"No! I won't leave you all to fend for yourselves while I run with my tail between my legs! A true captain goes down with her ships!"

"This is OUR duty, commander. This is why we were made, to protect humans from the Abyssals. Yes, including you. Go, evacuate with the others, HURRY! We'll cover your escape!"

"Then what's MY duty then?! To hide behind my comrades while they risk their lives to fight for mine?!"

"To live long enough to lead humanity to victory. More Fleet Girls can be built and trained with ease, but good commanders can't. The world needs you more than us, commander. Now go."

"But…"

"We'll go stargazing together again. Yes, I promise."

"…I'll keep you to that."

…

Her eyes opened a crack. Hazy images swam in her head, of quarreling Princesses and…her. Was it all a dream? It had to be, there's no way. Thinking back on it the dream was pretty silly anyway, Princesses punching each other in the face, Abyssals that need wheelchairs as if they can't just heal back from whatever…

"C-Commander, you're awake! Are…are you okay?"

Her heart sank. After a few seconds, she turned her head to face the familiar yet different voice with resigned reluctance. It wasn't a dream afterall...

10/11/20XX

The reinforcements are here, and yes, it was a surprise, surprisingly more surprising than I imagined, what a surprise. Screw you, Abyssal HQ, just, screw you.

So, after last night, now we have a bunch of Chimeras and 5 bloody Princesses, including Harusame, or should I say Luna? It's all so...surreal! Why were three of them fighting each other? Why is the Northern Princess, what was her name, Hoppou? Why was she so young? Why is Harusame in a wheelchair? Well I know the answer to the last question after reading the data files today, though I didn't feel like reading the other entries yet, they can wait. It's just so unbelievable that the first thing I thought when I woke up was that it was all some weird dream of mine, until I found her sitting right next to me.

I…I don't know what to think right now. I'm glad she's back in a way, I thought I'd never see her again, but…IS she really back? Is it still her inside that pale, dead-looking body? At first I wondered if it was just some sick joke from the Abyssal headquarters to make a Harusame lookalike, "Hahah, sorry about sinking your flagship, have a replacement! No hard feelings right?", but the data files say it really is her. Did they change the data files just to screw with me? That feels extremely delusional on my part. She sure has acted like her too so far, from what little I can observe.

She's spent almost the entire day with me in the office, but we never really talked. At least, I couldn't get up the nerve to do so, and Haru…Luna, probably felt too awkward to start anything after the first few failed attempts. It's really stupid of me isn't it, just talk to her, test her mannerisms further, find out once and for all how much of her is left in there…but at the same time I'm too afraid of the answer. Maybe she could miraculously have turned out like Inazuma and is keeping her memories a secret, but that would be what it would be, a miracle of the tiniest odds, probably NO odds even considering Inazuma had always been a special case even as a Fleet Girl AND was converted alive, both of which Harusame weren't. Still, what if she's still the shy but determined hero I remember her to be, even if she can't remember anything? That's a possibility, right? But what if she's become another emotionless puppet, strings pulled by the puppetmaster of the Abyss? That's also a possibility...Or worse, what if she's now a bloodthirsty killing machine who wants nothing more than to sink her teeth into her former sisters' flesh…?

CASSANDRA, STOP, CHRIST. What's the point in fooling yourself with ignorance? The damage is done, DEAL WITH IT. Whether you find out the truth or not doesn't change it, facts are not subjective. If she's the former, everyone's happy and you can stop fretting over it. If she's one of the latter two…then you know what to do when the time comes. She would have wanted that.

Phew, I feel kind of better now. This is why I write these journals, it just puts things in perspective and sorts the mess in my head. So it's decided then, starting tomorrow I'm going to find out the truth for sure, whatever it may be! But…how? What did I even have in mind, "Hey, Luna, do you enjoy bathing in the blood of your enemies?" "Oh yes, it's very comfortable, and their tears make a delicious beverage, yes! Why'd you ask?" Ugh. Hmm, perhaps…perhaps I can just recreate our first days together back at Biscayne. Yes, that could work! Simply pretend we've never met before and work from there, see if she reacts the same way as back then! Sure many factors have changed but it's a start at least. Hoping for the best!

"C-Commander…"

"Yeah?"

It was the next morning. Just as the previous day, both Cassandra and Luna were in the Admiral's office. Unlike the previous day, work was actually getting done now that Cassandra can focus again, and there was much work to catch up on before she could concentrate on interacting with her secretary. Was she just making an excuse to delay? Even she herself couldn't answer that.

"May I…ask you a personal question?"

"Huh? Sure, ask away."

"Do…Do you hate me?"

And there goes her focus again. "W-Wha? Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"It's just…you were crying when we first met, then you outright fainted, yes…and then yesterday you refused to talk to me all day…I thought it m-might be because…you were so d-disappointed I was assigned as your s-secretary…"

She had to look away from those teary eyes for a second. Oh god, did I really make her feel that way? The admiral wondered with a rapidly growing sense of guilt. Dammit, she's always been sensitive with low self-esteem, being specifically assigned to an admiral only to be ignored from the get go with occasional looks of doubt and uncertainty thrown in has to have hit HARD. Huh, if she's acting this way, does that mean she IS still Harusame on the inside? Either way it's not her fault I'm struggling with my own emotions, she didn't deserve that kind of crappy treatment, I really should apo…is she sobbing? Turning back to look at her secretary again, what she found wasn't just a sobbing Abyssal. The poor girl looked MISERABLE, there were tears rolling down her cheeks, desperately restrained sobs and sniffs in a failed attempt to hide her depression.

"I-I'm sorry I'm *sob* not as strong a-as the others…or smart…and I'm c-crippled…*sob* I-If you w-want *sob* I'm s-sure a different s-secretary can be *sob* assigned…I…I'm sorry…"

The crying Abyssal found herself wrapped in a warm hug before she could continue.

"No, Luna. You've done nothing wrong and I would never hate you. I should be the one apologizing for making you feel this way while I was bogged down by personal issues…if anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it's me."

The Abyssal's body felt cold as death, but her admiral barely noticed. Nothing more was said for awhile, allowing themselves to embrace and be embraced in silence.

"…I know I'm an unworthy commander for making you cry after a single day, and there are many things I want to ask your forgiveness for, far more than what you could imagine, but for now…can you please still be my secretary, Luna?"

"O-of course, commander, yes!"

23/11/20XX

It's been almost two weeks since…that. God I'm a horrible person, first I get her killed, then I've made her cry a day after our reunion…Shigure would probably beat me senseless if she was here, and I'd deserve it too.

If there were any silver linings to be found, we've gotten along much better after that. It's honestly almost as if I've traveled back in time to my first days in the Guardian Office; it is definitely still her in there, and while her memories may be reset, all of our original time together gone, that just gives me the chance to befriend her all over again, with added experience and knowledge so I don't do some of the dumber things I did before, like a new game plus one could say. Our schedule's about the same as before too, paperwork in the morning, training in the afternoon, leisure at night, and Luna's almost always by my side. She's back to her modestly cheerful self, and while she's still not as energetic as most of her sisters, I would've imagined she'd picked up SOME wildness after becoming an Abyssal but she didn't which is kind of nice, her company is as calming as ever. I haven't even had the need to write in a long while. I still don't, but I feel I may as well update this a bit.

Daily life has gotten very stable by now as well, and, dare I say? Enjoyable, even. Woverly and a few others have been dropping by often, and the occasional mealtime get-togethers where we share tales of old with everyone get me all nostalgic every time. I refrained from telling my own stories though, other than a few silly college mishaps, didn't want to go into my Fleet Girl commanding days since I was their enemy back then. The mural incident got a good laugh out of everyone; you know it's funny when even the Wo and Ri-Classes can crack a smile. Their stories have also been very entertaining actually, if a little morbid at times, still not nearly as bad as I imagined thankfully. As expected of a Re-Class, Reagan gets up to the best antics. What can I say, the image of her chasing a small team of destroyers while riding a great white shark while wearing a cowboy hat while screaming "YEEEEEHAAA!" makes me giggle, especially since no one was hurt in the end. As she said, you have to make your own fun when you live in the middle of the ocean.

The reinforcements that I feared so much back then have also really livened up the place, in the good kind of way. Hoppou hangs out around the office often nowadays after I got her a model Reppu. Even going into toy preferences, that is some detailed intel. Speaking of intel, I got around to reading the other data files some days back. Turns out the poor kid died from natural causes and somehow became a Princess-Class Abyssal, such misfortune for the rest of us. Glad to know the military hasn't stooped THAT low to get more troops at least. Y'know, while she may have become another monster that humanity has to watch out for, and a really tough one at that, watching her run around the office with her plane, with that innocent smile of pure joy that only a child could have, I'm still glad she's getting a second chance at life like this. I kind of wish the data file didn't include her exact cause of death though, the irony's pretty disturbing.

As for Yorktown and Hornet, they're like two college-age sisters who never outgrew their sibling rivalry. I would know, I knew two girls like that back in high school, though they were obviously younger and not nearly as violent. Their feud has been going on since day one, ranging from elaborate pranks to straight-up fights in the hallways, which usually end when Middia sends both to the docks the painful way. Their pranks HAVE been pretty amusing, if sometimes costly to our resources and getting innocents caught in the crossfire. Seriously, I would have chewed Yorktown out so hard after the noodle incident sent half the base to the docks (it didn't even GET Hornet neither) if Middia (and all the victims later) didn't beat the living daylights out of her already. However I really need to find a way to help them get along better, at least to the point where they won't break into a brawl out of nowhere. At this rate it's only a matter of time before they cause some kind of breach and accidentally flood the base, and then where would I be?

Despite how intimidating she might be, I mean, anyone who can knock out a Princess with a single punch is just SCARY, but I would say Middia is the most level-headed and dependable out of all of them, and she usually is, until food gets involved…nothing gets between her and her bauxite burgers, NOTHING. Who would believe such a refined-looking lady would be such a glutton in front of food? We've had to almost double our expeditions since she arrived, that woman eats about as much as all the Rainy Sisters combined! Her Demon's WORSE! I don't really see it eat, but Middia rolls entire CARTS of resources back to her quarters after every meal to feed it with. That's what she says anyway, at this point I could actually believe if that cart was some after-meal snack for herself. And the WORST part? Despite her insane appetite, she doesn't seem to get fat at all, if anything it all goes to her chest! Errgghh, so jealous…

Huh, thinking about it now, the Princesses remind me of a cartoon family, with Middia as the mother and the rest as children at different age groups. An adorable little kid with hidden depths, a shy only-sane-woman middle child, two older sisters who can't get along, one stoic (kind of) and one aloof, and a usually-but-not-always refined mother who resorts to violence just a bit too much. There's even a housepet, Neko. True to her name she acts very much like a cat; she doesn't talk much unless she wants something; she likes to stare at me when we're together, then start ignoring me when I actually address her; she can spend ages grooming herself, and she LOVES sleeping, on my bed no less. I even got HQ to send a sofa bed for my office just for her, but no, it has to be MY bed. I don't really mind her using my bed honestly, I'm just afraid one day she'll start rummaging around my sleeping quarters and find this journal somehow. It's not an unfounded fear neither, I almost had a heart attack last week when I came back and found her reading something on my bed, thank god it was just the Da Vinci Code I forgot to put away. I've tried locking the door after that, but then she just sat outside the door staring at me with judgmental eyes. Well, eye, since the other one's covered by that metal stuff. In the end we sort of came to a compromise, she can go sleep inside whenever I'm in the office to keep an eye on her. Still, just like with cats, as haughty as she can be, she's also very adorable, usually when she's asleep, she sort of curls up like a cat and it takes quite a bit of willpower not to pet her. Her two stomach tails also act like cat tails it seems, waving around lazily whenever she's content.

Y'know what, having befriended quite a few of these girls these past weeks, Inazuma's right, even with their quirks, no, especially with their quirks, these girls are as human as any person I've ever known! Hell, they're MORE interesting than most humans I've known. So why…oh. Right. Conscience and empathy. Indeed, perhaps the real reason it feels so pleasant here right now is because we haven't had sorties at all so far. There haven't been any requests for back-up, all we've been doing are patrols and resource gathering. With the lack of combat on my mind, it's easy to forget even the little girl going "Vroom vroom!" with her model airplane in my office every day has killed at least one person, a Big 7 at that. In the end, no matter how human they look or act, they're still inhuman mutants trying to conquer the human race, probably controlled by some alien hive mind at a subconscious level to destroy the enemy. Even Luna doesn't seem to question the fact she has to fight humans and Fleet Girls or their variants. Shame, I think humans, Fleet Girls and Abyssals could probably accomplish great things together under different circumstances…

I haven't forgotten my true mission despite my pleasant time here of course. Judging by how I've been positioned at a relatively minor role despite being an Admiral, the puppetmasters of the Abyss have yet to trust me with any real power. The reinforcements were another sign as well, sending 5 Princesses to me instead of the front line, even if they're a little outdated being aquatic-based Abyssals in the current stage of the war, feels like a bit of a waste. No doubt they're also to act as guards to intimidate and keep me in line just in case, even including Harusame as a treat in the carrot-and-stick routine. If I'm to gain access to the prison locations without raising suspicion, I'll have to earn their trust by deploying support properly when requested…even if it means helping the Abyss win a few more battles and kill more people. Once I've "shown" I'm on their side, using routine security checks as an excuse to visit the prisons on a regular basis shouldn't be a problem. The hard part is after that, but I can't make any reliable plans right now not even knowing the general situation inside those places…

She almost dropped her pen when a sudden but gentle knock came at the door. With a thoroughly practiced motion, the diary was hidden away back in the compartment in the blink of an eye.

"It's midnight already! Who is it?"

"I-It's me, Luna, yes…I-I-I know it's late, and I'm sorry for bothering you, but…if you don't mind, would you…would you like to go stargazing with me? We could grab a snack, some drinks, get some fresh air…"

There was a moment of silence.

"…I-it's fine if you're not interested…I'll just-"

The door opened, cutting her short and revealing the brunette Admiral, still in her pajamas.

"What do you mean stargazing? We're at the bottom of the ocean! I appreciate the sentiment and all, but unless you know how to get me up there without drowning, there's not much we can do."

"You came here by submarine, yes? We can use that! Or you could travel in one of the transport ships. It's a little small, but it's airtight and-"

"Submarine is fine, feel free to lead the way, Luna." She was NOT going inside one of those Wa-Class things, Cassandra thought. Those things give her nightmares, even more than the Abyssal Light Cruisers do…

They walked down towards the port, or rolled in Luna's case. It wasn't as strong before, but at that moment, in the dimly lit hallways, silent but for the soft whirring of wheels and alone but for admiral and secretary, watching the handicapped Abyssal roll along in her wheelchair made Cass feel a sudden pang of sadness. Why, why was this girl so unlucky? Not only did she have to die in combat due to her commander's incompetence and become one of the monsters she fought so hard to defeat, but even then she was made to suffer such an unexplainable physical handicap after becoming an Abyssal! What did she do to deserve this?

"If you're wondering about my legs…I don't mind them, yes…"

"There are psychic Abyssals now?"

That earned a giggle from Luna.

"No, you're just not a difficult person to understand, commander."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that…"

"I mean that in the best of ways, commander. Even so, I find it a little strange as well…it's like I've known you for a lot longer than a few weeks, yes…"

"Yes…strange…Hey, I thought we were getting a midnight snack to bring first?" The admiral asked as they entered the port.

"I've already taken the liberty to prepare a few things, yes…I hope they're to your liking."

"You knew I'd agree to this from the beginning, didn't you?"

"I hoped so at least…"

The two soon reached the submarine Cassandra had arrived by, and will now exit with. Climbing in, it was Luna who wheeled her way to the controls while the admiral made herself comfy next to some wrapped bento boxes and metal canteens.

"I'm surprised I'm even allowed to leave the base like this unscheduled."

"You underestimate your liberties, commander." With a clank the hatch sealed shut, and the sub shipped out to begin its journey. "I heard the humans had an island mansion to live in back at Iron Bottom Sound before its destruction. A short trip to the surface at your leisure is minor compared to that, yes."

"Surprisingly generous, but I'm not complaining. Hmm, mind if I guess what the snacks are?"

"If you wish to, go ahead."

"Mapo Haru, plus iced chocolate for you and a Long Island for me."

"Yes, in…deed. Is that what noodles are called where you used to live, Haru?"

"…You could say that. It's just an in-joke between me and some close friends of mine."

"I see."

A few minutes of silence. Cassandra made an attempt to look outside the windows, but there was nothing but darkness in the night ocean. Was this what Harusame had been in when she first reawakened as Luna? Or all natural Abyssals for that matter? Alone in the cold, dark abyss of the ocean floor?

"We've arrived, commander." The resulting splash as the sub broke surface confirmed her words. With another clunk the hatch unsealed, and the admiral collected her thoughts and midnight snack before climbing out. As soon as her head emerged from the submarine, she was met with a refreshing gust of salty sea breeze, a godsend after weeks cooped indoors, and the sight she beheld was even more awe-inspiring than she remembered. Countless lights of varying size and color spanned the cloudless heavens, the sky clear enough to see the Milky Way itself, a river of color across the dark sky. There was no land for miles around, the starlit night sky unhindered all the way to the horizon where it met with its own reflection on the ocean surface, as if there were two skies, one above and one below, the latter's peace only broken by the occasional waves. The only sounds to be heard were that of the crashing waves and her own breathing, and as she sat down near the open hatch with bento and drinks in hand, she looked up at what Luna must have been waiting for, the star of this grand spectacle.

"A full moon. It's beautiful, yes?" The Abyssal sat down beside her, having left the wheelchair inside.

"Yeah. It definitely is." Without another word, the admiral handed Luna's snacks back, opened her own, and took a bite. It's been too long since the last time…the aroma, the taste, her cooking, it's been too long...

"I-Is it too spicy, commander?"

"No…it's perfect." She shook her head and wiped the tears away. They sat there, the cold but gentle wind blowing against their skin, enjoying the view, the food, and the company. Time has a funny way of passing, doesn't it, the admiral mused. It's really only been months since they've last done something like this together, yet to her, it had felt like years; and once again, time had decided to be a fickle mistress that night, hours passing in the blink of an eye.

…

*yawn*

"Tired, commander?"

"A little…"

"I suppose it is about time, yes…shall we head back then?"

"*yawn* Yeah, sure…"

The now empty bento boxes and canteens packed away, the admiral and her secretary climbed back inside and soon began their descent. Cassandra had expected a quiet and uneventful trip, but after a few minutes, Luna proved there would be one more surprise.

"Are you ready for the encore, commander?"

"Encore? What encore?"

"Look outside and you'll find out."

"What's outside? There was nothing but dark…" Lights. Floating, pulsing lights filled the original void she saw on their ascent, like stars in the sky. Other beings soon entered the fray, jellyfish lined with twinkling lights of vibrant colors, all manner of bizarre deep sea life revealed by the stars of the sea. To Cassandra, it was almost as if they were traveling through the cosmos itself, looking out at the countless distant stars, strange yet beautiful alien creatures swimming through the endless space gracefully.

"These fluorescent plankton appear around this hour, attracting other life to them. It's a scene not witnessed by many non-Abyssals I'd imagine, yes…What do you think, commander?"

"It's…it's beautiful. Thanks for giving me the privilege to see this, Luna!"

"My pleasure…" The Abyssal looked back at she who was still marveling at the underwater lightshow. Why, why did the commander feel so familiar to her? Right from the start she felt a strong attachment to this person, and even though she had her doubts after their rough meeting and first day, that feeling's only gotten stronger with each passing day. Everything they've done together so far, the physical training, the stories and jokes they share, even what happened just now gave her a strong sense of déjà vu. Stargazing, mapo noodles, the Long Island, it was as if she knew all of her favourites by instinct. She had made herself some noodles and iced chocolate despite those being human food. Even calling the noodles "Mapo Haru" sounded natural to her for a second. What was going on? Perhaps… "Ah, we're back." That thought will have to be for another time then, yes…