"Say Naoto, want to do some practice of your English by watching one of my movies that has Japanese subtitles if you so choose but is spoken entirely in English?"
"Sure, what about Yoko?"
"I don't think that's such a good idea, tomorrow is soon enough"
"But..."
"Listen Naoto, she's been through too much regarding you to shock her with you being alive, she thinks you're dead and according to reports that I receive that you didn't she's been through a lot lately and can't handle much more shock, it's for her own good that she's told with the rest of your fellow officers tomorrow, as it is we're going to have to go in super early to inform our superior's about our return"
"Right, this is going to get interesting"
"No kidding"
Early the next day Naoto was up first and slightly disoriented due to the fact that he'd spent his first night in his new shared apartment, he then heard Zoe moving around
*Morning Zoe*
*Morning Naoto, coffee should be done soon, breakfast should be done soon as well*
*You look tired*
*I'm not necessarily a big fan of super early mornings, I can get up early for sure and if there's an alarm of any sort I react to it properly, but that doesn't mean I have to like being up as early as we are*
*Good point*
Fifteen minutes later and the two were out the door and getting into Bluestreak who had volunteered to be their ride until they regained their driver's licenses back and managed to sneak into the station with no one noticing them
"I think I'm going to be speaking to them about security issues after our conversation"
"I'll join you for that conversation, even when I was Jiban the security was better than what I'm seeing now and never dared tried to enter the station in said form if it could be avoided"
"No, our superior's don't know about you as far as I'm aware"
"I can talk to them in my Naoto form Zoe, this is because I did occasional security tests as Naoto as well"
"Okay, well let's go in, me first and then when I call for you, you come in"
"Agreed"
And so Zoe knocks and then waits to be acknowledged and once she is she simply goes into the room to the shock of her superior's
*Kerenai, when did you get back?*
*About two days ago, I had to get some things yesterday so that's why I didn't let you know sooner*
*Then...then have you found Jiban's killers and brought them back like you promised?*
*Um, yes and no in a way*
*Kerenai?*
*We did find the people who managed to take Jiban away from us but...they weren't his killers*
*If they weren't his killers than why are you home?*
*Because it turns out that Jiban wasn't actually killed*
*What?*
*Jiban is alive, and waiting outside the office right now, we've brought Jiban home and his captors back to Earth for trial for what they did to him and others since the EDC is going to be in charge of the trial*
*He's truly alive?*
*Yes, shall I call him in*
*Not quite yet, there's something we want to ask you, and then something we want to ask him with you here*
*What is it you wish to ask simply me?*
*Will another incident like this happen in the future?*
*My family is going to do their best to make sure that what happened before doesn't happen again, there are going to be rules and security put into place to ensure we don't lose Jiban as easily as last time*
*Very well, send Jiban in*
Zoe gets Jiban since Naoto had decided to go in his Jiban form for the reason that Jiban had been the one seen captured all those years ago and not Tamura Naoto
*Jiban, first of all it's good to see you alive, second of all there's something we need to know*
*What is it?*
*Are you Tamura Naoto?*
*Why are you asking him that?*
*Because it's the only thing that makes sense for why Tamura Naoto disappeared at the same time Jiban was captured, your family has been doing a good job covering for him Kerenai but it isn't perfect, not after so many years of the same story being used every time we ask*
*Then yes I am Tamura Naoto*
Naoto returns to his human form with that one sentence
*We were right, now then is there anything you want to talk to us about before the shift starts and we do the whole paperwork mess for Tamura and paperwork for you to resume your job?*
*Yes, two things, first of all I want to apply to the police academy, the second issue is more for Naoto to discuss*
*Security is lacking, we snuck in here way too easily for a police station*
*Oh that issue, don't worry it's not what you think it is, but we can't explain it quite yet, but come this afternoon we should be able to*
*Understood, I also need to talk about retraining that needs done for me*
*Okay Zoe goes for the full academy experience, you're being placed in an accelerated class that a few other officers are about to start as well due to circumstances beyond our control with them needing the retraining that you also need Tamura*
*So, when are we telling my fellow officers about my return?*
*This afternoon is a better time to do that, we need to prepare your unit specifically Tamura because they've been through a really rough time lately regarding your situation, even if it's only your Jiban form that's been the primary source of pain*
*Okay, I can wait that long, but maybe you guys can allow Zoe to get back to work today*
*Nope we need to process her paperwork first, plus we need to get started on the paperwork needed to get you declared alive...again*
*Good point, the Cybertronians couldn't help this time because of factors that they couldn't explain to me*
*Good point I forgot that they sometimes help with the paperwork so let's get started*
And so a lot of paperwork was started and then that afternoon was the meeting where Naoto and Zoe would be revealed to not only be alive but having returned since for Zoe the job simply believed that her self assigned mission was still going on since they got regular status updates about her from the EDC, including one shortly before she arrived on Cybertron
*You called a meeting sir?*
*Yes Yoko, first of all Zoe Kerenai has returned home and is safe*
Everyone started talking so the chief let them settle down before continuing
*I also have news regarding Jiban who was last seen several years ago being taken away by enemies of the EDC and who we've had hopes dashed in regards to his return several times now. I now report that our hopes are no longer dashed, that he's been found alive by the EDC and has returned home, Zoe, Jiban come on out*
Zoe and Jiban were greeted enthusiastically and then Yoko spoke up so as to bring up a topic without making anyone suspicious
*Sir, have you heard from the EDC about Naoto lately?*
*Yes actually, he should be returning either at the end of this week or sometime next week*
*It'll be good to see him again after so long with that special assignment from the EDC*
*Indeed*
Only Zoe, the higher ups, Yoko, and Jiban knew the truth regarding the Naoto statement, that Naoto hadn't been on special EDC assignment but had been captured and presumed dead along with Jiban since Jiban and Naoto were one and the same
*It's good to have you back Kerenai*
*It's good to be back, but this is only temporary I'm afraid*
*You have to go away again so soon?*
*Yes, it's the only way to become a full fledged police officer after all*
*Oh, you're going to go to the academy then?*
*Yes*
*Then that's okay, at least we know where you'll be and we know you'll be safe at the academy*
*True enough, but I think it's going to take a least a month for all the paperwork to go through to allow me to attend the academy so until then I'll return to my current job within the police*
And so the next week Naoto returns and it's explained that since he'd been away from the police force this whole time helping the EDC he would be given some retraining that was accelerated so that he could return to work as quickly as possible
*It's good to have you back after so long Naoto*
*Yeah, it's good to be back, sorry the EDC needed me for so long, neither of us thought that would be the case but...*
*But things happened and you being gone as long as you were became a thing*
*Yeah*
Soon enough both Naoto and Zoe were heading to the academy for their respective training and Naoto was back to his old job and station within a month
*So...how long until Zoe returns again?*
*Two months from now if everything continues on schedule Aoko*
"You sure about that Naoto?"
"Yes Yoko I'm sure, by the way EDC says that you're now allowed to also be a representative like me seeing as how you know the truth about me"
"Let me guess paperwork kept me from being cleared sooner right?"
"Yep"
"Does Kerenai know about this?"
"Yes in fact she was the one who insisted on it"
"Wonder why"
"Maybe it's because of the fact that between you already knowing about me and the fact that the EDC didn't have as much information as when they had an actual police liaison Zoe realized that even if something ever happened to me again, which we're trying to prevent by the way, they still need a police liaison"
"Oh, makes sense then"
"In any case Zoe will be the primary liaison which makes sense because of her connection to the EDC but we'll also be liaisons as a precaution"
"That works for me, but I think I need some EDC training if I'm going to be a liaison"
"We know, and I'll be the one to give you that training"
"Not entirely Naoto, I want the EDC to do some of the training anyways"
"Sorry I should have been more concise on my explanation of the training, I'll only be doing the majority of the hand-to-hand combat training, the EDC will handle the rest of the training"
"And when Zoe returns from police training..."
"Exactly, she'll keep us in practice"
"Works for me"
*What exactly are you two talking about?*
*Sorry Chief having a private conversation that you're not cleared for*
Yoko simply looks at Naoto who switches to English
"It's true and you know it Yoko"
"That may be the case Naoto but you also know that we can't do that too often or they might start getting suspicious and learn English just to listen in"
"Good point, that's it private conversations at my place or yours unless something comes up at work"
"Agreed"
*Anything I need to know you two?*
*No sir, just making an agreement regarding security things is all, is there a case for us?*
*No but I am thinking of sending you both out on patrol to ease Naoto back into routine*
*Works for me*
The next two months were actually fairly easy and once Zoe graduated she quickly slipped into place with Yoko and Naoto with the three of them forming a strong team
*Kerenai, Tamura, Yoko there's a case that's confusing that might be Bioron or it might not be though we know for a fact that for now the EDC isn't involved*
*Understood*
Ultimately the case was a simple one and not any Bioron or EDC involvement was detected however three months later the group got split up because the EDC and Bioron enemies were involved and yet again tragedy would hit the police and EDC. Yoko, Zoe and Naoto had gotten separated when their enemies split up into three different groups and Yoko finished her group first and headed straight for Zoe since she was the closest and managed to see Zoe collapsed and bleeding
"Zoe!"
Yoko kneels at Zoe's side and turns her over to her back since she had been laying on her stomach at the time
