Shinano slowly opened her eyes. The atmosphere around her was surreal, as if it were immersed in a sunset with overly saturated colors. She was dreaming.

She was kneeling on a hard surface, her hands shackled behind her back. She was on the pier of an unfamiliar harbor, and she was looking at the sea.

On her sides were two armed men in uniform, standing on attention, and in front of her, far offshore, was a warship with which she was very familiar.

It was the Nagato. Her friend's ship, identical down to the smallest detail. It felt as if the hull was calling out to her, as if it belonged to her.

She also noticed that she was shirtless, but she didn't recognize the body she was in. Peeking at the water under the pier, she looked at her reflection. She was met with the kind and serene expression of an adult man; the face was framed by long, straight, jet-black hair, and a pair of fox ears were on top of the head.

She couldn't move, but not because of the shackles. It was simply because she couldn't interfere with this dream. She could only watch as it played out from the perspective that was given to her.

When she dreamed, she was always able to freely move around; but whenever she couldn't do so, it meant that the dream was not hers.

She was inside someone else's dream, or memory, and since it was so clear, its owner must be close by. Probably somewhere around the base.

But who? This dream was... weird, to say the least. A male Kansen? On what looked like the place of a public execution? Who could possibly be dreaming of something like this?

What puzzled her the most, though, was the expression of the man whose body she had overtaken. His face did not betray fear or despair; it only showed the resolve and acceptance of someone proudly facing their fate.

All of a sudden, a voice reached her ears, and she turned her head toward it. When she did so, the space around her started distorting and cracking like glass. The men standing guard on her side were unfazed and did nothing to prevent her from turning around.

Behind her, she saw another man, a nine-tailed Kitsune with red eyes and orange hair, running towards her. His face was contorted in a mask of panic and terror. Was he the dreamer?

The closer he got to her, the worse the condition of the space around them became. It was only a matter of seconds before the dream collapsed on itself.

Following the flow of the memory, she smiled at him, opening her mouth to say something.

But before she could do it, the sound of artillery fire resounded in her ears.

The last thing she felt was the pain from the volley hitting the hull and the scream of horror from the Kitsune before everything went dark.

Kurama woke up with a start, gasping for air, sweat pouring down his face.

"That nightmare again…" He tried to steady his breathing and make his heart slow down.

It had been a while since he last had that dream. He figured the memory had come back to haunt him because of his conversation with Nagato. When she asked him what he meant when he referred to her as "the Nagato of this world," he was forced to spill the beans.

He didn't delve too much into details. He didn't want to explain to her how much her counterpart in his world meant to him, so he merely told her about the concept of an alternate reality.

He rubbed his eyes, yawning. It seems that just talking about it was enough for his brain to dig out that memory from its depths and slap it in his face once again.

He sighed and got off the futon, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. He had slept in one of the base's lodgings, one of those left vacant by its previous owner due to their transfer to Azur Lane. Nagato had given him permission to spend the night inside of it, but since he couldn't get in from the front door, he had to break in from the window just once.

Looking outside, he saw the rays of the sun peeking over the horizon. It was dawn. It was almost time for his appointment with Nagato.

He put on his clothes and jumped out the window.

Nagato was walking down the street of the base, enjoying the cool breeze of the morning and the first rays of light hitting her face. Mutsu and Kawakaze were beside her, the latter walking a couple of feet behind.

They were headed towards the innermost part of the Sanctuary, to the temple built right next to the Sacred Sakura Tree, where she had to perform her duties as Head Priestess. It wasn't a particular occasion or a grand public ceremony; it was just routine, and it would only take away the first half of the morning.

The rest of the day was what she was looking forward to the most; it was the weekly meeting with the other senior Kansen. She would sit under the roof of the temple, surrounded by her fellow shipgirls, and they would discuss all kinds of important matters, from the development of the war to the state of the alliance and even the morale of the little destroyers on base.

Sure, it was duty, and it wasn't supposed to be a friendly gathering, but it was still better than shutting herself in her office, doing paperwork all day, and listening to the complaints of the officers.

Of course, she was planning to introduce Kurama during the meeting. She didn't know how everyone would react to his presence, but she was confident everything would go smoothly with her acting as an intermediary. But before getting to that, there was another hurdle to overcome.

Kawakaze, like almost every other day, had come to pick her and Mutsu up from their place and was escorting them to the temple. Her bodyguard was... distrustful, to say the least, especially of strangers that got too close to her overnight, quite literally in this case.

She had to break it to her carefully if she didn't want her to flip out at the mere sight of him.

Once they had climbed the long staircase leading to the temple and crossed the Torii atop the stairs, she addressed her sister and her bodyguard.

"Before we get to work, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it? Nagato-sama?" Kawakaze asked as Mutsu tilted her head to the side.

"I want you to meet someone. I told him to come here, so I could introduce him to everyone else later."

"Him? Is he an officer?" The destroyer inquired.

"It's… hard to explain. He doesn't belong to this base; in fact, he doesn't belong to this world at all."

Mutsu and Kawakaze looked at each other for a second.

"Nagato-sama, with all due respect, are you feeling all right? You look paler than usual," Kawakaze asked her.

"Now that I think about it, you did look a bit troubled when I came home last night. Are you sure you are not feeling unwell?" Mutsu asked with concern in her voice.

Nagato deadpanned. They didn't believe her. They thought she was sick and that she was making things up.

"I'm serious," Nagato retorted with a hint of insult in her voice. "He came to find me last night while I was alone in the apartment, and we talked about a lot of important stuff."

"He did… what?" The reactions of the two shipgirls were completely opposite. Mutsu's eyes were sparkling, while Kawakaze's were raging with fury.

"I can't believe it! So, he's your secret lover, and you are officially going to introduce him to the fleet today?"

"How dare he do something so improper to Nagato-sama... I will cut him down the moment I see him."

"Oh no," Nagato though. They were getting the wrong idea. She just wanted to ease them into the news, but her plan backfired.

The two were still going on with their misguided ramblings, and Nagato was doing her best to process Mutsu's preposterous insinuation and Kawakaze's death threats at the same time, but then she started to panic, not knowing which bomb to defuse first.

"Such a fuss so early in the morning. Quiet down, will you?"

The new voice took them by surprise. They all turned around, and Kawakaze immediately brought her right hand to the hilt of her blade, ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice. Nagato looked up, to where the voice was coming from.

Kurama was standing on top of the Torii they had just passed. He was looking down at them, with his arms crossed over his chest and his nine tails swaying in the breeze.

Before Nagato could say anything, he jumped off the structure and landed a few feet away from them, barely making a sound with his footwear.

Mutsu's jaw was on the ground. Kawakaze, instead, put herself between him and Nagato.

"Don't come any closer, stranger!" The silver-haired fox intimated. "If you take another step, I'll…"

"Kawakaze, stand back. He is not a threat," Nagato said, putting a hand on the destroyer's shoulder and stepping forward.

"Nagato-sama?" In her confusion, Kawakaze took a moment to realize that the man in front of them was the one Nagato was talking about.

"That's right, I'm not a threat. If you don't want me to be," he said, regarded the destroyer with a challenging look.

"Kurama, don't make things worse."

"Wait a second, he's a shipboy! You've been hiding a shipboy this entire time, Nagato-nee? Is he actually your secret lover?" Mutsu asked, having finally recovered from the shock.

"NO! I literally just met him the other night." Nagato was starting to lose her patience.

"Calm down, little one. I'm not your sister's lover or anything else," Kurama said to Mutsu.

"But you did sneak into her apartment last night, didn't you, cur?" Kawakaze glared at him, her hand itching.

"Yes, I did. What are you gonna do about it, runt? Cut me down with your sword? Feel free to try whenever you want," Kurama responded. His eyes were now glowing with an intense red light, openly challenging the destroyer.

At that moment, Kawakaze lost her cool. She unsheathed her sword in the blink of an eye, aiming a blow at his neck at incredible speed.

Displaying some impressive reflexes, Kurama caught the blade with his left hand, between his thumb and his index and middle finger, stopping it a few inches from his neck.

Before she could pry her sword from his hand, he raised his right arm with a quick motion, giving a rapid push to the center of the blade and applying enough pressure to his grip that it snapped in half.

Kawakaze widened her eyes in shock, but before she could react, he lashed at her with one of his tails, swiping at her legs and making her fall to the ground onto her butt, still holding the now half of a katana in her hand.

"What the hell are you doing, Kurama?!" Nagato snapped and put herself between the downed shipgirl and the male Kansen.

"Testing the strength of your subordinate and asserting dominance over the weak," Kurama stated, twirling the other half of the blade in his hand.

Nagato was fuming. "Listen well. This is not how you'll be treating the members of my fleet. If you don't start behaving, our deal is as good as over. Is that clear?"

"If we have to work together from now on, she'll have to know her place," he said, throwing away the broken piece of steel. "Besides, why are you yelling at me? She is the one who attacked me first, and she was clearly going for a fatal strike. I merely disarmed her."

Nagato gritted her teeth. She couldn't retort to that. The two had been provoking each other the entire time, but the one who escalated things was indeed Kawakaze.

The silver-haired fox was being helped up to her feet by Mutsu, the battleship chastising her as she would a younger sister.

"Kawakaze, you dummy, don't you know you are not supposed to give in to the provocations?"

"I'm sorry," the destroyer said, looking down in shame.

"Besides, it's forbidden to draw your weapon under the Sacred Tree, you should know that," Mutsu added. She was clearly getting carried away with her older sister act.

"I have no excuses." Kawakaze said. She tried to lift her gaze and was met with a very upset Nagato.

"We'll talk about your punishment later. For now, let's get to work. We must finish quickly if we want to be ready for when the others arrive," Nagato announced. Then she turned to address the shipboy. "You are helping too."

The next two hours were spent in complete silence. Nagato knew the procedure of the rites and executed them with precision and solemnity, kneeling in front of each smaller temple that surrounded the main area, lighting incense, and praying. The other three Kansen were following her every step, occasionally assisting her.

To be honest, Kurama followed her instructions only because he didn't want to upset her any further. In any other situation, he would have bailed out immediately.

He never cared much about religion and faith. In the past, Nagato used to forcefully drag him by his side while he officiated a ceremony, but any attempt was always met with complaints and whining on his part.

And after what happened to him, his attitude toward the gods became even harsher.

To him, praying was a waste of time. If the gods truly existed, they either abandoned humanity a long time ago, or never cared about it in the first place. Besides, if the only thing you can do is pray and ask the gods for help, then you are not worthy of help in the first place.

It was a cynical way of thinking; he knew it very well, but he couldn't help it, and he wasn't about to change it on a whim.

Manual labor, though, was something he could get behind. Cleaning always seemed to ease his mind, and he didn't find it demeaning or humiliating. It required skill and precision, and the act itself of removing the filth out of sight was gratifying, to say the least.

Apparently, the three shipgirls were on the same page. After Nagato recited the last prayer, they started cleaning the place.

They split the tasks at hand among themselves. Sweeping the leaves and petals of the Sakura Tree, positioning the pillows in the hall for the meeting, polishing the statues inside the temples, and so on...

With a broom in hand, he started sweeping outside the temple, cleaning the path of cobblestone that started from the Torii and reached all the way to the main structure.

Kawakaze was assigned the same task as him. He figured Nagato did it on purpose. The crafty fox wanted to give them a chance to make up with each other, and he could only concede it to her.

He understood the need for cohesion in the fleet. Holding a grudge between comrades was detrimental, to say the least.

But he didn't regret what he did, and he wasn't going to apologize.

He needed to gauge the strength and resolve of his new allies before he could entrust them with his life on the battlefield, and the destroyer was already openly hostile; he simply took advantage of it.

The fact that he succeeded in provoking her spoke volumes about her skills and temperament. She wasn't weak by any means; she just wasn't skilled enough to take him on.

Speaking of, Kawakaze was sweeping the floor with her own broom, giving him her back. The two had been slowly drifting towards each other while carrying on with their task, and now they were just a few feet away from each other.

He decided to ignore her until she made her move. If she ever decided to do it.

Kawakaze, on her part, had a lot on her mind.

She was mad at Kurama for disrespecting her, obviously, but she was madder at herself. How could she not be? She made a fool of herself in front of her liege and disappointed her by acting impulsively and letting her emotions get to her. As a bodyguard and as a warrior of the Sakura, she was a failure.

Clutching the broom tight in her hands, she tried to fight back the shame consuming her before realizing that she had ventured close to the object of her woe.

Kurama was standing a few feet behind her, giving her his back, sweeping away a bunch of leaves. His sizeable tails, longer than Shinano's but not as thick as hers, created a cluster of fur that completely hid his figure from view.

She had to make things right, and the only way was by apologizing. It was the best thing to do. For herself, for her liege's honor, and the future.

Seeing that they were alone and that she probably wouldn't have a better chance, she tried to get his attention.

"Kurama." She called him.

He turned around, regarding her with a disinterested look. "What is it?"

"I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier." Clutching the broom in her hands, she bowed deeply in front of him.

He raised his eyebrow at her. He honestly didn't expect her to apologize. He figured she was too proud to admit her faults, but it seems he underestimated her this time.

"Well, you did try to kill me. Apologizing is the least you can do."

She tried to ignore his uncaring tone of voice. "My actions have no excuses, but please forgive me. For the sake of Nagato-sama and the fleet."

"Yes, I suppose I could forgive you," he declared. She raised her head again, happy to hear his words, only to be met with his smirk. "After all, your pathetic attempt at killing me was an utter failure. I have nothing to be upset about in the first place," he added.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Then, if we are done here..." She turned around and started walking away from him. She did her part; she had no reason to keep accommodating his condescending attitude any further.

"Wait a moment." He called back to her, and she turned around, glaring at him.

"Your sword," he began, not a hint of mirth in his voice this time. "Breaking it was going too far. I'll find a way to make it up to you."

Her expression softened a bit, not expecting the sudden politeness. "I… I appreciate that," she said.

Then, they both went back to their task.

"We're finally done!" Mutsu stretched her arms and back before taking her place to her sister's left.

"Now, we only need to wait for the others to arrive," Nagato said.

Kurama and Kawakaze were still sweeping in the back of the building, while Nagato was already kneeling on her pillow, inside the main hall of the temple. Other pillows were arranged around her as if they were all sitting at a table in the middle of the room. In front of each pillow was a small wooden coffee table where the occupants could place objects like documents, teacups, and eventually their lunchbox.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive. The first to show up were Mikasa and Hiei, exactly on time.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two kneeled on the pillows next to Mutsu, and Mikasa pulled out a set of lunchboxes seemingly out of nowhere.

"Nagato, Mutsu, I have taken the liberty of preparing your bento. There's some even for Kawakaze," the former flagship announced.

"Wow, thank you so much, Mikasa!" Mutsu jumped onto her neck, hugging her.

"You have my thanks, Mikasa," Nagato said with a genuine smile.

As the former flagship of the Combined Fleet, Mikasa was the only one with high enough standing who could address her in such a casual manner without being considered out of place. And yet, never once had the taller shipgirl treated her in a condescending way; rather, she had always been supportive and considerate of her and Mutsu, much like an older sister to both of them.

"Every week you take care of cleaning the temple all on your own, right before the meeting. Take it as a reward for your hard work," Mikasa said.

"Oh, but this time we've had a bit of extra help," Mutsu started.

"Mutsu… later," Nagato warned her sister.

"I know, Kawakaze is always with you. That's why I brought the third bento," an oblivious Mikasa replied.

"I wasn't talking about Kawakaze, though," Mutsu said with a knowing grin.

Mikasa tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask what she meant, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Three pairs of fox ears came into view, with their owners striding along the wooden floor, entering the main hall of the temple. The First Carrier Division had arrived.

Akagi was helping Amagi along, holding her by the arm, and Kaga was behind them. The three foxes greeted those present and took their place on Nagato's right side.

Amagi took the seat closer to the flagship, leaving a spot between them, knowing that it belonged to Kawakaze. When she sat down, she lightly coughed into her hand.

Happy to see her friend but still worried about her condition, Nagato couldn't help but ask, "Amagi, how are you feeling today?"

"Thank you for your concern, friend, but I'm feeling all right. I was able to walk on my own to the stairway of the temple without a single coughing fit; I consider it a win," the gentle fox told her with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." Nagato regarded her with a smile of her own, then asked if anyone had seen Shinano, looking at the empty spot next to Hiei that was supposed to be hers.

"We tried to wake her up this morning, but we weren't successful; I doubt she'll grace us with her presence today," Akagi said.

"In that case, we can start with the meeting," Nagato solemnly declared.

The first item on the agenda was a discussion of the alliance with Azur Lane. They skipped the political part of the talk and went straight to the matter of interest, the ASD.

Everyone was eager to know if the device was a success or a failure, but Musashi had yet to report the result of the operation conducted by Commander Travis; for that reason, everyone agreed to wait in the temple until news came from their representative at the joint base.

Then a voice came from behind the sliding door. It was Kawakaze.

"Nagato-sama, we've finished our task."

"Excellent. Come in, both of you," Nagato called out to her.

The door opened sideways, revealing the kneeling figure of the destroyer. She entered the room and went to sit in her place between Nagato and Amagi.

"Good day, Kawakaze," Akagi said with a smile. "To what do we owe your lateness-" Her words died in her throat when she noticed the person who entered behind the smaller fox.

Kurama stopped in the middle of the room, arms crossed. The shipboy didn't like being the center of attention but understood the need to introduce himself to the fleet's senior Kansen, so he mentally prepared for the scrutiny and the distrustful looks of the faces he was about to meet.

What he wasn't expecting, though, were the slack jaws and bulging eyes adorning the faces of those present.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He asked aloud. It seems Nagato hadn't told them anything yet.

"Kurama, I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier. Introduce yourself properly and be on your best behavior," Nagato warned him.

He sighed through his teeth.

"Kurama-class battlecruiser, IJN Kurama. I'm from another world, and I'm here to find my brothers," he stated. Then he went to sit cross-legged in the only empty spot, next to Hiei and in front of Kaga. "If you want to know more, ask Nagato."

The silence that followed his statement was interrupted by Amagi's light cough.

"I'm sorry, Nagato, what is this man talking about? A male Kansen? Another world? What's going on?" The battlecruiser asked in confusion.

"That's exactly what it looks like, Amagi; this man hails from another world," Mutsu declared, standing up from her position. The bubbly battleship had remained silent the entire time, spacing out during the serious talk, but now that the atmosphere had been shaken, she was right in her element. "He's offered his aid to us in our fight against the Sirens, and the only thing he asks in exchange is help in finding his missing family," she explained enthusiastically, making her sister sigh.

When Nagato explained the shipboy's situation to her and Kawakaze earlier, Mutsu must have slightly misinterpreted her words and was now relaying them incorrectly to the others.

"That's not quite what happened, but you get the gist of it," Kawakaze interjected, her words not helping to soothe Amagi's confusion.

"You say he's come to aid us, but what exactly can he do by himself?" Akagi asked skeptically, after having recovered from the initial shock.

Now it was Nagato's turn to ease her comrades' worries. "He's already provided me with plenty of information, to say nothing of the concept of alternate reality itself, and he'll continue to do so in the foreseeable future," said the short battleship.

"That's reassuring, but I'm more interested in his combat capabilities; can he fight, or is he just going to sit on the sidelines like dead weight?" Kaga interjected.

Nagato didn't know how to reply to that. She did see his skill earlier when he effortlessly disarmed Kawakaze, but she had no idea how he would fare in an actual fight against the Sirens themselves.

Meanwhile, Kurama and Kaga had been locked in a staring contest for quite a while now, precisely since he had sat down across her. Kaga hadn't even blinked while addressing her flagship.

Kurama, on his part, wasn't about to let her look down on him. The idea of testing the strength of the shipgirls was still in his mind, and if he had to gain the respect of the others by making a couple of them submit, he would gladly do it.

He leaned forward, looking the white-haired fox in the eyes. "Why don't we step outside? So that I can show you how much of a dead weight I am."

"I couldn't ask for better," Kaga replied with a hiss.

"No one is going anywhere until I say so!" Nagato's voice snapped them out of their staring contest. The battleship was on the verge of losing her patience. "Either the two of you start behaving properly, or you resolve your dispute while cleaning the restrooms."

"Yes, Nagato-sama," Kaga said, and Kurama scoffed.

Nagato breathed a sigh of relief. "Very well, does anyone else have any other questions?" She asked aloud.

"Nagato-sama, how are we going to find these other shipboys if we don't even know where to start?" Hiei asked her flagship, still trying to come to terms with the situation.

"We spread the word to our allies," Nagato answered. "We wait for Musashi's report to tell her the news, and she will relay it to Commander Travis. Then we do the same with the other faction leaders."

"What about the whole alternate reality matter? Do we keep it to ourselves?" Akagi asked with a sly smile.

"NO!" Came the combined response from everyone, and Akagi shrank in her seat.

"I was joking…" said the mortified carrier.

Nagato and the others deadpanned at her. Akagi would never change.

During the reestablishment of Azur Lane, the carrier had come this close to committing treason by making a deal with the Sirens. They had offered her immense power in exchange for the Sakura turning its back on the other factions. Luckily, thanks to Kaga's intervention, they were able to prevent the worst before things escalated, but if word about it were to get out, the response of the other factions and the consequences would have been, to say the least, disastrous.

Akagi had justified herself by saying that she was doing it for the Empire and because she wanted to find a way to cure Amagi's condition, but everyone had agreed that her method would have brought more sorrow than benefit.

She had been so lost in her stubbornness that she had almost attacked her own comrades in a fit of rage when they confronted her. Only Amagi's intervention was able to make her see reason and calm her down.

Since then, Nagato had decided to keep an eye on her by keeping her as close as possible. Of course, her punishment wasn't light; since removing her status as Senior Kansen for no apparent reason would have raised a few questions from the higher-ups, she decided to deprive her of any kind of executive power, leaving her only with the title. Then, she entrusted the rest of her punishment to Amagi. As a result of that, Akagi's thirst for power had subsided; her devious and manipulative nature, though, had remained unchanged.

But it didn't matter; as long as they could contain her exuberant self, Akagi wouldn't cause too much trouble.

"That's good, because if you were planning to do so, I wouldn't allow it," Kurama interjected. "Keeping secrets of this caliber with your allies will only lead to disaster in the future. This kind of information is better discussed in broad daylight. Trust me; I speak from experience."

"What are you talking about, Kurama?" Nagato asked him. "That sounds oddly specific."

"It's nothing important. All you need to know is that if you want more information from me, you must be ready to share it with everyone. It's what Nagato-niisama would have wanted."

"Nagato-niisama? Are you talking about my counterpart in your world?" Nagato inquired. "You've already mentioned him a couple of times; what's your relationship with him?" She was very interested in the otherworldly leader of the Sakura Empire, and her curiosity was piqued even more when Kurama avoided answering her inquiry the night before. Maybe this time, she figured she could pressure him into spilling the beans.

Kurama's ear twitched in annoyance. He was about to snap at her to mind her own business when a calm and soothing voice came from behind him.

"Was he the man you were dreaming about last night?"

He turned around in a flash, ready to pounce. Standing behind him was a very buxom Kitsune, with nine silver-gray tails and long straight hair of the same color, dressed in a night-blue kimono and white stockings.

"Shinano-sama? You are awake." Kaga voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Forgive me, everyone. I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation. I didn't mean to sneak up on you all." Shinano addressed those present in the room, then she kneeled in front of him, locking eyes with him. "I am the one known as Shinano. I dream of many things in my sleep, things that have been and things that may be, but sometimes I also dream of the past of those around me," she said to him with a sleepy but gentle expression on her face.

"What?" Kurama narrowed his eyes at her, trying to make heads or tails of what she was saying.

"I saw your dream last night, but the only thing I could do was watch without intervening. I have come here in front of you at this moment to ask you to narrate the facts that caused the event of your dream to occur. Will you indulge my curiosity?" The new arrival asked him with a solemn tone.

Kurama narrowed his eyes at her. "You claim to have seen my dream; do you really expect me to believe-"

Shinano interrupted him before he could finish. "I felt the pain of the volley that hit his hull while it drifted out to sea. I saw the distraught expression on your face and heard you screaming in anguish. I wish to know more about him and yourself so I can bring peace to your tormented soul." While saying this, she raised her hand and brought it to his face, cupping his cheek and looking him in the eyes.

Kurama was so taken aback by her declaration that he didn't even react to the contact. The ability to enter the dreams of others was a novelty even for him.

Retracting his head and looking around, He noticed that everyone was staring at him, expecting him to answer. Knowing he wouldn't be able to evade the question this time, he sighed and decided to grant her wish.

He moved out of the way, sitting down in front of Nagato, on the other side of the imaginary table, between Shinano and Kaga, and started talking.

"Nagato-niisama… He was a righteous and honorable leader and an upstanding Kansen. Everyone looked up to him like a beacon in the night. To me, he was a teacher, a friend, and a brother."

"My only sister ship was never brought to life by the Cubes. When I wasn't fighting, I was left alone most of the time, and I'm pretty sure if I were to die against the Sirens no one would have given a damn about it. When we first met, he took pity on me; maybe he did it because he also didn't have anyone he could call family, but he took me under his wing. He taught me everything I know, treated me like a younger brother and a disciple, and soon, I officially became his right hand and bodyguard."

"He… was? Do you mean he's…" Kawakaze tentatively asked, completely immersed in the story.

"He's not dead if that's what you are thinking. He is in a coma and hasn't woken up in years," said Kurama

"What exactly happened to him?" Nagato prompted him to continue.

Kurama clenched his fists, trying to hold back his anger. "He was wrongly accused of conspiring against the Empire and sentenced to a public execution."

Everyone was too stunned to react. Mutsu was covering her mouth with her sleeves, Akagi and Kaga simply stared at him, and the others were looking at each other speechless.

"Surprised? I don't blame you," he scoffed. "I've seen how humans treat you in this world. You are served and revered like queens and are given complete autonomy and even actual positions of power. For us, it wasn't like this in the beginning. Humanity was on the brink of extinction when we first appeared, but instead of treating us like the saviors we were, they sent us into the fray without any preparation and used us as cannon fodder and meat shields. And let's not talk about the condition we were kept in when we weren't fighting. It took a lot of time and effort to reach the point we are currently at, and a lot of blood was shed during that time. That's why we don't like to talk about it."

"B-but… that can't be." Mutsu tried to intervene. "Sure, humans can be a little annoying sometimes, but they would never do something so horrible, would they?"

Kurama's nostrils flared. "You have no idea what humans are capable of, little one." He started fumbling with his robe and opened the front of his haori, baring the left side of his chest for them, making their eyes widen. "This is what they did; this is what the Empire did when we first appeared."

On his left breast was the symbol of the Sakura Empire, embedded deep in his skin; the symbol was also marked by four diagonal claw marks that went from his shoulder to his sternum. They immediately understood what it meant. That wasn't a tattoo; it was a brand, engraved in his skin with iron, and the claw marks were clearly self-inflicted.

"Kansen's wounds mend by themselves over time. But when a scar gets engraved in your body multiple times in the same spot, it becomes harder for your Cube to heal it, until your mind just decides to keep it there, at least to avoid more pain," he added, covering himself again.

"Nagato-niisama was doing everything in his power to improve our condition; even going as far as finding support from the Kansen of the other factions that were in the same situation. But when the higher-ups caught wind of it, they accused him of treason and publicly executed him by sinking his vessel in front of the main civilian port," he said clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"Me and a few others were able to save him in time; we prevented his hull from sinking completely and took him away from the site. Unfortunately, his body and Cube were too damaged for him to completely recover. He's been asleep ever since," he added with a dejected expression.

"That, though, was the moment that marked the beginning of the Kansen rebellion. Shipboys from all the other factions rose up against their oppressors, and an underground organization was formed by the Kansen and the few officers that were on our side; it was called Azur Lane. With their support, we were able to bring the public opinion on our side and carry out a literal revolution, keeping the bloodshed to a minimum and subverting the governments that treated us like shit."

"After that, Azur Lane was recognized as an official organization devoted to the protection of humanity; we Kansen were put under their command, but this time, we received proper training, preparations, and support from our superiors, and most importantly, the respect we deserved. And it was all thanks to Nagato-niisama's sacrifice," Kurama continued, trying to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat.

"He could have run away; he could have broken free from those shackles and saved himself. Instead, he didn't contest his sentence; he accepted his fate and offered himself as the scapegoat for the revolution to take place, becoming the spark that ignited the fire of rebellion and creating a path towards a better future for all of us."

He let out a tired sigh. He was starting to feel a headache coming.

"There, that's the gist of it. Have I satisfied your curiosity?" He asked, turning to Shinano.

Silence fell over the room. But it only lasted a few seconds as someone started crying. It was Mutsu.

"Kuramaaa!" She got up from her seat and launched herself at him, tackling him to the ground and burying her face in his robes, bawling like a baby. "I'm so sorry!" She cried out, with tears coming down from her eyes and snot coming out of her nose in a comical manner. "You've been through so much, and we've been so mean to you this entire time! Please forgive us; don't be mad at us!"

It was Kurama's turn to be astonished. He didn't know how to react as the smaller battleship blew her nose on his robes, crying her eyes out for him. The others were not exactly bawling like her, but the expression on their faces told him everything.

"Mutsu, stop. I promise I'm not mad at you, and you don't need to cry for me; I'm serious." He tried to pry her away from him, but she had an iron grip on his clothes, so he opted to comfort her by patting her head, hoping to stop her weeping.

"Sniff…Really?" She raised her face and looked at him with puppy eyes.

Before he could answer, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulder, pushing him down again, and his head came to rest on something soft and squishy. It took him a second to realize that Shinano had moved behind him and was now holding him in her arms, with his head resting on her cleavage.

He tried to struggle against their grip. If he wanted, he could free himself from that humiliating situation at any time, but he didn't want to hurt the little one. Soon enough, he realized that his attempts were for naught. He gave up on his resistance and relaxed his body, lying there with a bundle of black hair in his lap and a mattress of silver-gray fur surrounding him, mixing with the orange of his own tails.

"There, there, everything is going to be all right, Outlander," Shinano murmured, patting his head and caressing his ears.

Looking at the others present, he noticed the mirth that had taken place on their faces. Directing his gaze to Akagi, who seemed too eager to voice her thoughts on the situation, he sent her a warning.

"Not a word, or you'll regret it," he hissed at her.

His words were enough to break the dam; the fox started laughing at his expenses, followed suit by Kaga, and then by the others.

Nagato, who couldn't help getting carried away herself, clapped her hands after a few seconds of laughter to get everyone's attention.

"Kurama, you have all our sympathy and respect for what happened to you in the past. To honor the memory of your brother and teacher, we will share with our allies every piece of information you decide to give us without exception, as you requested."

"As I've already said, he is not dead," Kurama replied annoyingly from his awkward position.

"Ahem, now that we've satisfied our curiosity, I believe it's time to satisfy our hunger," Mikasa intervened.

"Oh yeah, finally! I'm starving." Mutsu jumped down from his lap and went back to her sister's side.

"Uhm, Kurama, I think you can get off our Oracle now," Hiei told him with a smile on her lips.

Realizing that he had made himself too comfortable in her embrace, he jumped on his feet, turning to Shinano as he cleared his throat.

"I appreciate your concern, Dreamer; now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling rather famished."

Shinano gave him a soft smile. "Think nothing of it, Outlander. I will gladly hold you to my chest to ease your worries whenever you please."

The two went back to their place and waited for the others to share their meal with them.

AN: Besides the JS Kurama (the second destroyer of the Shirano-class, which belonged to the JMSDF), there's another ship called Kurama from WWI. It was an armored cruiser of the old Ibuki-class, also known as the Kurama-class, and it was re-classed as a battlecruiser. Of course, they have nothing to do with the later Ibuki-class that we all know and love.

During WWI, the Kurama and its sister ship, the Ibuki, were tasked with hunting down none other than the Emden itself (yes, I'm talking about our schizophrenic German light-cruiser), but they never accomplished much. Of course, they have nothing to do with the later Ibuki-class that we all know and love.

So yeah, his full name is IJN Kurama, of the Kurama-class. I just wanted to clarify that they only share the same name, not the same history or equipment, since the real-life Kurama is too old to be his counterpart since it was scrapped in 1923, and for the sake of his character, I don't like the idea of him being too old. In the shipboys' world, those ships were just built later, as WWII cruisers.

About the Japanese honorifics, I won't be using them for every dialogue. I'll limit myself to using them only for superior-subordinate relationships and a few other exceptions, and only with the Sakura Kansen.

Lastly, about the story: I went back and changed a couple of dialogue lines in the first chapter. Initially, Kurama said that he had been lurking in the shadows of the base for three days. I decided that it was too much time and reduced it to a single day since everything else you've been reading up to chapter nine happened during the first day of the boys' arrival.

From now on, Kurama arrived early in the morning at Nagato's base and contacted her later that same night. Everything else was left unchanged.

Next Chapter: Sharing Knowledge