Summary: Love not only brings bliss, but also a fear of its own...
Genre(s): Romance/Angst
Character(s): Sanya L., Eila J.
Disclaimer: I do not own Strike Witches
* Be Safe *
It was a cool, breezy night at the Strike Witches base. The full, silvery glowing moon shone its ethereal light down on the runway leading up to the glorious structure's hangar entrance. Two girls strode down the corridors leading towards the hangar bay, their soft laughter echoing throughout the hallway as they conversed with one another. The moonlight shined in through the windows as they passed by, illuminating giant squares on the otherwise pitch black stones that made up the floor.
Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen giggled merrily as she walked with her pale blue haired companion, accompanying her to the hangar as she did every night that the shy girl had night patrol duty.
"Be safe," Eila said warmly once the pair had reached their destination. Sanya smiled at Eila then leaned in and gave the older girl a quick, but loving kiss on the lips, eliciting a blush from both girls.
"I will," Sanya replied quietly then turned and headed off to her Striker Unit mount. Eila watched intently as the younger girl gingerly walked up the stairs and hopped into her Strikers, letting out a sigh as she felt the surge of magical augmentation that forced her ears and tail to appear.
"Sanya V. Litvyak, taking off!" Sanya called out, her voice still soft and gentle despite the volume.
'She's so cute with her ears and tail...' Eila thought happily as a small smile crept onto her features. Sanya grabbed her Fliegerhammer as she unbuckled from the mount and took off down the runway, gradually gaining speed. She lifted off into the sky, the wind whipping her short hair around as she flew off into the distant, cloudy night sky. Eila never faltered in keeping her gaze on Sanya, only turning away when the shy Witch's magical antenna were a only small green speck in the distance.
Eila headed back into the base, her body still filled with warmth from the kiss she had shared with Sanya.
'And now, bath time!' Eila thought in excitement as she quickly took the fastest path towards the inner bath. Eila quickly discarded her uniform into the dirty clothes bin, grabbed a fresh towel, and entered the bath house. She let out a contented sigh as she entered the main bathing area; the warm steam that hung around the area washed over her face, causing a light flush to enter her warmed cheeks. She dipped her toes into the water, then climbed down into the water, setting her towel aside, and relaxed as her body was warmed by the water.
Eila closed her eyes as her mind and body let out the tension from the tough day of training and combat drills; her thoughts wandered off to Sanya. The shy girl's smiling face floated into her mind's eye, bringing a smile to her own face.
'It feels like it was just yesterday that we were just a pair of naive, young recruits in the 501st...' Eila thought peacefully as her heart was filled with a comforting warmth from the memory of when she had first met the ghostly pale girl. It had been love at first sight.
'I was such a hopeless romantic back then too, well who am I kidding? Still am,' she mentally joked as all the times she had tried to convey her feelings to the younger girl back then popped into her head.
After a pleasantly long time of bathing, Eila got out of the bath and toweled off. She exited the bath area and slipped her sleeping clothes on, then made her way down the darkened corridors towards her room. She quietly entered her room and closed the door behind her then walked over to the small table situated near the center of the room and sat down in the accompanying chair. On the table were two candles, already lit, on either end of the upper half of the table, and in the dead center of the table was her tarot card deck.
Eila took the deck and shuffled the cards, then set them all out face down and began picking through them. She picked up a card, then another card and interpreted the fortunes.
'Heh, good luck with that, Yoshika,' Eila smirked as she read the fortune then set the cards down. After a few more fortunes, mostly concerning the other Witches, Eila finally picked the card she wanted. A thump of anxiety shot through her heart as she held the 'Lover' card in her hand, signifying her true love.
'Sanya...' Eila thought as her hand trembled towards the next card that her magic guided it to. She let out a sigh of relief when she picked up the 'Peace' card. Combined with the 'Lover' card, it signified all would be well with Sanya. Eila set the cards down and blew out the twin candles, then headed over to her bed, flopping down onto it and enjoying the soft comfort.
'She'll be alright...' Eila thought, a sense of comfort washing over her as she looked out of her window at the high moon. It was Eila's ritual to predict Sanya's fortune every night. She worried over her constantly due to the ever present Neuroi threat, that they could attack at any time, day or night and Sanya would be out, alone, without Eila to protect her.
Eila wrapped herself up in her sheets and rested her head comfortably on the pillow as she kept her gaze on the moon, seeing Sanya's pale blue hair and small, caring smile in the white orb.
'Good night, Sanya, I love you,' Eila thought, somehow hoping Sanya would hear her as her eyes slowly closed and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
* Strike Witches *
Eila startled awake and sat upright in bed. She groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she glanced out of the window and saw the golden red sun slowly rising above the horizon. She then blearily looked over and saw Sanya fast asleep on her stomach next to her, apparently having been the source of her sleep disturbance. Eila smiled as Sanya's chest slowly rose and fell, pushing her body slightly up then down.
'The best part of my morning...' she thought happily as she pulled the covers up over Sanya and laid back down, giving the pale haired girl a loving kiss on the head then curling up next to her and draping an arm over her stomach before drifting back off to sleep.
For the second time that morning, Eila was startled awake, but this time by something far more pleasant, warm, and wet.
"Mmmm…" Eila mumbled as her eyes fluttered open and were met by a pair of light green ones.
"Morning, it's time for breakfast" Sanya greeted softly as she pulled back from Eila's lips.
"Hey," Eila replied groggily as she sat up in bed. Sanya stood up from the edge of the bed and bent over to retrieve her discarded uniform. Eila scooted to the edge of the bed and blushed as she got a nice view of Sanya's bent behind.
"What are you staring at?" Sanya asked as she straightened and noticed Eila's fixated gaze.
"Oh! N-nothing!" Eila replied as she was startled out of her reverie and her blush intensified as Sanya giggled at her embarrassment. Eila hopped out of bed and joined Sanya, retrieving a fresh uniform and slipping it on as the Orussian girl finished buttoning up her own uniform. Once the two were properly dressed, they headed out of the room towards the mess hall, hand-in-hand.
The rest of the day passed by without anything of interest happening. Sanya slept after breakfast until noon before joining Eila for some drills, but she still needed to rest for her night patrol. Finally night came and Eila saw Sanya off in the same manner that she had every night. She then took her bath and headed back to her room for her tarot ritual.
Eila's heart jumped when she picked up the 'Lover' card, as she had the previous night. Her stomach always filled with anxiety when picking the next card, despite the fact that all of Sanya's fortunes had been good thus far. Eila's trembling hand picked up a card and flipped it over. Her eyes went wide and her heart stopped in her chest.
'N-no way...' she thought in disbelief as she dropped the 'Death' card she had picked up. Eila began to tremble as she stood from the table. She slowly went over to her bed and sat down, then brought her hands up to her face.
'I-I'm sure it's...nothing,' she assured herself as she laid back against the mattress. Despite her attempts to calm her nerves, she tossed and turned for hours; she always found her eyes opening to the sight of the moon in the sky which filled her with more worry. After what felt like an eternity, she finally fell into a restless sleep.
* Strike Witches *
The next morning, Eila slowly stirred awake and turned on her side. Even in her groggy state, she sensed the lack of another body's warmth next to her and spread her arms out, expecting them to touch the softness of her usual bed partner. Her eyes flew open when her arms reached the edge of the bed and still felt nothing but lonely air. Eila bolted upright in bed and looked around the room.
'M-maybe she fell asleep on the floor again,' Eila thought hopefully as she scanned the room, but she found no trace of the stoic girl, nor of her uniform. Eila jumped out of bed and messily threw on her uniform, then ran out of the room.
'Maybe the other girls saw her!' Eila hoped as she ran through the many interconnecting corridors that made up the castle's interior. Eila burst into the mess hall, perhaps more dramatically than she intended. All eyes shot to the pale blonde who stood panting in the door way, her arms holding the wide double doors open.
"Have any of you seen-?" Eila stopped mid-sentence as she spotted Sanya at the table, her fork frozen in the air as she stared curiously at Eila along with the other Witches.
"S-sorry...just...hungry..." Eila said awkwardly as she made her way over to the table and took her usual seat next to Sanya. The girls all shrugged the strange entrance off and returned to eating.
"Why didn't you come to bed, Sanya?" Eila asked, trying to suppress the worry in her voice.
"I did, I tried to wake you for breakfast but you were sleeping so deeply that you wouldn't wake up," Sanya explained with a small, amused smile.
"Oh," Eila replied simply with a blush of embarrassment. Suddenly Yoshika piped up from across the table.
"Eila-san, you don't look so good," she said in concern.
"Yeah, you look really worn out, Eila-san," Lynette chimed in next to Yoshika.
"Are you alright, Eila?" Sanya asked softly, joining in with the concerns of the other girls, as she peered at the older girl.
"Y-yeah," Eila replied quietly as she dished herself up some of the Liberion dish everyone was eating.
"Are you sure? You don't look alright to me," Sanya pushed, her voice laced with concern.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Eila replied as she forced a little pep into her voice, though some of her earlier anxiety filtered in along with it. Eila was quiet throughout the rest of the meal, her mind muddled in the worry and concern she had experienced.
* Strike Witches *
The rest of the day passed by with Eila thinking back to her prediction from the previous night. She kept trying to reassure herself that it was nothing but often found herself over-protectively worrying about Sanya at every turn, including drills and practice. Night finally fell and it was time to see Sanya off again.
Sanya leaned in and pressed her lips firmly against Eila's, but soon pulled back when she felt something was off.
"Eila, what's wrong?" Sanya asked as Eila snapped back to reality.
"Oh...sorry," Eila apologized with a light blush. Sanya frowned.
"Eila, you've either been spaced out or overly-protective all day, I know something's wrong," Sanya said sadly. Eila frowned in response to Sanya's frown and words.
"I'm sorry, Sanya," Eila said as she leaned in and passionately pressed her lips against Sanya's. She drew the younger girl in and wrapped her arms around her waist, smiling mischievously through the kiss as she gave Sanya's behind a pinch, eliciting a pleasantly surprised yelp from the blue haired girl. When the two parted, both girls had a deep blush and a wide smile on their faces.
"Nothing's wrong, my mind has just been off somewhere else, and I'm sorry," Eila apologized again and Sanya smiled happily.
"I love you, Eila," Sanya said softly.
"Love you too," Eila replied simply with a wink. Sanya giggled then ran off to her mount, jumped into her Strikers, and took off into the sky.
'I shouldn't have been so worried...' Eila berated herself as she headed back into the base. She followed her normal routine, except this time she skipped her tarot cards and went straight to bed. Eila lay awake in her bed, gently creasing the sheets with her fingers as she stared at the stone ceiling.
'I'm sure she'll be fine...' Eila reassured herself as some anxiety seeped back into her stomach. She let out a sigh then closed her eyes, finally forcing herself to drift off into sleep...
* Strike Witches *
...Eila scrunched her face when she felt the peculiar rush of air against her face, and the sudden sound of loud mechanical humming penetrated her ears. She opened her eyes and found the bright blue sky stretching out before her, dotted with fluffy white clouds.
"Eila" Eila was further startled when she heard a seemingly faint voice reach her ears. She looked to the side and saw Sanya, in her Strikers, flying next to her. She then saw that their hands were interlocked with the deep blue sea stretching out below them.
"Hey, Sanya," Eila greeted as she realized she was in her own Strikers as well.
"Hey? We've been flying for hours," Sanya replied with a small giggle. Eila rubbed the back of her head and grinned sheepishly. Eila's attention returned back towards the distant horizon. She peered curiously at something odd she spotted off in the distance.
"What's that..?" Eila asked out loud as a dark mass speedily approached the two girls. Suddenly the mass was upon them, the sky turned black with angry storm clouds; thunder clapped and lightning streaked across the sky as a supernatural darkness covered the area.
Eila looked over to Sanya with alarm, which was shared by the younger girl. Before Eila knew what was happening, their simple show of affection turned into the only bond holding them together as powerful gales began to beat against them and rain crashed down on them in torrents, stinging Eila's face.
"Sanya! Hold on!" Eila cried out as she desperately held onto her girlfriend. It took all of her strength to keep herself stable in the air and hold onto Sanya, who was flailing in the powerful winds.
"Eila!" Sanya cried out in fear as the wind pounded their interlocked hands and tried to pulled Sanya away from Eila.
'Don't do this to me...' Eila pleaded as she looked up to the black skies, tears streaking down her cheeks and mixing with the rain water. The winds answered her with howling and speeds that the Suomus girl did not think were possible.
'No..!' Eila mentally cried as Sanya's palm slipped out of her hand, leaving their hands interlocked only by the base of their fingers.
"Eila..!" Sanya cried out as her fingers slipped. Eila helplessly grabbed at the air as the Orussian girl disappeared into the darkness…
* Strike Witches *
..."Sanya!" Eila cried as she bolted upright in bed, her hand stretched out over the bed as if reaching out for Sanya.
"J-just a dream..." Eila panted as she pressed her trembling hand against her rapidly beating heart; her entire body was covered in a cold sweat. Eila looked out and saw that the moon was near the horizon.
'Almost morning…I should take a walk and relax,' she resolved as she stood from her bed, disregarding her uniform as she left her room. Eila strolled through the dimly lit corridors, her sleeping clothes leaving her feeling brisk and relaxed. As she turned a corner, she noticed that the lights in Minna's office were still on.
'Huh, I wonder what Minna-san is doing up,' Eila thought absently as she walked by the office. Eila was about to pass by when she heard something that caught her attention.
"What do you think we should do, Minna?" Sakamoto's voice floated out of the office and Eila halted in her tracks.
'I shouldn't eavesdrop...but what the heck,' Eila thought as a mischievous grin spread over her face. She got up next to the cracked door and peered inside at Minna and Sakamoto.
"I don't know..." Minna replied from behind her desk, concern evident on her features. Sakamoto took on a thoughtful look and paced back and forth in front of Minna's desk.
"It was only two hours ago that we lost contact with Sanya-san, should we really raise an alarm? It could be nothing," Minna piped up, her words causing Eila's heart to stop and a cold sweat to break out across her body.
'S-Sanya..?' Eila thought as her heart beat shakily in her chest. Eila turned and ran down the corridor, her destination clear in her mind.
'I should've heeded the fortune! I should've told Sanya!' Eila ranted at herself as she rushed into the hangar. 'I was so stupid to let her just go off like normal!' she yelled at herself as she rushed up her Striker mount and hopped into her Strikers. Eila let the pulsating magical enhancement rush into her limbs as the Striker's rotors manifested and began spinning so fast that they rattled the engines. Eila unbuckled from the mount and shot off down the runway, quickly lifting up into the air.
'Sanya..!' Eila scanned the horizon in search of the Orussian girl. She was still in her sleeping clothes, yet ignored the biting early morning cold that seeped into her skin. By that time the moon had passed below the horizon and the sun was just then peaking over.
'Sanya...where are you?' Eila worried as she further scanned the horizon. A green glint on the horizon caused Eila's heart to soar as she identified the glint as Sanya's antenna.
"Sanya!" Eila cried out loud as she shot off towards Sanya. Eila was going so fast tha she rushed past Sanya, who followed the Suomus girl with her head as she turned around and flew back to fly alongside Sanya.
"Eila? What are you doing out here?" Sanya asked, then noticed Eila's attire and blushed, particularly how the skimpy tank-top fluttered in the wind. "And why are you in your bed clothes?" Sanya continued.
"Sanya? Are you alright?" Eila panted frantically, completely ignoring Sanya's questions. Sanya was taken aback by Eila's frantic concern.
"Y-yeah, of course I'm fine, Eila," Sanya replied in a calming voice. Eila stared for a moment, her mouth hanging open slightly as a blush came over her face.
"What's wrong, Eila?" Sanya asked curiously.
"...N-nothing, I just missed you is all," Eila replied as she grinned sheepishly.
"You're cute, Eila," Sanya giggled as she smiled. Eila pulled Sanya closer to her in midair and gave her a quick kiss, to which Sanya gave a surprised, yet happy smile. Eila simply grinned at Sanya as she interlocked her fingers with the Orussian's. The two girls slowly floated off back towards the Strike Witches base, the rising sun casting a golden red glow against the pair.
'I'm glad you're safe, Sanya...'
END
Author's Commentary: This was a fun, fluffy story to write. I'm still not used to the speech patterns of each girl, I need to re-watch Strike Witches. It took me awhile to get used to how the K-ON! girls referred to each other, and that was just four girls, instead of twelve! Anyways, all feedback is happily welcomed, and I hope y'all enjoyed!