"Would Team Anglerfish please report to the Student Council Office. Repeat, Would Team Anglerfish please report to the Student Council Office. Thank you."

Closing and carefully slipping the new Sensha-dō rule book into her school bag, Miho stood, taking her dinner tray and slipping it onto the rack before turning and making her way towards the ships' bridge. Smiling at the various students who greeted her as she walked, Miho found herself laughing quietly at the rather superfluous order, seeing as over half of Anglerfish now formed the Student Council. Hana had taken over from Anzu as president, Yukari had stepped in to replace Yuzu as vice-president and lastly Momo had, much to the stoic girls shock, been superseded by the bubbly and bold Saori.

Though something strange was going on as, despite it being over a month since the new school year had begun, none of the ex-student council had actually left yet. Miho and her friends would still see Anzu, Yuzu and Momo on a fairly regular basis, wandering around the ship out of uniform, sometimes alone and other times with a formally dressed adult. Who these people were no one seemed to know, and the trio never stuck around long enough for Miho or anyone else to ask.

'Anzu would probably just give me her cheeky I'm-up-to-something grin and say nothing' Miho thought with a long sighed. Being back at school had left very little time for her to contemplate what had happened over the summer. What was supposed to be a final relaxing weekend retreat before the Zuikaku returned to port for the summer had ended up being a bit of an emotional rollercoaster of nerves and concern for the two girls they had discovered in their wrecked ship. 'Hopefully, this meeting will give us some answers'.

On arrival at the office she rapped gently on the door and she heard Saori call out, "It's open!"

Miho stepped in and then paused. The room was far fuller than she had anticipated. Hana sat in her seat as Student Council president, Yukari and Saori stood behind her on either side. Mako was slumped in a seat off to one side though looking more alert than usual. Behind Mako stood Anzu, Yuzu and Momo, all out of uniform. What surprised her though was seeing Ami Chōno, their Sensha-dō instructor, Ooarai's department head for Historical Studies, Hisa Genji, and Nozomi Sugimoto, the school nurse, all seated off to the right.

"Have a seat Miho." Hana gestured to one of the two remaining seats in front of her. "We are waiting on just one more person."

"He is taking his time." Momo huffed as Miho sat down. Miho noticed Ms Chōno open her mouth to reprimand her, but closed it. It seemed it wasn't just Miho who was struggling to remember that Momo and the rest were no longer students at Ooarai.

"Hana, can you tell us what this is about?" Miho asked quietly.

"We will actually be discussing a few topics," Hana began, only for the office door to bang open and for an elderly, suited man to stumble in, cutting her off mid-sentence. The man stopped briefly to hang up his hat and heavy coat before ignoring the shocked expressions on everyone's face and crossing the room to slump down in the remaining chair beside Miho.

"Apologies for my tardiness, Isuzu-San." he gruffed. "Please continue. I hope I haven't missed much."

"Not at all, we were waiting on you." Hana replied, ignoring the mans' lack of manners. "For those who don't know, this is Mr Hisao Gotō. He is acting as our government liaison for the events around what happened over the summer break." There were a few nods of comprehension, though no one spoke up. "Speaking of which, Gotō-Sama, would you like to start proceedings off?"

"Yes, thank you, well," Hisao grumbled, opening a briefcase and beginning to flit through the various files within. "I shall begin with saying that both girls, Chito and Yurri, are in good health. Well, they are making great improvements. Chito had a couple of fractured ribs while Yuuri had a fractured left ulna, both minor considering the hits they took in the storm. Both were very malnourished but are improving greatly with proper food and supplements. Yuuri in particular eats with, vigour. They also were able to get over a couple of viruses they caught with the help of antibiotics, their immune systems having never encountered them" Gotō flipped over a page with a cough and pressed on.

"However, both girls are struggling on a personal level. Initially, Yurri was curious and even adventurous, but this has dropped off substantially over the last six weeks. Chito was never particularly outgoing, but did have quite a strong interest in the various items in the apartment we have them settled in. She attempted to dismantle both the television and kettle, but thankfully both times she was stopped before she harmed herself. Put simply, both girls are withdrawing and becoming less active. They still talk to one another but they don't seem inclined to talk to any of the staff attending to them. Kadotani-San, Kawashima-San and Koyama-San have also made attempts at talking and communicating with them," He indicated Anzu, Momo and Yuzu as he spoke. "And while they have been more successful they all need to transfer to their university carrier and we need someone who is going to be here for the longer term." Hisao looked up at Miho and Mako. "We are hoping they may respond positively to both Nishizumi-San and Reizei-San given they were the first people they met and you are both closer to their age than any of our staff. We are also hoping Reizei-San can do a better job at communicating with them. They either don't understand what our linguistic experts have said to them or are choosing to ignore them." He stopped and looked up at Miho and Mako. "Well?"

"If it will help them, then I'm willing to try." Miho forced a smile to her face, but knew she wasn't hiding her nerves completely. "I just wonder, where did they come from? Where did they get the boat? What were they doing all alone in the first place."

"I too would like to know this." Nozomi cut in. "Your email said next to nothing about them. If they are as bad socially as you say they are then perhaps having them join Ooarai isn't the best idea for now."

Hisao shot Nozomi an irritated look, but it seemed it was far too late.

"You want them to join the school?" Hana asked, surprised.

Hisao slumped in his seat looking irritated. "I was getting to that part." He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, trying to pick up the pieces of his mental derailment. "Honestly, it shouldn't be that surprising. They both need support, they both need education, neither has friends or family beside each other, they are both completely unrecorded and have nowhere to stay. Ooarai is as good a ship as any to host them until such time they are old enough to make their own choices." He looked up at the rest of the room whose expressions ranged from intrigued to irritated. "Now, if I could get back on track?"

Hana nodded. "Please Gotō-Sensei, continue."

"Nishizumi-San and Reizei-San, if you would be so kind, I would like you both to come and visit Chito and Yuuri this evening after school. With any luck they will take to you and we can begin the process of integrating them into both the school and society in general." Hisao paused, looking up at Hisa for a moment. "Before then though there are some basic things you will need to know. As they were still effectively in command, the previous student council have been made aware of these facts, and since the five of you now form the student council and the two we believe best suited to engage with our new arrivals, I have asked Sugimoto-San to give you some more, specific details."

All five members of Anglerfish shared confused looks but said nothing. Yukari however looked particularly curious, while Mako seemed expectant. Miho wondered what it was that was in effect secret and being kept from them, if only the teachers knew and they had only filled in Anzu, Momo and Yuzu due to their position.

Hisa stepped forward and looked around gravely at the girls. "We believe that Chito and Yuuri came from another place. Somewhere that isn't part of our islands and not from any of our carrier ships. They come from a place that hasn't seen contact with us in a century and was greatly affected during what you know as The Last War." Hisa paused, giving the girls a moment to absorb what she was saying. "We do know that very small numbers of people survived this war across the world and we believe that they still continue that fight. We believe that Chito and Yuuri have managed to travel from somewhere that was involved in this war, and may even still be at war. Who this was or where they came from we don't yet know. Yet they have somehow survived in an incredibly inhospitable environment despite their age and in a bid to escape that life have found themselves here."

Ami gave Hisa a reassuring smile and then continued. "From what Gotō-Sensei has told me, we do not believe them to be inherently dangerous but we can't be certain about this. This is why they have been kept in secure accommodation until we are more certain about who they are, their background and any potential risk they may present. If you were wondering, they have been kept in a small apartment complex at the aft of the carrier. Had they been discovered on the mainland then they would have stayed there, but given Ooarai has far better facilities than the island we stopped at, the decision was made to bring them aboard."

Hisao looked around at Anglerfish. "So, any questions?" he asked simply.

Miho had found herself resorting to using her old stoic Nishizumi expression to keep her mouth from hanging open. "People survived the war?"

"We did, didn't we?" Mako interjected. "Clearly someone did, else we wouldn't be here."

"Don't take it so literally Mako." Saori scowled.

"My point still stands. Why is it such a surprise that people somehow survived the war, even if they were at the centre of it." Mako stated. "My grandma was able to show me a video of her grandma and pictures of her great-grandma. Surely that's far enough back to be just after the war ended?"

The girls all looked back at the four adults. Hisao seemed suddenly nervous, Ami and Nozomi looked saddened while Hisa looked down at her feet awkwardly.

"While not a secret, this all refers to things that are generally not taught or made public." Hisao said slowly after a moment. "However, since we need you to interact with Chito and Yuuri on a regular basis you will most likely learn things from them that contradict what you will have previously been told. We will want you to keep us apprised of what they say, but ultimately, they are still teenagers and they need our support." Hisao seemed to gather himself and sat up straighter in his chair. "If the eight of you were to meet us at the aft peer at eight this evening we will take you to see them. We will let you see them for a couple of hours and then review from there. Hopefully you can start seeing them daily and eventually they can join the school after that with one or two of you acting in supporting roles. It is unfortunate that you five happened to find them, given how busy you already are and your existing responsibilities but we do not wish to include any additional people into this if we don't need too." Hisao relaxed, his piece said. Getting to his feet he started donning his hat and coat. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have places to be. Nozomi-San, Chōno-San, Genji-san." He tipped his hat to each before swiftly exiting and vanishing from sight.

"Could you get any ruder?" Saori snapped the moment the door was shut. "Barging in, glaring at everyone. He didn't even say goodbye to Hana."

"Let it go." Anzu waved a placating hand. "He's been like that since we met him. I think he is used to living on the mainland where things are less traditional and more practical."

"Practically insulting is what it is." Saori sniped but Hana gave her a calming look and she settled for crossing her arms with a huff.

"Have they really been cooped up in that apartment this whole time?" Miho asked quietly. "That hardly seems fair or right."

"It's a very unusual situation Miho-san." Hisa said soothingly. "I don't really agree with how they've been kept inside but while we know that there are pockets of survivors out there, the number of instances where someone has successfully made it across to an untouched island must be less than a dozen." Despite this her expression brightened. "But with you all lending your support I am sure things will improve for them." She looked over at Nozomi for support.

The nurse pushed her glasses up her nose and cleared her throat. "It's hard to say for sure but it should be a positive step unless you say something that upsets or offends them. Given they happily talk to one another while not being interested in talking with the staff attending to them, I'd wager they have a very strong bond, most likely built from necessity in order to survive. Opening that survival 'shell' if you like is a very delicate process."

Miho gave her team a concerned look, though Hana smiled back. "Given time I think it's possible." She replied calmly. "I guess we will all see each other this evening. Now, student council or no, we all best get back to class."

"Chi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we're dead?"

"You asked me this before."

"You could have changed your mind."

"No. I don't think we are dead."

"Why not? The afterlife is supposed to be warm and comfortable."

"You said it was supposed to be warm and comfortable."

"Yeah. It wasn't going to be cold and uncomfortable was it?"

"..."

"How long are we going to stay here?"

"Don't know."

"The sun has been up and down a lot."

"Yeah."

"I wonder what happened to them?""Who?""The other girls."

"Anzu, Momo and Yuzu?"

"No, the first girls."

"Miho and Mako."

"Yeah. Maybe the adults took them away?"

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I don't think it works like that here."

Yuuri watched from the sofa as Chito used the cooker to heat both girls more soup. The previous day Chito had tried to cook what looked like a fish covered in bread using the oven part of the cooker and they had turned out surprisingly well. The last few weeks had seen them slowly transition from people bringing them their meals, to the girls cooking for themselves, initially with mixed results. The oven reminded Yuuri of the gigantic fiery oven they had once baked rations in, but a lot smaller. There was also no fire or flames but the oven got hot regardless.

Yuuri stared out the window at the darkening sky for a moment before returning to the large, heavy book in her lap. She couldn't read it, and neither could Chito, but the pictures were captivating and it seemed to cover so many things. One of the girls, Yuzu she remembered, had dropped it off for them one day. As she flicked through she saw all sorts of things she recognised, other things she could work out (mainly food) and some things that she had never seen at all. It was just like their camera, and all the pictures they had seen aboard the sunken boat, but with information to explain things too. For the first time Yuuri regretted that she couldn't read.

"Chi?" she called.

Chito glanced over from the stove curiously. "Yeah?"

"Do you think we will get the camera back? The vehicle? Your journals?"

Chito lifted the pan off the cooker and set it down on the table beside two bowls. "I don't know."

"Do you still think we made the right choice?"

Chito took her time pouring the soup into each bowl and then sliding one portion across to the other side for Yuuri. "Soup, Yuu." She called.

Yuuri joined her at the table but didn't start eating, only staring at Chito as her friend gently blew on a spoonful of the warm red broth.

"Chi. Chi, Chi, Chi." She pestered.

"I don't know yet." her friend finally answered. "Maybe if we could go out and see more of this place. It's huge. We've never stayed in one place for so long, except with Grandpa."

"Yeah, it is big." Yuuri stared off into space for a moment. "You know, when I first saw it, it reminded me of the city. So tall, so many levels, so much metal, like someone had taken a part of the city and made it float."

"Hmmm." Chito nodded, only half listening.

"I wonder if the insides of this ship are like the insides of the city? Lots of places to explore, lots of pipes… lots of big drops." She teased, giving Chito a cheeky grin who shuddered.

"Don't remind me." Chito pouted.

The both ate in silence for a while, both enjoying their meal. Despite being kept in one place, Chito considered all the good things that were here. People kept popping by to check on them, give them more food and they could get water from the tap whenever they wanted. They had their own bath and shower which both girls had spent hours in upon arrival until Yuuri had managed to fall asleep and had to be saved by Chito. They still had their winter jackets, shirts and padded trousers, even their boots, but they had also been given dozens of other things to wear. Both girls had an interesting afternoon trying on all the different things but both had fallen back on things they felt comfortable with, namely t-shirts and trousers with big, fluffy socks. For now, their boots sat unused by the door.

On the flip side though, they were, in a way, trapped. Having been discovered on the beach, it had been a whirlwind of people, places and uncertainty. No one had really explained what was going on beyond they had been 'saved' and would be well cared for once some things had been sorted out. It didn't help that the one person that had actually managed to hold a conversation with them hadn't been back. Was the way Yuuri and herself talked really so difficult?

"Yuu?" Chito started.

Yuuri looked up from her nearly empty bowl. "Yeah?"

"What was the name of that girl who could talk to us?"

"Mako?" Yuuri offered.

"Yeah, that's it. And the other girl was Miho."

"Their names were both really short, and almost the same."

"Yeah, Anzu and Yuzu were the same. Even Momo is short."

Yuuri chuckled to herself. "Maybe here having a short name is normal."

"I don't think so."

"What about Hisa, Hana or Hisao?"

"What about Yukari, Saori and Nozomi?"

Yuuri began to retort but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Both girls looked around to see the main door open and for Anzu to step inside with one of their normal helpers standing just behind her.

"Evening." Anzu said slowly, doing her best to match Yuuri and Chito's dialect.

"Evening." Chito replied, spotting the small accent and pronunciation changes that Mako had originally made so they could talk.

"We have a surprise for you." Anzu continued, stepping aside and letting two girls inside.

Chito and Yuuri's eyes widened as, at last, Mako and Miho stepped inside. Miho looked nervous but smiled at the pair. Mako looked sleepy but managed a small wave. That wasn't all though as three more girls entered that Chito recognised as Yukari, Hana and Saori.

"Hi!" Yuuri waved cheerfully at the group. Chito silently raised her hand in greeting.

"Hello Chito, Yuuri." Mako replied in a cheery monotone. "How have you been?"

"Booooored." Yuuri let out a long groan.

Miho let Mako initiate conversation with the two girls, taking a moment to scan the apartment they were currently living in. It looked rather like her own with an open plan living room, kitchen and dining area. She noticed the bathroom off to one side as well as the bedroom. She suspected the accommodation was intended for a pair of adults but it worked just fine for Chito and Yuuri too. She did notice the mountain of used soup cans and instant ramen packets in the bin while the recycling box similarly was very full with apple cores, banana peels and orange peels. Spotting this too, Anzu motioned to a woman outside who came in and whisked both containers away without a word.

"Anzu?" Miho looked round at Mako who was now standing next to Chito and Yuuri. "They both want to go outside. What if we just took them out for a walk? Surely there are enough of us to watch them?"

Anzu seemed to deflate slightly. "I'm not sure they are allowed, but I will ask." Anzo slipped out the door and closed it behind her.

"So, Mako, what did you say to them?" Hana asked politely.

"I asked how they were. They're both fine, if bored. I think Chito has a lot of questions too. Yuuri seems to be indifferent to an extent, so long as she has food, is warm and has things to do. She likes the encyclopedia that Anzu gave her though." Mako replied. "I also asked about all the soup cans. It seems they started off with having people cook for them but they started cooking for themselves. Soup is easy and so is the ramen."

"They seem to have enjoyed the fruit though." Hana indicated the large mostly empty bowl and the small mountain of various peels and cores.

"Yeah." Mako smiled at Yuuri's blissed out face. Chito rolled her eyes slowly. "Yuuri likes apples."

"Aypuls." Yuuri attempted. "Apulls. However you say it, they're great! You don't even have to unwrap them."

"That doesn't mean you should stuff them down. You'll choke. The biscuits too." Chito retorted matter-of-factly. Yuuri stuck her tongue out at her friend, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Mako. Can you ask them if there is anything they specifically want?" Hana continued. "Did they bring anything with them that they haven't got back?"

Mako relayed the message. To Mihos' surprise, Chito and Yuuri exchanged a nervous, almost longing, glance. "In the hull of the boat," Mako translated as Chito replied. "There was a vehicle. Our vehicle with all our supplies and things on it. Do you know what happened to it?"

"I do." Anzu reentered the room and smiled at Chito. "Your kettenkrad was recovered from the ship and is currently in storage." At the word kettenkrad, Chitos' eyes went wide with hope. Miho realised she didn't need to understand the rest of the sentence to know it had survived. "Given I have managed to get permission to take you both out if we accompany you, I think we can tack on a quick visit to the storage unit." Anzu grinned.

Chito wore a happy smile all the way from the apartment to the storage unit just a few streets away. The unit was part of a line that sat opposite some more unoccupied flats and apartments. Miho had always assumed that their carrier was crewed or filled to capacity but wandering these mainly empty streets was both unnerving and a clue to some of the money issues that the carrier was still facing.

Yuuri seemed to be distracted by absolutely everything around her, constantly turning to see some new thing as they walked. Everything seemed to catch her attention, from street lamps to bushes, birds to road signs. Chito walked along beside her companion, her eyes also drinking in the odd world around her, though in a more relaxed way.

Miho sidled up to Mako and Hana. "How difficult will it be to learn their language?" She asked, watching the two girls explore.

Mako shrugged. "Shouldn't be too hard really, but I think it would be best if they learned our dialect so they can talk to everyone."

"I think we should do both." Hana added. "We don't want to force them into anything, and letting them keep their way of speaking will also mean we aren't losing a piece of history."

"About that," Miho thought. "What do you think Gotō-Sensei and Genji-Sensei meant by we would learn things that were, contradictory? My mother told us a lot of family history which went all the way back before World War One. I admit some of it was incomplete but what could be so different that it required a warning?"

"I can't think of anything obvious." Replied Hana.

Saori tapped her chin dramatically. "Hmmm, well it must be something big if it has the teachers worried. But if they know, won't we find out in time anyway?"

"Gotō-Sama might have informed them." Mako added. "But I can't see why teachers would need to know something this secret, even if he did say that it's not a true secret."

"And yet they are okay telling us?" Yukari cut in. "Or that something is being hidden and left to fade away in the first place."

Anzu gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it. If it matters, we'll learn about it. If not, then there is no sense in worrying." She gave them all another cheeky grin and then turned sharply down a side street, pulling out a set of keys.

The group pulled to a stop before a nondescript garage door into which Anzu inserted the key, unlocked it and then with a heave lifted the door to the delighted gasps of Chito and Yukari. Miho recognised it instantly as a Kettenkrad in the traditional Dunkelgelb of German vehicles in that period, along with the number zero-six-six displayed on its side, partly hidden by a side pania. Stacked to one side were more metal boxes in various colours and shapes, an extra fuel can, as well as a pair of sleeping bags and two heavy duty green coats with very thick white lining, all kept clean inside clear plastic bags. There was also a bolt-action rifle inside its own bag, sealed tight against the elements. Chito instantly rushed forward to the boxes and began searching, pulling side a grey one and opening it, while Yuuri went straight to the rifle.

"They took the ammunition." Anzu said, in response to the finger Saori pointed at Yuuri, before the girl could talk. "There was only what was in the clip, even though there was an empty ammunition box that was found in the hold of the ship. If they did bring any more, it went overboard."

Saori let out a sigh of relief while orbiting the vehicle, drinking in every detail.

"It's been incredibly well maintained." Yukari reached to touch the handle bars but stepped back when Chito shot her a protective glare. She gave the girl a pleading smile, but Chito seemed in no mood to let her near. "I am surprised the paint held up so well too."

Miho watched as Chito suddenly stopped as she unearthed a set of small navy bound books. The girl stared at them and then hugged them tightly to her chest, before setting them down and pulling out a small metal box on a strap, only for Chito to press something on the side and for a hatch to spring open on one side.

"Is that a camera?" Miho asked, bemused. Now it was open, it was obvious, but the shape was so boxy and the lens cover seemed to bend back on itself,impossibly so. She watched as Chito seemed to flick through the settings, moving so she could see what the girl was doing until her eyes fell on the screen and she gasped.

Picture after picture flicked past showing the strangest and yet most unnerving scenes. A forest of wind turbines, a network of rusted pipes heading to nowhere, a fish trapped in glass, Yurri eating chocolate, a strange staring white sculpture that towered over the landscape, a rusted T-34 tank with water spewing from the barrel, a burning sunset atop a shattered city, a view off the side of a drop of hundreds of meters from a tiny basket. A man and a woman on a backdrop of rusted buildings.

"What on earth…" Mako muttered.

Yurri gave Chito a gentle nudge. "What?" Chito asked looking up, only to follow Yurri's gaze and stop. After a moment she held out the camera towards Anzu who, after a moment's hesitation, took it cautiously.

"What on earth are all these?" Yukari asked as everyone peered over Anzu's shoulders to stare at the tiny screen, the smaller girl flicking randomly through the album of photos.

"I think you mean where on earth." Mako replied pointedly. "I recognise some of this. The architecture, the build styles. This is all Last World construction. That's what my Gran called it anyway."

"You mean these are recent?" Saori exclaimed.

"Chito and Yurri are in them, they must be." Mako replied. "

"Then why is it called Last World?" Yukari asked slowly. "And why is there a T-34 next to a flak gun?"

Mako shrugged. "You'd have to ask my Gran, about the name I mean. I doubt she knows about the T-34."

Miho laughed nervously as Yukari huffed, unsure how Mako managed to fit in her deadpan regardless of the situation.

"We can investigate this later." Momo interrupted. "For now it seems they have the books they wanted and the camera. We should lock up, let them drop off the books and then perhaps a short tour of the town?"

A quick translation by Mako later and the group returned to the apartment, Chito clutching her books and Yukari peering over Yuuri's shoulder as the girl continued to browse through the photos on the camera. On arrival, Miho took a moment to tap Mako on the shoulder while the others were distracted, whispering in her ear.

"Is your grandmother back on the carrier?" Mako just nodded slightly in response. "Do you think we could go see her?"

"Perhaps. Why do you want to?"

"I think I've seen places like those in some of my family's photo albums." Miho replied. "There weren't many but I can remember some of my great great grandparents standing in front of their tanks, outside buildings that looked very much like the ones we saw earlier."

"Same for me as well. Always people. Always static and formal." Mako paused. "Why do you think that is?"

Miho sighed. "I don't know, I guess we'll have to ask."

A short distance away, something moved in the shadows. It didn't know where it was. All that surrounded it was foriegn to it. Yet it still had the same needs. Eyes closed, body lifted, it sensed the air around it until it caught a hint. Direction chosen, it slinked away through the back streets of Ooarai, sticking to the shadows, keeping out of sight.

AN: Getting a new job is useful but it does sudddneny take away all your time, and what time you do have, your mind is exuasted and not in a typical writing frame.