December 24, 2015
Location: Northern Emmeria
Yukiho stepped out of the small shop and into the snow covered streets of the small town just north of Selumna Air Force Base. The days were much shorter this close to the Arctic Circle and it seemed quite dark for this time of day. Still what concerned Yukiho was the marine escort that the Captain insisted on for Yukiho's birthday.
"Wouldn't want it to be your last" he had said.
But what was the worst that could happen here. It seemed as if the war ignored this part of the country. In fact not a single report had come in when the Captain had sent Yukiho out to the small town for tea. Yet somehow Haruka, Red, and everyone else on the base seemed too busy with some unknown task to accompany her, with the exception of the Marine escorting her.
What was the rest of the world doing right now thought Yukiho. What would her father think back home in Ustio. He had sent her here so she would stay away from war yet it seemed as if the exact opposite had happened. He must be horrified with what he's seeing on the news she thought. Can't think about that now she told herself.
"Focus on the now" Red had once told her.
Right now it seemed as if the marine decided it was ok for her to return to the base, something he had kept preventing anytime Yukiho had asked.
"They don't let us out much" he'd say or "the roads are too iced to go back now" needless to say she was quite annoyed, though too polite to say anything further.
As her escort brought the car up to the shops entrance Yukiho could hear the roar of a fighter coming in for a landing at the base to the south. The ride would be long as the escort felt the need drive very slowly for Yukiho's safety. It wasn't long until the slow pace of the car and the warmth of the car's heater would put her to sleep.
Something was shaking her though Yukiho was still groggy and not in the mood to wake up.
"Lt Hagiwara" it sounded like the escort
"Yukiho," said another familiar voice "wake up, the Captain wants to see you at the hangar"
Yukiho's eyes slowly opened to the sight of both Red and the escort waiting outside her car door.
"I can take it from here" Red told the marine as Yukiho slowly stepped out of the car. Whatever the escort had said in response fell on deaf ears as Yukiho's eyes quickly were captivated by the sight of the northern lights over the hangar. It seemed that the lights were a present from the sky on a birthday Yukiho felt was often forgotten due to the fervor of Christmas.
"Red" she said
"Yes" he answered
"Do you know what day it is?"
"Yes" however Red refused to elaborate and before Yukiho could ask he stopped her with "lets just get to the hangar"
The two made their way across the snowy runway of the base and headed toward the hangar where Yukiho's F-117 was kept. The large hangar doors lay shut protecting the plane like a precious tressure.
Red opened a smaller door on the side of the hangar and politely held the door open beckoning for Yukiho to enter. As the door closed behind Yukiho she notice that the room was quite dark and started fumbling around for the hangar light switch. However Red beat her to it.
ande
As she took it all in Red and a few other pilots from Auroa Squadron carried out a large cake that was hidden behind the hangar's plane. It seemed that if for today the entire war had stopped just for Yukiho Hagiwara and to her it was worth more than a thousand nights of Northern lights.