The Azur Key

by KHVSFF

After the events of KH 3 Re Mind, Sora awakens floating in the middle of an ocean while hearing a battle take place. Wanting to save anyone caught in the crossfire, Sora stumbles upon a shocking discovery. The ones fighting are girls. Girls who can summon ships to battle against each other. Sora will need to put an end to the kansen war while finding a way home. [Sora x Harem]

17. Chapter 16: Incoming Hope and Trouble

*Disclaimer* - I do not own the copyright to Kingdom Hearts or Azur Lane

*A/N* - Hello again! Hope things are on the up and up for you. Things certainly have gotten rather interesting with our fellow Keyblade wielder. I do hope that he'll be okay in the upcoming fight… over his heart. But alas, being the author, I have an idea of what's going to happen and… I'm sorry, Sora. Nevertheless, we are also getting ready to get back into the action with things once again going to start picking up and with Sora's involvement in the world of Azur Lane, things are going to get interesting. I'd like to thank everyone for dropping by and giving this story a read. All the reviews and thoughts around this story are greatly appreciated. Now, with that bit of author commentary out of the way, I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter of the Keyblade's Chosen One's time in the world of ship girls. Enjoy.

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Everyone has experienced this feeling once throughout their life. The feeling of utter bliss and relaxation while lying in your bed. The sensation of having your body relaxed from head to toe with all your worries and tiredness seeping away. Followed by the overall conclusion that you did not want to get up at all and just keep lying there… that was exactly how Sora was feeling right now.

With his body unmoving and a dorky smile resting on his face, the Keyblade wielder of light looked to be in a state of peace. In all honesty, the fruitful and ever-positive spiky-haired young man had not gotten sleep like this in a long time. The days of him searching for Riku and dealing with Organization XIII, taking the Mark of Mastery, and then preparing for the looming Keyblade War had left him on edge for quite some time. Hence, he could honestly say that he was at peace.

This resulted in him turning to his side and smiling brightly while still asleep.

That is… until he felt something pushing back on his arm that was extended out quite a bit.

"…*groan*…"

He moved his hand a bit more while still on the border of sleep and expected to feel nothing. But instead, he felt something strange. Something soft and not the kind of soft he expected to be felt on his bed. Deciding to see what was going on, Sora slowly opened both of his eyes while readjusting his vision to get a good look at what was going on.

As he did so, the blue-eyed boy couldn't help but feel his body tense up and his eyes shoot up in utter shock as well as embarrassment. This situation was something that he'd never had to deal with and couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water. He had to catch his breath while also feeling that his face was on fire.

Sleeping right next to him was a familiar brown-haired kitsune girl who was wearing the brightest smile he had ever seen on her. For a moment, he couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his lips before immediately widening his eyes and looking utterly shocked. Words couldn't fathom the exact reaction he was having. Hence, the only thing he could do was mutter out a simple response.

"Um… Akagi… What are you doing in my bed?"

There was no movement coming from the brunette girl as expected. Sora should have figured that she would not wake up with a simple-

"I would also like to know the kitsune's reasoning for doing such a thing," another voice said off to the side.

"Yeah. I have no idea when she- What are you doing here Belfast!?" he shouted as he turned to the side and saw the white-haired maid doing a curtsey bow.

"Good morning, Master Sora. It's a pleasure to be here at your side ready for your orders upon you awaking from slumber" Belfast calmly said while flashing him a gentle smile.

So many more thoughts were starting to pile up in the spiky-haired boy's head. This was all too much to handle upon waking up.

"I…I… Belfast…"

"Yes, Master Sora?"

"…Why are you in my room?"

The maid flashed him another smile while clasping both of her hands together.

"Because a maid must be at her master's beck and call whenever and wherever he may need help."

A sigh escaped the boy's lips as he was now standing up from the bed and folding his arms across his chest.

"Belfast. Didn't I already tell you not to call me master? Just call me by my name."

Nodding her head, the head maid could see the error on her part, "Yes, of course, you did tell me that upon our prior encounter. I do humbly apologize mas- I mean, Sora. A slip of the tongue there."

"Right… well, do you mind explaining to me why you're kind of just standing there? Watching me and… Akagi sleep…"

Saying that out loud, Sora couldn't help but feel his face getting warmer. This was certainly proving to be a whole new situation that he'd never faced before. It also got his heart picking up the pace and beating faster. Honestly, the Keyblade wielder would argue that the speed at which his heartbeat was going rivaled some of his most daring and dangerous fights in all his adventures. That's how nerve-racking this situation was to him inside.

"For clarification reasons, I would have remained in your room and ready to help you in any way even if Miss Akagi were not here. As it is my duty as a Royal Maid to help the Commander and Her Highness. However, you are a very special individual. One that can be viewed as just as important."

'Important huh… That does feel nice to hear. Still, watching over me while I sleep… I mean, at least sit-down, and don't stand up the entire night' Sora mumbled to himself while processing what Belfast was saying.

Additionally, several other thoughts and curiosities popped into his head now that the conversation was revolving around sleep.

"I see… well, can you explain a few things to me really quick?"

"Of course, Sora. I work to help and serve you in need. What are your questions?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, hearing such a thing was not what he ever expected to hear. It sounded too surreal to even really break down. Hence, he began the questioning to move the topic along.

"Well, first off, how and why is Akagi here… sleeping next to me?"

Hearing this question, the white-haired beauty simply cast her eyes down at the sleeping kitsune and could only shut her eyes from making any obvious remarks or gestures with her eyes. She then began to answer her master's question.

"Miss Akagi managed to sneak into your room hours after you had fallen into the depths of slumber. I was fortunate enough to spot her doing such the act that I followed close by and… with methods I shall not divulge to you here as there are too many eyes and ears around here, made sure to keep my presence at a minimum. Fortunately, Akagi was so fixated on you that she slowly crawled next to you and in the essence of happiness passed out from being so close to you. Moreover, I made sure that she did not do any questionable deeds to your sleeping form."

The look on Sora's face was all that anyone would need to see how he was processing this surprising bit of information. To say that he was shocked could not fathom the truth as to what he was feeling. The only thing he could do was look at Belfast in her blue eyes and then down at Akagi who was still sleeping away on his bed.

What a way to start his morning.

"Uhm… err… thank you, Belfast… I think. This has never happened before."

"Of course, Sora. Do be aware, however, that I shall take the necessary procedures to make sure that you remain unbothered during your time of sleep. This will not happen again" Belfast proclaimed while flashing the boy a kind smile.

"But… wouldn't that affect you as- "

"Mm…hmm? Ah…."

Suddenly, the sound of someone trying to break out of the hold that was known as slumber could be heard, and it was undoubtedly coming from the brown-haired kitsune as she started blinking once and then twice to adjust to the sight of light. Turning her head to the side, Akagi soon found her red eyes staring right into Sora's blue orbs. The sight caused her to immediately wake up and put on a flirtatious smile.

"Good morning, my love. It seems as if fate managed to put us together again hee-hee!" Akagi gleefully said while her tails started to sway back and forth.

Before Sora could say anything, Akagi then moved her eyes to the side and spotted Belfast standing there with a deadpan expression on her face.

"What the hell are you doing in my beloved's room?!"

"I believe you are mistaken, Miss Akagi. For you see, this is Sora's room. Not yours. And may I remind you that you were the one to sneak into this room and improperly behaved in quite the act by crawling into his bed" the white-haired Royal Navy kansen matter-of-factly stated to the girl.

Hearing all this being said, Akagi couldn't help but glare at Belfast with a look that conveyed she had one or two menacing things to say to the Royal Navy Woman. However, as soon as she moved her head to look at Sora, the kitsune's face immediately shifted to a pure-hearted expression. One that also conveyed a sense of affinity and interest in the spiky-haired boy.

"I think you are misinterpreting some things, Head Maid. I am simply doing as any loving soon-to-be wife would do for this magnificent… this amazing… this wonderful hero of mine. There's nothing wrong with me accompanying him to bed" Akagi determinedly proclaimed.

Sora's eyes went wide, and he had to rub his eyes and head to make sure he wasn't hearing things. It took him a second to realize that what Akagi had said was true and that she thought about him and the situation in such an… interesting way. He couldn't help but not want things to escalate.

Unfortunately, things were never so simple, and misfortune seemed to settle in the room.

"If I may, Miss Akagi, it's rude to proclaim such false-headed statements. You acted on an ill-rooted thought and took the action of sneaking into Mas- Sora's room. Additionally, you did so without his consent. Luckily, I was here to watch over him and prevent any dangerous acts against his life."

"Dangerous acts? How dare you! You think I would harm my beloved!?"

"I did not say such a thing. Merely, I only said that your actions were not of the benefit and approval of him. Sora, what do you say about this entire situation?"

Both girls were now looking over at the brunette hero and waiting for him to say something. Alas, Sora could only open his mouth, but nothing would come out. No sound or audible language. He was utterly flabbergasted at this whole situation breaking out as soon as he woke up.

"I…I-I don't know. I mean, I know that it wasn't nice to sneak into my room." As he said this, he first looked at Akagi who had her ears drop slightly, and then he looked over at Belfast who smiled sweetly at him. "I also know that it's surprising to have one girl sleeping right next to me while the other… is watching me sleep. *sigh*"

Adamantly, he also did not want to yell or say anything harmful to the two women as there was no harm done to him or the room. He honestly could not give a right or wrong response to this whole thing.

"Akagi."

"Yes, darling~?"

The Keyblade wielder couldn't help but blink once and then twice before beginning to talk to her again.

"…Why did you sneak into my room?" Sora asked the kitsune woman who appeared happy.

The red-eyed girl's face shifted into one that could be described as enthusiastically happy to be asked that sort of question.

"Why not? Is it not normal for lovers to do such a thing when they are happily in love?"

"I…I… Huh?" Sora tried to reply but couldn't say anything due to how puzzled he was now.

Belfast couldn't help but keep her eyes trained on the kitsune girl as it appeared that she had something else to say. For the sake of Sora's sanity, she would step in and protect him if Akagi tried anything.

"My love for you, Sora, is true. Not only have you spoken to my heart and forgiven me and my sister for our actions that could have ultimately caused the Sakura Empire's downfall. Moreover, you helped save my sister. That is a gift I will never be able to repay fully. My feelings for you are sincere and I would gladly offer myself to you till the end of time. Hee-hee. Imagine that…"

Having become someone who can tell when someone means what they say, Sora could honestly tell that everything Akagi was saying was true. Granted, there was still a good deal he needed to learn about love, but based on what the brown-haired girl was saying, she truly did feel those kinds of thoughts toward him. This barrage of love being directed at him from the energetic fox girl was something else. He couldn't help but take a step back and try to reel it all in. Was Akagi always this upfront about her feelings? Was she like this before?

Nevertheless, he determined that this was a bit too much to take in upon waking up. Sora was about to say something to her but was stopped as Belfast raised her hand. Stopping him from saying anything.

"Akagi… while it is commendable for you to announce your feelings to Sora… Perhaps you could have gone about it in another way?" Belfast tried to reason. "Sneaking into his bedroom without his consent is one thing but seeing how blatant your feelings are… that is- "

"And who are you to say anything, Head Maid?" Akagi retorted. "You don't have feelings of deep love for him. How would you know what I'm feeling now?"

"The same could easily be said to you as well."

"What did you just say?" the kitsune questioned while having a dangerous glare in her eyes.

"I merely meant it in a more…" Belfast started to say.

"Rationale kind of way…" Sora finished that thought while drawing the girls' attention back to him.

"D-Darling?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he decided to take a more neutral route in this whole sudden situation.

"I-I mean… we should- "

Suddenly, before he could say anything else, the door to his room busted open revealing a group of girls all standing at the door with Enterprise and Prinz Eugen being the ones at the forefront of the group. Behind them, the appearances of Hood, Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Atago, Takao, Littorio, Richelieu, Hiei, Prince of Wales, Mikasa, Illustrious, Ayanami, Z23, and a bunch of other girls were all standing there looking at the boy and then noticing that Akagi and Belfast were also there.

The reaction from seeing Sora in this situation was vividly varied by each of the girls.

Zuikaku had become a blushing and stuttering mess while pointing her finger at Sora. Shoukaku was next to her and had a hand on her shoulder while her mouth was left open in surprise. Hood had brought a hand up to her lips while analyzing the situation as it seemed that there was more going on here than suspected. Mikasa had started immediately yelling about how Akagi was here and had a faint tint of pink on her face. Littorio looked to be somewhat surprised while smirking widely and looking directly at Sora. Atago had a teasing smile on her face while clasping her hands together. Takao kept her eyes trailing on the Keyblade wielder while looking slightly downward and somewhat blushing red. Richelieu's face was painted as red as her leggings as she let out a silent prayer at seeing such a compromising sight. Hiei kept a slightly shocked expression on her face while having her cheeks look a bit red. Prince of Wales was in utter disbelief while her face matched her outfit, and she kept glancing over at Belfast. Illustrious had brought both of her hands up to her face with a look that showcased her surprise in this situation. Ayanami and Z23 looked confused and a bit unsure about what exactly was going on but kept tamed looks on their faces.

All in all, the girls witnessing what was going on were in absolute confusion about what was going on or why Belfast and Akagi were present in Sora's room.

To add even more drama to the situation, Amagi and Kaga had now joined in and were standing with wide eyes at seeing Akagi's tails sprawled out on the bed and sitting upright. The only thing that could come to the white-kitsune's mind was to blurt out what was on her mind.

"What are you doing to my sister, Sora!?"

---

A few moments later

After managing to squeeze all the girls present into the boy's room with him in the back corner and sitting down in a chair while having over fifteen girls in his room, he explained the situation along with Belfast's input.

"S-So nothing… happened?" Zuikaku stammered out.

"No. It's like we said" Sora replied, gesturing over at Belfast who nodded her head.

'…phew…' Enterprise said to herself while standing by.

With the situation of Akagi sneaking into Sora's room and how Belfast seemingly followed suit, some of the girls had small smirks on their faces at how this whole thing was blown out of proportion. Meanwhile, other girls seemed to let out a silent sigh of relief knowing that nothing happened.

"I will say, you are quite the daring one, Akagi" Littorio said while slyly smirking.

"Daring is not the word I would use. More akin to doing what's right in my heart. And my heart wanted to be close to my one true love" the brown-haired girl proclaimed for everyone to hear.

Once again, some of the girls' reactions shifted to look at Akagi with what could be described as something akin to frustration and irritation. It was more prevalently evident in Wales' face as she looked Akagi right into her red eyes.

"However, putting your reasons aside, it was still wrong for you to just appear in S-Sora's bed!" Mikasa announced to Akagi.

"I am terribly sorry, Mikasa. Yesterday's situation with Akagi should have caused me to… have a closer eye on her" Amagi apologized.

"Yesterday?" repeated Richelieu.

A small fruitful smile appeared on Amagi's face.

"As Sora had come to spend time with us as he said he would, we were enjoying a moment of peace at our picnic spot and some choice words were said. Nothing bad but… quite the opposite…" Amagi said this while looking over at Akagi and Kaga who also had smiles on their faces. "It was there that Akagi out of nowhere ran up to Sora and hugged him while thanking our hero for all that he's done for us… for our family. The hug soon turned to be a bit more… *cough* direct and apparent."

Hearing Amagi's explanation for what happened yesterday, a few of the Sakura Empire girls all glanced over at Akagi who seemed to relish in all the attention she was getting by not letting all the eyes on her deter her from displaying a calm and collected smile. Seeing this, Littorio and Prinz Eugen couldn't help but realize that the kitsune girl was a foe they would need to be wary around.

"My, my I didn't think Akagi would be this bold" Atago muttered out.

"Talk about it. T-To do such a thing b-before marriage" Takao stuttered out while using one hand to clasp around her other arm with a blush on her face.

Sora on his part had let out a tired sigh as it had still only been a few minutes since he woke up. This truly was one of the strangest ways that he had ever been woken up. This definitely beat the time he woke up in Twilight Town after having been asleep for a whole year.

"Right… but now I have to ask. Why were you all standing outside my room?" the spiky-haired brunette questioned all the girls.

This sudden question threw everyone into little fidgeting movements with some girls stiffening up like a statue and others having a light blush on their faces. And some… Littorio, Atago, and Prinz Eugen, simply kept a level head and smiled dangerously at the boy.

"Why wouldn't I? I wished to spend the morning regaling our tales of triumphant moments of hope and happiness together as well as getting the chance to sit down and listen to your heart. Seeing that I was preoccupied yesterday. I am also appearing to be the last in the race…" the green-haired woman dramatically explained while keeping a confident grin on her face.

"I wanted to spend the morning showering you with a heartfelt breakfast and continue our lovely chat from last night. It ended too soon, and you even said to yourself that you may have spent a bit more time with the other girls. That means that you have to make up for the time you missed with your big sister. And not to worry, Takao can come with us" Atago happily replied while grabbing a hold of Takao who was blushing.

"A-Atago!"

Sora did remember saying that he spent a bit more time with the other groups and not a lot of time with Atago and Takao's group. He'd like to make that up sooner or later.

"As for me, well…" Prinz Eugen said this while winking at Sora which caused the other girls to glare at the Iron Blood kansen. "It's like Atago said, you didn't spend nearly enough time with me last night. There's still a great deal of things that I want to do with you. Things I want to ask you as well. Besides, maybe we can take another photo just like last night. Hmm~."

The room had now gone down several degrees causing Sora to slightly shiver and feel goosebumps down his arm. He also remembered the selfie that he and Prinz Eugen took and couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Yeah, I'd be cool with another photo together!"

"Wait!? Another photo? What does she mean, Sora" Wales suddenly shouted out.

"Here, let me show- "Sora started to say but felt a tug at his shoulder with Prinz Eugen stepping up to him and smiling brightly while speaking out.

"Allow me, Sora."

As she said this, the white-haired Iron Blood kansen reached right into her modest chest and pulled out her phone. She then tapped on it and flipped it around in a stylish kind of way making it very apparent what she was doing. With the phone now displaying what was on her screen, Prinz Eugen couldn't help but feel her heart swelling up in absolute superiority.

There on the screen was the picture she took with Sora last night with her body right next to him making it look like the two were… very close.

"T-That's- not fair… "Zuikaku stammered.

"Oh my, we're going to need to rethink our strategy…" Shoukaku declared.

"I see…" Hiei commented with a bit of earnestness in her voice.

"So forward!" Mikasa stuttered while blushing.

"Oh? Seems like I'll be needing a picture of my own with him now" Littorio stated with a flirtatious smile on her face.

"That's rather… "Takao started saying while recalling her own photo.

"Hm. It seems as if Sora and I will need to be doing a bit of photography ourselves then" Wales proclaimed with a glint in her eye.

"…I want one now" Illustrious announced.

"Hehehe. You call that a picture?" Atago confidently retorted.

"I didn't think he'd like something like that…" Richelieu voiced quietly.

"Quite daring don't you think? Or perhaps… I'll need to follow suit" Hood noted.

"They both look happy," Z23 said, recalling last night's photo that she shared with Sora as well.

"Cute" Ayanami bluntly stated.

"What is this!?" Akagi shouted.

The last person to be heard was Akagi who had now stood up from the bed and was marching up to Prinz Eugen who held her ground and merely had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Oh? What was what?"

"Don't play dumb, Prinz Eugen. When was this taken?" Akagi roared.

Retaining a cocky yet flirty smirk on her face, the white-haired and red streak girl replied.

"It was last night when Sora stopped by to spend some time with me and the others in my group. We had a pleasant time together even if it was cut off short due to him spending more time with the other groups."

A sense of worry began to settle in the boy's heart as he looked over at the two girls arguing and could see that Akagi's eyes were glowing red. Not to mention, the thought of the nice room turning into a war zone was something that he did not want to see happen.

"Why you- "

"Hahaha! Hey, we should all go get something to eat. You know? Away. From here. It's gotta be packed trying to fit all of us in here and whatnot" Sora rapidly said while putting on a cheerful façade to hide the fact that he was a bit scared of what might happen.

Seeing his attempt to calm the situation, Enterprise and Hood immediately jumped onto the bandwagon and prompted the idea further.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Sora!" Hood eagerly replied. "Let us be off, Wales. You're more than welcome to join us, Littorio and Illustrious."

Thankfully, the white-haired Royal Navy kansen picked up on what was being said and nodded her head.

"It would be a pleasure to do so. Will you join us, Littorio" Illustrious asked the green-haired woman.

"Of course. Let us be off to prepare a breakfast to be remembered. Not only because I am here but our resident hero deserves one."

With that, Hood, Wales, Littorio, and Illustrious all left the room. This suddenly sprouted a chain reaction to start going into effect.

"I'm also in support of this idea. Akagi. Kaga. Let us be off. Hiei and Ayanami would you care to join us? The same goes for you as well, Takao and Atago."

"Not at all! Thank you for the offer Amagi" Hiei cheerfully responded.

"I'm okay with that" Ayanami added.

The black-haired and dog-eared sisters also nodded at the offer presented.

"We would be honored to join you, Lady Amagi" Takao respectfully said.

"Haha! A nutritional breakfast sounds like a great way to start the day. And then…" Atago started to say before stopping and having a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

Kaga also seemed to agree with her sister's suggestion and nodded, "I'd like that."

However, there was one girl who wasn't all that thrilled with the idea.

"…Amagi. I think I'll catch up with you and Kaga later. I'll be- "

"Akagi."

Hearing her name called through her sister's voice, the kitsune girl couldn't help but nervously look over at Amagi. The older kitsune woman held a stare that could be best described as a mother looking at their child and conveying that they were not going to be dealing with any nonsense.

"…I understand." Akagi begrudgingly said before looking over at Sora. "May we meet again soon my love…"

With a final forceful gesture, the brunette kitsune waved her gloved hand at the boy while staring longingly at the boy's blue eyes. She then joined her sisters and friends to attend breakfast.

Now left with only a few more girls in the room those being Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Prinz Eugen, Z23, Enterprise, Mikasa, and Richelieu were the only ones left in the room now along with the Keyblade wielder who looked to be recoiling from his rather eventful morning.

"*sigh* I apologize, Sora. Akagi's personality and rather blunt attitude are something that needs to be addressed. She should not have done such a thing" Mikasa elaborated on.

"It's alright. Nothing bad happened. I was… just thrown off is all. Didn't expect to be woken up like that at all. Especially with someone else watching me sleep" he said while looking over at Belfast.

The Head Maid had a sweet smile on her face as she simply tilted her head forward.

"Of course, Sora. As I have already told you, you are a rather important individual on the same level as the Commander or Her Majesty. I must see to it that all your needs are taken care of and that you are at your best."

"Yeah… but I don't think that includes watching me sleep."

"Oh, but it does. Making sure that you are safe and undisturbed is only part of my job. As your personal maid, it is my duty to see that you are- "

The spiky-haired boy quickly began waving his hands dramatically.

"Wait, wait, wait. Time out. Who assigned you to be my personal maid!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Nobody did."

"…Then why- "

"Which is why I've assigned myself to do so. Making sure that you are taken care of and do not need to worry about such trivial things now" Belfast explained to the Keyblade wielder without breaking eye contact with him.

This was such a strange situation to be in. Sora wasn't entirely on board with having Belfast be his personal maid. It just didn't seem right. Hence, he figured that aiming for a middle ground might be his best bet.

"I… *sigh* Okay, Belfast. But I won't allow you to do such things as watching me sleep or not sleeping yourself. And I'll take care of my own things including making my bed and doing my laundry" Sora reasoned to the white-haired girl.

"Of course. Thank you for allowing me to continue as I would normally."

Mentally, Sora wasn't sure how he should go about this whole situation. This was entirely something new to him. But for now, he would partially deal with it. He was sure that he'd get bitten in the butt later, but he would worry about that when the time arrived. Now, however, he had a few more of his friends still in his room.

"So… what about you guys? Zuikaku? Shoukaku? Are you going to come join us for breakfast?"

Sending a glance to her sister, Zuikaku received a sort of nonverbal message from her sister and confidently nodded her head at Sora. In a desperate attempt to control the strange new feelings bubbling up inside of her, she calmed herself down mentally and directly talked to Sora.

"If it wouldn't be too much, we would also like to join you for breakfast, Sora. Thank you so much for the invitation" the Red Crane happily spoke.

Shoukaku simply felt happiness pouring out of her head as well as a bit excited at seeing Zuikaku be the first to speak up. Seeing all the other girls as well as their Senpai start to make a move against the spiky-haired brunette must have sparked a fire inside her sister's heart. Being her older sister, the White Crane felt so proud of Zuikaku and was now more than determined to help her get with the Keyblade wielder.

"Great! What about you Mikasa? Prinz Eugen? Z23? Would you guys like to come with us? The same goes for you, Richelieu."

Hearing the hero's friendly offer there was no way that any of the girls would decline such an act. Moreover, it was apparent that spending time with Sora would soon be a rather difficult task as he had now met many girls who would probably be looking to surround him and ask him for attention. Such was the thought floating in Prinz Eugen's mind right now.

'Akagi took a rather risqué move this morning. I doubt I'll be able to do anything like that now. However, that doesn't mean I'm giving up. Far from it…'

"I would love to join you for breakfast, Sora~" the white-haired Iron Blood girl responded while also flashing him a wink.

"I would more than gladly join you, Sora. I would also like it if we had but a moment to talk more about your unusual circumstances regarding your affiliation to light. If that would be alright with you?" Richelieu kindly responded.

"I'd be alright with that. But… just a heads up. I don't know everything there is to know about the Keyblade. There's a lot about its origins and mysteries that even I don't have a clue about" the Guardian of Light said while rubbing the back of his head in a comedic matter while sweat dropping.

"That is completely fine. Hearing you talk about the light within the blade will be more than enough. I honestly cannot wait for our chat to begin" the orange-haired girl cheerfully responded.

A small reaction could be noticed on a few of the other girls' faces but as soon as the reaction appeared, it disappeared as if it never happened. Fortunately, one girl did see the sequence and that girl was none other than Shoukaku who was analyzing everyone closely. This would be a bitter fight for her dear sister. The other girls had 'qualities' and 'attributes' that her lovable Zuikaku did not have but that didn't make her any less of a worthy contender for the Keyblade wielder's heart. No, it was the opposite.

Moreover, Shoukaku knew that Richelieu was not someone to underestimate, especially with her little stunt at yesterday's meeting with everyone present. She would need to keep an eye on that wildcard.

"I would also like to join you. If that'd be alright. It wouldn't be for too long as I still have matters that need to be finished with Lady Nagato" Mikasa added to the conversation managing to get it back on track.

"Of course! The more the merrier. I take it that you'll also come along Z23. Since you're hanging with Prinz Eugen."

The Iron Blood girl simply nodded her head while addressing Sora's claim.

"Yes, you'd be right in assuming that Sora."

Letting a smile grace his lips, it seemed that everyone was on board to join him and Enterprise for breakfast. It was starting to sound even more enjoyable with so many of his friends being there.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Everyone couldn't help but smile at the brunette's enthusiastic tone of voice and how excited he looked regarding the idea of breakfast. To be honest, there were a few girls who also shared that same sentiment. Zuikaku, Enterprise, and strange enough Richelieu. Even if she appeared to be so graceful, the Cardinal could not hide the faint blush appearing on her face at the thought of enjoying a freshly made breakfast among friends. Her stomach also looked eager as she was worried it would groan out and attract everyone's attention.

Needless to say, the group was now marching to the cafeteria located on the Sakura Empire Island.

---

Several minutes later

After walking along one of the paths for a good while, Sora managed to successfully have a full conversation with each of the girls in a meaningful manner. Showing each ship girl enough attention to not make it seem unfair.

His conversation with Enterprise revolved around different kinds of transportation that the two have used. Her first time revolved around traveling on a train when she had to go in for a supply run to the nearest mainland base for Eagle Union. She along with a few other girls went and were able to experience a bit of actual human interaction and the overall trip was one that they'd never forget. Sora then talked about the many transportation methods he used from ships, trains, light cycles, teacups, and pirate ships. Suffice it to say, their talk sparked Enterprise's interest tenfold in the boy.

Zuikaku and Shoukaku's conversation delved into various kinds of sweets that the two tended to like. The kind of sweet that the White Crane mentioned as her favorite were Dango treats which were a dumpling made from rice flour. It was a treat that Sora had never heard about but gained a great deal of interest in learning more about it. As for Zuikaku, her favorite sweet was chocolate strawberries. It was mentioned from the older sister's perspective that the Red Crane was often seen roaming around the house and had a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries wherever she went during her time of relaxation. This ultimately caused the younger sister's face to match that of a strawberry.

Mikasa's chat delved into talking about aspects of the Sakura Empire Island having a great deal of historic lore. Additionally, there were many things that the Keyblade wielder had glanced over during his time which happened to be of great importance. This caused a drastic barrage of apologies mixed with laughter as Mikasa didn't find it offensive. Granted, she took this time to teach the spiky-haired boy about memorable and historic monuments or locations that he had simply passed by. Sora thoroughly enjoyed listening to the brunette ship girl talk about her culture and asked many questions. This resulted in Mikasa having a bright smile on her face and looking utterly happy.

Prinz Eugen and Z23's chat shifted to a bit about his own likings and the various worlds that he visited. Now that the cat was out of the bag about him being from another world, Sora was more open to discussing things about the various worlds he explored. Nimi happened to ask him about some of the intricate qualities of some of the worlds that he visited. This caused him to bring up places like Monstropolis and how that world had a different power structure, being centered around laughter as the main power. Seeing the girls' reactions to that bit of information caused the spiky-haired boy to burst out laughing. He then clarified what he meant which still left everyone confused. However, Nimi had found his talk about this monster world fascinating.

As for Prinz Eugen, well… her desire to learn about some of the most romantic worlds that he visited caused most of the girls to stare daggers right at her. The white-haired kansen simply flashed them a winky face while still looking at Sora as he thought about the different places, he visited that conveyed a sense of romance. The thought also made his cheeks warm up as he began to truly think about the locations that dwelled on romantic feelings. Some of the worlds that came to mind were the jungle found in Simba's world, the ballroom in Beast's castle, the lantern festival in Corona, and another spot that happened to be in the Caribbean. Though the Caribbean location was on a ship with pirates it conveyed a sense of comfort in knowing that there's always enough time to be with your loved one. Like with Will and Elizabeth being separated but still having that one moment together. Once Prinz Eugen heard his explanations, she had a very flirtatious appearance on her face as she narrowed her eyes on the Keyblade wielder. She especially liked the story behind the Caribbean spot.

Richelieu's interest stemmed from the romantical locations, and she asked him if he'd ever visited a place of faith before. Granted, when she asked him this question, her entire face matched the color of her leggings and she tried desperately to calm herself down. This caused Sora to talk about his time with Quasimodo and the cathedra Notre Dame de Paris. As soon as he mentioned that name Richelieu's eyes shot up exponentially as she bolted right up to him and caught both of his hands into hers. She then started asking him if he'd already been to their world before as there was a Notre Dame de Paris just like he mentioned. This caused Sora to stop talking and go into a state of confusion.

"I…I'm not sure. I don't think so…"

"Could you perhaps have just been focused on the problem you were involved in without knowing about the Sirens?" Richelieu asked, becoming more curious by the minute.

"I didn't really look around… a lot was going on at the time. But I feel like if it was such a big problem, then maybe Quasimodo would've mentioned it to me. I'm sorry I can't give a clear answer" Sora replied, rubbing the back of his head.

His reasoning about this question seemed valid given that if the Sirens were a part of that world, then maybe Quasimodo or the others would have mentioned something to him. Even after dealing with the Heartless, they could have said something to him. Making it seem likely that he was in another world that just so happened to have the same church as the one Richelieu was alluding to.

Alas, he didn't think too much about this question and just kept a smile on his face.

"Don't be, Sora. It's my fault for pushing you into this situation" the orange-haired said apologetically.

"Hey, come on now, you were just curious is all. And seeing the look of happiness on your face when I mentioned the church made me happy that we could talk about something of interest to you."

Left smiling at the boy's kindness, Richelieu moved a strand of hair out of her face and gathered her thoughts. Once she was settled, she then brought the conversation back on track.

"Well then, could you please describe the church to me? I would like to know if it's like the one back in Paris."

Sora then happily began describing the church he visited in great detail to the point that Richelieu looked glued to his every word. The other girls watched how easily she swooned over the brunette's words. It was true what they all thought about the Cardinal. She was not only a wildcard but a threat as well with her calming and peaceful aura.

All the girls currently there could agree on one thing.

The Cardinal was a dangerous foe that could not be underestimated.

Nevertheless, Sora and Richelieu's conversation proved to be an eventful one.

Lastly, Belfast was the last girl to have a lively conversation with Sora and their talk was… not what he was expecting.

"Uh… Belfast?"

"Hmm? Yes, Sora?"

"Why do you want to my clothes size?" the spiky-haired boy asked with wide eyes and a brimming tone of worry in his voice.

The Head Maid simply smiled at him.

"Why wouldn't I? It would save me a great deal of time making sure I know what size of pants and shirts you wear. Honestly, you don't expect to be wearing that same outfit during your time with us, do you?" she questioned him with a serious tone.

"I-I mean, my clothes don't smell bad… do they?" Sora then quickly sniffed his jacket and didn't have any sort of reaction. "My clothes are fine."

"That may be so, however, now that I am attending to all your needs, the first necessity that must be addressed is a set of spare clothes for you to wear."

"Uh ahaha… I'm good Belfast. Thank you for- "

"I don't recall you having a say in the matter, Sora?"

The boy's eyes went wide as he continued to walk next to the maid. He was also starting to feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"Belfast."

"Sora."

At this point, he let out a quite the exhibiting sigh and couldn't help but glance over at her and stare into her blue eyes.

"I… How about a compromise?"

This seemed to earn her interest a great deal. "Oh? A compromise you say. Well then, what do you propose?"

Sora folded his arms across his chest and looked directly at her.

"Seeing that we know each other a deal more…"

"That we do."

"Why don't I help you by giving you my sizes? You can't criticize me for wearing this outfit all the time."

"Hmm… I'm not quite sure- "

"I have a valid reason for saying that."

"Then would you please help me by explaining it?"

The entire time this conversation was proceeding, the other girls were all watching with careful eyes. For the girls familiar with Belfast's tendencies, Enterprise specifically, the Head Maid was someone who could not be stopped once she had a plan in mind. Hence, seeing the Keyblade wielder stand his ground against her was causing quite the scene to play out.

"My clothes help allow me to access a full range of various weapons and whatnot. It's called a Formchange and plays a heavy role in letting me gain newfound powers and abilities. Plus, my clothes are also enchanted to defend against the forces of Darkness which makes them essential for me to always wear."

Scanning the boy's eyes for any signs of him lying to her with that reasonable answer, Belfast knew that he was telling the trough from the beginning. She doubted anyone could ever give a valid reason for wanting to wear the same clothes repeatedly. Or at the very least a believable reason.

"I see… yes, that is a very solid reason for continuing to wear your clothing. However, it wouldn't hurt to consider some other options for clothing. You don't expect to be always on alert against the Heartless, do you?"

"*sigh* You make a fair point, Belfast."

Realizing that he couldn't get out of this situation, Sora decided to go along with her thinking. Besides, he had to admit, getting some extra clothes to wear did sound a bit fun. He figured he could expand his attire choice as well.

"Alright, I can see your side of things."

"Excellent! Not to worry. I shall confide in a view of my sources about what clothes would fit… a dashing and handsome young man like yourself. Not to mention, the clothes should adequately be fine fitted to alleviate your charm as well…" Belfast cheerfully explained.

"Ahaha… why do I all of a sudden feel worried now?"

The only response he got from the white-haired maid was a giggle from her lips. She didn't say anything else at that moment making Sora start to become concerned that he would probably be walking into a tough spot later.

Coincidentally, before he could try to ask Belfast any more questions, he noticed that they had now arrived at the mess hall and could see dozens of ship girls all getting their breakfast and sitting amongst each other at some of the tables. He even spotted Akagi and her sisters and friends along with Littorio, Illustrious, and the others. This made him realize that he was walking into another battlefield now.

The battlefield of who he would get to enjoy breakfast with as all the tables seemingly noticed his presence and made some room in the middle of their tables for him to come and sit down. Many sets of eyes were now on him and waiting for his response.

Alas, the only thing the Guardian of Light could do was to let out a silent sigh and hope that he got out of there alive.

---

Elsewhere in an unknown location

Sitting inside what appeared to be a cold and empty cave stood the ranked Siren, Purifier. She was perched on what could be described as a fissured decay rock that sat comfortably like a chair while looking utterly bored.

"*sigh*"

"…"

"*SIGH*"

"…"

"**SIGH**"

"Purifier, just what are you doing?" another voice called out from the side.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I AM BORED!"

Stepping out of the shadows was a woman with long white hair with a black overall aesthetic to her appearance with black thigh-high boots and a short two-piece outfit that was of a dark color. In addition, along her chest and legs were yellow lights added to her clothing. Not to mention, it appeared that she had bags under her eyes… which happened to have a yellow glow to them. This girl was known as an Elite Siren officer better identified as Tester.

"Then how about you take a test run on my latest project? I'm currently in the process of working on a few kinks in how frequently Executor classes should appear. Mainly it's the Tracker and Breaker classes that I'm working on right now. But I would get through this kink if I had some outside help. Care to join as the punching dummy?" Tester asked Purifier while having a lazy smile on her face.

"Ahahahaha! Very funny! But no. I'm good. I'll just stay here. Sitting on this rock. Maybe I'll make this place my rock home. That sounds pretty fun now that I think about it…"

"Please don't do that."

Purifier simply tilted her head at Tester and had a wide grin on her face. She even started rocking back and forth while still sitting on the rock.

"Come on! Imagine this, ok, so this area where I'm at would be my area. I'd cut some rock out, obliterate the excess area, and make myself a small bed. And then, in your area, I could even make you a little desk to sit at made of rock. That way you could keep working on whatever you're working on now."

"Hmm… that wouldn't be too bad."

"Right? Right? And then that area over there would be for- "

"Me I suppose?" said another voice not belonging to Tester or Purifier.

Both Siren girls turned their heads to spot another Elite class Siren walking their way. This girl's appearance was that of a black outfit and two strange-looking black ears that extended upward. She was also not wearing any shoes and had black tentacles surrounding her while also having yellow glowing eyes. Her name was Observer.

"Yep! You got it right, Observer!" Purifier cheered.

"Mm. Before you do go ahead and start renovating there is something that I should be discussed."

Tester's interest had been caught as she narrowed her eyes on Observer and began wondering just what was going on.

"Oh? I take it that you're done with your project?"

"Huh? What project? You left me out of something fun? *Gasp* How could you?!" Purifier yelled out while looking betrayed.

A simple silent chuckle was the only reaction that came from Observer as she then started walking over to the two girls while gently massaging her tentacles which coiled up her hand.

"It was merely to keep up the suspense for you. No real harm. Besides, you'll be excited to see what I have in store."

"You said that like I would be seeing whatever you're working on?"

"Have you finished it completely?" Tester asked.

"I have. It's ready to go. Thanks to the influence and data analysis that we obtained through Akagi and Project Orochi's power structure, I was able to harness the information and create a powerful enough device to let us access a grander array of power."

"You ignored me!" Purifier exclaimed.

Either paying the Siren girl no attention at all or just focusing on her project, Observer and Tester continued about their business.

"Oh? I'm guessing that you're going to need my resources huh?" Tester questioned.

A sly grin appeared on Observer's lips as she seemed to chuckle darkly.

"I won't be needing your resources. Rather, he will" she said while pointing her hand and tentacle to the side.

Expecting to see nothing, Tester and Purifier thought that they'd be staring at an empty wall but were surprised to see a dark figure surrounded by a black puff of smoke that was covering their entire body. Not even the figure's face could be identified as they took a few steps closer to make themselves evident.

"Oh! It's you! Cloud Guy."

The figure that was enshrouded with dark mist hiding its face and any other characteristics simply let out a snarky laugh.

"Cloud Guy? Well then, that's a new name to put in the book" the dark figure commented in a tone that radiated a deadpan interest.

"Yeah, I mean, it fits you. You sound like a guy, and you have the form of a human under all that dark mist surrounding you. Taking all that into consideration you get cloud guy" Purifier happily explained.

Hearing the Siren's comments about their appearance, the dark figure's body soon began distorting itself with a puff of dark smoke to the point that the figure looked different.

"How about now? Does this sound like a man's voice?" said the dark figure but in a woman's voice.

"Oh? Whoa. Ok. That happened. Guess you're not cloud guy… cloud girl?"

"Purifier. You already know their name" Observer proclaimed. "Don't play dumb."

Shaking her head and causing her ponytail to sway back and forth, Purifier had a few things to say on the matter.

"Hold up! I know deep down that you also thought Cloud Guy was a guy. And now that they can just change their voice and whatnot… you were probably surprised as well and just kept it hidden with a plain-looking expression."

Observer simply kept staring at the girl with a sly smile on her face all while massaging one of her tentacles in a calming fashion. Darkness on the other hand simply raised their hand and another puff of smoke covered their body appearing to change it back to a male form.

"For simplistic reasons, this is not my true form but a more splintered version of myself. I can take any form I want and for reasons I shall keep to myself, I stick with a male form. As I said before, I am one of thirteen other pieces of Darkness."

"Right… no wonder I forgot your name. Your entire character is too complicated to understand!" Purifier once again shouted.

Tester let out a stifled chuckle while glancing over at the white ponytailed girl, "Heh. You're really on one today, Purifier."

"Hmph. It's not my fault this guy shows up and complicates things. I totally understand our whole game plan but now this cloud guy shows up and starts talking about all sorts of things that don't make any sense."

Deciding to get the conversation back on track, Observer gestured over at Darkness.

"Now then, Darkness here will need your resources, Tester. I've sent you the required reinforcements now."

Without even moving a finger, Tester was having the needed information broadcast to her head and a wide grin appeared on her face betraying the bags of tiredness under her eyes.

"Oh my. That's a lot of force. This has me interested. And not to worry, I'll have those forces ready in a minute for deployment."

"Good. Thank you for that. It's not every day you get trivial things like this done in a matter of seconds" Darkness commented.

"Speaking of… what is all this talk about your project?" Purifier addressed to Observer.

Sending a smirk to her, Observer figured she could explain it to this dolt.

"Here. This ought to catch you up to speed and get you to stop pestering and wasting time."

Right at that moment, the Elite Siren tapped her head and sent all the information to Purifier who had her eyes widen in surprise, and then a snarky displaced smile appeared on her face. The Siren's interest had shot up exponentially now.

"Oh! So that's what's going on. Why didn't you tell me it was going to be a party!?"

"Keeping it a surprise seems to have paid off" Darkness muttered.

"Of course, it did. Purifier's not one that you have to try at all to surprise. Now then, since we are all in agreement on what's happening…" Observer now had her eyes on Darkness and figured he could take over for now. "Why don't we have our esteemed guest take over now and explain all that he can for us."

Appearing to take a few steps forward into the middle of the Siren girls, Darkness then let out a small but gruff chuckle escape their lips.

"Mind you, I'm just simply lending your Arbiter a hand in something. There's something, or rather, someone that's of great interest to me. We all know who that is."

An imaginary lightbulb went off in Purifier's head.

"*Gasp* It's that guy with the porcupine hair! Ooooh! I both hate and like that guy. He's a good opponent to fight against and is not like the ship girls. Granted, we didn't fight for long, and he soon got help from that Iron Blood girl."

"Yes, Sora, you mean."

"Yeah, yeah! That's his name. I forgot what it was for a minute there."

Once again, Tester could only let out a sigh and shake her head in a disapproving manner. Mentally, she was wondering if this model of Purifier needed to go in for a system reboot or had a few screws loose. Either way, she was starting to be a pain with her cluelessness.

"Now that we are all on the same footing my plan is simply this… the Sirens commence their operation while I provide a bit of external power supply to your forces. This will not only please your superior but also lend credence to my own plans. A win-win if you ask me" Darkness elaborated to the girls.

"Wait. What exactly do you mean by your own plans?" Tester asked after having listened carefully to the figure's words.

"It's simply that. There's a reason why I told your Arbiter, well, one of the Arbiters about him. He is not a foe to take lightly and underestimate. Furthermore, he is also someone of great power and influence which could get you far in life."

"So, what? We pull him aside and ask him nicely for some power?"

Darkness simply turned its head to look over at Purifier and didn't say anything for a solid moment until…

"Purifier, correct?"

"Yep! That's me."

"…"

Silence roamed through the dark cave for a superficial moment that seemed like ages until Darkness asked a simple question to the Elite Siren.

"…Tell me, what is it that you fear?"

The atmosphere in the cave quickly turned to a sense of bone-chilling and slight worry to be felt in the air.

"Hah? What do I fear? Well, I fear losing my weapons. There was this one time that- "

Suddenly, Darkness raised its hand forward and shot a dark light right at Purifier's chest causing a small purple beam of light to go through her chest and not harm her in any way. The next thing she knew, she could feel goosebumps around her entire body and looked around at everyone with widened eyes. The sense of worry and fear had settled into her heart and as quickly as it had happened, it was gone in the next moment leaving the white ponytailed girl's face to shift from carefee to worried to shocked.

"Whoa… talk about emotional manipulation… that was super weird. It was like… uh… what's it called when you go through something in your head?"

"A simulation?"

"Yes! That's what it's called. I was going through a whole episode. It was strange though because I don't necessarily feel fear at all, but this time I was really feeling it!"

A harrowing chuckle escaped from Darkness's mouth even though there was no real movement from their form.

"That's just a glimpse as to what I'm seeking. To feel that rush of emotions flowing through one's heart. And you proved how easy it would be, Purifier. Thank you."

"Uh… your welcome?"

Raising their hand, Darkness formed what could be described as a small sphere of energy that soon began revolving and rotating at a crazy speed before coming to a stop. Now in his hand was what appeared to be a small purple flame.

"Observer. I was told that you would know what to do with this by your Arbiter. I trust she was right in assuming so…"

With a flick of their finger, Darkness sent the small flame floating over to the girl in question who nonchalantly caught the flame and began examining it. Within seconds, her eyes seemed to shoot up in keen interest as she now had a smile on her face.

"Oh, yes. I do know what to do with this. This will go nicely with what we have planned."

"Good to hear. I was told that there would be quite the… experiment going on soon."

"Indeed, you heard right. However, I have to wonder…" At this point, Observer had begun walking around Darkness and keeping a close on the dark figure. "How much do you know about our plans?"

A stark moment of silence passed before Darkness began speaking up again.

"Enough that your Arbiter decided I was trustworthy. You were there. You have an idea of what I know."

That was certainly the truth. Observer was there when Darkness introduced himself to the two of them. It was one mystery after another with that mysterious figure. However, when the topic of power and influence was brought up in a last-ditch effort to make headway into a proper conversation with the Sirens, that's when things really took off. There was then much said about Light and Darkness and how this world was filled with bountiful sources of power and energy. Darkness then told them all that they needed to know.

About the Heartless… Light… Darkness… the Keyblade… and… Sora.

"Mm. You're right about that…" Observer said while staring right at the formless figure for a good minute until she decided that was enough. "Very well. Per our Arbiter's words, we shall utilize your support in our forces and operation. Will you be joining us?"

"Not on the front lines. There is something that… I need to look over. But make no mistake, I'll be there keeping an eye on how things play out. I am very interested to see what transpires with the forces of Light and Darkness coming to a head. You remember what I said about that power, correct?" Darkness addressed Observer.

Lifting her hand and summoning a black orb into the palm of her hand, Observer knew exactly what the dark figure was referring to.

"The power of Darkness or should I say amplified power…"

"I'm looking forward to what you do with it. I know your Arbiter is as well." Darkness then started to walk away until a Corridor of Darkness appeared nearby. "Well then, best of luck ladies. Until we meet again…"

And with that, the being of Darkness walked through the portal and disappeared leaving the Elite Sirens to their own thoughts.

That is… until Purifier went and ruined the moment.

"Gah! That guy is a total weirdo!"

"Hehehe… he's certainly the mysterious type. Was everything he said the truth?" Tester asked the tentacle girl.

Keeping an eye on the spot of the dark portal, Observer had a small frown on her face before turning to answer Tester's question.

"Yes. I was there when he showed up out of nowhere. He was seconds away from being wiped off the face of the planet but managed to… bribe his way out. Granted, we don't know what he is…"

"Ooh? So, he really is the mysterious weirdo type" Purifier added.

"It doesn't matter who or what he is. What matters is how he obtained this kind of power… and how he learned to harness it."

Observer stated this while extending the palm of her hand out and examining the energy being coursed and condensed into her hand. It was a foreign feeling yet commanded great respect. Wanting to prove this further, she extended her hand forward, and within seconds several dark pools of liquid appeared on the cave floor. What came out of the puddles were the very same creatures that had appeared during the invasion of the Sakura Empire Island.

"Hey, it's those guys… err…things."

"They appear quite small. I hope that's not all they can do" Tester directed to the one summoning these creatures.

A smirk appeared on Observer's face.

"You're in for a surprise. Here's just what they can do."

Saying this, Observer's eyes instantly lit up glowing a bright yellow which was then followed by Purifier and Tester's eyes glowing simultaneously followed by grins appearing on their faces as well.

"Oh, man! This is going to be so much fun! Hahahahah!"

"Heh. I can't disagree with that. I didn't think these little guys could do that. Let alone reach that state of mass and density. Not to mention, they multiply at a crazy rate. Imagine the possibilities I could accomplish with them…"

Enjoying the two Sirens take on the Heartless, Observer whipped her hand to the side and the Heartless instantly sunk back down into the dark puddle before having the entire thing fade away. There was work to be done now.

"Now then, let's get started."

The Sirens' next operation to launch against this world's forces of Light was about to begin.

---

Meanwhile, back with Sora

Things had been going rather swell for his time at the mess hall with the group that had arrived with him. Now, however, things were very much on the awkward side of things.

All the ship girls currently in the mess hall were either talking amongst themselves or staring directly at the Keyblade wielder while he enjoyed his breakfast. As luck would have it, he had gotten used to all the staring from the encounters he had back in Azur Lane and now the Sakura Empire that he was pretty much used to it and didn't pay any attention to it now.

Unfortunately, the kind of staring that he had grown used to was in no way related to the staring he was receiving from the girls now. Gone were the nervous and cautious takes toward him, and now, the girls were staring at him out of sincere and unbridled interest. Some girls, Akagi, were pretty much staring right at him without really blinking and still managing to eat her breakfast. It took some deliberation from Amagi to snap her out of this daze but every so often she would continue to lock her gaze on the spiky-haired boy.

Additionally, the girls who had split off from his room first were now right next to him in the mess hall with Hood and Wales being right next to him and chatting about how delicious the food was which had been made by a few of the Sakura Empire girls. Sora would have to make a note to stop by the kitchen and thank them personally for the meal. Moreover, the spiky-haired boy was pulled left and right by various girls wanting to speak with him and answer some of the wacky questions they had for him.

"Sora, what has been the strangest world you've visited before been like?"

"Hmm. Let's see, there was the Pride Lands… but then there was Atlantica but that wasn't too weird. Oh! There was Woody and Buzz's world where I became a toy."

As soon as Sora said the words, 'become a toy' a certain green-haired cat girl zoomed right up to him and stole the whole conversation to her convenience.

"Nya! Sora! Did I just hear you right? You said that you became a toy?" Akashi questioned the boy while holding a small notebook and pen in her… cat paw sleeves.

"Uh... Yeah, I did. How did you hear that from- where were you just sitting now?" he asked while trying to recall if he even saw her in the mess hall.

"That's not important now nya! What is important is that you tell me what you looked like as a toy."

Hearing this sudden question caused a good number of girls to stop their conversations and pay close attention to what Sora was about to say. Some of the girls he was close with evidently leaned their bodies closer toward him to hear clearly what his response would be.

"Well, as a toy I looked to be… Hey, wait a minute! I can just show you."

Reaching for his Gummiphone, Sora began scrolling past all his pictures and soon found a cheerful photo of him back in the world of Toy Box. The picture was of him, Donald, Goofy, Buzz, and Woody posing next to one of the giant mech toys that he had piloted.

"Here, you can see what I looked like. I have a few more pics of what my pants look like, but you might get the idea."

Gladly taking the phone and examining the image, Akashi's first went wide and then they comically turned into money symbols as it looked like she was now salivating. The realization of how much profit she would be receiving for making and selling Sora toys was on her mind. It was a no-brainer for how many girls would be willing to pay a pretty penny for having their very own toy of him.

"Nya! Sora, how would you like to start up a business?" Akashi suddenly asked the spiky-haired boy.

"A business? What do you mean?" Sora then looked at her closely and spotted the money symbols in her eyes. "Akashi, what are you planning?"

Many of the girls decided to keep a close eye on the brunette boy and green-haired girl as it looked like Akashi was getting closer to Sora so that they would only be talking clearly to each other without being heard.

"Huh? Why are you looking at Akashi like that? Nya?"

Folding his arms across his chest, Sora gave the green-haired cat girl a stern look almost like a big brother ridiculing their younger sister for doing something bad.

"Akashi. What are you planning? I saw your eyes go big when you saw my toy appearance."

Feeling like she was outed and now had her back against the wall, the monopolistic cat girl figured her best option to get out of this situation would be to explain it outright to the boy who was central to her monetary plans.

"Nya… you've found me out, Sora. *sigh* I'm a merchant by trade and heart. You know that right?"

"Yeah. Even if we haven't known each other for long, I know based on mentions of you across the island that you help the girls in battle at times and provide them with supplies and whatnot."

Nodding her head, Akashi leaned further into her monetary goal now.

"When I saw what you looked like in that picture on your phone, I had the sudden idea to make a pro- I mean, make many of the girls extremely happy with the idea of buying toys featured around you."

A bit of shock appeared on Sora's face as the first thing he thought of after hearing Akashi's plan was his time in the shopping mall where he spotted all the various toys being displayed. Not to mention, when everyone was comparing him to Yozora based on his dark clothes. Taking this all into consideration, the Keyblade wielder decided to be a bit selfish and let out a defeated sigh.

"…"

"Nya? Are you upset? I can not go through with- "

"No, no. It's alright. *sigh* I might regret this later but… I'd be lying if I said that it wouldn't be cool to see a toy of myself. Akashi…"

"Yes?"

"…Go ahead. I give you permission to make toys out of me."

Immediately as soon as he gave her the go-ahead, Akashi pulled her own phone out and quickly put her number in his phone followed by sending herself the pictures of Sora as a toy.

"Whoa! You're going really fast. Your hands are typing away at both the screens" Sora muttered.

"Nya! I have to be quick and jump on this business opportunity before anyone else."

Another sudden thought came to Sora while still on the topic of toys featured around him.

"Hey, Akashi, are you only going to be making toys of me in my… well, toy outfit?"

"Hmm. I hadn't thought about it. Do you have any other outfits that you took pictures of?" the green-haired girl studiously asked.

"Yeah, I do. Swipe through the pictures."

Happily doing that, Akashi's eyes shot up while noticing his various appearances. His outfit as a gray monster was something she figured would be something that girls might like. The next set of photos that she found had her grinning quite madly. This would for sure be something that would be sold out instantly.

"Ooh! You have a pirate outfit. You look so cool nya!"

As if by comedic convenience, once Akashi mentioned his pirate outfit, Prince of Wales immediately sat up straight and abruptly stopped her conversation with Hood and Belfast and leaned her head toward Sora and Akashi who were right next to her. Her full attention was now directed at the spiky-haired hero and small cat girl.

"Thanks! I really miss that outfit and hope that I can- Oh? Wales? Is something wrong?"

The Guardian of Light had now noticed the blonde-haired girl moving ever slowly closer to him practically to the point that she was only inches away from his face.

"Not at all! I just happened to overhear you mention your pirate outfit. Is that correct?" Wales asked, making sure to keep her overall interest at a tempered level even though internally her gears in her body were at an all-time high.

"Y-Yeah. We are just talking about my various appearances in some of the worlds that I appeared in. Though, there were some other appearances of mine that I didn't have a Gummiphone at the time to take a picture of myself."

Interest instantly shot up in Akashi's mind and she had to find out what he looked like.

"Oh? What other appearances did you take visiting the other worlds?"

Sora had now taken on a thinking pose and tried recollecting all his appearances to fit with the world order.

"Well, one time I was a merman…"

Some girls overheard this and were now staring right at him.

"Another time I had a Halloween outfit where I was a vampire with dark clothing and bat wings on my back and an orange mask on the side of my face. Oh! I also had vampire fangs in my teeth."

Now, more girls stopped their conversations and were staring at Sora while processing what he said.

"Following that, I had a Christmas outfit where I had dark clothing and black socks with elf shoes and a fluffy hat. And my clothes changed colors based on what ability I was using at the time as well."

Once again, more girls stopped eating and were now leaning forward in their seats to listen to what Sora was saying.

"Funny enough, one of the worlds I visited had me turning into a small lion and- "

*BAM*

*CLATTER*

Many of the girls had now jumped up from their seats with multiple girls rushing over to his seat and plunging themselves up close to ask him about his lion cub form. Even girls like Littorio, Zuikaku, Hood, and many others were really close to him beginning to ask him questions.

"How small of a lion cub were you!?"

"What color were you as a cub?"

"How did you even fight? Did you eat your enemies?"

"How cute did you look?"

"What did you look like?"

"Why a lion cub? Why not a full-sized lion?"

"How big were you?"

"Could you fit in a small bag… like this one?" one girl asked while holding up her purse for… reasons.

"Did you have small wittle paws?"

"Would you be about this size?" another girl asked extending her hands out.

Dealing with the barrage of questions directed at him, Sora raised his hands to try and calm the girls down.

"Girls! Please! I was this size. I had brown skin with my spiky hair still on my head. I also had my crown necklace around my neck. I used my Keyblade by biting on it and swinging my head around to fight. I guess I could fit in that purse… I also don't know why I was a lion cub, but I didn't mind. It helped with my speed moving around and dodging Heartless."

Having their questions answered, many of the girls had eager looks on their faces. It was a shame that Sora didn't have a picture of himself as a lion cub but based on his description it provided some girls with enough of an idea. However, one girl in particular was writing at Mach 5 in her notebook with ideas and details about what she could do for a project. One that would most definitely earn her a massive stack of money and profits.

"Nya ahahahah!"

This situation that Sora found himself with all the girls still bombarding him with questions about his lion cub form along with mentions of his other appearances would go on for another short while making it the end of his breakfast meal and prepare him for the rest of his eventful day.

---

Later once things finally calmed down

Sora was now standing outside the mess hall alongside Enterprise, Richelieu, Hood, Wales, Illustrious, and Belfast. The rest of the girls had decided to go about their business and await further orders from their superiors. Ideally, the same could be said about him and his friends as they were waiting to meet with Queen Elizabeth and Warspite to get a better idea about what would be happening next.

"Ah, there you all are."

Everyone then turned their heads to the side noticing that it was Warspite who said that.

"Warspite! It's been a minute since we've seen each other" Sora happily said upon seeing her.

"Likewise, Sora. It's been a rather busy time since we entered the meetings with Lady Nagato and the other faction leaders."

"I take it things ended well?" Richelieu asked the blonde-haired girl.

Before saying anything, the presence of another girl caused the group to look behind Warspite right as she put her hands on her waist and raised her head high.

"Indeed! And yes, it has been a minute, Sora. And I for one want nothing more than to enjoy a nice cold beverage and bask in this lovely day we have been given."

Queen Elizabeth was now present and had a boisterous expression on her face while looking over at Sora. Inside, however, she was jumping up and down at the chance to finally interact with the Keyblade wielder.

"Ah! Your Majesty, it's good to see you again" Sora replied with a smile.

Elizabeth couldn't help the quirky smile that appeared on her face now that the Guardian of Light's attention was on her.

"Sora! I am glad to see you again. I also apologize for being able to talk with you much since arriving here in the Sakura Empire."

"Don't be. Things have certainly been lively. Besides, you're here now."

Hearing this reassuring statement made Elizabeth nod her head.

"You're right about that. Thank you. Now then, I'm sure you're all wondering what our next move will be, yes?"

The other girls all nod and are eager to learn what will be the next move seeing that things are calming down on the island.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we would like to know what exactly the plan is now seeing that the Red Axis and Azur Lane are no longer enemies and now working together" Hood questioned the blonde girl.

"I'm glad you asked that, Hood." Queen Elizabeth cleared her throat and puffed out her chest. "Lady Nagato and I along with the other faction leaders have decided to form a new standing relationship by allowing several volunteer girls to be sponsors and lend their overall aid to Azur Lane."

At this point, Warspite stepped into the conversation.

"Essentially, as we don't have a Commander to lead us, the appointed leaders of each faction will be acting per a council where we share our agreements and disagreements on steps moving forward to deal with the Sirens and Heartless."

"That would help to get a clearer vision of what we do next. I take it that we are heading back then?" Wales questioned Her Majesty.

"Correct. We shall be leaving shortly once Lady Nagato and Bismarck have finished up with their preparations. There will be several familiar faces accompanying us back to base."

Listening to what she had to say, Sora wondered just who would be joining them on the journey back to Azur Lane. Just the thought of heading back to the first place he visited when arriving in this world had him smiling and feeling warm. Not to mention, there were all the girls he had befriended who were probably worried about him after everything that happened. Including his newly appointed younger sister, Unicorn.

He was definitely going to need to make it up to his little sister. She was probably the one most worried about him this entire time and here he was being the center of attention and enjoying the new friendships he was making. This caused him to start wondering what the purple-haired girl would like as a gift. Maybe something handmade? A card? A cake? He would have to give it some thought.

"Ah, there they are," Enterprise said, looking off to the side.

Coming into view appeared to be a moderate-sized group of ship girls all heading toward the group with Nagato at the front talking to Mikasa. Behind her happened to be Amagi, Akagi, Kaga, Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Kirishima, Hiei, Ayanami, Kashino, and Shinano.

Aside from the Sakura Empire girls stood the others all heading this way with Bismarck, Vittorio, and Jean Bart all appearing to be heading their way as well. Soon, everyone was in a big group with Azur Lane on one side and Red Axis on the other. Nagato broke the silence and started greeting everyone.

"Good morning, everyone, I'm glad that we're all gathered here now and ready to take the next step forward in building a new relationship together." Nagato then turned to look at everyone before landing on Sora. "Under one flag fighting against who our true enemy has been this entire time."

Queen Elizabeth now stepped into the conversation.

"Though we have had our differences. We can all agree that the time for cooperation is now. With this moment now witnessed by many we can begin anew!"

Everyone cheered at that glorified statement as this was the start of something new and hopeful.

Now, having had enough of this excessive happiness, Jean Bart let out a sigh and couldn't help shaking her head. Richelieu seeing this brought a hand up to her lips and stifled a giggle at seeing her sister's discomfort. Sora also spotted this and smiled at the two.

"Now then, shall we discuss what our strategy is now?" Bismarck stated.

All the faction leaders' heads nodded and began to get down to business.

"We've decided to send a few volunteers to help Azur Lane and incorporate stronger connections with the various factions. As for who will be going with you now…" Nagato stopped talking and gestured to the girls now present.

"I thank you for this opportunity, Lady Nagato," Amagi said, stepping toward Sora and co.

Akagi and Kaga followed her and had reserved looks on their faces. That is until the brown-haired kitsune girl looked over at Sora, flashed him a flirty smile, and had hearts in her eyes. A few of the other girls saw this and simply stared at her.

"Amagi? You're coming with us?" Sora asked, moving his attention to the older kitsune sister.

"Yes, I along with my sisters wish to support you with all that we can in the upcoming battles. I know you feel that we don't need to do anything for you, but… even still, I wouldn't be here were it not for you. Besides, this is not only for you but to help make amends for my dear sisters' actions."

Kaga then spoke up.

"We know that it'll take a long time for everyone to truly forgive us for our actions but with this opportunity in front of us… we won't let it get away from us. We'll give our full support to Azur Lane and you, Sora."

Akagi proudly continued that sentiment.

"Were it not for your help, Sora, and to Azur Lane… Amagi would not be here now. I know we've settled our regrets and accepted our punishments, but as long as we have life in our bodies, we will work to prove ourselves and get payback against the Sirens for using us."

Though there were still some thoughts directed at the kitsune sisters, everyone could agree that they were willing to work through their mistakes and help. That was something to be noteworthy.

Everyone on the Azur Lane side nodded their heads and accepted the three sisters with open arms. Sora also had a bright smile on his face as he was happy to see that they had found their path forward and were doing it partially on their own behalf. The bit about still owing him was something he'd have to talk to them about later.

The next group of girls to step forward was Atago and Takao.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for letting us do this, Lady Nagato" Atago happily responded.

Nagato simply nodded her head, "It's you who I should thank. Especially since you two will be leaving your sisters for some time."

"We've already discussed it with them, and they said it was alright. We'll still stay in contact and whatnot so there's no concern over that" Takao replied.

"What's making you guys want to volunteer?" Enterprise asked, glancing at the two.

"We want to do more for the Sakura Empire and more for ourselves. After the attack on the island, we realized that we want to be there fighting on the front lines and… "Takao then looked over at Sora who had a surprised look on his face. "With Sora's influence and positivity, we think it would be best to accompany you all."

"Besides, there's a guaranteed chance we'll run into the Sirens and Heartless if we are with Sora. Not to mention, we haven't spent that much time with him yet. This will let us get closer to him don't you think~?" Atago sweetly said.

Some of the girls narrowed their eyes onto the black-haired girl and knew she would be a versatile foe to deal with.

"I see, well, the more help would be great. Thanks, you two" Enterprise added while nodding to the two.

The next group of Sakura Empire girls to step up were Zuikaku and Shoukaku. Funny enough, the Auspicious Crane was blushing and had an awkward smile on her face.

"Ahaha…ha… this shouldn't be that much of a surprise," Zuikaku said while stuttering a bit and glancing over at Sora.

"You guys want to come?" Sora questioned the Crane sisters.

"Yep! There's no way we're going to shy away from an opportunity like this. Not only will we get the chance to strike back against the Sirens, but we will get to spend more time with you, Sora. There are so many things I want to talk to you about. As does my sweet little sister. She's the most thrilled about being with you!"

"SHOUKAKU!"

The sudden yell by Zuikaku caused everyone to simply chuckle at the Red Crane's loud reaction. Plus, seeing her face match the color of her dress was an entertaining sight to see.

"I-I… I would indeed like to get to fight against the Sirens and Heartless. I-I would also like to spend more time w-with… Gah!" Zuikaku tried to speak fluently but covered her face with her hands.

Before anyone could say anything, the brunette girl realized that she was being dramatic about this whole thing and didn't want to be like this. She then lowered her hands from her face and glanced over at the Guardian of Light as he simply flashed her a warm and friendly smile. Just seeing that simple gesture caused her heartbeat to pick up immediately. This led to her pushing down her fear and nervousness and listening to her heart and what it was telling her to do right now.

"*sigh* Sorry about that. But yes, I want to help fight back against the Sirens and Heartless. But more than that, I want to get stronger. And to do that, I need to step out of my comfort zone and learn new techniques and experiences. That's where my desire to be close with you, Sora, comes from. Please allow me to be by your side!"

Zuikaku's proclamation was something to admire with how she poured her heart and feelings into her words. It was honestly very effective as many of the girls could see what she was getting at. Consequently, hearing her state her feelings aloud, especially that last part, raised some eyebrows as the truth of the matter was now clear.

The Auspicious Crane was another foe to keep an eye on as she was now someone who could be considered dangerous in the war for getting closer to the Keyblade wielder.

'Oh, my, Zuikaku's heart is set on this path. I hope she's ready for the rough road to Sora's heart. There are already many striving for it. Including his big sister's heart,' Atago thought to herself while smiling.

'I see, that makes another foe to consider. This is getting exciting now!' Prinz Eugen said to herself while feeling eager to make her move toward the spiky-haired boy.

'Way to go, sis! That's the spirit. Listen to your heart. Keep this up and you'll have your man in no time!' Shoukaku cheered within her mind and even did a mental fist pump at her sister's actions.

The next group of girls to walk up were Kirishima and Hiei.

"Like everyone has said, thank you for this opportunity, Lady Nagato. And I'm looking forward to helping knock the Sirens and now the Heartless down for good. Plus, I'm sure there's a great deal you want to learn about Shibuya, Sora" Kirishima energetically said while flashing a friendly grin to the boy.

"Yeah, there is. I might not get the chance to visit it anytime soon, but I'd like to learn more about it. Heh. Thanks, Kirishima" he sincerely replied with his own smile.

"Following what Kirishima said, I also want to help in any way I can. The experiences this opportunity may give me are too good to pass up. Plus, it'll be even more special getting to hear more about your crazy stories, Sora" Hiei answered.

"Haha! You have no idea how crazy my stories can get."

With the two now done speaking, Kashino and Shinano stepped forward but their stance seemed to indicate something else going on.

"Hi, everyone. Ah… this is a bit embarrassing!" Kashino mumbled, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on her.

"It's alright, Kashino… I'm also feeling a bit awkward as well" Shinano replied with a tint of pink on her face.

Taking a few breaths, the white-kitsune woman was the first to gather her thoughts and continue with her speech.

"Sora, our intentions of joining this opportunity are a bit different. While it is true that we want to help fight back against the Sirens and Heartless…"

Kashino picked up for Shinano, "We also want to learn more about you and all that you know about the heart."

This took everyone back a bit as this was not what they were expecting.

"About the heart?" Richelieu muttered while going into a thinking pose.

"What do you hope to find?" Bismarck asked, intrigued by this statement.

"Everything and more to what the heart is."

Shinano's short and simple answer drew in many of the other girls.

Sora on his part was quite surprised but, in a way, could understand why she was curious about the heart. It truly was a magnificent part of everyone and their individuality. He could on good account recall the many times he called upon it for help in the many adventures and battles he was a part of.

"That's going to be one challenging task, Shinano. Even I don't know everything there is to know about the heart."

"That's alright. That's even better… we'll learn together."

All at once, the girls turned their heads to look at Shinano. Her saying that last bit was… suspicious.

"I also wish to help in this endeavor. I might not be the strongest ship girl here, but I want to help!" Kashino exclaimed, raising her hands, and looking determined. "And talking with Shinano about the heart has me very interested. I want to help on that as well."

The sentiment of wanting to fight was understood by many of the girls along with the new interest in learning more about the heart. It was seemingly like many interesting and aspiring things would be happening soon.

"I can't wait to work with you two. Let's do this!" Sora happily cheered while looking determined as well.

At this point, the Sakura Empire girls who were volunteering had ended leaving the other Red Axis girls to stand by and take their turn to speak.

"Well then, it appears we are up next" Bismarck replied, chuckling a little bit.

Hood seeing this couldn't help but have a small smile on her lips but as quickly as it appeared it disappeared. Sora spotted this and recalled the understanding that there was history there.

"As of now, seeing that I only arrived here with a few girls under my supervision, the girls who have volunteered are- "

"The ones you already know about."

Prinz Eugen strutted over to Sora and in a move of confidence and intimidation, she looped her arm around the Keyblade wielder and had a brilliant smile on her face.

"Ah… *sigh* I apologize in advance, Sora" Z23 said to the poor boy as she was now walking up to the scene with Ayanami following next to her.

"I-It's all good. I don't mind the closeness. She's already done this before."

"Yep. And I'll keep on doing it~" Prinz Eugen said, flashing him a wink.

Akagi seeing this was starting to see red all around her until Amagi gave her a stern look that calmed her down instantly. The older sister was quite aware of her younger sister's feelings for Sora, but it would do no good to let her attack anyone due to the jealousy in her heart. If Akagi was serious about him… Amagi could feel a headache coming on now.

"Sorry, we're late. I had to grab a few things" Ayanami announced.

"You guys are coming to?" Sora asked, seeing that Ayanami had a small suitcase with her.

"Yep. Had to grab all my games and whatnot."

"You know we might not even have time to relax" Nimi countered.

"…We still might."

The Hero of Light couldn't help but laugh a bit at the scene playing out between the two friends. Soon enough, the others all began laughing while Nimi and Ayanami started blushing.

"Well then, that's all who will be appearing from Iron Blood to volunteer for now. Once I return to base, I'll speak with the higher-ups about letting me be a volunteer" Bismarck stated.

"Y-You'll be joining us?" Hood mumbled out louder than she expected.

"Yes… is… is that okay?" Bismarck asked, feeling a sense of tension.

Hood seemed to be a bit taken aback that she would say such a thing.

"Yes… I don't have a reason to decline your decision. Even if I did have a say… I still wouldn't do such a thing."

Processing what the Royal Navy woman said, Bismarck simply gave a small barely noticeable nod and moved her head back to look at the others.

The longer Sora watched these two interact, the more he figured there was a history behind them that had become a strain on their friendship.

'I wonder what happened?'

Vittorio raised a hand to her chest and offered a friendly smile gaining everyone's attention.

"The same could for me. I need to return to base and inform my superiors as well. I'm sure there will be other girls who may want to volunteer themselves." Vittorio then seemed to realize something. "Speaking of… where is my dear sister?"

Before anyone could say anything, a voice called out to everyone from behind.

"Making her stunning entrance!"

Landing right in the middle of everyone, Littorio had performed a superhero landing with grace and had a rose tucked into her hair. Picking up the rose, she elegantly walked over to Sora while making sure her hips were full on display and handed him the flower.

"For you, my dear hero."

Taking the flower from her, Sora was confused and wasn't sure what to say. He was not expecting a gift like this to be given to him now. The only thing he could do was keep a confused expression plastered on his face.

"Thank you…"

"Of course. I also look forward to our time together now that I will be joining you in your adventures now" Littorio happily stated.

"Oh? You'll be joining us" Enterprise asked the Sardegna Empire kansen.

Flashing the Grey Ghost a smile, Littorio had the perfect response.

"Why, of course! Not only am I raring for a fight against the Sirens and now the Heartless for attacking my allies, but this opportunity will allow me to be with the senoritas and dashing hero who has caught my attention."

One girl who simply understood the green-haired girl's statement was Illustrious who simply sighed away at Littorio's antics. Being someone whom the Sardegna Empire girl flirted with constantly, she lent a bit of sympathy to Sora as she had a very clear idea of how Littorio acted.

"I see… well then, does that make everyone accounted for that's going?" Wales said, bringing the conversation back to a head.

One by one, the girls all looked at each other and saw that everyone that was-

"Jean? You haven't said a word yet" Richelieu commented while glancing over at her sister.

Jean Bart simply had her arms folded across her chest and looked like all the stares directed toward her were slowly becoming a bother. Alas, she frowned and looked right at her saintly sister.

"Didn't think I'd need to. I'm not volunteering myself to go…"

"Oh. I thought that- "

"…Yet."

This last-minute comment caught the Cardinal off-guard.

"O-Oh… "

"There are a few things that I need to get done back at base. Along with a few girls I need to ask whether or not they'd be interested in joining this… experiment." Jean then glanced over at Sora and then Richelieu. "I take it that you're going to be part of this group already?"

Nodding her head, the Cardinal immediately picked up on what her sister was suggesting.

"Yes, I am. Granted, I'll be making a pit stop to rendezvous with some of the girls under my command as well as asking who all may want to come. Once done, I'll be catching up with Azur Lane."

"I see…" Jean Bart then looked over at Sora and kept a clear view of him to which he also stared back at her slightly confused about what was going on.

The two stared at each other for a good moment before Jean Bart stopped and went back to keeping to herself. Leaving the boy utterly perplexed about what had just happened.

"Right then! We've dilly-dallied long enough."

Queen Elizabeth proclaimed this while also wanting to spend some time with the boy at the center of everything.

"Let us head back to base. Also…"

She then turned over to address Sora.

"Sora, would you be so kind as to accompany me back to Azur Lane? There's a good number of things I wish to ask you as we have not had a proper moment to speak. I daresay now would be an excellent chance for us to catch up. I-If you wouldn't mind."

The way she conveyed this request/desire held a tone of eagerness and a slight worry that he wouldn't accept her idea or get pulled to another. Normally, whenever she requested for something to be done her maids would be right there to help. However, Sora was someone entirely different and special meaning that the wants and desires she would typically have could be dismissed entirely and there wasn't a thing that she could-

"Sure! I'd be happy to ride along with you, Your Majesty."

This was not the answer she was expecting at all.

"H-Huh? You want to accompany me?" Queen Elizabeth wasn't sure what to think.

"Yeah! I think that's a great idea. We haven't exactly had a chance to chat together aside from the meetings that we get pulled into. This will be a good chance for us to get to know each other and I can tell you a bit about the other royal kings, queens, princes, and princesses that I've met in the other worlds I've visited" Sora gleefully replied.

"Oh… *Ahem* Excellent news then! I-I can't wait for the journey back home which I daresay starts…" Queen Elizabeth then looked toward all the girls who were now glancing back at her as well.

The blonde-haired Royal Navy ship girl of royalty decided to let the moment play out for a bit longer but once she saw Sora's eyes fall onto hers, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous with him looking at her so intently. She had to get things moving along now otherwise she'd become a blushing mess.

However, before she could utter a word, Sora had beaten her.

"Now? But… I was hoping to get the chance to say bye to everyone. It might be a minute till I see them again."

"Don't worry, Sora, I'm sure that… your paths will soon cross again" Shinano warmly said to him.

"Moreover, I think you might be wrong about not being able to say goodbye" Mikasa replied while nodding her head to the side.

Confused about what she was getting at, Sora turned to look over to the side and could see dozens of girls from the Sakura Empire wave at him. The Keyblade wielder couldn't help but break out into a grin and wave back.

"When did everyone- "

"It was a sort of snowball effect Choukai and a few other girls had in mind. To see you off with a joyful goodbye as well as a thank you for helping us all" Kashino voiced to the spiky-haired boy.

Feeling a wave of pleasant emotions hit his chest, Sora waved back and flashed one of his biggest smiles to date in this world. He had made so many new friends and knew that there was certainly more to be made.

"Ha…thank you all for this."

"No, Sora. Thank you. Things may have turned out differently were it not for your influence and support in fighting back against the Sirens and Heartless. You've helped us in ways that we will remember forever" Nagato proclaimed while flashing him a content and appreciated smile.

This moment was one for the books as the Guardian of Light felt his heart shimmer in happiness at the praise and thanks he was getting. It wasn't every day that he got thanked for his help.

"Everyone… thanks!" Sora then turned to Nagato and the others who were staying behind or not joining him in his journey with Azur Lane. "I can't wait to meet everyone again."

He then brought his hand up to his heart and placed it there while looking up at the girls.

"May your hearts be your guiding keys."

All the girls within hearing range were slightly taken aback by that comment. Not that it was bad or anything of an ill nature. But it rang a sense of… comfort and warmth in their hearts. The kind of sensation that one needs to hear when feeling down or conflicted about one character or direction. It was also simple yet held a level of depth behind the meaning being interpreted.

"Our hearts…" Jean Bart repeated while looking at Sora closely.

"Hmm. I've never heard that saying before. What does it entail, Sora?" Bismarck questioned.

Maintaining a heartfelt smile on his face, Sora thought about what the saying was meant to convey and fell onto his viewing of it. He had heard it various times in his journey and knew that its meaning, and influence could be directed toward several various interpretations but decided to go for a clearer understanding.

"The saying is meant to convey a sense of encouragement whenever you feel that things are going bad or that you're doubting yourself. I've also used the saying to help push me in the right direction that I thought was best even when I was stuck with no clear way forward. I listened to my heart to find my way again."

The girls all looked over at Sora and started to think deeply about the saying now and how it might be more influential than they originally thought.

Alas, before spending any more time on the saying, Vittorio was the one to break everyone's concentration.

"Such a wonderful quote. Who told you it, Sora?"

A chuckle escaped the brunette's lips as he ruffled the back of his hair.

"One of my friends who helped me on my second big adventure. His name was Master Yen Sid, a retired Keyblade master. At first, I didn't pay it much attention but, when one of my friends, Goofy, told me about Yen Sid saying it quietly anytime anyone was sent on a mission. I didn't believe it until I finally heard it."

"A retired Keyblade master… an intriguing thought, no?" Littorio added, tilting her head at her sister.

"True enough. I wonder how powerful he was back when he was a master. Sora, do you know?" the grey-haired Sardegna Empire kansen asked.

"Uh… I'm not sure. Based on what I remember Donald and Goofy saying about him, he was someone with a lot of respect earned meaning that he must have been a master for a long time as well as powerful."

"Interesting…"

With that bit of information out in the open, the mood had come to a close as everyone was now in peaceful contempt and nothing else seemed to be said. Sora then looked over at Queen Elizabeth and the others of Azur Lane and simply gave them a nod before turning over to Nagato.

"Thank you for- "

He was stopped right there.

"No, Sora. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts…"

---

Sometime later

The voyage back to Azur Lane was one filled with a sensible tone of ambient fun and cheerfulness. Sora could recall his last moments within the port of the Sakura Empire Island. Seeing all the girls wave goodbye to him and others calling out his name and yelling that they couldn't wait till the next time they met. Nothing but kind and positive things were said in his parting now.

Furthermore, here he was sitting in a lounge chair next to a fancy table that was full of sweets and tea to be offered for the ride back to base. Turning his head to the side, he could see various faces of the girls he had grown quite familiar with. Some decided to ride together and were now standing on the deck of their ships chatting with one another like Atago, Takao, Zuikaku, and Shoukaku. Along with Amagi, Akagi, Ayanami, and Kaga chatting with one another. And so on…

However, before he could glance around at the other girls' ships, he was being called out to by a certain blonde-haired girl who was wearing a crown and had a pout on her lips.

"Hmph! It would appear that you're ignoring me" said Queen Elizabeth who was feeling a bit upset that she had called out to Sora multiple times back hadn't gotten his attention.

"Sorry, Your Majesty. I was just in thought glancing around at all the girls traveling with us. To think, some of them were your enemies and are now your allies and friends" Sora replied with an intrigued expression on his face.

Seeing the boy's positivity, Elizabeth couldn't be upset with him as he was stating the truth. It had also dawned on her how truly significant this moment should have been viewed. Kansens who were once enemies are now friends and allies working together to defeat a familiar and new threat. This truly was a time of change.

"No, no. You're quite alright, Sora. I'm the one being rude now. This should be a moment that we all relish and acknowledge just what has happened in such a short time. None of this would have been possible were it not for your help" Elizabeth stated in a highly respectful tone.

"Hey now, it wasn't just me that made all this possible. It was everyone's help and determination to stop the fighting. Even if I wasn't here, you girls would have still pushed through the darkness and worked together to find a better path forward. Not just for Azur Lane or Red Axis but the world. Every single ship girl holds the light within their hearts to beat back the darkness" Sora said, using a more confident stricken voice.

"That may be, but still, there's no denying that your help turned the tide. You've been in this world for some time now… I think you can understand that when I say several girls need a leader you get where I'm coming from" the blonde-haired girl stated in a somewhat serious tone.

Sora had a feeling about what exactly Elizabeth was referring to. His time in this world showed him that the ship girls of each faction had respective leaders but not anyone that they could call a Commander.

"You're talking about not having a Commander, correct?"

"Yes, that's what I'm getting at. Of course, not every girl needs to have orders directed from a Commander. It's more in line with the fact that we don't have someone standing by our side to help us in the many fierce battles we face. We have our superiors, but orders from them come rarely, and when they do… "

Queen Elizabeth stopped herself from saying any more. However, Sora picked up what her train of thought was revolving around.

"So, you're saying that having me around is something that inspires some of the girls?"

"In a way, yes. We know that you're not the Commander. No one is asking that of you. You, a Guardian of Light who has fought in many battles and prevailed in the war of Light versus Darkness…" Queen Elizabeth then took a sip of her tea and looked out to the vast sea surrounding them and let a peaceful moment of silence fill the area.

Taking this information at heart, Sora felt an array of various feelings regarding this revelation presented by Queen Elizabeth. It did make sense though; the girls of Azur Lane and Red Axis and all the different factions were part of a military. As obvious as that sounded it also made sense that they would need someone to help them in battle or look out for them. Sora's mind drifted to remember his time with Mulan and how Captain Shang led them to battle. If he wasn't there to help whip them into shape, then maybe he'd have a better idea of how the girls were feeling.

"And… you think that me being here will help the girls?"

The Royal Navy girl nodded her head in full earnest.

"I know it will help." Elizabeth then let out a self-deflecting sigh as she was debating on keeping this line of conversation going. However, she ultimately decided to go through with it and take a note out of Sora's book.

She would listen to her heart.

"Even I, in all my greatness, need help at times. Of course, with the Royal Navy girls, I have support on all sides. I wouldn't say this outright due to embarrassment but… I need them. Every single one of them."

Listening to how much she cared for the Royal Navy girls had Sora smiling warmly as he learned more about the young queen in front of him.

"However, that also goes into play for needing someone else by my side. The decisions we, as faction leaders, have to make are quite daunting. I know Enterprise feels the same way. As does Lady Nagato, Bismarck, and the other leaders. So much is relying on her decisions, but the feeling that there is someone who is not from any faction or under our leadership being by our side and lending us their aid… it speaks wonders, Sora."

Queen Elizabeth at this point was blushing quite profoundly but found it in her heart to keep on speaking and pouring her inner feelings out to the boy. His influence on her had made her strive to want to be better. It would be challenging, but that was ok. Growth was what everyone needed occasionally, and Sora's positivity was the push, she needed to keep steady on this path. Plus, his experience with other members of royalty in other worlds had her wondering about their leadership.

"Heh… I'm just one person, you know. I'm proud to be a small part of all the people's lives I've interacted with. My friends… they are the ones who have helped me get this far in my journey and life. The same goes for everyone here that I've met. You all have given me the strength to push forward. I want to help you guys find happiness. I want to help rid the Heartless and Sirens of this world. And… I want to make more amazing memories with everyone including you, Elizabeth."

The Queen's eyes shot open when she heard him say her name without any title or honorific. Sora also realized what he had done and coughed into his fist awkwardly.

"Err… haha… sorry. I meant to say Your- "

"No… it's fine. Besides, nobody has addressed me as such. You shall be the first to do so. Making it even more memorable as it is a moment between the two of us and no one else" the girl replied while her face matched the color of Wales's skirt.

"Haha. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Another moment of peaceful settle down between the two. That is until Sora chuckled a bit.

"Oh? Is something amiss?"

"No, no. It's just thinking about us chatting like this has me remembering all my friends who are of royalty in the various worlds I've visited."

The blonde's eyes shot up in curiosity and she leaned her chair closer to Sora. Eager to learn and learn more about other forms of royalty.

"Splendid! Would you care to tell me a few encounters and stories about these individuals?"

"Of course! Now then, who should I start with…"

Memories of all the princes, princesses, queens, and kings he had met in his adventures came flooding into Sora's mind. He had no idea where to start. Hence, he decided to start sharing a story about a certain mouse that came to mind.

"Let's see… how about I tell you a bit about His Majesty, King Mickey. Along with Her Majesty, Queen Minnie."

And so, Sora began to delve into the characters of Mickey and Minnie while the journey back to base continued smoothly.

---

Meanwhile, with the other girls

Zuikaku shot the occasional glance over at Queen Elizabeth's ship and let out an audible sigh. This was not ignored by her friends, of course.

"Zuikaku? Are you okay? This is the fourth time you've sighed in the last ten minutes" Shokaku muttered.

"O-Oh. Sorry. I was… thinking about something" the Auspicious Crane explained.

"Or you were thinking about a certain someone who has spiky brown hair hmmm~?" Atago proclaimed in a flirty voice.

"That's… possibly true."

"Don't deny it, Zuikaku. Besides, you're not the only one feeling this… unusual feeling" Takago clarified.

A sigh escaped the brunette beauty's lips as she had to agree with her friend.

"Yeah, you're right. I know that we got to spend time with him yesterday, but I wanted to talk with him some more on the way to Azur Lane's base."

"Sorry sis. You better get used to this now. Once we get back, I'm sure that there are going to be a ton of girls all pining for his attention. And I mean, he was pulled away from them due to our invasion" Shokaku stated.

"*Groan* Don't remind me." Zuikaku then looked over at Queen Elizabeth's ship and could see her and Sora laughing and chatting while having a cup of tea.

"I think that's fine. Once Sora is done meeting with everyone, then it'll be his big sister's turn for attention!" Atago gleefully replied.

The other girls all looked at the dark-haired girl and kept a close eye on her.

"Right… Please don't go over the top against him, Atago" Takao noted to her sister.

"You worry too much my dear sweet loving sister. Do you want one of my reassuring hugs now?"

The three girls immediately took a step back from Atago as they were all too familiar with her famous bone-crushing hugs that sucked the life out of you. Takao could argue that the last time she received her sister's hug she felt a few of her ribs crack. That's how dangerous her hugs were.

"N-Not now! Thank you. Maybe… later."

"Aww. Ok. How about you, Zuikaku?"

"I-I'm goo- "

"Too late!"

*Crack*

"G-Gwah!" the Auspicious Crane let out a groan as she felt her ribcage crack and quite possibly break.

Shoukaku had wide eyes and was starting to shuffle back until Atago instantly let go of Zuikaku who flopped to the ground with Takao rushing to help her up. The White Crane on the other hand was fearing for her life.

"Shoukaku… come here. You may not be my actual little sister, but I've always thought of you and Zuikaku as family. Now, come here please~" Atago sweetly said while holding her hands out.

"No…No… NOOOOOO!"

---

With a few other girls in the fleet

The sound of Shoukaku screaming out had caused goosebumps to glide up Enterprise and Hood's arms while Wales went rigid. Each of the girls looked at each other worryingly while wondering if they should see if everything was alright. Enterprise, however, held her hand up and shook her head seemingly indicating not to get caught in the crossfire.

The two Royal Navy girls simply nodded their heads and went back to chatting about what the situation might look like when they got back to base.

"I expect Sora will be bombarded with questions and attention" Wales muttered to Hood.

"Indeed. Granted, there is a part of me that wants to simply steal him away for the chance to sit down and have that cup of tea and chit-chat we talked about upon our first meeting. It feels like that was so long ago" Hood replied with a hint of remembrance.

"Oh? That's quite surprising."

"How so, Wales?"

Before the blonde-haired girl could reply, Enterprise interjected herself into the conversation.

"Because what you just said sounds like something Wales would do instead."

Hood couldn't help but let a smirk appear on her face and stare directly at her best friend. That certainly did sound like something Wales would do. Something that not everyone knew about the elegant and determined Royal Navy kansen was that she was a massive-

"Ahem. While that does sound like something within the realm of my actions, I would not do such a thing now. Many of the girls have been worried greatly for Sora's well-being and it would be bad sport to take him away from them" Wales interjected immediately.

"I'm sure that train of thought will be handy in the future." Enterprise then let out a sigh at what she was insinuating. "Once things calm down, there will be girls trying their hand to claim his time. Akagi for starters."

"Don't forget, Prinz Eugen is a daring foe to watch for" Wales added.

"Littorio is another one that we should not underestimate."

Another girl that appeared in the three girls' minds was someone whom they were in no way expecting to become such a stronghold figure in the presence of Sora. Her actions in the Sakura Empire council room were one for the books.

"Lest we forget the Cardinal and her… surprising confidence. Or should I say her misconceived actions" Hood clarified.

"Right… I still can't believe she was so upfront and direct with her words."

"Tell me about it. Richelieu certainly surprised me and Belfast for that matter."

This started the overall conversation regarding the Cardinal and how the three Azur Lane kansens viewed their friend and ally. Along with a brief mention of the challenges that Sora would be facing when all the girls back at base would swarm him. Not to mention, the reaction to seeing Red Axis girls siding with them. Belfast had met up with the girls who had been sent to the Sakura Empire as spies and reconvened them to inform everyone back at base about all that had happened.

Suffice it to say, things were certainly going to get interesting.

---

Meanwhile, at another ship

The deck of this ship was holding Amagi, Akagi, Kaga, and Prinz Eugen. The group was discussing what to expect from the Azur Lane girls.

"Do you think their allies know that the Red Axis has disparted and formed a new alliance with Azur Lane?" Kaga asked the group.

"I would suppose so. I doubt they would just return without keeping their allies and teammates uninformed" Akagi answered.

Amagi seemingly was silent and looked out at the vast ocean before her.

"Amagi? Is something the matter?"

"No… just the opposite. I never thought I'd get the chance to see the lands and sea outside of the Sakura Empire ever again. I had… accepted that my time was coming to an end. However, thanks to Sora's help…" Amagi didn't finish and simply held a content smile on her face.

From the other girls' perspective, Amagi held an aura of radiant light around her. Positivity and happiness were brimming off her body.

"There's a great deal for you to see and do again. And we will be there with you the entire time."

"Yes. As a family. Together again."

Prinz Eugen couldn't help but smile at the happy family time. Moreover, she also smirked at seeing two individuals laughing in the distance on Queen Elizabeth's ship. Sora and the short queen were talking about something that caused her to spit out drink in a manner that was certainly not fit for a queen. It must have been ridiculously funny… it slightly made the Iron Blood girl jealous. She wanted to spend time with the boy.

"I must say, I think it's time we get to talking about war tactics" Prinz Eugen suddenly proclaimed.

"Huh? War tactics?"

"Yes, we are in a difficult position."

Kaga seemed to take this literally and was taken aback by Prinz Eugen's stance on wanting to be prepared.

"I commend you for that, Prinz Eugen. I wasn't aware that you were one to come up with battle strategies. Granted, that's not a jab to your character. I'm simply saying that- "

"What are you talking about?"

"…Huh?"

The white-haired woman flipped her hair to the side and reached into the side of her outfit and right into her bosom pulling out what appeared to be a lollypop. She then began enjoying the candy in a way that could be described as 'extra'.

"I merely meant that we should ally on behalf of getting Sora to ourselves."

"…Oh."

The white-kitsune girl was dumbfounded.

"I see… I was thinking of the wrong war tactics."

"Must you take such an approach, Prinz Eugen?" Amagi questioned the Iron Blood girl.

"Yes, Amagi. This has to be done. Think of it like this, Sora was only in the Sakura Empire where he managed to gain such an audience of attention directed toward him. Imagine Azur Lane now. Where multiple factions of girls are located. Furthermore, he was first introduced to them before any of us. It's only natural that there are already groups of girls interested in our Hero of Light."

The older kitsune sister wasn't sure what to say and simply let out a sigh. These girls were certainly putting a whole lot of effort into becoming close with Sora.

"…I'll take you up on that offer, Prinz Eugen" Akagi muttered out loud.

"You will? This is surprising… "Kaga noted.

The brown-haired kitsune girl tilted her head in confusion.

"What makes you say that dear sister?"

It was Kaga's turn to provide a reasonable explanation for her comment. However, she already had a very astute idea about her sister's behavior and actions toward the spiky-haired boy.

"I didn't think you'd be willing to work with another for Sora's attention. Your… actions back home proved that you are more than willing to venture into great 'danger' to be close to him."

A simple fit of creepy laughter escaped Akagi's lips as she smiled warmly at her sister.

"You misunderstand me, Kaga." She then looked over at Prinz Eugen and flashed her a smile. "While I am willing to work with Prinz Eugen in this matter, as soon as things calm down, I will make sure that it is only me and Sora who are on the battlefield of love."

Amagi figured this was more in tune with her sister's emotional attraction to Sora. The more she heard Akagi talk in a scary tone, the more she was tempted to step in and stop her in her tracks. Alas, before she could say anything, Prinz Eugen let out a giggle.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Such a useful and perfected time to use that phrase. Very well, Akagi. I'll agree to work with you regarding getting Sora alone. However, do prepare yourself. I won't be going down so easy."

"I don't doubt it. But know that my love for Sora will be the driving force behind my victory over you."

The two girls kept glaring at each other while having a creepy smile on their faces. There was a drastic difference in how their body language and facial expressions conveyed a sense of comradery in this battle for Sora's attention and love.

Frankly, the rest of the voyage back to Azur Lane was filled with Akagi and Prinz Eugen making subtle comments toward each other while coming up with plans on how to get Sora away from everyone. Amagi and Kaga merely listened and hoped that nothing bad would come from their sister and friend's scheming.

---

Later, back in Azur Lane

Sitting at a lounge table drinking some tea while chatting away with two other girls was a small girl with purple hair and a white dress. This little girl also happened to be carrying a unicorn plushie. She was better known as Sora's little sister, Unicorn.

Furthermore, she was accompanied by two other familiar faces. Javelin and Laffey. The two members of Azur Lane had decided to spend some time with the young girl as news about Sora and everyone's return was bound to happen soon. Unicorn couldn't help but smile brightly and talked to her plushie, U-chan, about the spiky-haired boy's return.

Now, the three girls were sitting down and starting to talk about the things that they wanted to do when the brunette-haired boy returned.

"Ahh. I think I'd like to spend the afternoon questioning him about some of the cool sights that he saw while traveling around the worlds." Javelin then let out a small giggle. "That's still weird to think about. Sora's from another world and he goes to other worlds."

"*Yawn* I wanna ask him if there were any worlds that had good napping spots…" Laffey tiredly said.

The two then looked over at Unicorn who had a shy smile on her face.

"I-I wanna ask Big Brother about some of the cute animals he's seen in the other worlds."

This got Javelin looking excited.

"Ooh! I didn't think of that kind of question. I wonder what sorts of strange animals he's seen before."

Soon enough, the three girls started discussing what kinds of animals Sora might have seen in his adventures. Random ideas were being thrown across the table with Javelin thinking about small little creatures he might have come across. Laffey thought about animals that may have been soft and cozy to nap on while Unicorn thought about large, cute animals.

Before she could say anything else, Unicorn spotted something unusual on the ground next to her. Reaching down to pick it up, she examined the strange item in her hand and wondered exactly what it was.

"Huh? Unicorn, what's that in your hand?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't see it when I sat down. Do you think it could be somebody's?" the purple-haired girl asked.

"…*Yawn* Never seen that before…"

Taking another look at the item in her hand, Unicorn could see that it had a weird shape to it and almost felt heavy in her hands. Not based on the weight but… based on something else. A sudden thought popped into her head as she looked at the object closely. It was almost as if… she knew who this belonged to.

Suddenly, without any warning, the object started glowing a bright white color which caused all the girls to jump out of their seats and become worried. Before long, the white light died down to the point that the front of the object had a distinctive insignia starting to glow red, blue, and green. The insignia was something that Unicorn had immediately recalled seeing as it reminded her of a certain someone.

"This is…!"

"What is that symbol? A crown?" Javelin muttered, looking at the object closely.

Laffey was struggling to stay awake even after the short jump scare of the object glowing.

Unicorn wasn't sure what was going on but deep down in her heart, she knew that whatever she found would be something of interest to Sora. It had to be.

"I don't know what it is, but I think Sora might know…"

"Mm. Well, when he arrives you can ask him what it is. Besides, weren't you going to give him the present you've been working on?" the Royal Navy girl asked Unicorn.

A sigh seemed to escape Unicorn's lips as she shook her head and prodded U-chan's nose causing the plushie to move slightly.

"I'm not done with it yet. I wanted to ask a few of the other girls for help. I only have it partly completed but hopefully I'll have it done soon. Dido and Sirius said they would do their best to help me get it done soon. And when Belfast returns, she said she would also help."

"I see, I bet Sora will love it!"

Smiling with all intent and purposes, Unicorn let a wave of happiness course through her body and displayed a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah… I hope he likes it."

The gift that Unicorn was referencing was a charm that she had been wanting to make ever since Sora offered himself being taken as a prisoner by Akagi. The feeling of seeing her new big brother be taken away caused her to want to give him something to support him to come back to her. Having him become her family was something she never thought she'd grow to love so much. Even if they hadn't known each other for a long time… she wanted to be close to him. He inspired her to want to be better.

With this happy moment playing out the group of girls were startled when they heard footsteps coming their way. Turning their head to the side, they soon spotted a woman with red and white clothing, long black leggings that covered her entire legs up to her skirt, blonde coming past her shoulders, and a confident smirk on her face.

"Ah! King George!" Javelin called out.

The new girl who had just appeared was King George V. She was a member of the Royal Navy as well as one of Wales's sisters. She had been stationed on the defensive front for Azur Lane while the group including Wales, Enterprise, and Her Majesty had been away. Now, however, she was here to deliver some positive news that would make the young Unicorn's day.

"Greetings everyone. Laffey, good to see you."

"Mm… Hello… "

"Hello, King George."

"I have some news to share with you all that is sure to make your day more interesting. Especially you, Unicorn."

"Me? I don't understand?" she replied, tilting her head while holding onto her plushie.

A smile graced King George's lips as she relayed the news.

"I've just received a call from Her Majesty. They are about 30 minutes away from making it back to base."

This got the young girl's eyes widening and for her to jump up in her seat startling everyone.

"He's almost here!? I-I need to hurry!" Unicorn stated getting ready to bolt out of there but was soon held by the blonde-haired woman's hand.

"Whoa there, Unicorn. Take it slow. Yes, Sora and Her Majesty are almost here. You have enough time to prepare."

"No! You've got it wrong. I don't have enough time to finish Big Brother's gift. I still need to get it painted and put together. I-I need to find Dido or Sirius quick."

Seeing the eagerness in her eyes, George couldn't help but feel a ping in her heart. Seeing the young girl want to do something nice for the boy who had come into her life and protected her from harm as well as becoming something of a brother figure was enough to make her feel warm. She wanted to help in this matter.

"Ok. I understand. In that case, Laffey. Javelin. May I ask for your help?"

Curious about what King George had to say, the two girls snapped to attention and nodded eagerly.

"Yep! You can count on us. Isn't that right, Laffey?"

"*Yawn* Uh-huh…"

Filled with earnestness, King George would support Unicorn in her project which she seemed to be putting her heart and soul into.

"Now then, Unicorn, where do we go from here?"

Taking the lead in this task, the young purple-haired girl clutched her plushie tightly in one hand while the other held onto the strange item she picked up. Time was against them, but she would work to make it count and be ready for when Sora returned.

"We need art supplies and then Dido's help with putting it together. After that, it'll take time to cool down so… maybe something cold to help it cool faster?"

With a plan in mind, the girls set out to complete this task all before the Guardian of Light could make it back. It was a race to the finish but with their hearts set to complete this project, they would get it done.

---

Elsewhere in the middle of the Pacific

Staring out at the cloudy sky around her, the Indomitable Black Dragon Eagle Union kansen, New Jersey, let out a tired and bored groan.

"*Groan*"

"…"

"*GROAN*"

"…What are you doing, New Jersey?" another girl called out to her from the side.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm bored!"

"You know, you should find some solace now."

"Solace? What does that mean? We've been out here for days now when we could have been on the front lines with Enterprise and the others fighting back against the Sakura Empire and saving that new guy that showed up" New Jersey explained while folding her arms across her large chest and frowning.

The two other girls with her were also Eagle Union kansen by the name of San Francisco and Boise. They had been assigned by the high command to monitor this sector of the Pacific Ocean and watch for any Siren activity.

"You forget, NJ, that we're now allies with the Sakura Empire and pretty much the entirety of the Red Axis" Boise clarified to her friend.

"I know that! But still, I bet Enty and Wales and everyone else part of the mission had quite the time fighting back against the Sirens and those new monsters we were told about."

"Heh, I wonder how dangerous those new foes really are. Based on the reports sent our way, they don't seem all that bad unless they group up" San Francisco replied while swinging around a baseball bat.

Suffice it to say, the information that had been broadcast to them about everything that was going on in the Sakura Empire was beyond any of their predictions. Hearing that the Sirens were now working with an unknown enemy faction that made them twice as dangerous was something to worry about. But with the help of this boy, Sora, they felt that things were going to get even more interesting.

However, before any of the three girls could say another word their radio channels started picking up a voice.

".*.*.*. Co-.*.*. Come in!? Hello? New Jersey? San Fran- *.*.*. Bois- *.*.*. * Anyone?"

"Huh? What was that?"

"That sounded like- "

"Vanguard?"

The other girl being mentioned was a Royal Navy kansen by the name of Vanguard. She was also assigned the task of monitoring the Pacific with New Jersey and had brought along a few other Royal Navy girls. Together, this group of Eagle Union and Royal Navy girls consisted of six.

"Hello? Come in? We hear you, Vanguard."

"bbbbbzzzzzttttttt"

"What is going on? Why are the radio channels being cut out? And why does it sound so… different" San Francisco questioned out loud.

"I don't know. They were just working fine a few minutes ago" Boise responded.

Beginning to slap her radio frequency module, New Jersey was able to land a connection.

"Hello? Vanguard?"

"Ah! There you are. What happened with the radio frequency?"

"Hiya! Good to hear from you and we have no clue. They just started going haywire."

A moment of silence played out on the other end of the radio before Vanguard started speaking again.

"I… see…. *.*.*.*. Report from base- *.*.*.*.* Her Majesty and- *.*.*.*. Have returned. We are now assigned to- *.*.*.*. "

Suddenly, before New Jersey could fully understand what was being said, the area around them started to feel a bit hazy. Almost like someone had coated the area in a darker tone of atmosphere with the dark clouds above them growing.

"What's going on?"

"I-I don't know! It's almost as if…"

"Report to Vanguard, NJ! This is- "

"Awwwww! Don't spoil the fun yet. We are just getting started" said another voice that didn't belong to the three girls.

Turning their heads sharply to the side, they all saw a familiar-looking Siren who was known to cause trouble wherever she was.

"Purifier! What are you doing here?" New Jersey called out to the Elite Siren.

"Oh, you know. Just… minding my own business…. Hahahaha! Just kidding. I'm here to help with the project."

"What project?" San Francisco started looking around the place.

A sly grin appeared on the white-haired girl's face as she raised her hands to the side.

"I think you know the answer to that. Take a gander around you!"

Doing as suggested, Boise didn't think much of the area around her until she realized that the water around them had come to a stop. No waves or ripples were visible on the water's surface. This was a supernatural situation playing out and the only viable option for this came to her mind instantly.

"*Gasp* We're in a Mirror Sea?!"

"Yep! Bingo! You got it on the first try! Though, to be fair it was kind of a dead giveaway."

New Jersey scowled at this and summoned her riggings and pointed them right at Purifier. The others did the same and ready themselves for a fight.

"How about you let us out and we don't have to send you in parts back to your Siren buddies" NJ commented with a bit of attitude.

"Naaaaah. Where's the fun in that? Besides, you won't be fighting me."

"What does that- "

Raising her right hand, Purifier snapped her fingers and let out a gleeful chuckle.

"Oh, boys!"

Suddenly, multiple dark portals appeared all around the three kansens leaving them utterly confused.

"How is… what is this?" Boise mumbled.

"I don't know but we need to- Watch out!" San Francisco cried out before swinging her bat forward and hitting a dark figure back.

Soon enough, all the portals started allowing tall, dark figures with weird long horns on their heads and long claw-like hands to appear. The creatures had distinctive dark-colored bodies with some white veins coursing through their legs and head. To top it all off, the monsters had bright yellow eyes that looked lifeless.

"What are these!?" New Jersey yelled out.

"They look like… what the report said that Enty and the others encountered. The Heart stealers are what I think their name was" San Francisco muttered.

"I think it was more like Heartless" Boise clarified.

"Hearts stealers or Heartless it doesn't matter! They are still going down!" New Jersey proclaimed before firing her riggings at a group of monsters blasting them away.

However, to her total surprise, the monsters simply crawled back to their feet and got down into a pouncing stance. Their emotionless faces were causing a sensation of goosebumps to go up the girls' bodies. This was a foe that they'd never faced before. They would need to be always on guard.

"Hoo boy! I didn't think they were that strong?! They wipe the floor with the smaller ones. These guys can take a hit. But can they dish out a hit as well? Let's find out!" Purifier rambled out.

This would soon lead to a conflicting sequence of events for New Jersey, San Francisco, and Boise. Along with Vanguard and the other girls who accompanied her. Moreover, this would also be the starting point for the Sirens' next act. Acquiring the dark power from the formless figure known as Darkness would come in handy now.

A start to a more experimental campaign for the Sirens and now the Heartless.

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*A/N* - So… it's been a minute. Ahaha. I feel like I keep saying that every time I post a new chapter for any of my stories. However, this time around I have another… valid… excuse. Nah. I'm gonna own up to it. I got plagued with life. What was once a day that allowed me to crank out a hefty amount of work toward a chapter has now become nonexistent. I apologize for that as well as take the blame.

*Ahem* Now then, moving past my choppy apology for the long wait, I can't wait for this next arc that's coming up. It has to do with Mirror Seas, Heartless and Sirens working together, Darkness being mysterious, and Sora dealing with a little-known challenge as an island full of girls who are falling for him. Things may not play out as you expect or want, and I apologize for that. But to be honest… that's what makes this story and any story so much fun and intriguing to read. If everything was plain and simple, then wouldn't it be boring? Either way, sorry for that little blurb of words.

Thanks for checking this chapter out and continuing to show interest in this story. I would say to expect chapters more frequently but… I'm not going to say that. I can't when my busy life is unpredictable now. However, I will say it's always a joy to see/read all the comments about this story. All feedback is constructive and considered. I know I'm not a genius when it comes to writing these stories but it's still fun either way. Again, thanks for stopping by, and until next time… take care out there in this crazy world of ours.