Shinano slowly opened her eyes.
She was dreaming; the unfamiliar surroundings and the surreal atmosphere gave it away immediately.
She was standing on what appeared to be a cobblestone path; behind her was an empty beach surrounded by cliffs, and in front of her was a cobblestone stairway that climbed toward the summit of the small island she had found herself on. She couldn't see what was at the top since the greenery along the trail was too dense.
Unperturbed, the Kitsune began making her way up. The environment was unfamiliar, but the situation wasn't. She didn't know whose dream this was or why she was here, but she was aware that, just like in every other dream, if she wanted answers, she needed to move forward without hesitation and see where the path took her.
Halfway through, she noticed a change in the environment. The higher she climbed, the more the green of the plants around her was replaced with the typical pinkish color of the cherry blossoms. With her curiosity piqued, she kept climbing, and when the end of the stairway came into view, she noticed a huge, red torii gate standing at the top.
Once she crossed the gate, she paused to take a look around her. The path led to a spacious area, which, unlike the stairway, was completely dominated by the pink of the cherry blossoms, their petals swirling in the wind and falling on the ground, covering the trail like a carpet. Deep within the sea of petals was a small building, a Shintoist temple, whose red color stood out among the pink of the trees.
She caught sight of a figure she didn't recognize sitting on the porch of the single-story building. The closer she got, the more of their features she was able to make out.
It was a man. He was sitting cross-legged with his hands folded in his lap in a meditative posture. His head was slightly tilted forward as if he was snoozing, and his long, jet-black bangs, whose color clashed with the pristine white long-sleeved kimono he was wearing, were covering his face.
What made her pause in her tracks were the pair of black fox ears adorning his head and the nine long tails of the same color resting idly on the wooden floor around him.
When she came to a stop in surprise, her sandals clacked a little harder than she intended, and the man stirred from his sleep. When he raised his head to look in front of him and his gaze fell on her, she recognized him immediately, his piercing, yellow eyes looking at her with curiosity. He was the same man she had seen that time inside Kurama's dream—Nagato's otherworldly counterpart.
"So it's you..." Shinano breathed out.
A hint of confusion creased his gentle features as he regarded her with a questioning look. "Who are you?" He inquired.
The moment his voice left his mouth, the space around them began distorting, and before she could utter another word, she was forcefully pulled away by an invisible force.
As the world began inexorably spiraling around her, her vision slowly became darker, and the next thing she knew, she was on her futon, awake and aware, with a lot of questions on her mind.
Ryan sighed deeply, sinking in his chair as the Kansen filed out of the conference room after the end of the meeting, and exhaustion caught up to him.
A pair of gentle hands came to rest on his shoulders, and Shoukaku began kneading her lithe fingers into his stiff muscles. Her ministrations washed away a bit of the stress he had accumulated after the most recent events.
"Good work, Shikikan," Shoukaku spoke softly from behind him.
"Thank you, love," Ryan hummed in appreciation.
After departing from the oil rig, everyone had opted to let Lenin rest during the journey back to the base, but right after arriving, the Commander had quickly called for a were new developments that needed to be discussed, and everyone needed to hear them, so he had rushed to the administration building with the flagships, their representatives, and the shipboys. Richelieu and Queen Elizabeth, who had both remained behind, joined them as well.
Once inside, Lenin had proceeded to recount the events from after his arrival—his capture at the hands of the Sirens, his stay inside their base, and his involvement in the attack against the shipgirls of the Iris Orthodoxy. Needless to say, the boy received plenty of sympathy from all those present.
He didn't stop at that, though. The icebreaker relayed to them everything Zero had told him before releasing him, elaborating on his previous statement.
The astral conjunction, or planetary alignment. It's a rare phenomenon that occurs when several celestial bodies line up next to each other—not to be mistaken with the planetary parade, when some of them become visible to the naked eye and appear in a straight line in the night sky.
Apparently, the phenomenon was the necessary condition the Sirens had to wait for the creation of a functioning portal to spread their influence to another world. Zero had explained the specifics in detail, but most of it had gone over his head, especially when she had started rambling about gravitational pull, photon particles, and other more overcomplicated stuff. How it exactly worked was anybody's guess, but apparently the gravitational imbalance caused by the planets, even if incapable of affecting Earth in any meaningful way, was enough for the conversion of a Mirror Sea into a portal for another world.
The question was: would a partial alignment be enough?
In short, no, they would need a full one, and that's where the problems began.
Partial alignments happen relatively often, requiring a minimum of two bodies to line up. A full planetary alignment on one side of the sun will take place only once in over 1.6 million years due to the large orbits of the outer planets, while a full alignment with planets on either side of the sun is possible approximately once every 516 years. Obviously, they'd need one of the two full alignments if they wanted to succeed, but depending on when it last happened, at worst, the shipboys would need to wait at least a few hundred years to go back to their world… and that wouldn't be feasible.
There were also other problems to consider. Even if the date of the next alignment was right around the corner, how in the hell would they calibrate the portal so that it'd send the shipboys to the right destination and not some other unknown place? How'd they even create a Mirror Sea?
They had no idea how to address the former, but the latter was rather "easy." The Ashes used Mirror Seas that functioned as portals to travel through the timelines, so all they needed to do was find them and ask them how to cast one... Yeah, easier said than done since no one knew their whereabouts. Zero had said that the Arbiters were hunting them down, so the Ashes would need some kind of shelter to avoid detection, but even if they had one and Azur Lane found it, would they be willing to hear them out? And would the Commander be able to persuade them to abandon their quest to find the Creator?
Yeah, Ryan hadn't forgotten about the Original Timeline and the consequences of killing the Creator. Zero's words were still fresh in his mind, but there was still a chance it was just a clever trick to pit them against the Ashes. First, they needed to find them and determine their intentions; after that, they'd come to their own conclusions.
Amidst all that, they'd have to prepare for the arrival of the Original Sirens. It wasn't enough to know how they'd get there; they needed to know when they'd arrive, which meant knowing the date of the next astral conjunction in the shipboys' world, which was effectively impossible.
Ryan had his work cut out for him, and he could already feel a headache coming, but luckily, he had his trusted subordinates supporting him. He didn't know what he'd do without them.
"To think that you and Freedom were keeping such a piece of information to yourselves," Shoukaku mused aloud, putting a bit more pressure behind her touch as her fingers worked through a particularly tense knot.
Ryan grimaced at her words, ashamed. In the end, he had told everyone else about the Creator and their place in the grander scheme of things during the meeting, but Shoukaku, Belfast, South Dakota, and Cleveland were the only ones present when the subject was brought up with Zero, which meant they were the only ones who knew he and Freedom had known about it for a while.
"About that… sorry for keeping the matter of the Creator secret... and thank you for not telling anyone about it," Ryan said with an apologetic tone, then he tentatively asked her, "Are you angry?"
Shoukaku mumbled in thought for a second. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit upset, Shikikan, but don't misunderstand, it's not because you were keeping something from us. After all, keeping confidential information is also part of your job."
Ryan cocked his head to the side and raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
"Normally I'd be much angrier at you for shouldering such a heavy burden all by yourself, but this time, I'm willing to overlook it since you weren't alone in this," Shoukaku explained. "But remember, Shikikan, we Kansen are here to support you just as much as you are here to support us; you don't have to shoulder all these burdens by yourself."
Ryan leaned with his head on the back of the chair to look up at her, then brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "What did I do to deserve you?" He said with a soft smile.
"Apart from being the best commander ever?" Shoukaku chuckled softly as she leaned down to kiss him.
Before their lips could meet, the door to the conference room swung open, revealing the figure of Belfast pushing a loaded cleaning cart. Shoukaku straightened up in a flash, and Ryan nearly fell off his chair while trying to keep his balance.
Belfast's eyebrow shot upward at the sight of the two fumbling around with the few documents still on the table. They both were trying to play dumb, but the head maid wasn't so easily fooled.
"Hey, Belfast, fancy meeting you here," Ryan greeted her nonchalantly. "Don't worry, we were just about to leave."
"Please don't mind me," Belfast answered, curtsying to them and suppressing a smirk. "I would not presume to interfere with the important work of the best commander ever and his beloved secretary ship."
Shoukaku averted her gaze with a blush and Ryan loudly cleared his throat as he stood up from his seat. "Oh, look, it's already this late. I have a meeting with Admiral Nimitz in a few minutes. Ladies, I'll see you later."
With that, the Commander scurried away in embarrassment, waving back at the two women and making his way to the communication room, where another lengthy talk awaited him.
"Say, 'Ahh.'"
"Ahh." Dunkerque tried to hold back a smile as Le Malin spoon-fed her.
After being unconscious for ages, the Vichya battlecruiser had woken up famished with hunger, but only now had Vestal granted her permission to have a proper meal. The nutrients of the IV drip had kept her going while she was asleep, but after being awake for almost two days, she was dying to put something in her stomach, and Le Malin, who had just returned from the sortie with the Commander and the others, jumped at the opportunity to pamper her friend.
How could Dunkerque say no to the adorable destroyer? After she woke up, Richelieu, Jean Bart, and Le Malin were the first to visit her. Her comrades had been more than overjoyed at seeing her awake and alert, but both the two battleships had managed to keep their emotions in check, while Le Malin… she broke down right then and there, crying her eyes out in her lap, weeping in happiness and relief.
However, the jubilation didn't last long. Even though Vestal hated it, part of her job consisted in taking up the role of the bearer of bad news, and that's exactly what she had done.
Dunkerque was paralyzed below the waist.
It didn't come as a surprise to her since she hadn't been able to feel her legs at all since waking up, so she took it rather well... she had spent that entire night crying in her hospital bed like she never had before. Even with Vestal's special treatment, her spine hadn't recovered like the rest of her body; her Cube had already registered the damage to her ship, and if she tried to summon her hull even once, it would straight up collapse under its own weight, not even giving time for the repairs to happen. Honestly, it was a miracle she was still alive in the first place; she probably wouldn't have made it to the base if it hadn't been for Emperor and his timely intervention.
She had yet to fully accept her new condition, but all the support and affection her comrades were showering her with were helping her a lot in coming to terms with it. Even now, Le Malin's clumsy attempts at feeding her while maintaining her balance atop the chair right next to her hospital bed warmed her heart, and she was trying her best to keep the tears of emotion from welling up in her eyes.
After the bowl was emptied of its contents, Le Malin rose to her feet to take the tray of food away, but before she could leave the room, someone knocked on the door. Richelieu and Jean Bart showed up at the entrance, accompanied by a man dressed in black and white, wearing a tricorn hat atop his head.
"Dunkerque, how are you feeling?" The Cardinal inquired.
"Much better now, thanks, Richie," Dunkerque replied with a soft smile before addressing the stranger. "Who is this gentleman?"
"He's the guy we told you about," Jean Bart said as the shipboy tipped his hat at her.
Dunkerque's eyes widened in surprise, and realization settled in. Her savior was right in front of her. "Oh, monsieur Emperor, was it? My comrades told me everything. Allow me to express my sincerest gratitude for what you did. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
"There's no need for such pleasantries, Miss. I'm just glad to see you awake and out of danger," Emperor replied with a smile. "Besides, your comrades have already done plenty to show their gratitude."
"What do you mean?" Dunkerque tilted her head.
Emperor let out a sly grin and turned toward the entrance of the room. The door was still open, and someone was waiting in the hall, hiding out of sight in shame.
"Come on, Teddy Bear, no need to be so shy."
"Don't call me that in front of everyone!"
A shorter boy with short, unkempt light blue hair, wearing a light gray sleeveless down jacket with pants of the same color and black boots, appeared on the doorstep, seething in anger at hearing the nickname. Immediately after, his yellow eyes widened in realization, and his outraged expression turned into a frown as he quickly hid himself again.
"What are you doing, pipsqueak? Chickening out already?" Jean Bart called him out in a mocking tone.
Lenin peeked out from behind the door, glowering at her. "I'm not! And don't call me that! I kicked your butt once, and I can do it again!"
"What was that, shrimp?!"
"Jean, don't you dare start a fight in the hospital," Richelieu warned her sister with a glare.
"Bite me, soeur! You are not my boss."
"Ladies, please, this isn't the time..."
While Emperor tried to smooth things over between the two sisters, Le Malin rolled her eyes and stepped forward, moving past the man, crossing the doorstep, and coming to a stop right in front of Lenin, regarding him with a deadpan look.
"What are you- Ow! Ow! Stop, it hurts!" Before the icebreaker could question her, she grabbed his ear and pulled him inside, dragging him across the room and bringing him right next to Dunkerque's bed, all under the bemused looks of the Kansen present.
"Okay, okay, I get it…" Lenin muttered once the destroyer let go of him, checking on his ear to make sure it was still attached. His gaze still low, he tentatively looked up at the bedridden battlecruiser, but his breath caught in his throat, and he forced his gaze back down, shame and guilt taking hold of him.
"So your name's Lenin," Dunkerque addressed him first, her tone soft and welcoming.
"Y-yes, ma'am."
Dunkerque leaned over the side of the bed and reached out to him with her hand. The shipboy winced, expecting to receive a slap or some kind of comeuppance, but it never came; instead, Dunkerque brought her hand down to pat him on the head, delicately combing his messy hair with her fingers.
"Le Malin told me everything that happened when I woke up," she said. "I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you. I'm so glad you were able to make it."
"You are not… angry at me?" Lenin tentatively asked, incredulous.
Dunkerque shook her head with a smile, withdrawing her hand from atop his head. "There's no way I could be angry at you for what happened, little one. You were being controlled by the enemy, and still, you protected my friends when you snapped out of it. I can tell you are a good person, Lenin. The Sirens are the ones to blame, not you."
Her declaration left him speechless. Only now did he realize how much of a gentle soul Dunkerque actually was, and the guilt he felt for harming her in such a way began growing heavier on him. At that moment, he made a decision. If the shipgirl had found it in her heart to forgive him, he couldn't let the guilt bring him down; he had to do something to repay her kindness instead of wallowing in regret.
He gathered his resolve, brought a fist to his chest, and locked eyes with her. "Miss Dunkerque, I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you! Even if I have to go to the Original Timeline alone and ask the Creator in person, I'll find a way to repair your Cube and make you walk again! I swear!"
Dunkerque was too stunned to react, her confused gaze switching from the boy's resolute eyes to those of her comrades. Creator? Original Timeline? Repairing the Cube? What was he talking about?
"Eh? Wait, what does that mean? Did I miss something?" She managed to find her voice.
Silence fell over the room as everyone looked at Le Malin, the destroyer stiffening under their eyes.
"You didn't tell her?! What the hell have you been doing in here?!" Lenin yelled at her, outraged.
"I… must have forgotten," the destroyer said, looking down in shame as the other Kansen facepalmed.
"You'll have to thank the Commander for this," Emperor intervened. "He's the one who asked the head of the Sirens if there was a way to repair Kansen Cubes, and apparently, there is."
Dunkerque paused in confusion. It took her a moment to register his words, and then a sliver of hope started welling up in her heart as she began connecting the dots. "Does that mean… I'll be able to walk again?" She wondered out loud, incredulous.
"It's not that simple, mon amie," Richelieu told her, gently shaking her head. "From what Zero told the Commandant, the Sirens periodically upload their memory into a main frame and change vessels when their bodies are destroyed; that's how they are able to come back even after we kill them. They don't know the repair process of the Cubes because they never needed to concern themselves with the issue in the first place."
"But if we manage to locate the Original Timeline and the Creator, we can ask'em directly. If there's someone who knows about it, it's them," Jean Bart added. "At least, that's what the bitch said."
"I see…" Dunkerque lowered her gaze with a frown, still trying to sort out the amount of information being thrown at her all at once. She figured she'd ask for clarification later, but first, she decided to take advantage of the moment of silence to reach for Lenin. The male Kansen was still next to her bed, still a bit dejected, close enough for her to take his hand in hers.
"That's a lot more than I could have hoped for," she said, sending a smile of gratitude toward the shipboy. "Thank you, cheri. Your words have given me hope." After that, she leaned closer and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead.
Instead of recoiling back in surprise, the shipboy froze under her touch, heat rushing to his cheeks. Eyes wide and mouth agape, Lenin began spluttering and stuttering as he tried to form a complete sentence, his mind torn between shock and embarrassment. His stammer elicited the chuckles of the women in the room, which only added to his predicament.
Emperor couldn't help the smirk that came to adorn his lips, which was soon replaced by a fond smile as he watched his little brother giving in to the teasing of the French shipgirls.
Things could have gone a lot worse during the exchange, and the fact that they had managed to get him back without issues was a miracle in and of itself. What he truly wasn't expecting, though, was to get word from the Sirens about Wisdom Cube engineering. What Ryan had asked Zero before the Sirens departed wasn't something that would just come in handy for healing the Kansen who had received irreversible damage to their Cubes, but it would also help those who were born with defective ones, like Sparviero.
Once the exchange was over, Freedom had told him about how upset he was for not thinking of asking about it himself, but Emperor couldn't blame him, because nobody else had thought about it. The thing is, they had spent so much time looking for a way to cure Sparviero's blindness during the years they spent out to sea that they all had lost any hope of success because of the lack of progress. None of the Elites they defeated carried that information with them, and at some point, they all just gave up.
Even Sparviero had long since stopped giving it thought. That's why he had been more than skeptical about the whole thing, so much so that when Ryan and Freedom reported the fact, he had remained unperturbed, being careful not to get his hopes up over nothing, if only to spare himself the disappointment in the future.
But that was something for another day. They still needed to work out the details of their next move, and before that, they had to prepare for the Azur Lane top brass' arrival, and that was a whole other level of complicated.
Deciding that his brother had been teased enough for one day, Empeor cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ladies, I believe it's time for us to take our leave," he declared, taking off his hat and bowing in respect to the faction leaders, to which the Cardinal responded with a curtsy of her own; even Jean Bart acknowledged him with a nod of her head. Then he addressed the bedridden battlecruiser. "Miss Dunkerque, I wish you a good day and a speedy recovery. Also, please excuse my little brother; he's too hotheaded and doesn't know how to act around women."
"Shut up, jackass!" Lenin cried in outrage as the battlecruiser responded with an amused chuckle.
After tipping his hat to her and grabbing Lenin by the scruff of his neck, he took his leave and left the room.
Kurama let out a long breath.
The male Kitsune was leaning over the fence surrounding the lighthouse, out of sight of any prying eyes, watching as the waves crashed on the rocks beneath him, letting the wind blow on his face and through his tails as the cries of the seagulls resounded above his head. His brothers were all safe and sound, and for the first time since his arrival in this world, he could finally allow himself to lower his guard and relax.
Sure, their enemies were still around, and there were more on their way, but for the moment, Zero had said she'd decrease the intensity of the Sirens attacks around the globe to give Azur Lane some more room to make preparations. This was one of those rare moments of respite granted during war, and it was in their best interests to fully take advantage of it.
Not that there was much they could do anyway. The Commander and the flagships would be busy with their talks for a few more days while they waited for the delivery of the ASD system, which also coincided with the visit of the higher-ups.
And that's exactly what had him so worried.
It wasn't a secret that the alliance top brass wanted to take advantage of the shipboys' status as unregistered Kansen to do what they couldn't to the shipgirls; whether it was experimenting or simply detaining them for questioning was unclear, but no one wanted to wait and find out, which was one of the reasons why Elizabeth, Nagato and the other faction leaders had organized the summit with such short notice—to allow the male Kansen to reunite before the higher authorities could reach them.
But what if their superiors came with bad intentions? What if they came with an armed escort and tried to apprehend them? Would the shipgirls have their backs, or would they follow their superiors' orders and hand them over?
But most importantly, would his brothers be able to fight back if they found themselves pitted against their lovers? And what about himself? Would he be able to do what needed to be done in case things escalated?
After all they had been through together, he couldn't fathom such a betrayal coming from the shipgirls, but at the same time, he needed to keep his expectations low if he wanted to spare himself the disappointment. If there was something he didn't want, which still sent shivers down his spine and through his tails, was to go back to being the humans' plaything, and he had to prepare himself for the eventuality of things escalating.
It wasn't just the alliance brass he was worried about; there was also the whole planetary alignment thing. Not knowing when the phenomenon would happen and the prospect of missing their only chance to go back to their world and never seeing his mentor again was tying his stomach into a knot. The Commander had promised to send a request to their researchers to find out the date of the event, but even that wasn't enough to assuage his worries, and the wait was essentially killing him.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the presence approaching him until a voice reached his ears.
"So this is where you were hiding."
Kurama was so startled that he summoned his rigging and unsheathed one of his swords in a flash, spinning around to hold it at his aggressor's neck.
He widened his eyes in surprise at the sight of Kaga smirking, completely unfazed by the blade pointed at her neck.
"You really must have a death wish to sneak up on me like that, you know, Kaga?" Kurama declared, withdrawing his sword and dismissing his rigging.
"I could say the same. It's not like you to let your guard down like this. If I were an enemy, you'd be dead," Kaga retorted with a smirk.
The male Kitsune smirked back at her, peering into her eyes as if to gauge her true intentions, and when he noticed a hint of mirth in her gaze, he mentally threw his arms up. "Fine, I concede; you win this time. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment, and I'm trying to sort things out."
"Oh, really? Is this about the whole astral conjunction matter?" She inquired, her voice taking on a more serious tone.
His tails stopped swaying behind his back, and he averted his gaze from her as his ear flicked on his head. Apparently, she guessed right.
"Among other things," the shipboy vaguely replied. Kaga had already caught him in a moment of weakness, and he had managed to downplay it, but he didn't want to show more of it or burden her with his problems. "What about you? Were you looking for me?" He asked her, trying to change the topic.
"Yes, Nagato-sama wants to talk with you," Kaga reported. "There's news from the Sanctuary that she wants you to hear."
"Understood. Tell her I'll come see her when I'm done."
"When you are done doing what, exactly?"
"Mulling things over." Kurama made to turn his back on her, but Kaga placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. A few seconds of silence passed as the shipgirl tried to peer into his eyes for a hint.
"Will you tell me what's on your mind, or do you want me to guess again?" Kaga prodded him as she held his gaze, completely unfazed by the subsequent glare he sent her.
"You don't need to concern yourself with me." He delicately pried her hand off his shoulder and turned to lean over the fence once again. "Go find Nagato and tell her I'll be there soon enough," he added with a dismissive tone.
Kaga narrowed her eyes at him, pursing her lips at his attitude. She didn't come all the way here to find him only to go back empty-handed, and she'd be damned if she'd allow him to dismiss her like that. She knew that forcing him to talk wouldn't work, so she had to find another way to sway him.
"Gods, I'm starting to sound like Akagi-neesama. Is this how she feels when things don't go her way?"
She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and banishing those thoughts from her mind. Then a snarky grin came to adorn her face. "Oy, I'm still waiting for my reward, you know?"
Kurama turned to look at her, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. "What… the hell are you talking about?"
"You said it yourself; hard work must always be rewarded. You also gave Kawakaze one of your swords as a present," Kaga reminded him, trying her best to keep a straight face. "What about me? If I remember correctly, I also won our little contest. Don't I deserve some kind of reward?"
Kurama looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. His questioning look turned into a sneer, then a low chuckle, and then into full-on laughter.
Kaga's ear twitched, and her tails began flailing around behind her as he wholeheartedly laughed his ass off. Once his cackle died down, he composed himself. "Oh, gods, thank you, Snowflake… You have no idea how much I needed that." He wiped literal tears from his eyes as the white fox fumed.
"You know what? You are totally right. You deserve a reward for your performance the other day," he declared, referring to her going all out on those Sirens the day they captured Tester. "But you are not the type who'd care much for a sword. How about this? You tell me what you want, and I'll do anything in my power to give it to you."
"You'll do anything?" Kaga's eyebrow quirked upward.
"Anything," he repeated with a serious tone.
Kaga saw no reason to refuse but didn't voice her wish out loud. She was done begging; this time, she'd get what she wanted on her own terms.
Stepping into his personal space, she grabbed his face with her hands, and before he could process her intentions, she brought it closer to hers, claiming his lips with her own.
Kurama was too taken aback to react in any meaningful way, and even after the initial shock wore off, he found himself too enthralled to do so. Her intoxicating smell was filling his nostrils, overriding his senses, and her soft, cool lips pressed against his own were sending his brain into overdrive. His tails reflected his state of mind, waving around haphazardly behind his back as he tried his best to reciprocate the kiss.
Kaga, for her part, had no intention of letting up. She needed to confirm whether those weird feelings that came out only when she was around him were just her being attracted to his strength or if there was something deeper behind it, and to that end, she had decided to do what she did best, that is, follow her own instincts.
And just like always, her instincts didn't betray her. Those same feelings were now swirling inside her like never before, sending her mind into a spiraling mess and making her heart flutter. She couldn't deny it anymore; she was attracted to him in any possible way, and she had to accept it.
To the both of them, it felt like an eternity, maybe because it was too sudden or maybe because of their inexperience, but in reality, it only lasted a few seconds, after which Kaga slowly detached herself from him.
She expected him to hit her with one of his usual witty remarks, but upon glancing at his face, she noticed the state he was in. Eyes wide open and lips slightly parted in surprise, he was looking at her as if silently asking what just happened.
She took a bit of pride in that. The tables had turned, and for the first time, she was the one leaving him speechless and in a blushing mess.
"That will suffice as a reward, for the time being." She took a step back, subtly licking her lips, more than satisfied with the effect she had on him. Still thrilled by the act, she had to bite her tongue and force herself to maintain some semblance of composure. "I'll take my leave now; make sure you don't keep Nagato-sama waiting too long."
With that said, she turned on her heels and left the place, a blush forming on her cheeks, leaving the shipboy behind with a bemused expression on his face and a new series of questions in his mind.
"Kurama, you are here," Nagato acknowledged Kurama's presence as the shipboy opened the door and entered the communication room.
The room was situated on the top floor of the administration building. The Commander used it to keep in contact with his superiors, but any of the Kansen representatives could use it to receive news from their homeland and directives from their flagships if necessary. Inside were Musashi and Nagato, flanked by the ever-present Kawakaze.
What could have possibly happened that warranted his presence there?
After greeting those present, Kurama asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen back in the Sakura Empire?"
"Nothing worthy of note, but my sister wishes to speak with you," Musashi replied, beckoning him closer to the only lit screen in the room.
"Your sister…?" Kurama asked, wondering if he had missed something, until he came to a stop in front of the screen and was greeted by the face of a familiar silver-haired Kitsune. "Shinano, so it's you. It's been a while."
"It has been indeed, Kurama. I hope this day finds you well," Shinano replied with her usual sleepy tone of voice.
"Thanks to Nagato-sama and everyone else, I was able to reunite with my brothers. Things couldn't go better for me..." Kurama said, subtly averting his gaze in embarrassment at the thought of what just happened between him and Kaga.
"I'm so glad to hear that," Shinano said with a smile, but then an uncharacteristically serious expression appeared on her face. "Forgive me, but as much as I'd like to hear the whole story, I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?" Kurama asked in apprehension.
"The cogs of fate have started turning," Shinano began, taking in a breath. "Last night, for some inexplicable reason, my mind was able to wander across the fabric of reality, and I entered the dream of an otherworlder…" Shinano paused to let her words sink into those present. "But not just any otherworlder; it was your mentor's dream, your Nagato."
Kurama's breath caught in his throat, and his eyes went wide. "W-what do you mean by that? How did you even do that?"
"I would like to know as well… but the exact how eludes me," Shinano replied, dejected.
He stepped up to the screen and grabbed it with his hands, almost ripping it from its hinges. "S-so does that mean… you saw him? Did you talk to him? How was he? What did he say?!"
"Unfortunately, I was unable to speak with him. The moment I tried, the dream ended, and I awoke," Shinano ruefully shook her head. "I tried to reestablish contact several times after that, but with each attempt, the dream became more unstable, and my time inside became shorter and shorter. I was considering trying one more time, but deep down, I feel like if I did, I'd completely lose track of it forever…"
Kurama was at a loss for words. He let go of the screen and took a step back, gritting his teeth in frustration and hanging his head in anguish. His mentor had been in a coma for the last four years, and he had been dying to talk to him again for a long time, but he'd always kept that thought in the back of his mind, knowing that it was impossible. He felt so dumb for getting his hopes up.
"Kurama, don't lose heart now," Nagato intervened with an encouraging tone. "Shinano, this wasn't all you wanted to tell us; there's more to it, right?"
"Indeed, while I can only assume that my power isn't strong enough to maintain a connection with a dream of another world, I think I might be able to do it with some help," Shinano replied. "Kurama, you and your brothers are masters of the Cubes, right? Since you are originally from that same world, with your assistance, I might be able to establish a deeper connection and prevent the dream from collapsing too soon."
Kurama perked up at her words, and next to him, Musashi brought a hand to her chin, muttering aloud. "That's perfect; if you succeed, we can send a message and ask our interlocutor to tell us the date of the next planetary alignment in the other world. That way, we'll be able to predict the arrival of the Original Sirens."
"But to do that, we'll have to bring Kurama and the others back to our homeland," Kawakaze intervened. "Are we sure our superiors will allow it? The shipboys are already in a precarious position; things could get even worse."
"It's not guaranteed, but it's worth an attempt. The delegation's arrival is due for the day after tomorrow. We'll convince them that our claims are worthy of attention, and then we'll depart immediately," Nagato declared, then she addressed the shipboy. "Kurama, you go tell your brothers about this; I'll go inform Shikikan Travis of the news."
"I…" Kurama trailed off. Too much information at once, and he was having trouble processing all of it as a sliver of hope began timidly blooming inside him once again. Seeing his troubled expression, Kawakaze stepped up to him and gave him a heavy pat on the back, shaking him out of his stupor.
"Get a grip, Kurama; we are going to need you and your brothers at your best for this," the destroyer said.
Kurama sucked in a deep breath and forcefully brought back his composure. He nodded his head in thanks at the destroyer as Nagato and Musashi left the room, then he addressed Shinano.
"Tell me this: you saw him; how did he look? Was he in any pain?"
"He seemed... at peace. At least, that's the impression I got from the dream..."
Kurama closed his eyes and let out a wistful breath. "Thank you, Dreamer. I owe you more than you can possibly imagine."
"Think nothing of it, Outlander. We'll see each other in a few days," Shinano said. Then she cut off the connection and the screen went blank.
AN: Kaga knows what she wants.
Next Chapter: A Royal Pain