Zuikaku still couldn't believe what she was seeing; a META version of herself was asleep on the bed in the guest room and being treated by Vestal. It was all so surreal for the crane. Noticing that someone had entered the room that her patient was in, Vestal turned around to see who it was. The repair shop could see that it was the normal version of Zuikaku. "Zuikaku! What are you doing in here? I'm treating this META ship right now! It's best that you leave!" Vestal exclaimed to the crane. Zuikaku however did not pay attention to what Vestal said to her; she was still fixated on the META. Shoukaku then arrived and was standing behind her sister, this was the last thing the white-crane needed, her sister to see the META.
Shoukaku, once she had collected her breath from running after her sister, then spoke to her. "Zuikaku, I know this is still a shock, but being here right now is not helping anybody, this META is no threat. Let Vestal help her; if you want to know more about her, I can tell you what she told me, just please, let's go." Shoukaku said to her sister, hoping to get her to leave. However, someone spoke over everybody else in the room. "That won't be necessary, Shoukaku," the voice said. Everyone in the room looked at the bed; they could all see that Zuikaku META was awake, the META ship still didn't look to be in the best condition, but she looked like she was ready to talk.
Zuikaku slowly walked up to her META self, she could see the pale skin, the gray hair, and intense red eyes; if it weren't for those features, the crane believed she would have been looking in a mirror. Zuikaku META then spoke again: "Vestal, Shoukaku, I appreciate you are both here, but I want to talk in private with my past self. Can you please give us some space?" The META asked. Vestal didn't want to leave her patient, and Shoukaku wasn't comfortable with her sister in the same room as the META. Both KANSEN's, however, could see the look on Zuikaku META's face; she really wanted to talk to Zuikaku. Both ships agreed and left both of them in peace, heading downstairs, where they would wait until the two cranes had finished their conversation.
Zuikaku hesitated at first; she didn't know what to say. After some thinking, the only thing she could think of saying was "How are you feeling?" The META gave a small chuckle at this, she wasn't surprised that her past self was finding this situation strange. Zuikaku META then replied "I'm fine, I understand that this must be difficult talking to another version of yourself, believe me it is difficult for me as well." Zuikaku was relieved she wasn't also finding this weird. After some more silence, the META ship then said "I will tell you about myself, it will save time in waiting to be asked questions. I am you from a future, from a future where my sister, my Shoukaku, married the commander named John Grey, I know it is the same here."
The crane's eyes widened when she heard this. "The same thing happened in the timeline of the other me?" She asked. "What else happened? How did she end up here?" Zuikaku still had questions for her META self. Zuikaku then asked, "What else happened in the future? How was the Azur Lane?" Zuikaku META's face dropped when her past self asked this; this was a memory she wanted to forget. "The Sirens destroyed the Azur Lane," she said. "We came under attack. I had never seen so many Sirens in my life; they were relentless. No matter how many Sirens we destroyed, they just kept coming. My sister and John died in the attack. From there, it was just about surviving." The META ship said. Zuikaku was horrified that the Sirens destroyed the Azur Lane; she realized that this META didn't just lose her friends, she lost her sister and John was killed by the Sirens as well.
There was one more question that Zuikaku wanted to ask her META version; it was about her niece, Tsubaki. Zuikaku didn't know if the other versions of John and Shoukaku had their daughter in their timelines, Zuikaku META hadn't said anything about her. So Zuikaku wanted to find out. "Future me, I want to know about my niece, Tsubaki. Did John and Shoukaku have her in your timeline? If she did exist, what happened to her? You haven't mentioned anything about her." The crane asked her META self.
When the crane asked this question, the META Zuikaku started to tear up. She remembered her failure to protect her niece from her own timeline; she didn't know what happened to her Tsubaki after the Sirens took her. She didn't even know if she was still alive. The crane could tell that whatever happened to the other Tsubaki must have been horrific. Seeing the reaction of the META being asked this question, the crane knew that whatever happened to the other Tsubaki must have been devastating. When Zuikaku META was ready, through wet eyes, she told her past self what happened. "The Sirens...they took her away from me," she said. "All that time trying to protect her, I failed." Zuikaku felt horrible at hearing the META's answer. She was blaming herself. She wanted to ask more, but the crane didn't want to bring up more potentially bad memories for the META. She found out enough for today. The KANSEN decided she would find out more when the META was ready to speak, and when both her emotional and physical wounds had healed.
Zuikaku then got up and decided to leave, but before she could, the META grabbed her arm and looked Zuikaku intensely in the eye. "Zuikaku, whatever happens, make sure you protect Tsubaki; for the Sirens to want her, that means there is something truly unique about her. I want you to promise me Zuikaku, promise me you will do what it takes to protect her. I don't want what happened to my Tsubaki to happen to yours. Promise me!" The META ship pleaded. Zuikaku looked at the expression of the META Zuikaku, it was a look of desperation and fear. Zuikaku looked into the META's eyes and said, "I promise you, even if it means I lose my life, I will do whatever it takes to make sure Tsubaki is safe. You have my word." Seeing that her past self was determined to protect her niece, Zuikaku META let go of the KANSEN's arm, and Zuikaku then turned and left the room, leaving the META alone.
Once she was downstairs, Vestal, seeing that Zuikaku had finished talking to her META self, went back upstairs to the guest room to carry on with the treatment of the injured META ship. What Zuikaku had learned from her future self, the KANSEN, knew that Tsubaki was potentially in a lot of danger; she had to make sure her niece was protected by either herself or her sister at all times. Looking at the half-KANSEN with her mother and father, Zuikaku knew that Shoukaku and John would also do whatever it took to protect their daughter. Shoukaku and John noticed the crane was back, John nodded at Shoukaku which was a message that he knew that his wife should go speak to her sister, he would stay with his daughter. Shoukaku left the pair and went up to her sister, once she was with her sister, Shoukaku asked "What did you learn from your future self Zuikaku? Do you want to talk about it in private?" Zuikaku nodded and the pair moved a bit further away from John and Tsubaki, they didn't want the little girl to hear what was going to be said.
Zuikaku then spoke, "I know what happened to the Azur Lane and Tsubaki in the future, the Azur Lane was destroyed and Tsubaki was taken by the Sirens, I believe that is what she also told you?" Shoukaku nodded, she also knew what happened in the future, the META version of her sister told Shoukaku that she and her husband were killed in the Sirens attack on the base, also that the Sirens eventually managed to get a hold of that version of Tsubaki. The white-crane dreaded if such a fate happened to her own daughter, she didn't know if the Sirens in this timeline knew of her existence, the KANSEN wanted to make sure they never found out. "Zuikaku, we need to be even more cautious than before with what we know now, I don't want the Sirens finding out Tsubaki exists, high command also doesn't know she exists, there are too many people she needs protecting from, please help me and John keep her safe." The white-crane asked. Zuikaku didn't even needed to be asked, if high command knew of John and Shoukaku's daughter, she did not know what they would do. The little girl could be used as a weapon, she was part KANSEN after all.
Both cranes came up with a plan; they knew that high command would be arriving tomorrow. They also wanted to make sure Tsubaki didn't meet the META version of her aunt, at least not yet. Shoukaku was going to stay in the Sakura Empire building until high command had completed their inspection. The white-crane wanted to ask her daughter if she wanted her to stay with herself and her aunt, but with what had happened Shoukaku decided to do it anyway. Zuikaku was glad Shoukaku would be staying with herself and her niece, hoping Shoukaku could keep Tsubaki under better control, especially with what happened earlier today. Just before high command would arrive, the three of them would leave the base and return when high command had left. They would message John to let him know when it was safe to return. John would stay at home and keep an eye on Zuikaku META and Vestal.
With their plan sorted, both KANSEN returned to John and Tsubaki. Zuikaku took hold of her niece and let Shoukaku and her husband talk in private away from the two. Shoukaku explained her plan to John and the man agreed; he also wanted his daughter's existence kept from high command, as neither of them trusted what high command would do with that information once they found out. They also knew that the Sirens must also never find out about their daughter. The two of them had done a fine job so far in their eyes, and they wanted Tsubaki to grow up normal, well as normal as she could given the circumstances. The pair then went back over to Zuikaku and Tsubaki. Shoukaku went up to her daughter and said, "Tsubaki, I'm coming over to stay with you and Zuikaku for a few nights. We are going to have another sleepover, doesn't that sound fun?" The white-crane asked her daughter. The little girl's eyes sparkled when she was told this. "Yes, mama!" the half-KANSEN said. Tsubaki was already thinking about what the three of them could do together, which was getting the young girl excited at the prospects, as she was looking forward to it.
Shoukaku then went back inside her home to grab some belongings for the next few days. When she came down with the items, she looked at her husband. "I wish things didn't have to be this complicated," John said. "When High Command is finished with this, I'm taking some leave. I want you, me, and Tsubaki to go on a family trip somewhere. Just the three of us." Shoukaku looked forward to this; with everything that had gone on recently, she just wanted the three of them to have some time away from here. Zuikaku would be fine on her own; if anything, she also needed a break from constantly having to look after Tsubaki while the two of them were busy. "I look forward to it, John," Shoukaku replied. She then gave a quick kiss on the cheek of John before going over to her daughter and sister and the three of them left for the Sakura Empire building.
Once alone, John looked out the window of the guest room and wondered how Zuikaku META was doing. Knowing what he did now, John knew that he had a chance to prevent what happened to her from happening to his own family. He promised it would never happen; he would do everything in his power to prevent it. First, though, the man knew this inspection had to go right, for everyone's sake.