This hasn't been edited because it's almost 1 AM and I just wanted to get it done as soon as I could. Please excuse any errors you might see. Also, I have never written anything for Love Live before, so I'm not sure how this will end up.

Main Pairing: KotoUmi

Side Pairings: NozoEli, NicoMaki

Umi ran nonstop. The muscles in her legs were screaming at her to stop and adrenaline coursing through her veins demanded her to keep going. She had to. Even a one minute break could get her killed. If she were to stop, she didn't trust herself to continue running.

An hour ago, the menacing sound of hooves against the ground never ceased to thunder in her panicked mind. Though the cacophony was gone now, Umi didn't let her guard down. She dared to look back several times, fearing that her eyes would be greeted by the unwelcome sight of enemy soldiers not far behind her. There were no pursuers in sight.

A part of her mind reasoned that she was safe, even if for a little bit. That it was okay to take a break. That once she recovered enough, she could fight them off.

She shook her head, knowing that the overly optimistic thoughts would lead to her demise. She was on her own, separated from her two best friends, her troops, and even her horse.

Her thoughts were averted to her current situation. Everything happened so quickly, and she was nowhere near prepared for any of it. Before she knew it, she was escaping that wreck of a battlefield.

Her soldiers had sacrificed themselves to clear a way for her, hoping that their respected general would make it out alive. Though she was touched by their efforts, she initially rejected her troops' actions, deeming it dishonorable if she were to abandon them in such a crisis.

"If General Sonoda survives, then she will surely lead Otonokizaka to victory!"

She had wanted to protest at that moment, but wasn't able to.

"This is our wish."

Her troops were adamant in their belief, in their hope for her. She reluctantly agreed to respect their wishes, lest their deaths be in vain. If she had hesitated even a minute more, the enemy would have already killed her.

Umi's mounted soldiers served as her guards, fulfilling their duty of protecting her until the very end. She had managed to break through enemy lines and headed in the direction of the forest.

That was the first time she looked back. Her foot soldiers were still surrounded, yet still resisting to the best of their abilities. Out of the fifty on horseback, only five had made it through with her. They were all covered in slash marks, including herself. That was when the arrows came down.

Two were caught in the volley while the other three managed to avoid them. Umi wasn't so lucky. When the remaining soldiers saw an arrow pierce their general, they yelled out her name in alarm.

Umi had quickly steadied her breathing again, trying her best to appear calm and composed. The soldiers nodded to each other and stopped. By the time Umi noticed, they were heading back in the direction they came from. She immediately realized what they were planning.

"Stop!"

She couldn't stop them. Those three reckless soldiers had gone back to hold off as many enemies as they could. They were her best troops, but they weren't invincible.

The lone general tore her eyes away, focusing on what was in front of her. She didn't want to look back anymore.

They had done their job magnificently. Only a few pursuers were able to catch up to Umi, and when they did, they were cut down by the latter's blade. There was a large group of foot soldiers a mile behind her, a fact that gave her temporary relief. She would be able to outrun them. Or so she thought.

Umi started to feel lightheaded and dizzy. The closest town was a day's travel away. Her horse must be tired as well. It wouldn't be able to get her there without collapsing first. She had to make a difficult decision.

In the end, she had decided to set the animal free, hoping that it would travel in a direction away from her pursuers. She wouldn't make it to the town anyways. And even if she did, it's not like she would be completely safe there. Perhaps it was just because of the way she was, not wanting to rely on people for help. But she placed her bet on nature. She would seek refuge in the giant forest and hope that she can shake off the enemy. They were far enough behind her that she can still increase the distance between them and travel deeper into the forest.

She stumbled as she dismounted at the edge of the stretch of green trees, struggling to regain her footing. Umi would have fallen if not for her horse, which acted as support. She petted the animal for a moment before taking her bow and quiver of arrows.

"Thanks for everything," she softly whispered.

Though she gestured for the horse to go, it remained in the same spot for a minute before trotting off somewhere when its owner ran off in a different direction.

Umi hadn't stopped running ever since she left her horse. With every step, her bow and arrows felt increasingly heavier in addition to the katana at her side. Everything was fine until her leg cramped up and she lost her balance, rolling for a couple feet until her body lost all momentum. At this point, she didn't even want to push herself up off the ground. The numerous cuts on her body hurt more than ever, leaving a persisting pain everywhere. She didn't know how long she laid there but she eventually got up and resorted to walking, almost limping. Her objective was as clear as ever. She had to elude the soldiers tailing her.

The sun was about to set and Umi wished it would move faster. She would have an advantage in the dark, and maybe they would give up on looking for her. Umi sat down at the foot of a tree, closing her eyes for a brief moment to recover. Her keen hearing picked up on the crackling of brittle leaves on the forest floor, alarming her of another's presence.

Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings. A little over a hundred feet away from her were two armed soldiers wearing the dreadful gray uniform of the opposing army. From her location, they didn't seem to see her.

They're probably part of the scouting party.

This was her chance to get rid of them. Umi cautiously stood up without making a noise, using one hand to reach over her shoulder to grab an arrow. She drew her bow with careful precision.

I just have to wait until they're turned away from each other, then I can finish off the second soldier before he has time to react.

As Umi searched for an opening, her patience was running low. The strain on her arm was becoming too much and her aim was steadily getting less accurate.

Then a thought occurred to her.

If those two were scouts like she assumed they were, then the main group will surely notice if they didn't return. Killing them would only motivate the main force to come after her with all their might.

Her mind ran rampant with one question. What should I do?

There was no time to think things through. She was about to release her hold on the arrow when her right arm exploded in pain. In that moment, she managed to point her bow towards the soft ground so that the arrow wouldn't fly past the enemy soldiers.

As the projectile soundlessly lodged itself into the ground, the general fell to her knees and let out a silent cry. Her bow slipped from her hand, her service cap soon following its example. This was bad. Her vision was getting blurry and everything seemed to spin. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, she was losing consciousness. Umi was vaguely aware of the rain starting to come down as she thought about how this forest would be her deathbed. Then the world faded to black.

Eli and Maki walked down the familiar palace hall without speaking to each other. They had already vented their frustration as they left the battlefield a few days ago. The two entered the throne room, kneeling before the young empress.

"We have returned, Your Highness."

"Welcome back." The speaker looked around the room, as if expecting to find someone. "Where is General Sonoda?"

Both of the generals flinched. Maki clenched her fist and diverted her gaze to the right. The blonde only lowered her head more.

The empress wasn't pleased by their subtle reactions. "I asked you a question."

Usually they wouldn't hesitate to answer, especially to the ruler of their kingdom, so the lack of response worried her. She had known them ever since she was a child, and she knew that something was seriously wrong.

"Hoshizora-sama…"

Hoshizora Rin rose from her throne. Normally she had a playful personality but she knew when to be serious and formal. Despite being close friends with Eli and Maki, she had regarded them in a professional manner. Yet, she raised her voice as she demanded, "Where is Umi-chan?"

When Eli raised her head, Rin's gaze was met with a pained look of longing and sadness. Maki looked like she was trying her best to keep a calm expression.

"I regret to inform you that General Sonoda has been missing since the last battle."

A silence fell in the room.

Eli glanced at Maki, who had been quiet ever since the retreat. She wasn't much better herself. Neither talked much because they felt like a part of them was missing. They walked in silence as they headed back to their respective rooms.

Maki finally spoke up, although her voice was low. "That bastard." Eli knew who she was referring to.

"Even though she looks intelligent, she's a hopeless idiot," the blonde added.

"We're even dumber for letting her lead the front lines."

Eli bitterly recalled the night before that battle. The three of them were always a team, even when they were fighting at different locations. They were supposed to look out for and protect each other. The initial plan had been for Eli to be at the front, backed up by Umi and Maki.

"I proposed that idea because I knew she preferred the bow over the sword. It would have been better if she was in the supporting lines."

Umi was the only one who disagreed.

"'This battle is mine, so I have to lead them,'" Maki quoted. They had debated the issue for a while but Umi was determined to have her way.

"Do you remember how she said it would raise our morale?" the younger of the two asked. Of course they did. Because that statement made the honest Sonoda Umi a liar.

Morale had plummeted and led to a depressing retreat. "It was clearly in our favor," Maki said, referring to Otonoki's advantage.

Eli nodded, turning to look at her companion. "But that's why it dealt more damage than it should have."

Every single soldier's attention was turned to the front at that moment. Right after Umi went ahead, her unit was quickly thrown into disarray. Eli remembered the despicable sight of Umi's own soldiers turning on each other. A third of her soldiers started to attack their comrades in plain sight, some growing bold enough to try to kill Umi herself.

At the same time, enemy reinforcements had arrived, seemingly coming out of nowhere. They filled in the temporary gap between the two Otonoki generals' army and effectively blocked the way.

"You know, maybe we should have charged in anyways," Eli muttered. Maki wanted to agree with her, especially when she was too far to be of any help at that time. But she shook her head and placed her hand on the other's shoulder.

"She told you to fall back, right? She would have never forgiven us if we came to help." Even as she spoke, Maki wasn't convinced. Despite everything, she wanted to enter the chaos and fight side by side with Umi, knowing that Eli would have done the same. But if they did, they most likely wouldn't have made it out alive.

"Who would have guessed that there were traitors amidst our ranks?"

"They were probably serving the rebel army the entire time. We just didn't notice them."

They were careless.

"She believed in her soldiers too much." The frown on Maki's face remained as she spoke. Eli could only silently agree.

Upon reaching her room, the blonde thanked her friend for walking her there. Maki waved it off with her hand, saying that it was nothing. The redhead turned to leave when Eli said, "Don't think about it so much." She understood right away.

"You too."

They were both aware of each other's unshed tears. Neither wanted to appear weak in front of the other, for it was only them now. They had to be strong to make up for Umi's absence.

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted as Eli stepped inside. She knew who it was without looking.

"I'm back," she replied.

Nozomi patted the spot next to her on the single bed, beckoning her girlfriend to come sit with her. If there was one thing that made Eli relax, it would be Nozomi's smile. She was always there to listen and reassure her in times like this.

She was pulled into a hug almost immediately as comforting words were whispered, "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

Even without her saying anything, Nozomi already knew. She always knew. Eli could never keep a secret from her.

The tears that Eli held back for the past few days finally escaped her as she leaned into her lover. She grabbed onto Nozomi's shirt and let out her repressed emotions. She felt like a child who had to be comforted by her mother.

"It's okay, Elicchi. It wasn't your fault." Eli wanted to believe her words, but she couldn't stop thinking that she was the reason behind Umi's situation.

"It's Umi-chan, after all. She'll find a way somehow," Nozomi said as she caressed her.

It took a couple minutes for the blonde to regain herself. Nozomi always saw her at her worst, but Eli was thankful to have her.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

Maki's room wasn't far from Eli's. It was just one turn away down the hall. The general opened the door, knowing that her lover was always present at this time.

"I'm home."

"Ah, welcome back." The owner of the voice was folding clothes when the door opened.

Maki walked over to her and offered her help. The girl with black twintails nodded, surprisingly not trying to argue with her.

"So what happened?" she asked. She was never one to beat around the bush. When Maki didn't answer, Nico placed a hand on hers. Maki looked up at her with an inscrutable expression.

The last of the clothes were done, and Nico placed them in the drawers, sliding it shut. She turned to her troubled girlfriend and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Is it about Umi?"

Maki nodded. When she had returned with just Eli, Nico and Nozomi immediately recognized the absence of the third general.

They sat down and Nico waited for her to start talking, not wanting to rush her. Maki was never one to speak much. She slowly retold everything that she saw, in addition to what Eli saw. The other girl just sat there and listened until she was done.

"You and Umi are pretty similar, you know."

Maki raised an eyebrow at the random statement, giving Nico the signal to explain.

"You guys are so troublesome."

"Hah? I'm not-"

Nico silenced her with a finger on Maki's lips. She sighed. "Have more trust in her."

From the day they first met, Maki knew that Nico wasn't very good at comforting, at least not in the normal sense. She wasn't exactly lovey dovey herself either, but she appreciated her girlfriend's efforts.

"Thanks." It was a quiet whisper, but Nico clearly heard it.

She stood up and turned away, "Hmph! This is so unlike you, it's creepy."

"What did you say!?"

Umi opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. She slowly blinked and turned her head. The sight of a small garden gradually registered in her mind as she realized she was alive. Her first instinct was to find the enemy.

She quickly sat up, triggering sharp pains all over her body. Before she knew it, a woman was by her side. Unfamiliar hands prevented her from doubling over as a high-pitched voice said, "Don't push yourself." Umi immediately faced the person next to her. Her eyes locked on to similarly golden orbs, the sight alone shutting out all other thoughts. Up close, the young woman was a sight to behold.

That captivating gaze was absolutely mesmerizing. Umi noticed the slight look of worry that was concentrated on her. Her eyes wandered to the other's odd hair. The color was unlike anything she had ever seen before; the closest thing to it was probably a pale brown. There was a small bun on one side, tied by a green ribbon. The lady's flawless light skin looked fragile, like it would be easily defiled. Yet she kept a firm hold on Umi. Somehow, her touch felt strangely reassuring.

"Are you okay?" she asked when it was clear that Umi had no intention of lying down.

Umi nodded as those gentle hands removed themselves from her. She wanted to jump straight to the point of asking the woman who she was. Normally, she would immobilize her opponent to gain the upper hand, but no matter how she looked at it, this person saved her life. Even if she were an enemy, Umi's righteousness decided that she should be proper.

"My name is Umi. I apologize for my rudeness, but I cannot disclose my full name due to the situation."

The other occupant of the room nodded in understanding, offering a friendly greeting in return. "I'm Kotori. Nice to meet you, Umi-chan!"

"Ch-chan?" Umi stuttered. The sudden intimacy took her by surprise.

"There's no need to be so formal, is there? You even introduced yourself first."

Umi shook her head. "It's simply rude to ask for someone's name without telling that person yours first." A small laugh was released from the beauty sitting beside her, and Umi found herself averting her gaze in embarrassment.

"It's okay, you don't have to be so stiff."

The woman named Kotori seemed so innocent and harmless that Umi found it endearing. But her survival instincts kept her wary. The more harmless someone seemed, the better she would be at deceit. Despite all the warnings going off in her head, Umi couldn't bring herself to think that this person was an enemy.

"Kotori," she called, receiving a hum in return, "which side are you on?" The question didn't seem to take her by surprise; rather, she had been expecting it.

"I belong to the side you're fighting against, Umi-chan," Kotori said, her sweet expression still in place. Umi didn't sense any traces of malice or hostility in her tone.

"Then-"

"You want to know why I helped you if you're not an ally?" Kotori interrupted. Umi could only nod in response. The other girl put a finger on her chin as if pondering something she already knew. "This isn't the battlefield."

It was too simple of an answer for Umi to accept. She waited for an explanation to what seemed so naive.

"Do you need a reason to help someone? I wasn't going to let you die when I could do something about it."

This person is compassionate. She offers a helping hand to anyone who needs it, regardless of background.

"I am a soldier," Umi stated.

"Yes, I'm very well aware. Your… physique gives it away." For some reason, there was a mischievous glint in Kotori's eyes when she said that. Realizing that this stranger had seen her naked, Umi felt her face heat up in almost no time.

"T-t-that's shameless!" she sputtered, wanting to hide under the blanket.

In an attempt to maintain whatever pride she had left, she continued, "A-anyways! Had it not occurred to you that I could betray your kindness? Any trained soldier could dispose of an ordinary civilian."

Kotori replied with complete confidence, "Are you?"

Umi wanted to retort, but couldn't find the words to. Kotori was right; Umi doubted that she could take her savior's life, or do anything to wrong her. Not only did it go against her morals, but the general felt some sort of inclination towards Kotori. Something about this girl interested her.

"Just be careful with that kindness," Umi mumbled as she looked down at the sheets.

A moment later, a man's loud voice reached her ears. "Is anyone home?"

Though the room was presumably located deep within the house, preventing her from seeing the outsider, Umi was sure that she knew who the man was. A sense of anticipation and dread took over.

It was an officer from the other army.

To continue or to not... Honestly, I don't know. Nevertheless, thanks for reading!