"Are we visiting Itsuki at the temple again?"

"Of course Aoki, today is a special day. It's the 9th of September or as we call it Orphan's Day. It's our birthday as well!"

"I forgot what were those black things there called mommy?"

"They are called memorials sweetie. It's where people remember those that passed away a long time ago so they are never forgotten, their names are engraved in each memorial and something of their personal value is sealed inside."

Walking hand in hand towards the memorial graves inside the temple grounds, Yuuri and Aoki were looking up the names on each memorial to find their family row. It was a sunny and special day inside the Biodome as the citizens were getting ready for the festivities of this special day. During this special day, the citizens usually visited their friends and families that passed away at the temple's memorials, and at night they had a big festival to celebrate the event.

"Oh, here he is!" Yuuri smiled pointing to one of the nameplates in the stone, the name written on the memorial was Itsuki.

"Hi again, Itsuki! Happy birthday!" The little boy said as they both got closer to the memorial. Yuuri placed her hand near the nameplate and smiled.

"Hey, grandpa, Happy birthday! Look who came to visit you! Look how big he has grown since the last time we've come!" She smiled as Aoki waved and also placed his little hand on the grave. "I hope you are doing fine wherever you are grandpa," she continued speaking still holding her hand on his grave. "I keep telling you every time and you are probably bored from listening to us - but thank you for everything. We are doing well, and just like you used to say, work sometimes can be hard. There are a lot of hungry mouths to feed at the cafeteria up here. After some time I finally perfected my udon recipe as well and now everyone up here wants to eat my food. I think it's equally popular as your curry recipe. Chii-chan is just finishing her job at the garage, she said she has some kind of surprise later for me, I hope it's new food to eat. I've already tried every kind of food up here and I think I gained a little weight. I exercise my legs regularly with Chii-chan and Aoki and my prosthetic leg is still really sturdy. I try to take good care of it every day so it serves me as long as it can. Chii-chan still has those nightmares from the outside and wakes up at night but I don't mind it, I am happy that they are occasional and she is also a strong girl and I am always there to help her. We sometimes argue, but I know it's just what married couples sometimes do but we can't stay mad at each other. Don't worry about us grandpa, I love her and Aoki the most in the world. I hope you are happy somewhere in another life with Yuriko. Reo and the rest are fine as well, I hope they came here earlier to visit you as well. Later we are going to the festival and Aoki wants to catch goldfish and eat takoyaki. We spent all day preparing all kinds of food, it's going to be fun and we will watch the holographic fireworks tonight! I wish you were here with us watching the fireworks grandpa. I love you - wherever you are, grandpa."

"Mom, how did Itsuki look like?" Aoki asked her still holding his little hand on the memorial grave.

"Well, as my memory serves, he looked a bit like Reo. I remember him with white hair and glasses and he was a bit skinnier than him. He was a kind selfless person and always was buried deep in his books, just like your mom. He and Chii-chan's father helped so many people on the outside. He saved our lives and we could never thank him enough." Yuuri answered and smiled as she looked back at him.

"But what happened to him?"

"We will never know. When Chii-chan and I left the village many years ago, he stayed behind to protect us. The last I remember was that he was waving at us, and that was the last time we saw him in our lives. He made plans for years to come here with us, but we didn't have enough supplies in the end for the three of us and he was old. After years of waiting for him, Reo and Mieko decided to finally have a memorial made for him and they sealed something of his value inside. There was a large ceremony to celebrate his life and about a thousand people came, most of who he helped from the outside and their families. He was their hero and our hero to me and Chii-chan as well. His memorial is right next to his wife, Yuriko." she pointed to the left of his grave where the nameplate of 'Yuriko' stood. "She also passed away a really long time ago. We never met her, but from what I've heard she was also an outsider that grandpa saved. She used to be a great painter and she loved grandpa very much. However, her heart broke when he had to leave her."

"But why did he live outside mommy?"

"He and Chii-chan's father helped a large group of refugees out there when it wasn't allowed. They were sadly punished for their selflessness and never had a chance to have a happy life. The AI came up with a way to help outsiders still living out there to find this Biodome by having his robots place signs, food, and even new security robots that he repaired outside to prevent people with bad intentions to hurt us. When Chii-chan and I were outside, we thought that we were the only people left in the world. But the world is really big, it turns out there are still people left outside struggling to survive. You and many other children and families arrived here 5 years ago when you were just a baby, and of course, you were such a cute baby that we instantly fell in love with you and we wanted to give you a home and family." Yuuri replied and smiled as she kept holding his hand looking at Yuriko's grave.

"Mommy, but who are those right next to Itsuki?"

"They are Chii-chan's father and mother." the nameplates right next to Itsuki were the names 'Yasuo' and 'Haruhi'. "Their memorials were made at the same time as Itsuki. They were also born on the outside and it's their orphan's birthday as well."

"Oh... Happy Birthday everyone!" Aoki shily spoke with a smile as he looked up at the nameplates of his descendants.

"Yasuo was grandpa's brother and best friend, they lived outside for a long time as well. We never knew if he was his blood relative. Chii-chan was too young to remember them when they passed away, and we both don't remember much from our childhood... but the only thing surviving from them is a picture."

"Is that picture in your bedroom the one with the baby?"

"Yes, that's the one sweetie, that cute baby is your mommy!" Yuuri smiled again still holding onto Aoki's hand. "It's the only picture we have of them and sadly we don't have one of grandpa. But we keep him alive deep in our memories."

"Oh... I am sad I never got to see him..."

"He still watches over us Aoki, he will never leave us!" Yuuri replied and smiled. "He is still our family even if he passed away a long time ago."

"Mommy... who is that next to Yuriko?" the boy curiously pointed towards the memorial storage right next to Yuriko. Unlike the other graves, this one had an exact date of birth and death and seemed to belong to someone in their family who was regarded as a hero as well.

"That's Chiya," Yuuri replied to him. "You don't remember her but she used to take care of you when you were a baby. She is Mieko's mother. Sadly she passed away 3 years ago from an accident on a supply run outside. She was also really nice and we had something in common too, she had a prosthetic leg just like mine."

"OOOOH... was she a robot just like you?"

Yuuri chuckled softly and replied "No, Aoki. We are just ordinary humans, like everyone else here in the dome. I am not the only one to have a prosthetic leg, there are a lot of adults and even kids who have one. You see the outside world can still be really scary and that is why Chii-chan and I never wanted to go out again and we protect you inside here. She almost went on the supply run with Chiya when she passed away. But after her accident, she decided to stay at the task of being a technician in the Biodome and we never went out again, she loves staying at the library too. We used to go up to the roof of the Biodome to watch the sky, and we can take you up there when we go camping again."

"Mom, how is the world outside? Will we ever go out?" Aoki asked her brimming with curiosity once again. He was just as curious as Yuuri used to be.

"It's a really cold and dark place - it's full of machines that still work and there are a lot of discarded weapons and garbage. There are countless empty buildings and there are no animals, trees, food, and plants like here. But the sky is beautiful and the moon, the billions of stars in the galaxy you can see with your own eyes. Even if the snow hurt me, it's beautiful too. With the snow, you can build a snowman, have snowball fights and even eat it and boil it into a snow tea. We lived out there for a long time with your mom, but we found our way to the Biodome. You were just a baby when you arrived up here and I am really happy that you came into our lives." Yuuri smiled and leaned down to hug him. "But if you want to go out one day, we will let you when you are an adult. Is that a deal?"

"It's ok mommy. I will be patient... I really like it up here with you and mom, but I want to see the world outside too and when I grow up I want to be strong like my mothers!" Aoki smiled and hugged her back.

As they hugged a familiar voice behind them spoke.

"Hey guys, did I miss something?"

"MOMMY!" Aoki exclaimed as he turned over and ran over to Chito hugging her tightly. She was still in her work uniform and was slightly covered in grease from working on machines

. "Hey sweety!" she replied hugging him back. Yuuri looked over at them and smiled as she stood near the memorial stone. "What did you guys do all day? I missed you."

"Oooh! We were at school - and I played with the other kids - and look." Aoki pulled a crude drawing out of his pocket of Chito, Yuuri, and himself in the middle. In the back was their house with flowers all around. "I drew that earlier..." he proudly displayed the drawing to Chito.

"That's so cute!" Chito replied as she took the drawing in her hand inspecting it, Yuuri came close to look at it as well. "You are going to be the best painter in the world!"

"I KNOOOW...." he exclaimed jumping around from happiness. "I WILL BE A GOD OF PAINTING!"

"I see where he gets his excitable personality from!" Chito chuckled as she looked at Yuuri and smiled leaning towards her and kissing her softly on the cheeks. "So how was your day sweetie?"

"Well, the mothers and fathers at school prepared a party for the kids and we had to join in and play with the kids. It was really fun and after that, we came here to visit grandpa." Yuuri replied, "Before I went to school, we were in the cafeteria preparing batches of food for the festival later. What about you?"

Chito chuckled and held out her hand to her and Aoki's. "Well, I've been working as usual. We had to go to the garage because the group came from the long supply run. They told me that some of them are trying to fix another communication node. I hope that we do, imagine if there are other survivors and settlements out there. And some of them brought a lot of books to the library. I always tell them to bring books if they find them down there. They are equally important even though we have the archive." Chito replied as she held hands with both Yuuri and Aoki. "Oh and guess what... you remember the thing I was telling you about?"

"Is it the surprise you keep telling me about for days now?" Yuuri asked her back curiously.

"Well - You'll see what it is at home!" Chito chuckled again. "Anyway I think we should go home I have to change out of my uniform and take a shower, we have to prepare for the festival too. Also before we reach the house you both have to close your eyes. Do you promise both of you?"

"We promise!" both Yuuri and Aoki replied as they kept walking through the temple with wide smiles.

° ° °

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"Nope... not yet."

"But I wanna open my eeeyess..."

"Be patient Aoki, just a few steps!"

"What about now?"

"Right abouuuut...... now."

Both Aoki and Yuuri opened their eyes, and they found themselves back in their garden just outside the house, but there was something else there.

"Umm... what's that?" Aoki asked with a puzzled expression as he looked at the large mysterious crude object that founds its way into their garden.

Yuuri's eyes suddenly filled up with joy and screamed "AAAAAAAAAH!!! NO WAY!!!! WHERE DID YOU FIND IT???" and turned to Chito full of excitement.

"It was where we left it, all those years ago Yuu!" Chito replied and chuckled, as Yuuri hugged her back.

"No way! It can't be! Are you sure it's ours?"

"Well... how many of these things exist in the world?" Chito replied still smiling as she looked at Yuuri who was full of joy.

"Mommy, what is it?" Aoki asked still puzzled looking at the strange object in front of his eyes.

"Aoki, it's called a 'kettenkrad' " Yuuri replied and smiled.

"A 'kettenkrad'?"

"It's the vehicle that saved our lives many years ago, Aoki." Chito answered as both of them got closer to see their old 'friend' up close. The 'kettenkrad' seemed to have been in even worse shape since they left it on the bottom.

"It arrived 2 weeks ago with one of the excavation crews and they almost scrapped it for parts, but I took it right under their nose. I tried to fix it but it's completely ruined and it's scrap now. So I wanted to take it home with us for sentimental value. I think we can use it for something. What do you think Yuu?"

"Ummm... maybe we can use it to plant something in the back?" Yuuri replied as she kept looking at the old worn-out vehicle. "I don't think it's a good idea to take a bath in it though. It's completely rusted."

"Ooooh I know... if I catch any of those goldfishes can we turn it into a pond?" Aoki asked her as he climbed into the back of the vehicle and sat down.

"Sure sweetie, I think we can turn it into a koi pond or anything you guys want!" Chito replied as she looked at both Yuuri and Aoki sitting in the back of the kettenkrad.

"Mommy, how did you drive this thing?"

"It was really fun and easy, you just sit in the front and turn on the vehicle with this key." Chito sat in the front and pulled out the key with the fish keychain from her pocket and put it in the ignition. "And you just turn the key and you start driving it."

"NO WAY! IT STILL HAD THE KEY?" Yuuri exclaimed again from excitement as she looked at Chito place the key in the ignition

"Haha yes, I was surprised as well. It was still in the ignition when they found it - but I tried turning it on it doesn't work."

"So this is how we used to drive it around Aoki. I sat in the front and your mother in the back... and most of the time it was just the two of us, but we had each other and it was never lonely. We learned so much on our journey and we survived through too much. Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried, sometimes we argued and in the end, we realized just how much we mean to each other. I knew all my life that even if we find a home and we find other people that it was always going to be the two of us. We discovered so much and most of all, we are happy that we found a home and that you came to us, Aoki." Chito replied with a smile sitting in the driver seat of the kettenkrad, Yuuri and Aoki sat in the back listening to her as she spoke.

"On the outside, we met two wonderful people Kanazawa and Ishii, and even a strange creature we called 'Nuko'. And we met 'Nuko's family and these strange creatures called the 'Eringi'. We saw and experienced so many confusing things while we were out there, but somehow, in the end, it was fate that brought us all up here and I guess - just pure luck. If it wasn't for a bomb that we found on the outside, we wouldn't have been alive Aoki."

Chito reached her hands and gently held Yuuri's and Aoki's hands looking at them with a wide smile on her face. "Aoki ... We sometimes argue, and then we sometimes scold you if you do something bad. But I hope you know that we both love you the most in the whole wide world. Yuuri is the one that helped me so much in my life, she is my wife and I also cherish her the most in the world just as much as you. It's the three of us for now, and maybe one day you will have a sister and a brother and we will be five. And then one day you will meet someone you will love and our family will be even bigger. But in the end, we only have each other and we are one big family even though all the hardships in life might stand in our way." she reached and hugged them both still sitting on the 'kettenkrad', their old vehicle that got them through so much in their lives. "Know that I will love you both as long as I live..."

Before they moved into their house, Chito turned around to look at their old friend. After the longest journey in its life, even the 'kettenkrad' managed to find its way back to them. Smiling she placed her hand on the old worn out headlight of the kettenkrad "Thank you, old friend! If it wasn't for you, we would never have made it up here. Thank you, for saving our lives - thank you for everything." she quietly spoke before she turned and walked inside their house, where Yuuri and Aoiki were already sitting comfortably underneath the kotatsu.

° ° °

After a long shower, Chito went to her room to dress with Yuuri in their kimonos. They both smiled as they looked at each other and Chito gently held out her hand to hers looking deeply into her eyes. "You look so beautiful in that thing!" Chito said as she kept looking at Yuuri.

"You do as well, Chii-chan. I enjoy wearing a kimono, and last time we wore one for 'Children's Da;y. It was such a fun day, and we had Mieko's kids over for a sleepover. Aoki had so much fun!" Yuuri replied still holding Chito's hands.

"Oh yeah, I remember that night! It was so fun!" Chito replied and giggled as she hugged her closer. "So hey, we can watch that strange movie that Reo likes later, I've been meaning to watch that one because I just finished the books too. Want to watch it with me?"

"Sure! And we can eat pancakes again with hot chocolate!" Smiling they both kissed before they walked out of their room. Aoki was waiting in his room for Chito and Yuuri to help him put on his kimono as well.

All three of them dressed up in their kimonos and hand in hand walked out of their house. The whole Biodome came alive with festivities and the happy laughter and commotion of its residents. Waiting patiently outside their house were Reo, Mieko, Kazuo, and their three kids.

"What took you guys so long?" Mieko asked them just as they got out of the house.

"Well, you know these kimonos take ages to put on, Mieko," Yuuri replied and smiled as she looked back at her family. "And look at all of you six with your kimonos, we should take a group picture."

"Do you have a camera? I think I forgot mine at the hospital?" Reo asked Yuuri as she was checking her kimono for the camera.

"Oh there it is, I'll put it on time on our porch, you all have to move into our garden. Me, Aoki, and Chii-chan can sit on the 'kettenkrad'."

Reo's memory shuffled as he remembered that he has seen that vehicle before, the last time with Itsuki just as the elevator doors closed.

"Waaiiit... isn't that my dad's kettenkrad?" he turned to the girls and they both smiled.

"Yes, they found it on the outside and I decided to keep it!" Chito replied to him back. "They almost scrapped it for parts, but I took it right under their nose! They will never scrap our old friend."

"But where was it?"

"I will tell you the story later I think we have to pose for the picture!" Chito replied as they all posed in front of the camera.

"SAY CHEESE!!!"

"CHEESE!!!" all of them shouted as the camera snapped the photograph.

The photograph contained the smiling and happy faces of a family that once was torn apart by the outside world, but through all kinds of challenges, they found each other and their home under the safety of this mysterious world that their ancestors built to protect what little was left of the world outside.

Chito, Yuuri, and Aoki were sitting on the 'kettenkrad' as the rest of their family stood close around them, and for a long time, they were brimming with joy.

° ° °

One of the rooms they seldom used in the Biodome contained a communication device that operated continuously. In hundreds of years, there was not even a crackle coming out of it as they lost the connection with every other Biodome in the world. But suddenly that same day on the 9th of September, it came alive with the crackling voices of many different languages.

"igeos-eun jadong---- doen mesi------da. nuguegenai ju-----sulo ban-e--------ida."

"זוהי-----עה אוטומ------לכל אחד שם ----- על תדר זה."

"ha----h risalat tal-----atu. alj-----ak yasta----ha a----aduda."

The last message was in a language that was far known in the whole wide world, many years ago.

"This is an automated message from our home the planet Mars. Please respond to this frequency. Every day we are looking at our beautiful blue planet wondering how is it back home - is anyone still alive there?"

...

(Continued in the Epilogue)
(LATEST REVISION: 12th December 2022)