think he kissed me because he wanted to or he was forced to?"

"Hm? Ah, aren't you the one who instructed him to take decisive actions when the time came for such? I believe the Admiral did so earnestly, but I do have to ask," Cavour put down her newspaper, "What were you two doing on your ship on the return trip?"

A scarlet blush rose in the younger sister's face but her frown never faltered, "We didn't do anything compromising. A kiss...or two. He mostly slept through the trip."

"If only Da Vinci was here, she would have told you to press on," an amused grin was on the elder sister before it fell, "She would have heckled you about it. She didn't deserve the kind of death that cut her life so short."

"She always looked up to us. If only I.."

"It wasn't your fault. I pressed the government to help her but they refused due to the budget. They sold her ship for scrap…" Cavour's eyes burned with anger but she had more than enough composure to control it, "I could have saved her."

Cesare only looked back at the snow with the crackling of wood filling her ears, "It seems the Royal Navy has made their first move."

"Yes, yes they have. That could have been you if you weren't debating yourself," Cavour muttered, "Then again, Hood is a very good choice for the Admiral. Elegant, classy, a perfect wife for a suitable man. He'll get along with the British nobles just fine."

Cesare's face soured with the indirect insult, "He doesn't like crowds. The nobles would chew him up whether or not Hood can protect him. They are all the same no matter what country they are from."

"Vero, he did just tell his actual name and ran off as fast as he could. Gabriel Harper...hm...The first name is a very good choice. Although I don't approve of his last."

"I didn't ask if you approved. If we get married…"

Cavour interrupted, "When you get married."

Cesare grumbled a little but continued, "When we get married, those details can be discussed. Now what is Littorio plotting?"

A short chuckle left Cavour's lips, "Isn't it obvious, Sorella? She wants to marry the Admiral too, but she wants the position it brings."

"Egotistical little…"

"Mm, that she is, but you can't fault her for being more direct. That is her nature and she is doing well to weave her way into his heart. Although, I don't think he is very receptive to her advances if she made any."

Cavour looked to Cesare only to find the battleship had left the room, leaving the eldest sister to her lonesome. Turning back to her newspaper, Cavour turned the page to catch up on some drama while drinking some tea. At least she got Cesare to move again by only mentioning Littorio and her possible reasons to become Gabriel's wife.

"I hope you are ready for the longest siege in your life, Admiral Gabriel."


Gabriel made his way through the snow encumbered naval base all the way towards the Sakura dorms. The trip itself could have gone much worse, considering the tales he heard of the Northern Parliament. Avrora loved to talk about her homeland over some drinks and mentioned that one day, her friends would come to visit. He didn't want to imagine going through a land that was covered in snow half the time. His trip would end with him coming up the cobblestone pathway towards the dorm.

Once he reached the front door to the Sakura dorms, he respectfully took off his shoes and left them outside. Upon entry, his sock-covered feet felt the cool wood beneath even though the building interior was kept warm. He knew where Akagi's room was so he didn't need any assistance from the other girls. Step by step, he crossed through long hallways with sliding doors of other shipgirls. Once he reached the end of the hallway, he was met with a large door that had to be Akagi's.

Considering she was sick, as Sheffield informed him, Akagi must be taking a nap since he didn't hear anything. Still, he shouldn't just open the door since it was wrong and the best course of action was to knock. Gabriel took a breath to relax before he knocked a few times. Moments passed without a response so he knocked again. No response was given.

"She must be napping."

As much as he didn't want to, the Admiral decided to open the door to enter. Akagi was asleep on her bed with a damp towel on her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed with her eyes peacefully closed like some of those childhood stories about a sleeping princess. It must have been fever or a cold that was affecting the Sakura carrier. The recent weather had to be the culprit despite the fact Akagi had her large tails to keep her warm.

He kneeled down beside her with one of his hands brushing the top of her head. The touch of his hand caused Akagi's ears to twitch and her face to scrunch up. Before too long, her eyes opened slightly with her head-turning towards Gabriel.

"Mm... Admiral?"

He smiled down at her, "Hey, are you feeling better?"

"Mm... Much better now that you're here."

Akagi began to sit herself up, not wanting to let a little sickness ruin a moment with Gabriel. He waited until she felt comfortable before he asked, "Was there anything in particular that you wanted to speak to me about? You need some rest if you are sick."

"Am I not allowed to simply speak to the one I love?" the kitsune carrier replied

"Fair enough," he shrugged, "Then tell me something, remember the first time we met during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor?"

Akagi nodded, "I remember. I was different then."

"I know that, but you mentioned something about fate having a role in all this," he gave a moment of thought before continuing, "Every encounter with the Sirens and these most recent events have gotten me thinking something is at play. Things are more complicated than ever before."

"Perhaps fate has decided to play its hand once more. I'm confident that all will end well, even if we are the last ones to sur-"

"What about Kaga and Amagi?"

Akagi blinked with her demeanor being broken in an instant, "O-Of course I would want my dear sisters to survive."

The Admiral shook his head, chuckling at how easy it was to make the Sakura woman change her words, "Don't worry, I think we'll be ok. We haven't exactly gone soft since the last time the Sirens attacked. I'm just hoping that I'm not too arrogant to see something right in front of me."

He felt his hands being gently held in the kitsune's grasp, her fingers rubbing over them in a loving manner, "You're overthinking everything. As my dear sister Amagi told me whenever I felt frustrated; yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift."

Despite how touching Akagi made that saying, Gabriel gave her a deadpan look, "That sounds like something out of a movie. But...yeah, you have a point."

His thoughts went towards the two other kitsune sisters and his eventual ties with them. Although Kaga was more of a metaphorical sister rather than a blood relative. How many shipgirls would he be related to with his current predicament? Too many was the simple answer, but he didn't have a problem with it overall.

"Could you please go get me some tea?" the Admiral heard Akagi tell him

He gave a nod before turning behind him to find a plate with a teapot and a cup. Pouring a drink meant to help with Akagi's recovery, he quickly handed to her. They sat in silence, but the moment was peaceful.

"I do look forward to the day when this war ends," Akagi mentioned, taking a sip of the warm drink with a pleasant sigh

"Yeah...I do too."

The faint sound of a flute could be heard coming outside the dorms. No doubt it was from Shoukaku since she was the only one who consistently played the small instrument. The sound alone made the atmosphere feel more pleasant and warming for the individual. If days could be like this after the war, it would be the greatest gift Gabriel could ask for. But the war was still here even without the Sirens, no matter how distant they seemed to be.

"Teitoku?" Akagi's voice got his attention once more, "Is there possibly a way we could use those Sirens to open a gate?"

"You mean Ember and Ash?" the Admiral questioned, "They aren't Sirens, just darker versions of Enterprise and Takao that are willing to fight with us instead of against us. I don't know if they could open a gate into the Siren's world."

"If they could, we could unleash a preemptive strike before the Sirens gather enough strength to fight back."

"Again, we don't know if that is possible. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sirens prevented their portals from being used by non-Sirens."

Akagi took another sip of her tea, "If we can find any disabled Siren capital ships, I can tap into them to make a portal. I've done it before."

Gabriel's gaze hardened with concern, "Akagi, I've heard what happened the last time you did that."

"But I can do it," the kitsune responded

"Akagi, no. I don't need martyrs. I need every one of you alive and ready to fight at a moment's notice," he retorted back

The Sakura woman frowned, "Hard decisions must be made if we are to finish the Sirens once and for all."

Her words did nothing to convince him otherwise, "I've lost a lot of people before I got assigned here years ago. I don't want to lose any more people."

Before he knew it, Akagi's tails had wrapped around him and pulled him into her grasp. Gabriel's head was rested against her bosom while she embraced him tenderly. No words had to be spoken to understand what Akagi was going to say. Despite her tendency to show her yandere personality, she had a tender and loving side. While she may not be as intimidating as Roon, it just made this moment all the more enjoyable. Hopefully, no one popped in to see them or it could get a little chaotic.

Then again, he was the commanding officer so nothing bad could go wrong.


The day had gone so well and now it had come down to the worst part. Stacked on top of the desk was a large assortment of papers. Not from commissions or exercises, but Christmas wish lists that he had to take care of. Ever since his first Christmas spent on this base, it had become a tradition that he was responsible for fulfilling the wishes of those on the base. At least he had to get one of the requested presents. The only issue was the destroyers made up seventy-five percent of the requests with pages upon pages of Christmas presents.

"Sheffield...please tell me this is everything," Gabriel grumbled, ready to admit defeat to how these presents were getting out of hand.

Sadly, the maid did not spare him of misery, "I'm afraid not, Master. This was only half of the requests, at least see double than what you are looking at.

"Please have the Royal Maids get them quickly, I have quite a few phone calls to make."

"Master, may I ask something?"

The Admiral looked up from his desk, "Yes, what is it?"

Sheffield took went over towards the larger calendar that had multiple tasks labeled on each day, "I couldn't help but notice that the days leading up to the new year are vacant."

"Yes, there isn't a lot going on as far as I'm concerned. Is there something I should be aware of?" he asked, picking up the subtle hint the maid was throwing towards him

Sheffield pondered while looking at the empty days before New Year's Eve, "If you are generous enough, Master, then may I request a trip to England?"

"So, you want to have a date?"

"I see you aren't as blind to romance as I thought you were."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "I learned to pick up the subtle signs the longer I've been here. Alright, let's set the date then."

Like before, the rare moments of Sheffield having a smile just happened, "I'm glad. Now let's get to sorting out the budget for this year's holiday or you'll be lazy again."

The Admiral would have agreed if his office wasn't suddenly opened by Cesare who looked to be a bit peeved for some reason. Did she talk to Littorio or had to stop a brawl from occurring between the Iris and Sardegna Empire? Did one of the destroyers try to prank her when she was doing something very important? Had he forgotten something she asked of him?

"Admiral, I'll make my time short here. I want you to be my personal date for the New Year's banquet," the Italian Battleship stated, keeping her anger back

Silence followed from him as he let the demand sink in, "Ok. You're the first to ask me so yeah, I can do that for you."

A relieved sigh left her lips, "Good, I was beginning to fear that I was too late."

"Too late? Oh," he began to realize what she meant, "No one has asked me to be their partner at the banquet. I'm a bit surprised no one has until you showed up."

"Yes, be sure to dress well for this event," Sheffield added

Cesare looked at the maid with one hand on her hip, "Of course, no doubt everyone else will dress for the occasion. I'm going to have to pay that damn greedy cat."

"No kidding," the Admiral agreed, "you girls have no idea how much I pay her on a yearly basis for the little things. She's going to get a nice paycheck very soon with all the phone calls I have to make."

"Will you need any assistance?" Cesare offered

"I have Sheffield already doing that for me but I will not deny an extra pair of hands with this great endeavor. I'm going to have a couple of sleepless days."

With that said, the trio got to work with Gabriel having to make several phone calls to set up the shipping for the presents. Cesare and Sheffield focused on organizing the wishlists based off each faction. Outside of the office, Littorio had been listening in while twirling a rose between her fingers. A smug smirk was plastered on her lips with mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Hm, I can't wait for the banquet, Admiral~."


"Yes…. Ah, good. All this information will greatly benefit us, comrade. I'll be sure to send them as matters over here aren't as grand as perceived."

The voice was feminine but with a steel tone lined into it. Although she showed friendliness at first, those who knew her had experienced a different side. She didn't fight as much as her comrades as she kept the machine working despite the many hiccups. Ever since the Sirens arrived, the grand revolution was threatened even with Ironblood technology. Her leaders either died in the name of their homeland or cowardly fell from power.

Now it was up to her to keep things in line. Despite the sudden absence of the Sirens, her country could not afford to make the same mistake twice. Thank God Azur Lane was willing to spare some help when they could. As much as she wanted more lives on the frontline, Azur Lane was only able to give supplies. It would help, but the Sirens were not a type to stay down.

"Yes...I know of him...Oh?" The owner of the voice leaned into her desk with interest in her eyes, "So the others have joined him? I see...Hm? A pact through marriage? Very old fashioned of a compromise that shows the…."

The voice on the other line was saying words that piqued the woman's interests even more, "Wait, so if he...Very good, I now see the whole picture. I'll send them his way, I believe Chapayev will be very suitable."

The call ended as the woman looked up to find a couple of shipgirls sitting patiently. One of them was clearly taller due to her being a battleship while her compatriot was a light cruiser, an old light cruiser. One dressed much more conservatively with her uniform covering every inch other than her shoes. The smaller one was mostly covered with her uniform reaching just above the thighs before leggings covered the rest. The battleship was serious while the light cruiser seemed to be eager for the news.

"Comrades, as much as I want to say that our struggle is over...that would be a lie. The Sirens may have retreated for now but the damage they did still haunts us to this very day. I'm afraid that we will not be so fortunate next time," the woman stated with her hands clasped tightly in front of her

The battleship spoke right away, "Soyuz, we have held the Sirens back for years despite their overwhelming numbers. They do not know this land like we do."

Soyuz replied, "Much blood was spilled. Bodies we cannot replace, and starvation was rampant without the aid of the other nations. I will not let the land of our forefathers fall due to ignorance."

The light cruiser hummed and mused, "Hm, so are we going to meet the Admiral? Avrora talks so much about him. I would wager a drink that her time with Azur Lane has made her fall for him."

"That may be," Soyuz began while resting against her chair, "But Avrora knows what is at stake if we do not have continued support. She holds nothing romantic about him but that's where you two and Chapayev come in."

The two shipgirls looked at their leader with confusion. They were going to meet this famous Admiral who had not only held the Sirens back but dealt a serious blow in return. Although his name was classified to the populace, all the shipgirls knew it. What was Soyuz's plan for the three of them?

"One of you is going to marry the Admiral."


Ok, the next chapter is going to be one of my longer chapters. So that one will take quite some time and I will have to be sure I don't make any mistakes along the way just so I don't have to rewrite it.

I hope you enjoyed this rewritten chapter. Stay tuned.