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]

12. Chapter 11: Conversations and Conflicts

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

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*A/N - Hey there, hope you're doing well. Been a minute since we picked up on Sora's adventure in the world of Azur Lane. Figured now would be the best time to get back on track and see what else awaits him. This will be a hefty chapter as many things will be happening. I originally had this clocked at 20k but decided to split a good chunk of the fighting into the next chapter. Elements of Light and Darkness will begin crossing paths for the first time in this world. Sora will be making some new friends and learning more about this world. Things are going to get crazy. Therefore, I wish you all well and hope that you'll stick around for the story as there are many things to come. Take care and enjoy this chapter.

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After having left the council room where he met Lady Nagato, Sora followed Shinano and Kashino to somewhere more comfortable where they could have a two-way conversation and ask all the questions they wanted. Along the way, he began to explain what happened during the Sakura Empire's attack on Azur Lane and how he was engaged in battle with Zuikaku when he had to rush and save Unicorn from Kaga in her fox form. He also mentioned steering one of Kaga's planes right into her which knocked her down and stunned her which threw Akagi to act.

That caught the two girls' attention and gave Shinano something to think about in the depths of her mind. Akagi had been acting rather strange as of late. Or well, stranger than usual. Alas, this thought would have to be saved for a later time.

Walking along a road that was paved, Sora noticed all the food stands and the stores being run by many different girls whom he guessed were also kansens. It seemed like everyone was minding their business going and going about their day running around or chatting with friends. That was until one girl spotted Sora walking behind Kashino and she pointed at him which drew the attention of everyone else in the area.

Left standing there awkwardly and at the center of attention, Sora could only raise his hand and wave at everyone.

"H-hey there. Nice to meet you all…" Sora said, bringing his free hand to ruffle the back of his head while awkwardly laughing.

Before any of the girls could yell or run up to him, Shinano stepped to Sora's side which caught the girls off guard and stopped them in their tracks.

"It's all right… Sora is not a threat" Shinano said, which made most of the girls confused.

"B-but Lady Shinano, that boy is the enemy! Kaga and Akagi told us that he is with Azur Lane" one of the girls said.

"That is Lady Akagi and Kaga's opinion on the matter. But … I believe that Sora is not our enemy. Even if he is aligned with Azur Lane, right now, he is my friend" Shinano said loud and clear for everyone to hear.

The rest of the girls had uneasy looks on their faces. It was one thing to hear from your senpais about a strange boy being considered an enemy and listening to them. But now to hear it from someone else that had not only brought prosperity to the Sakura Empire but been a beacon of wisdom and light to say that this boy was not the enemy left the girls confused.

However, one girl decided to step forward and take a few steps toward Sora and was only a few feet away from him while she scanned the boy up and down noticing his spiky hair, strange clothing, and crown necklace. The girl then looked over at Shinano before nodding and looking back at Sora.

"If what Lady Shinano says about you is true, then I'll be the first to welcome you to the Sakura Empire" The girl then closed her eyes and let a moment pass before she glared at Sora. "But… if you so much as lay a finger on Lady Shinano or betray her judgment, then you'll be granted a cruel fate"

Sora could only pale at the girl's threat. One minute she's coming off as somewhat friendly and the next not so much. At the same time, he took notice of the girl's appearance and could see that she had the appearance of a schoolgirl with black leggings and a dark shirt and skirt that gave off a uniform theme. Along with two horns coming from the top of her head with long dark hair reaching past her shoulders.

"It's all right, Noshiro, I trust Sora. You don't need to worry… about anything" Shinano spoke up.

"...ok. I'll trust your judgment, Lady Shinano" Noshiro responded.

After the girl now known as Noshiro calmed down the other girls in the area slowly made their way to both Shinano and Sora asking the two questions about what happened at the meeting. Sora had a feeling that this was going to become a common routine. But before he could say or do anything else, one girl began to laugh quite loudly which drew everyone's attention to her.

"Aha-ha-ha-ha!" said the girl who was now at the center of attention.

Sora turned to look at the girl and could now make out some of her characteristics. The girl had long silver hair that was tied in two pigtails with several ribbons spread out on her head. She had orange eyes and cat ears on top while wearing a cropped white sleeveless sailor uniform with a black collar and a red bow over her black frilled crop top. She also had on a black miniskirt with white linings and frills attached by black suspenders, white thigh-high socks with red trims, and gray shoes with black ribbons tied on each arm.

Now with everyone's attention on her, the girl pointed at Sora and began to speak in a haughty tone of voice.

"Worry not everyone! If Lady Akagi and Lady Kaga were able to defeat this boy during their fight, then we have nothing to worry about. If it were up to me, Yukikaze, then I would have no trouble beating both Eagle Union and the Royal Navy" the girl now identified as Yukikaze said for everyone to hear.

Biting his tongue so that he didn't cause any more trouble, Sora could only let out a sigh while internally shaking his head at what Yukikaze said. Frankly, he only fought Kaga but that was only when she was in her large fox form. The two haven't really had a real duel yet so there is no real way to say who would win in a fight. Besides, he hasn't had a start-to-finish fight with anyone while being in this world. The fight with Ayanami was short and the duel he had against Zuikaku was abruptly stopped when he went to save Unicorn.

But his thoughts would be dispersed as Shinano began to speak to Yuikaze.

"Yukikaze… while it is good to see you have much confidence in yourself, you must remember to not underestimate your foes" Shinano stated.

"Lady Shinano, it's great to see you again, but why would I need to worry about underestimating my enemies? You've seen my strength before, haven't you?" Yukikaze asked, putting her arms on her hips and striking a pose.

"I have and I will say you are both strong and determined… but you're not getting the full picture here, Yukikaze"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yukikaze asked, dropping her stance and now having a confused expression.

"Sora was not beaten by either Akagi or Kaga… he offered himself willingly as a prisoner to save his friends from the surprise attack on Azur Lane" Shinano explained.

"...huh? But I thought… after Lady Akagi said… then…" Yukikaze was having a mental dilemma about the whole thing. She misread the situation and didn't get the exact picture of what happened.

"Then… how strong is he?" one of the girls asked, pointing to Sora who waved at her.

None of the girls in attendance said anything as they were all considering just how strong Sora was. They had underestimated the boy and were now growing a little concerned over the boy's power. To put them even more on edge, Sora offered a friendly smile to everyone in an act of kindness. But that's not what the girls thought.

Shinano decided that the girls' questions could be asked later once things calmed down and Nagato gave her decision on the whole Heartless and Siren situation.

"Everyone… Please, I ask that you hold your questions for later. After Lady Nagato has given her decision on what to do next, then you can ask both Sora and I questions you might have" Shinano said, calming everyone down.

Hearing this, most of the girls simply nodded and chatted amongst themselves before deciding to disperse and go about their activities or continue what they were doing beforehand. Noshiro stayed for a moment longer before she also joined the other girls in going about their day. Most of the area was clear except for a certain girl with cat ears still standing by.

"Yukikaze, what seems to be the matter?" Shinano asked, not sure what was going on with the girl.

"N-nothing! I'm just merely watching this boy to see if he does anything wrong. And as soon as he does, I'll be the first to jump and get the best of him" Yukikaze stammered which earned an eyebrow raise from Sora.

"I see… well then, we will be heading off as well. Take care" Shinano said while bowing to the girl before beginning to walk away.

Sora, left confused about what was happening, just gave Yukikaze a slight nod while also following behind Shinano. Kashino also began to walk away. Left alone in the same spot she had been for a minute now, Yukikaze could not wrap her head around what was happening. Didn't Lady Akagi and Kaga say that they beat the boy and brought him as a prisoner? Did they lie? Did she just make that up in her head?

These thoughts and many more began to become plotted in Yukikaze's mind as she wasn't sure what was happening. The only thing she did know was that Sora was a strange individual which meant that there was more than meets the eye with him, and that made Yukikaze worried.

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Having walked for a solid minute now, Sora noticed a large open area that had many different flowers sprouting out of the ground with a variety of colors. The area reminded him of some of the scenery that he noticed back in Rapunzel's world and the beautiful colors present. Now looking at the area around him there were more different colors in the flowers which caught his attention immediately

Before he could get lost in the flowers, Kashino called out to him signaling that they had arrived. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sora followed her to what appeared to be an outside lounge that offered a great sight of the ocean and the island. In the lounge were several chairs with what appeared to be a teapot on the table. Shinano was the first to take a seat followed by Kashino. Sora also took a seat while the two began to pour themselves a cup.

"Would you care for some tea, Sora?" Kashino asked, offering the boy a cup.

"Sure. I'd like that"

Placing the cup down on the table, Kashino began to pour the tea into a cup and once done put the teapot down and handed Sora the tea which he greatly appreciated and thanked her for. Taking a sip of the tea, Sora was greatly surprised by how good the beverage was and had a large smile. After a moment passed of everyone enjoying their tea Shinano was the first to place down her cup and let out a relaxed sigh. She then closed her eyes and seemed to ponder something before opening them and speaking to Sora.

"Sora… could I ask you some questions?"

"Of course! I'm all ears"

"All right. Well, the first thing I want to ask… or rather the thing that's bothering me is my vision" Shinano explained.

Sora perked up hearing that her dream was giving her some distress. What could be bothering her?

"When I was shown the scenery of the Sakura Empire being consumed by the Sirens and darkness that didn't exactly need any explanation. But… when I appeared in that… plain of existence…" Shinano brought both of her hands together close to her chest and looked down at them while recalling the sight she saw.

"It was a sight that I've never seen before in my life… It was breathtaking, to say the least. If there was ever a place that I would like to visit once more, then that would be the place"

"That place you're talking about was the water place, right?" Sora questioned.

"Yes. That place…"

"That place is called The Final World" Sora answered, leaving Shinano and Kashino who were listening intently both stunned that he knew of the place.

"Y-you know what that place is?" Kashino asked.

"Yeah. I'm familiar with that place"

"Can you tell me more about this place? That place… there's something about that place that I can't put my finger on. It's also making my heart race" Shinano said, looking right at Sora.

Taking a second to gather his thoughts, Sora knew that explaining everything about the Final World would be quite confusing but if he needed to then he would clear up any confusion. Nodding to himself and the girls, he began to elaborate on that world.

"Well, the best way I can explain that place is that it's a place where the edges of sleep and death touch"

"Edges of sleep and death…" Shinano murmured, taking in everything Sora was saying.

"I was told that one couldn't help the occasional crossover. But if someone's heart and body were to perish and they had the strength to push on, then they would appear in the Final World" Sora explained.

Kashino was baffled beyond belief and had to wrap her head around everything she was hearing. Shinano on the other hand was thinking about something after hearing Sora's explanation. 'If this Final World is accessible by chance through sleep, then… Why have I not visited this place before?'

Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to ask more about this place, Shinano asked her question to Sora.

"Sora, if you can reach this place through sleep… Can you please explain why this is the first time I am seeing it through a vision?"

"You have the ability to see visions or premonitions of the future, right, Shinano?" Sora asked, wanting to clarify something.

"Yes. To see destiny, yet to be unable to change it…" Shinano replied.

"Destiny huh? Sora muttered, grasping his right hand. Thoughts of the Keyblade War came rushing back at him.

"To answer your question, Shinano. It's honestly your choice. An unconscious one that you don't really get to make" Sora responded. "And…usually only a heart is able to reach the Final World"

"Only a heart? What the… What does that mean?" Kashino asked, now completely lost at what was being said.

"A heart… Sora, could you explain what you mean" Shinano asked, having an inkling of what he meant but still wanting confirmation.

"Hmm... Right. I probably should have clarified some things at the start ehehe. My bad" Sora said, chuckling at how confusing this must've sounded. "Well, I guess the easiest way to think about a heart is that it's your feelings and the hope you have within yourself that gives you strength that you might have never known about. Memories also play into how your heart is formed. The aspect of light and darkness also help form your heart"

Shinano and Kashino both looked at each other and had a lot to think about. Hearing that you had a physical organ heart but another heart that involved your feelings and the idea of light and darkness was a lot to take in. But at the same time, it all sounded believable. Both of the girls realized that they were beings that were given life and form through a Wisdom Cube and used to fight against a mysterious threat that was on the verge of destroying their world.

Humming to herself, Shinano began processing her thoughts around the matter and how to proceed with the conversation. However, Kashino had a thought come to mind and was left confused and decided to announce her question.

"Sora, you said that this Final World is only accessible to those who choose to go there, but it sounds like you've been there before. Why is that?"

"I…I've been there a few times actually. Sometimes I went there unconsciously and had no idea how I got there. And not that long ago I ended up there because my heart and body had perished" Sora said which left the girls once again confused.

"Wait… perished? As in…" Kashino said but was stopped by Sora.

"Yeah… I died" Sora said, leaving a heavy feeling in the air.

Shinano and Kashino both stared at the boy and were speechless. What could they say? To hear that he had visited the Final World not only through sleep was one thing but hearing that he had visited that plane by death was a lot to take in.

"...But how are you here? You're still alive right?" Shinano asked, scanning the boy up and down seeing if there was anything off about him now.

"I'm alive and well so don't worry about that" Sora replied, brushing off her question. But deep down he had to ask himself that question. 'Was he still alive?' Shaking his head and casting that thought to the back of his mind, he continued to answer her question.

"But my friends and I were caught up in a war involving light and darkness and… things didn't go exactly as planned" Sora stopped short and let out a sigh before continuing. "It was then that I found myself in the Final World and learned from a new friend about what that place was and how to save my friends"

"A war involving light and darkness?" Kashino asked, not sure what Sora was talking about now.

"When you're talking about the darkness, do you mean the Sirens? Or the Heartless?" Kashino added.

"Not the Sirens. And the Heartless were involved but not the central driving force. But what I mean is that there was this evil organization that was starting a war involving light and darkness" Sora explained.

"Wait… a war involving light and darkness? Where… where was this taking place? Why were we not informed of this by our leaders?" Shinano asked, confused about the idea of a war taking place and not knowing about it.

"That's…" Sora stopped himself abruptly.

He knew sooner or later that he'd have to confess about being from another world in order to drive home the fact that the Heartless are dangerous beings that if not dealt with can become a real problem. However, coming right out of the gate and announcing that he's from another world might not be the right idea. Recalling how Wales and Cleveland took the news. Hence, taking a second to clean up his story while not exactly telling the truth would be his best option. And later he can clear up his story.

"The war between light and darkness took place in a barren land that was already war-torn from the last war. And… it's in a place that's not well known" Sora stated which drew the two girl's attention.

"Plus, the war was only between some people. But if the outcome of the war had played out differently, then things would have gotten worse and everyone would have seen it" Sora added.

"I take it that… that's not the case?" Shinano asked, already knowing the answer.

Nodding his head, Sora offered a small friendly smile. "Yeah. My friends and I were able to win the war and save the day. But… not all of us managed to make it out"

Kashino and Shinano's expressions shifted to a more somber and saddened look upon hearing that. They knew that feeling too well. Fighting the Sirens and having to suffer losses and injuries that hit hard both physically and mentally.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Sora," Shinano muttered.

"It's all right. I…" Before Sora could say anything else the sound of someone making their way over to them could be heard.

Turning his head to the side, Sora spotted a girl with what appeared to be a girl with large fluffy ears popping out of the top of her head and white hair sprawled past her shoulders while what appeared to be two red dots in the very front of her head. Sora wasn't sure as he was a bit away from her. The girl also looked to be young and was wearing a short black skirt with a jacket hanging off both of her shoulders while wearing what appeared to be sandals that did not look like sandals.

Not sure who this was, he was about to ask but was stopped when Shinano seemed to recognize who this was.

"Huh? Shimakaze? Is something the matter?" Shinano asked.

"N-no! Nothing is wrong, Lady Shinano. I was just informed to get Kashino for her help. Kirishima and her sisters require Kashino's help" the girl now known as Shimakaze responded.

"Me? Does Kirishima need my help? What for?" Kashino asked, surprised by the sudden request.

"I'm not sure. All I was told was that she and her sisters needed you for something but that was it" Shimakaze elaborated while casting a glance at Sora but then immediately shifting her gaze back to the others.

"I see… Well, it would be rude of me to make them wait. I apologize, Shinano but I should see what's up"

"Don't worry, Kashino… best to not keep them waiting"

Nodding her head, Kashino looked over at Sora and slightly bowed her head. "And I'm sorry Sora. I hate to leave so soon"

"Hey, it's all right. Nothing wrong with helping your friends" Sora stated, offering a smile at the thought of helping one's friends.

"Well then, I'll hopefully see you two later. See you" Kashino said before departing to wherever she was needed.

Shimakaze seemed to stop for a second as if she wanted to say something but decided against it and gave a quick bow to Shinano before she joined Kashino. However, she quickly shot Sora a look and caught his surprised expression. This must've put her on edge because she just quickly looked forward and followed Kashino.

Left confused about what happened, Sora tilted his head and was left with many questions. Shinano began to quietly giggle and brought her hand up to cover her face. She had a feeling that this would be a recurring thing for Sora.

"I take it she was shy?"

"Hmm. Yes, she was. You'll have to excuse her along with most of the girls here. Most of us kansens haven't had much contact with humans let alone a boy. It's only reasonable that some will have no idea how to really act" Shinano explained.

Reminded of how Rapunzel acted when she first saw him, Donald, and Goofy after leaving her tower for the first time.

"It can be a scary thing. Before I ran into Azur Lane and Akagi and Kaga, I'm now friends with someone who had never been outside before"

"Never been outside? How… how is that possible?"

"Her mother, well, her fake mother kidnapped her when she was younger for her power which was to heal people with her hair. All her life she was locked away in a tower with no one but her mom and her pet chameleon. But after meeting another one of my soon-to-be friends, she decided that that was the time to leave the tower, and once she did, she was amazed by everything and everyone" Sora said while recalling the energetic behavior that Rapunzel was showing off.

"That's awful… who could do such a thing to a child?" Shinano asked, anger seeping into her voice.

"Someone with bad intentions. But in the end, the fake mother succumbed to darkness which forced me and my friends to step in and help defeat her" Sora stated, remembering the wooden Heartless that appeared after Mother Gothel fell out of the tower.

Putting his hands behind his head, Sora added to the conversation. "Besides, I've met many different people in my travels and there were times that they were cautious of me and my friends. But after some time they warmed up to me and now we're friends"

Taking a moment to process what he had just said, Shinano looked down at her cup of tea and asked a head-turning question.

"...Sora. Who are you really?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"All of your stories… experiences that I doubt many have ever had the privilege of experiencing and yet… you continue to talk about more situations you've been through before" Shinano said.

"I'm…I'm not anyone really special. I just like making friends everywhere I go. Helping those in need" Sora said, speaking from his heart.

Shaking her head, Shinano did not think so. "Sora, although we have only just met each other I am confident enough to know that that is a lie. Hearing that you were involved in a war and have more than once visited a place that lies on the border of life and death…"

"You are far from being someone that's not special" Shinano finished.

Letting a small chuckle escape from his mouth, Sora figured that after everything he has been through calling himself not special would be nothing more than a lie.

"…Heh. Well, you got me" Sora muttered.

Realizing that Shinano was gradually making progress on who he really was, Sora began to think about the possibility of telling her who he was. Not a half-truth but the whole truth. But a more thorough explanation rather than just springing out the truth. There were more pros to tell her than cons at the moment. Plus, Shinano would be a very big help to him while in the Sakura Empire since he was lacking in the friend and ally department.

Taking a second to reaffirm his thinking, Sora decided to go through with it and tell her who he really was. He also mentally made a note to cook Donald a big meal the next time he saw him. A sort of hearty apology for continuing to break the world order. At this point, he would owe the mage duck a whole full-course buffet of food.

"The truth is… that I'm not from this world," Sora said, watching the white-haired woman for a reaction of some kind.

"…I see. That does make sense" Shinano said which puzzled Sora.

"Uh… what do you mean?"

"I mean that… after thinking about it carefully, over the time while we've been talking there was something about you that struck me as off" Shinano explained while reaching for her teacup and looking at the tea inside.

"To hear that a boy such as yourself was found in the middle of the ocean by Akagi and Kaga was strange. But then to hear that you offered yourself as a prisoner to save your friends was even stranger. Most humans wouldn't dare think of doing something like that. And now…speaking with you and listening to the many things you have experienced. You truly are special which is why it makes sense that you are from another world" Shinano stated.

"When you put it like that…" Sora said, thinking about everything that had happened in the short time he was in this world.

"The real question I would like to ask you, Sora… is how did fate manage to place you here in this world?"

Closing his eyes and preparing his explanation, Sora let his heart do the talking.

"Going back to what I was talking about regarding the war for light and darkness. I mentioned that not everyone managed to make it out…" Sora said, noticing that Shinano nodded her head and remembered the topic from earlier.

"Well, that's true but not the whole truth. You see, in order for us to win the war… I had to break some rules. Rules that would I have to pay the price for…" Bringing a hand close to his heart, Sora began telling Shinano his story. "One of my best friends, Kairi, was struck down by one of the members of the evil organization called Organization XIII. They were the ones who wanted to start the war. We were winning the fight but as a last-ditch effort to cause the war to reach its conclusion, the leader of the organization was the one to strike Kairi"

Shinano couldn't believe that Sora had to experience something as dire and gruesome as this war for light and darkness. She wanted to say something or at least console him but decided to hear the rest of his story first.

"After the leader did that… it seemed like we lost. But… with the help of my friends, we were able to defeat the leader and stop the war. However, I couldn't stand by while Kairi was gone. So, I did something reckless…"

"Reckless? In a war… I doubt anything you do would be deemed as such" Shinano stated.

"…I used my power to travel back in time to save Kairi," Sora flat-out said.

Hearing this, Shinano didn't exactly react or do anything for a solid minute. Her mind kept replaying what Sora had just said, not sure if she heard right or imagined what he said. It wasn't until she looked over at him and saw the small comforting yet understanding smile on his lips did, she truly realized what he said was the truth.

If she were standing, then she would've stumbled for a seat to process everything but since she was already sitting, Shinano could only slump back in her seat and begin to unravel every sort of question that popped up in her head. Time travel. Such as foreign and unimaginable power truly existed. And such a deed was done by the man sitting in front of her now. She had to ask…

"Did…were there consequences for using such power?"

"Yes. There were consequences for using time travel the way I did it. I used a power called the Power of Waking. I…I still don't really know how it works but I managed to restore my friends' hearts before so I figured that I could do the same thing again. But this time was much different. I ended up reliving the war over again trying to find a way to save Kairi" Sora said while remembering Chirithy's words about how the Power of Waking should have been used correctly via traversing hearts to worlds and not the other way around.

"Having to relive a war you had just won in order to find a way to save your friend…" Shinano repeated, bewildered by the boy's conviction and determination to save his friend.

"I would've done it for any one of my friends. Besides, I couldn't just leave her all alone" Sora told her.

"Be that as it may… by using this Power of Waking, you managed to save your friend?" Shinano asked, leading Sora to answer.

"Yeah. I managed to bring Kairi back home but… the cost of doing so was that I would vanish from my world and lose my powers leaving me no way to return" Sora somberly said but continued to tell his story before Shinano could say anything. "By then I was already out of time and my entire body began to fade away. I only had enough time to get her back to the others… I didn't even get to say anything to them" Sora replied, sadness could be heard in his voice.

"…" Shinano didn't quite know what to say. What could she say in a situation like this? Sora risked his life to bring back someone from the dead and still ended up vanishing from his world. Fate truly was evil in Sora's case.

"After I vanished, I ended up in another version of the Final World where instead of it being in the daytime it was now at night. I…" Once again, Sora stopped himself from explaining too much right now and decided to brush the confrontation with Yozora to the side… for now.

"I wasn't there long and the next thing I knew was that I woke up in the middle of the ocean which is how I ended up running into the Sirens, Akagi, Kaga, and Enterprise" Sora stated, having explained a very short and sweet recap of his situation.

"…Sora"

"Hmm?"

"Do you… Do you believe it was fate that led to you appearing in this world?" Shinano asked, throwing the Keyblade wielder off guard.

"Huh? Fate…" Contemplating on an answer, Sora crossed his arms and decided to give an honest answer. "I'm not sure about fate. But… if I had to guess then I would say it was my heart that led me here"

"Your heart?"

"Mm. Following my heart is something I'm quite good at!" Sora cheerfully said, while having a bright smile on his face. "Maybe… my heart could sense that this world needed some help and just pulled me here unconsciously?"

Left speechless and with even more questions, Shinano could only cast those thoughts aside as she marveled at Sora's positivity. A beacon to shine away the darkness. Someone to step in and help without even knowing what was going on. Such a strange individual.

"You're not wrong. Whether it be by fate or… your heart. This world does need help"

"The Sirens… and now the Heartless" Sora responded with a frown.

Raising her cup of tea and taking a sip, Shinano placed her cup down and directed her full attention to Sora which he noticed. She had one thought appear in her head and it made her body tense up. Her vision…

"Sora… hearing your story and the hardships you've gone through, I know it is unwise of me to ask this but…" Bringing a hand over her heart and letting one of her ears move slightly, Shinano spoke true to her heart. "I ask you to please help us. Please help me save my friends and my home… I don't know what lies ahead in the future. And I don't know how we will persevere, but what I do know is that you are important. Seeing you not only in my vision but here now and at this time…"

"Shinano…you don't even have to ask," Sora said, stopping her from saying anything else.

"I was already intent on helping everyone. I can't just sit by while the Heartless are working with the Sirens. I'm following my heart and it's telling me this is the right path to follow" Sora added.

Not having anything else to say, Shinano could only look at the boy in front of her and offer a friendly smile. To think that her vision would lead her to meet someone like Sora. Before she could speak up, a girl appeared to be walking closer to the two. This caused Sora to stand up and see who was coming. He was surprised when he saw a familiar face.

"Shoukaku? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, you two. Glad to see you're getting along well. Not too well I hope~" Shoukaku said, making Shinano's ears move a bit after hearing that comment.

"And to answer your question, Zuikaku and our friends sent me here to get you two. Our friends wanted to see and get to talk with you"

"Huh… I take it you talked about me?" Sora said, ruffling the back of his head.

"Yep. How could we not? Besides, Zuikaku was gushing about you and how your skills with your blade are top-notch and that you have definitely had experience fighting" Shoukaku explained.

"Well, I wouldn't want to make them wait too long" *Turning to look at Shinano* "What do you think, Shinano? Is there anything else we should talk about?"

"I don't believe so. Of course, there are other topics we could discuss but perhaps… it would be best to wait until after Lady Nagato has given her decision on the alliance with the Sirens and the Red Axis" Shinano stated.

"Right. Shall we head off then?"

"Mm… Let us make haste. Shoukaku, please lead the way"

"Of course! This way Sora. Our friends have much to talk about with you" Shoukaku said while leading the two to another location.

Sora couldn't help but wonder just what the crane sisters' friends were like. Maybe they also had animal characteristics on them? Or maybe they had a lot to say?

At the very least, he hoped that he could get along with them and become friends.

---

Under the Sakura Empire in a hidden cave

A faint purple glow could be seen spreading throughout the cave managing to brighten the once dimly illuminated cave. However, the source of the light was coming from an object. A Wisdom Cube to be exact, only that this cube was covered in a purple color and was glowing very brightly.

Moreover, the one holding the cube was none other than Akagi who had her eyes closed and seemed to be concentrating. As she continued to do so, the cube began to pulse while making a strange noise.

All while this was happening, the Siren Observer was watching the kitsune woman with a sly mischievous grin on her face. Everything was going according to plan.

"Heh…it shouldn't be too long now. Preparations are already in place. The only thing we need now is the kitsune hag to finish and… the boy" Observer thought in her head.

It would still be a minute before Akagi was able to enhance herself with the dark cube's power. That should be enough time for the others to arrive and get the party started. A swift surprise attack would leave the Sakura Empire weakened and ready to be devoured.

Raising her left hand in front of her, Observer twisted her hand like she was rotating something. However, once was finished rotating her hand, a sudden yellow light appeared in front of her that looked like radio waves appeared out of thin air. Observer then began to speak into the radio waves.

"Purifier…"

"Ah! It's about time! I take it the kitsune lady is done with her so-called power to save her dead sister?"

"No, she's not done yet. I'll say though, she's taking her sweet time. Either way, it won't be that long until she's done. Once she is then it'll be easy for me to give her the… push she needs" Observer said while glancing at Akagi who seemed to be grimacing like she was having a bad thought or bad dream.

"In any case, once she's done, I'll give you the go-ahead to strike the island" Observer added, petting one of her tentacles that wrapped around her hand.

"Ooh! I'm getting all excited"

"Remember, once the attack begins, the boy is our main goal" Observer stated.

"The boy, huh? So what? We just kidnap him and take his car keys? Why is he known as the key?"

Hearing this, Observer could only close her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. Sometimes stupidity was so far deep in one's mind that no matter what one said it would come out as idiotic.

"No. As we've been told countless times, that boy holds a special power. A power that we could use to achieve all of our goals" Observer said, staring at the radio waves and waiting for feedback.

"You mean destroying not only Azur Lane but the whole world? We're already strong enough to wipe the floor with that bowling lane of kansens. Why do we need this guy?"

"You're thinking inside the box, Purifier. The evolution of a living being is such an interesting thing don't you think? But the real question is if there was a way to speed up the process wouldn't you want to find that path?" Observer asked, silencing the other Siren on the call.

"…I take it that's the reason the boy is the key?"

"That's one of the reasons. The other… well, best leave that as a surprise. Just know that the boy is more than meets the eye"

"In what way?"

"In that, he's seen far more than either you or I have seen…"

"That's cryptic. You been spying on him in his sleep?"

"No. But our empress has been granted a glimpse of just who he is"

"Well… I certainly can't wait to get a closer look at him now!"

Before Observer could say anything else, she heard what sounded like an electronic pulse begin to speed up and the cave get brighter and brighter. She turned to look at the source and found Akagi with a strained look on her face while dark energy began to appear all around her. A smile could be seen on Observer's face as she realized that her plan was now ready to begin.

"Purifier…it seems like you'll be getting your chance sooner than you think. It's time"

A gleeful but maniacal laughter could be heard through the radio waves before the line was cut and the call was dismissed. Observer began to slowly walk toward the kitsune and scanned her up and down to see if there had been any change. Luckily, the dark cube started glowing extremely brightly, managing to cause Observer to close her eyes and wait for the light to dim down.

Once she opened her eyes, she was met with a sight that caused her to smirk. There in front of her was Akagi. However, there was something off about the kitsune. Instead of having a pained or confused expression on her face, Akagi had a dead-panned stare while staring right at Observer. On top of that, Akagi's eyes seemed to be almost dilated but had a dark red glow to them. In addition, all around the kitsune was a dark aura that surrounded her.

Looking at all the differences with Akagi, Observer knew that her plan was successfully accomplished. Now, it was time for her to get things in motion. Snapping her fingers in front of Akagi, the long brown-haired woman looked at Observer with a blank stare still on her face.

"Hello, Akagi. I take it that you are still adjusting to your new power. While I wish we had more time for you to get used to said power, things are already in motion"

"…" Akagi remained silent.

"With that in mind, for you to fully complete your goal, you'll need to do a little something before you can save your sister" Observer said which seemed to get Akagi's attention.

"…Amagi…"

"Yes. Your sister. To save her, there's something you need to do…" Observer said while slowly walking closer to her and coming up to her ear and whispering what it was, she needed to do. "I need you to bring me a certain prisoner that you brought to your home. You know whom I'm talking about. Bring him to me. By any means necessary. Once you do that, Amagi will be saved"

Hearing that her sister could be saved, Akagi seemed to close her and take a second to process something before her eyes opened and had a bright red glow that changed to purple. It also seemed like Akagi gained hold of herself and shook her head.

"Sora…"

Observer couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her lips. Things were about to get interesting.

---

Back with Sora

Having followed Shoukaku for a minute passing by many different stylized buildings and continuing to get weird stares from some of the other girls the trio managed to come across a large building with many open windows.

"Everyone is in the back. There's a small lounging area and training dummies all around the place" Shoukaku explained.

"Training dummies?" Sora muttered, confused by what the white-haired girl said.

Making their way around the building, Sora was met with an intriguing sight in front of him. There sitting in the apparent lounge were several girls that he hadn't met before. In the center of the area were what appeared to be several training dummies that looked worn down and even had parts sliced off.

Taking a look at the girls in the lounge, Sora spotted four other girls along with a familiar face that belonged to Zuikaku. Getting a better glance at the girls, he began to notice them one by one.

The first girl he noticed had a very… attractive figure with black waist-length hair tied with a white ribbon. This girl had what appeared to be wolf or dog ears on the top of her head while wearing a white military uniform with a white skirt and black thigh-high socks. She also seemed to be wearing white high heels and white gloves. All in all, she appeared to be prim and proper along with matching.

Another girl, Sora noticed had a slender frame with dark-blue waist-length hair with what appeared to be long bunny ears popping out of her head. She wore a dark green uniform with round glasses and a green skirt with black ribbons attached to her clothes.

The next girl he saw appeared to be the smallest in the group and had long pink hair tied in a ponytail with a piece of her hair sticking up. This girl also had a small pair of horns sticking out of her head with pink eyes. A black ribbon was laced around her neck, and she had on a black kimono.

The last girl that was present had a similar military outfit that the first girl with wolf or dog ears wore. Alas, this girl also had an attractive figure with her black hair tied into a ponytail with a white ribbon. The difference with this girl's appearance was that she had black shoes on instead of high heels.

And then there was Zuikaku who spotted Sora and gave him a friendly smile now that the two were friends.

"There you two are. We thought you would take all day" Zuikaku said.

"Heh. Sorry about that. Wanted to take in all the sights" Sora replied.

"Oh, don't be so harsh on them Zuikaku. Anyone would be excited to see somewhere new for the first time" *Looking over at Shinano* "Hello Lady Shinano, it's good to see up and about" said the girl with the white high heels and dog/wolf ears.

"Hello Atago… thank you for inviting us here"

"Nonsense! You're always invited here even if it's to take a nap or chat. We love the company. Besides, everyone on the island has been wondering about the boy that arrived here with Akagi and Kaga" the girl now identified as Atago said.

"I take it that you're Sora?" Atago asked.

"Yep! That's me. It's nice to meet everyone"

"Hmm. Likewise, Sora. Zuikaku has told us a bit about all that has gone down" the girl with the black ponytail said.

"I hope nothing bad…err… miss?" Sora said, not sure about the girl's name.

"Do forgive me. My name is Takao. As you might have guessed…" Takao said pointing to Atago before continuing to introduce herself. "Atago and I have similar appearances. That's because she is my sister. Older sister to be exact"

"Oh, Takao. Don't sound so upset. Your big sis will always be here for you. It's not that strange for every big sister to shower their younger sister with love. Isn't that right Shoukaku?" Atago stated, shooting the white crane a smile.

"You're right about that" Shoukaku replied while giving Atago a thumbs up and looking over at Zuikaku who closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"But enough about sisters. Sora, let me introduce the others" Raising her hand, Takao pointed to the pink-haired girl first. "May I introduce you to Ikazuchi"

Now in the spotlight, Ikazuchi gave Sora a peace sign while having a cheerful smile on her face.

"Hiya! Nice to meet you, Sora. You're not as scary as I heard you were"

"Scary?"

"Never mind that. Next, I'd like to introduce you to Souryuu" Takao said to him.

"Greetings, Sora. It's a pleasure to finally meet the man who has been throwing the island into chaos" Souryuu replied.

"Y-Yeah. Nice to meet you. Honestly, it's nice to meet everyone. I hope we can get along even though I'm sort of a prisoner. Haha," Sora added.

Putting a hand on her hip, Atago couldn't help but look Sora up and down noticing his stylish jacket, spiky hair, cerulean blue eyes, and the crown around his neck. She couldn't help but find the boy cute and interesting.

"Say, Sora, you wouldn't be against me being…" Atago didn't get to finish what she was saying as Takao stopped her.

"Sora. While I'm sure everyone has questions for you, would be so kind as to listen to a request of mine" Takao said, making sure Atago didn't ask Sora something embarrassing.

*Giggle* *Giggle*

Off to the side, Ikazuchi had her hands clasped over her mouth to prevent her from laughing anymore but was doing a bad job stopping herself from giggling. Shoukaku also seemed to stifle a laugh at the sight of poor Atago getting shot down.

"Should have figured" Souryuu said while shaking her head and smirking.

"Uhm… sure. What's on your mind?" Sora said, confused about what the other girls were thinking.

"It is said that to get to know someone better, the way of doing so is by crossing blades. And judging by how Zuikaku managed to ramble on about you being a skilled warrior…"

"Hey!" Zuikaku yelled.

"I wish to see for myself. Besides, while we were told that you would pose no threat, I still wish to see your ability as a fighter. If that is all right with you, of course," Takao said, having a thoughtful expression.

Taking a moment to think about her offer, Sora had no problem at all with her request. Plus, this could be a chance to learn something new that he could use in battle. And it could hopefully win everyone else's trust in him.

"Sure! I don't mind at all, Takao" Sora replied.

"Excellent. Now then, shall we get ready? We can have our duel here just have to move aside the training dummies" Takao said while gesturing to the downed training dummies.

With everyone's help, they all gathered the broken pieces from the training dummies and cleared the area so that Sora and Takao would have room to commence their duel. Shinano and Souryuu took a seat in the lounge chairs with Ikazuchi leaning back in her chair getting comfortable. Zuikaku, Shoukaku, and Takao stood up and watched from the side, becoming excited at what was to come.

Back in the arena, Sora was standing a good distance away from Takao and began to analyze his opponent. There she stood with her body positioned in such a way that she had one of her hands on the sheath of her weapon and the other on the handle of her blade. Seeing that he should get ready, he raised his right hand in front of him and summoned the Kingdom Key in a flash of blue light which caused the new girls to gasp at the sight.

"Huh? Is that…" Souryuu started saying.

"My house key?" Ikazuchi said with a cheeky smile.

"A giant key? That's a strange weapon to consider a blade" Atago said, admiring the weapon and spotting the three circled objects dangling at the bottom of the handle.

Takao from her perspective had many questions about Sora's weapon let alone the fact that he summoned it out of nowhere. It didn't appear that he used any Wisdom Cube or any slight hand trick. This left her stumped.

"Sora, that's a unique weapon you have there" Takao stated.

"Mm. It's called the Keyblade and it's been with me for a long time now" Sora responded while looking down at his weapon and holding onto it tightly.

Flashes of his previous adventures and the many difficult battles that he had to go through while using his Keyblade. So many adventures with his Keyblade. He still didn't know everything about the weapon but what he did know was that he owed it a great deal for helping him many times.

Stepping back and winding up his arm and blade, Sora got into his signature battle stance and prepared for the duel.

However, before the duel could start, Takao seemed to take her hands off her sheath and blade and walked calmly over to Sora.

"Sora. I… This may come off as rude and I'm sorry for that, but your posture is different, to say the least"

"Ah… well…" Rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, Sora couldn't blame her for thinking that. After all, he never really did receive any lessons on how to fight or even use the Keyblade. "I'm self-taught actually"

"Huh!? Wait. Sora, you mean to tell me that you've never had any training before?" Zuikaku said, shooting from her spot on the sidelines and dashing up to the two.

"Nope. I've never had actual blade training before. When it comes to magic though I did have a couple of teachers help me learn and relearn spells" Sora said, scratching his cheek.

"Magic?" Ikazuchi said from her comfortable spot.

"Is…magic not that common? Wait, does magic exist here?" Sora asked, becoming concerned about what he just said.

"Magic exists but…" Shoukaku started but her statement was finished by someone else.

"It's not exactly something that everyone can just do" Stepping closer to the boy, Shinano began to observe his weapon with a close eye.

"But that doesn't mean it's too rare. Akagi can control flames. And Lady Shinano is able to have visions that can tell the future. And…we're able to summon guns and giant ships to battle. Magic can't be any weirder than all that" Ikazuchi said, getting up from the lounge chair and joining the others.

"Still… for a human boy to be able to summon his weapon out of thin air and not use any sort of Wisdom Cube technology is interesting" Souryuu said, bringing her hand under her chin.

"You seem to get more interesting by the minute, Sora~," Atago said with a strange smile on her face.

With the topic of magic now in the minds of everyone, Takao seemed to have an idea pop into her head after she took another glance at the Keyblade and nodded her head.

"Sora. Tell me, since your weapon can conjure magic are you able to use magic in your fighting style?" Takao asked, wondering if her idea was right.

"Yeah, I am. I'm able to shoot magic spells along with using magical attacks"

"What kind of magical attacks?"

"Hmm… let's see" Bopping his free hand into the side of his head, Sora began thinking of the many various attacks he used with Keyblade. "Well, I was able to slice a building into several pieces to go and fight a dragon in the sky"

Silence filled the area as all the girls stared wide-eyed at what Sora just said almost like it was nothing that special. In fact, many more questions popped into the girls' heads as they had no idea what was even going on anymore. But one girl did realize something after hearing about Sora's feat.

"Wait a minute… does that mean you were going easy on me?!" Zuikaku shouted, getting within inches of the boy's face.

A pout could be seen on the brunette crane's face as she was both angry and flustered at the same time. Frankly, it was getting harder to tell the difference with her at this point.

"T-that's…" Before Sora could respond Shoukaku started giggling to herself which drew Zuikaku's fury.

"Now sis if I could interject and save Sora's behind. You two haven't exactly had a real start-to-finish duel yet. Only a quick… skirmish if you will. Besides, things were pretty hectic when you two did fight"

Staring back at her sister, Zuikaku couldn't help but let out a sigh and close her eyes realizing that she might've lashed out too soon. Speaking of lashing out, the crane immediately realized something and that was that she was super close to Sora right now.

Opening her eyes, she was so close to the boy that she could clearly see his blue eyes. Such a pretty color. It was also at that moment she turned into a cherry again. Jumping back several feet, Zuikaku let out a loud but cute sound. Everyone aside from Sora had a knowing smirk on their faces. Sora on his part was just confused about how she was able to jump that far back. He was also starting to worry about the fact that he was indeed holding back against her in their fight.

But he would worry about that later. Now it looked like Takao had something to say.

"I see… and yet you haven't received any proper blade training. Tell me, Sora, would you be against learning a quick lesson? Takao asked.

Atago couldn't help the smile that appeared on her lips. Hearing Takao talk about swordplay and bringing up the idea of giving a lesson in blade training brought joy to her heart. Her sister tended to take things too seriously. Not at everything, of course. Takao did have her silly moments and her own hobbies. But when it came to blade training, she opened herself up and let her heart do the talking through her sword.

"I wouldn't be against it. Plus, it would give me some new ideas about my fighting style" Sora replied, seeing nothing wrong with learning a new way of fighting.

"Well then, shall we get started?" Takao asked, offering her hand to the Keyblade wielder.

---

Inside the Sakura Empire war council building

Sitting on a comfortable mat was Nagato who was joined by another girl that was pouring a cup of tea while also reading a document that was in her hands. It would be a minute before either one of them would say anything. That is until the girl with the document laid it flat on the table in front of her and let out a somewhat tired sigh.

"We're really going to have our hands busy for quite a while. This letter of disbanding from the Red Axis is sure to get the Iron Blood and Sardegna Empire talking. Especially the Vichya Dominion"

"Indeed. However, giving it much thought… I believe that this is the right path to take. Many factors are pointing to bad things to come if we continue to let things go the way they are" Nagato replied.

"You are right about that. Things have become different and recently it's beginning to be more noticeable everywhere I look"

"I know that this is going to be a monumental shift for all of us. Disagreements have managed to split us apart from Azur Lane, but with this new threat that Sora has informed me about… we need to be prepared." Nagato said while standing up and straightening her clothes. "Alas, there is also Shinano's vision that she had recently that leads me to believe that dark times are going to be upon us. I know that there will much hardship to deal with, but I hope you'll lend me your strength and support, Mikasa"

The girl now known as Mikasa managed to smile at that comment. Standing up and making her way to Nagato, she brought her hand up to her chest and responded with reassurance.

"Of course, Lady Nagato. You've managed to lead us this far. Caring for everyone in the empire and working to let us see a brighter future. Let's see what's to come next" Mikasa said, making Nagato smile.

"Now then, shall we go find that boy? I'm sure you'll get along with him. He's quite the character"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you'll see," Nagato said, taking a few steps toward the door.

Mikasa was left confused by what Nagato was saying. Just how unusual was this boy?

---

Back with Sora

"Just what else can you do with that key of yours?!" Zuikaku shouted as she was watching Sora demonstrate an old classic move of his.

Standing on the sidelines, Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Atago, Ikazuchi, and Souryuu were watching as Sora stood several meters away from a training dummy with Takao at the side of him all flabbergasted at what he was doing.

Without really moving his feet and staying in one position, Sora was throwing his Keyblade right at the dummy with such force that it would create sparks that looked like stars to appear around the impacted spot on the dummy. And in a flash of light, the blad would disappear and reappear in Sora's hand ready to be thrown again.

This special move was known as Strike Raid, and it was something that Sora picked up on his first journey. Not only was it a very efficient ranged attack but it was a move that he could improve upon given that he was not only more experienced with fighting but stronger than before.

Summoning his Keyblade back into his hands, Sora twirled the blade and then let it rest on his shoulder while putting on a goofy smile.

"Well, that's one of my abilities" Sora stated.

"A unique ability that is for sure," Takao said, having many more ideas about such a move.

"That seems like a cheating trick. I wish I could resummon my weapon…oh, wait" Ikazuchi realized that with the Wisdom Cubes she was able to do as such.

"My blade doesn't work like that…this definitely feels like he's cheating" Zuikaku complained while pouting about the fact that if she were to throw her blade then she would have to go pick it up since it wasn't part of her riggings.

---

*A/N – I wasn't exactly sure if weapons like swords or katanas were part of a ship girl's rigging. Like if Zuikaku's riggings were damaged, then they could be repaired but if her sword was broken, she would need a new one. I may be wrong but for the story, I'll go with this idea.

---

"Hm…" Souryuu was silently watching the Keyblade wielder for any other special tricks he had in store.

"My, my, Sora did certainly look cool throwing his key at the dummy," Atago said, tilting her head and looking the boy up and down noticing his stylish attire.

"Impressive, Sora. Now then, if you'll allow me to show you a trick of my own" Takao said while re-adjusting her stance and narrowing her gaze at the training dummy.

Within a split second, Takao appeared right in front of the training dummy, but her katana was out of its sheath and in her other hand positioned to the side. Nothing seemed to happen. That is until the training dummy's head began to slide off and fall to the ground. A clean cut.

The rest of the girls began clapping and admiring how swift and fast her strike was against the dummy. Atago couldn't help but begin to cheer loudly at how her adorable sister was improving. She knew firsthand how much Takao trained to become strong not only for herself but to protect those she cares about. It made Atago very proud.

Seeing Takao's katana slash, Sora was reminded of his time back in The World That Never Was and the samurai nobodies that he had to face. Their method of fighting and the duel stance he had to take to get the upper hand on them was what he remembered while watching her attack. Now that he thought about it… maybe he could do something special with that fighting style. Tweak it to fit his own need.

"Hey, Takao, would it be all right if I put up another dummy? I wanna try something" Sora asked, pointing at the damaged training dummy.

"Of course, I am a bit curious about what you have in mind" Takao replied, wondering what Sora meant exactly.

Shoukaku and Shinano were waiting patiently to see just what Sora was going to do. Souryuu began to make a mental note about what she was about to see. Ikazuchi was getting excited. And Zuikaku was practically leaning forward with eager eyes to see what he was going to do while also taking notes mentally.

Having set up the training dummy, Sora took a few steps back and summoned his Keyblade taking a second to think about how he would go about his idea. With a grasp of how it should go, he positioned his blade to his left side like how Takao had her blade. Still holding onto the Keyblade's handle, Sora then narrowed his line of sight at the dummy and followed through with a slash similar to that of a samurai.

The strike against the dummy caused it to shake in place but not be cut anywhere. All the girls were somewhat surprised by Sora's attempt. Takao and Zuikaku had perked up and were getting excited at the idea of stepping in and helping him learn the technique. But before either of the girls could step in to help, Sora was already back in position to strike the training dummy.

Now with an idea of what to follow through with, Sora got into position but this time there was something different. At the tip of the Keyblade was what appeared to be a blue light glowing and getting brighter. Before any of the girls could say something, the Keyblade wielder slashed at the training dummy only this time there was an area of effect that came into play.

The area around him and the dummy was covered in a ring of water that splashed into the dummy. To say that the girls were confused would be an understatement. Nobody really had any idea what Sora just did. Ikazuchi tilted her head and looked at the boy seeing that no water got on him just around the area. That is until she looked at the training dummy and saw what appeared to be a slash across its' chest.

"He actually hit the dummy!" Ikazuchi said, pointing to the training dummy.

Everyone now looked where she was pointing and were amazed but the slash they saw. Though it wasn't very deep, the cut was still there. Sora on his part let out a sigh and got up closer to see his handiwork which left him with a goofy grin on his face.

"It worked!" Sora exclaimed.

"Was this the idea you had?" Shoukaku asked, walking up to the training dummy with everyone else.

"Yep! After seeing Takao's stance and sword technique along with remembering other enemies I've fought before, I wanted to try and give that style of attack a try. And after giving it a shot I wanted to try and use magic. See how it went and it turns out I can do that" Sora explained, feeling proud of himself.

"Very creative of you, Sora. Though…I'm sure you're upset that the cut did not go as deep or thought the training dummy" Shinano spoke out.

"Not at all! Now that I know my idea works, I can continue to practice that technique and improve myself" Sora replied, sincere in his words.

"Undisturbed by wanting to improve yourself… And looking forward to it. I think we'll get along nicely, Sora" Takao said with a smile.

"Hmm…" Zuikaku began to have her own thoughts on hearing what Sora said.

However, before anyone else could say anything else there appeared to be a brown-haired woman with horns coming out of her head standing near the side of the training ground waiting to be seen. Souryuu was the first to address her.

"Mikasa. How long have you been standing there?"

"Not that long. It looked like you all were in a very thoughtful conversation" Mikasa said, now drawing her attention toward Sora who looked confused about who she was.

"You must be Sora, correct?"

"Yeah, that's me. I… don't believe we've met yet?" Sora replied.

"Correct. This is our first-time meeting. My name is Mikasa, and I've been sent to take you to Lady Nagato. She has made her decision and is awaiting your presence to discuss further details about the as you called them, Heartless"

Hearing that Nagato was ready to announce her decision, Sora was eager to see what her decision would be. However, another thought suddenly appeared in his head, or rather a certain someone. Throughout his time in the Sakura Empire, there was mention of one girl who seemed to be someone that everyone held close to their heart or considered a dear friend. Amagi.

Now having her in his mind, Sora couldn't help but grow concerned more so now that he had grown to learn about her from the others. And now that Nagato was going to give her decision on the future of the Sakura Empire, he wondered if it was possible to see Amagi herself and tell her the news. Taking a deep breath and preparing himself, Sora asked.

"Hey… Mikasa before we go to see Lady Nagato could we stop somewhere"

"Hmm? Do you wish to go somewhere? It's not a very wise idea to keep Nagato waiting. Remember, you are still considered a prisoner of sorts" Mikasa replied.

"I know that but… I was wondering if there was any way I could see Amagi?"

Everyone's eyes widen hearing what Sora just requested. This was certainly not what anybody was expecting. Zuikaku and Shoukaku both looked at each other and had the same thought passing through their mind. The conversation they had back in the cell on the ship and how Amagi wasn't doing so well.

"Why would you want to go see Amagi now?" Atago asked, unsure of Sora's reasoning.

"For most of the time that I've been here, in the Sakura Empire, everyone I've talked with has at least mentioned Amagi. Both as a significant figure and friend that has offered much help. I… I don't know what her situation is like, but I know that I want to help her" Sora explained.

"But why would you want to help Amagi? I mean, you've never met her" Ikazuchi stated.

"Is it so wrong to want to help someone out? Hearing about Amagi and who she was to some people along with the kindness she showed others, I would really like to meet her" Sora replied, bringing a hand over his chest.

Each girl couldn't help the smile appearing on their face. Amagi really was a figurehead in that she would always hear out anyone's problem and do her best to provide the best feedback or the many times she would help someone in a time of need. It had been a minute since she was hurt and forced into bed rest. Maybe…

Mikasa was the first to start saying something but stopped short. Was it ok for a stranger like Sora to see her? Would he try anything? What could he do to help? Questions such as these began to flood her mind. But something inside of her clicked. A feeling of butterflies flying around in her stomach made her feel both queasy and excited. Deciding on the latter, Mikasa knew it was a big risk, but it was one that she was willing to risk.

"Ok… let us make a quick stop to see Amagi"

The girls all looked at Mikasa and were surprised she would grant Sora's request. Shinano couldn't help but wonder what made her decide to do so. In any case, maybe this would be the turning point in it all.

"Thank you, Mikasa" Sora answered.

"Mm. Let us make haste then. Shinano, Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Ikazuchi, Takao, Atago, Souryuu please stay aware that Lady Nagato will be announcing important news later that will be of major importance" Mikasa explained.

Every one of the girls had an inkling as to what the announcement would be. Perhaps they should find the rest of their friends and prepare for the decision to be announced. Deciding that would be the best course of action, Souryuu and Ikazuchi both looked at each other and nodded without saying anything and excused themselves. Next would be Takao and Atago who began conversing about whom they should catch up with. Zuikaku and Shoukaku were tempted to ask if they could accompany Sora and Mikasa but realized that it would be best to find their other friends before the news broke and began to leave the training ground.

That left Shinano who was looking to Mikasa to see if she would say anything else.

"Is there… anything you would like to ask of me, Mikasa?"

"Have you heard any news about your sister?"

"Musashi? No, I have not heard anything about her. But… I take it that's good news then?" Shinano asked, curious about why Mikasa asked her about her sister's whereabouts.

"I see, I was curious about Musashi because of Nagato's decision that she'll be announcing soon. Life around here is going to get… difficult and we'll need all the help we can get" Mikasa explained.

"I take it that Lady Nagato is going to…"

"Yes. You're correct, Sora. Although there are factors that would normally be needed to make such a decision as big as this one, there are even bigger signs that change is needed" Mikasa addressed.

Both Shinano and Sora had an idea of what signs Mikasa was talking about. Things really were going to be changing for the girls of the Sakura Empire. Sooner than expected.

"But it is a decision that Nagato has given much thought and I believe she will lead us to a better future. Now, shall we quickly visit Amagi?"

Nodding at Mikasa's suggestion, Sora was ready to head out but realized that Shinano did not say if she was going to head out as well.

"Hey, Shinano, are you going to come with us? Or are you heading out to alert some of the other girls?"

"I believe that I'll be returning to my home for a minute. There's something I wanted to pick up" Shinano stated.

"Got it. Well, wish us luck and see you later" Sora said, offering a friendly smile to his new kitsune friend.

"Likewise, Sora. Mikasa, I wish you well, and… if Amagi is conscious please tell her I send my regards and wish her better health"

"Understood. Take care, Shinano"

With that said, Sora and Mikasa began heading to wherever Amagi was located and Shinano began heading back home. Things would certainly become eventful here soon.

---

Spending a few minutes following Mikasa, Sora saw that they were coming up on a large building that had an impressive design to it with a large tree off to the side. It had a warm yet sad feeling to it based on a first glance. However, Sora stopped walking when he saw Mikasa begin slowing down.

"Huh? Mikasa is something…"

"Wait. Something is not right"

Looking around the area, Mikasa felt that something was off and could not see anyone which made her feel even more on guard. But before she could think of anything else, someone began making their way toward the two and were coming from inside the building.

"Kaga? I didn't expect you to be home"

"Hello Mikasa, I take it Lady Nagato has come to a decision?" Kaga replied with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Yes, she has. We were actually on our way there, but Sora had a request that we see…"

"I wanted to see Amagi" Sora stated flat out.

If looks could kill, then Kaga would've done so to Sora. There was no way that was going to happen at all.

"What the… Why do you know about her? Why would you even want to see her?!" Kaga yelled, becoming very aggressive.

"The whole time I've been with the Sakura Empire, I keep hearing things about Amagi and how much everyone cares about her. I want to try and help her" Sora explained, trying to give his reason.

"And you think that by learning about someone troubled you can just walk right in and help them even without knowing them? Who do you think you are?" Kaga asked, glaring holes into Sora.

"Kaga. We don't know if Sora can truly help her. We would just like to see if she's awake" Mikasa reasoned.

"Mikasa… please don't associate yourself with him. Isn't he supposed to be our prisoner and yet he's asking for something such as this?"

"Kaga, there's nothing to…"

"I'm sorry Mikasa, but there's no way I'm letting him get anywhere near Amagi" Kaga stated while summoning her riggings and aiming right at Sora.

Due to instinct, Sora summoned his Keyblade and got into a defensive stance waiting to see if Kaga would indeed attack him. Startled by the sudden reaction from the two, Mikasa called out to the two.

"Kaga! Sora! Stand down!"

"She started it!" Sora exclaimed.

"Oh, that's quite funny saying that I started it. Aren't you the one who's going to see someone who's been severely hurt and bother them" Kaga retorted.

"Enough both of…" Mikasa started saying but was stopped abruptly by a loud sound.

All around the three, there was a loud alarm sound that was going off. Sora had an idea of what was going on as he recalled a similar alarm back with Azur Lane.

Mikasa stated while looking out to the sea to see if something was happening or if there was a sudden surprise attack.

"…" Kaga stayed quiet while still watching Sora.

And on Sora's part, he was growing worried that something was happening. Did Nagato already contact the Sirens about her decision? Was this a surprise attack? Azur Lane?

Before he could think of anything else a blast of light slammed right into his body and sent him flying back a couple of feet. With such force, Sora felt his body hit the ground and begin rolling several times until he stopped and was on his side. Groaning and feeling the wind get kicked out of him, he looked up to see where the attack had come from and could not find anyone. He then turned his head over to Mikasa and Kaga who looked confused about what had just happened.

Stumbling to get up, Sora prepared himself and began scanning his surroundings for anything that might have been threatening. Finding nothing, he was about to call out to the girls but suddenly stopped. A cold feeling began to make its way up his arms giving him goosebumps. Turning his head to look out at the ocean, he knew exactly what that feeling was now. Darkness.

"Mikasa! Kaga! We have to warn the others!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? You were just hit and went flying back" Kaga stated.

"I don't know what that was, but we don't have time to worry. The Heartless are here"

"The Heartless? The creatures you informed Nagato about?" Mikasa asked, getting a nod from Sora.

"But how would…"

"I can discuss that later. Right now, we need to warn everyone" Sora stated.

With time not on their side, Mikasa noted and began to make her way to the central radio station where she could alert the island and prepare for the attack. Sora noticed that Kaga wasn't following suit with them and called out to her.

"Kaga? Aren't you coming?"

"I will once I have made sure Amagi is safe…" Kaga replied, still angry toward Sora.

"…Got it"

Having nothing else to say, Sora began to follow behind Mikasa and warn the others about the impending Heartless attack.

---

However, still standing and not moving, Kaga watched as the two began to get further and further away. It wasn't until they were completely out of sight that she closed her eyes and began speaking aloud.

"For a second, I thought it was someone else that attacked out of nowhere. I take it that's a new trick you've come up with…"

Footsteps could be heard getting closer to Kaga as she now opened her eyes and saw her sister calmly making her way toward her. At a first glance, Kaga could tell that there was something off about Akagi in that the most distinctive factor was her glowing eyes. It was almost like they had a purple glow to them rather than red.

"Apologies about that. I figured that a regular noise would not be able to draw Sora's full attention. Besides, my job was to only bring him to them. They would deal with the rest" Akagi explained, twiddling with her gloved hand.

"Mm. I'm glad you drew their attention away. If Mikasa wasn't with Sora, then it would have been easier to threaten him to leave but I could never raise a weapon toward Mikasa" Kaga stated, looking at the building next to her.

"Of course, let us be grateful that he didn't do anything rash to see her. That fool would've been in for a rude awakening"

Kaga was glad it did not come to that as the truth of the matter was that Amagi was not in her room resting nor was she in the building at all. After Kaga left Akagi in the cave, she made sure to move Amagi successfully and safely to a more secure location. Somewhere that she would be protected and away from others. Hence, why she was hanging close to the area, in case someone tried to pay her a visit.

"The time has come, Kaga…"

Looking at Kaga, Akagi couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips.

"We are about to save our sister… we are about to save Amagi"

---

Inside a metallic pod located in a fortified building on the Sakura Empire Island was the brown-haired kitsune, Amagi. Sleeping peacefully with nothing to worry about in the world, the pod had been modified to stabilize her Wisdom Cube from breaking even further. This plan of Akagi and Kaga's to use the power gained from the Sirens was something that they had been prepared for.

However, the pod would not help Amagi for long as the energy being used to power it was something that the Sirens had with them, and they only gave the kitsune sisters a limited amount. If there was any chance of Amagi getting better, then Akagi would need to act now. Otherwise… the worst would come, and sorrow would loom over the Sakura Empire.

---

Miles away on the deck of an Azur Lane ship

Standing on the deck of a ship with many other ships surrounding the area all moving in the same direction, Enterprise was looking out to the ocean with a blank stare. Prince of Wales, Hood, Belfast, and Illustrious were all chatting with each other preparing for the conflict at hand.

"How goes the girls? Any word from them?" Wales asked Belfast.

Shaking her head, Belfast replied, "No, nothing yet from them. Granted, the last we heard from them was that Sora was being taken to meet Lady Nagato. Something must have caused them to go radio silent"

"I see…"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Wales. Sheffield and Edinburgh are highly trained and prepared for a mission like this. I'm sure they will respond shortly" Illustrious stated, reassuring Wales.

"I hate to be the one to bring down the mood, but aside from worrying about Edinburgh and Sheffield, what about Sora?" Hood asked.

Before any of the other girls could respond, Enterprise spoke up while making her way to join the group of girls.

"Knowing the Sakura Empire and the potential source of information with Sora it's likely to think that they'll keep a close eye on him along with try and find something out from him" Enterprise added.

"I don't know whether that's good news or bad news. While Sora was only with us for a short time, he didn't exactly have an idea of what we had strategized and really only focused on his situation" Belfast said, straightening one of her gloves.

"Nevertheless, the Sakura Empire doesn't know that. Besides, it's not the girls there that I'm worried about…" Wales stated.

"The Red Axis" Illustrious affirmed, lowering her hat.

"Yes. And along with them are the Sirens. Granted, the girls last said that Sora was being taken to meet Lady Nagato. There's still a chance that they are having a long conversation" Hood said, looking out at the ocean.

"Hopefully, we can use that to our…" Wales started saying but suddenly stopped.

Coming from one and then all their radios, Warspite's voice could be heard.

"Come in, Wales. Hood. Enterprise. Everyone"

"We hear you, Warspite. What's the situation?" Hood answered.

"We've just received an update from Edinburgh, she says that something is going on. Alarms were triggered suddenly before either she or Sheffield could continue their reconnaissance mission. Edinburgh also said that she saw Sora leaving the council room with Shinano and Kashino but could not keep an eye on them due to complications" Warspite explained.

"Lady Shinano? What could she be doing with Sora?" Illustrious asked, bewildered by what was going on.

"Whatever the case, it had something to do with Sora" Enterprise commented, coming up with reasons for that being the case.

"What's the situation like now?" Wales asked Warspite.

"Edinburgh said that they were going to lay low and cover as much area as they could while searching for Sora. However, she knows for a fact that neither she nor Sheffield were spotted or are the reason for alarms going off"

"Understood. Keep us posted" Hood replied.

With a sound of approval, Warspite muted her channel on the radio and went back to supervising the situation all while listening to Her Majesty boast about how the Royal Maids were truly the best for a mission such as sneaking behind enemy lines.

"Alarms going off… could it be due to Sora?" Illustrious suggested.

"Unlikely, there's a chance that something else is going on" Belfast replied.

"A revolt? Someone pulling a prank?" Wales asked.

"It's likely that something we haven't taken into consideration is happening" Hood stated.

"Which is why we need to be ready for anything," Enterprise said, preparing herself for a fight.

Nothing else needed to be said as each one of the girls had their own thoughts on the matter but it all came down to one thing. Saving their new friend.

---

On the deck of an Iron Blood ship

The mischievous and seductive kansen known as Prinz Eugen was currently in deep thought while chewing on a piece of chocolate. There was much she had to consider.

After she met up with Akagi and Kaga last, she asked to borrow Z23 and Ayanami. However, since then she had been quite busy. After picking up Ayanami, she began to get to work on her main objective. Official orders were that she watch and support the Sakura Empire meaning that she had to stay in good relations with the kitsune sisters.

However, she was given a more direct mission by her leader and friend, Bismarck. According to the reports she had been briefed on, the Sirens were conducting tests on something but there wasn't much information to determine what it was. However, after a thorough investigation, it was determined that this test project was something that the Sirens were hiding from the Red Axis. Due to this revelation, Bismarck asked her to keep this to herself and continue to observe the Sakura Empire and Sirens.

But after her encounter with Akagi and the subject of the infused ship acting strange. Her mission was to now uncover what was wrong with that specific ship. Which is where she's been lately. The infused ship was taken to a docking bay on a nearby island where it would be examined and checked for any issues with its programming. Seeing this opportunity, Prinz Eugen began taking notes on the infused ship and seeing if there was anything strange about it. It was then that she pulled Z23 to the side and explained to her in brief about her mission of researching the ship as well as for Nimi to keep a close eye on the kitsunes. While it sounded redundant to pull both her and Ayanami away just to watch a ship there was a reason for that.

"Eyes and ears where they shouldn't be~," Prinz Eugen told Z23 after she complained about the situation.

Moreover, Prinz Eugen also pulled Ayanami to the side and asked her as many questions as she could about Kaga and Akagi. Trying to get the girl to spill any information about the two kitsunes but to no avail, Ayanami didn't exactly have a clue on the matter. Doing her best to get the girl to slip up but not getting anything definitive or suspect regarding the kitsunes. After spending much time surveying the infused ship nothing seemed to happen which disappointed Eugen and led to her letting Ayanami and Z23 return to Akagi and Kaga. Along with Nimi complaining about being taken away from the frontline for nothing but watching a Siren ship.

Hence, some time passed, and she was running out of sweets and boredom was to the max. With nothing else to really do, Prinz Eugen was about to call off her mission and report back to Bismarck when the infused ship started doing something unexpected. While the infused ship started to act up, Akagi had just finished harnessing the power of the Dark Wisdom Cube. The ship started to glow a bright purple color with a red pulsating light appearing around the exterior of the ship. Out of nowhere, a dark cloud appeared to cover the entirety of the infused ship and soon spread out to a large degree leaving her with no visual.

What Prinz Eugen found after the dark cloud began to disappear left her both confused and angry.

There were now multiple infused ships appearing all around the docking bay. Each ship appeared to have the same appearance along with a strange emblem that appeared on the deck. Getting a good look at the area, she counted over a dozen ships with that strange insignia and began to grow worried. The infused ship itself already had a great deal of firepower for being a prototype but seeing that a dozen copies appeared out of nowhere made her furious.

Was this what the Sakura Empire was hiding? Was this all the work of Akagi and Kaga's plan? Or… was this the work of someone else?

Left with nothing but questions, Eugen noticed that the ships were beginning to move and looked to be heading toward the Sakura Empire base. Wanting to find out the truth behind these strange ships, she jumped into the water and began making her way to the main island to find out what exactly was going on. And how this would all play out.

---

*A/N – Long time no see. Sorry for the long wait. Life really knows how to make things difficult. One busy week soon turned into another and then another. And pretty soon you barely have time to sit down and relax for a minute before something else pops up. I've got a lot of catching up to do with all my other stories but just know that I'm not going anywhere, and no story is dead. Plus, I always enjoy reading all the reviews and PM's that I get regarding the story and would just like to say thank you. Also, shoutout to TruebladeModder's Hearts of the sky/ocean/land mod for KH3. I've been using this mod and most of the other mods that have been published and they really change up the game. I want to include even more crazy combat moves for Sora to use and I'll be taking notes from the other mods that TruebladeModder has made. Go check him out on Youtube. From one's thoughts on the story to the amazing ideas I'm presented with, I truly appreciate it all. Therefore, I wish everyone a Happy Holiday and look forward to more to come. Take care.