Summary: A crueler fate then death is living on with only the memory of what you have lost...
Genre(s): Tragedy/Romance
Character(s): Sanya L., Eila J., Yoshika M., M. Sakamoto, F. Lucchini, Charlotte Y., Lynette B.
Pairing(s): Sanya x Eila
Story Type: One-shot
Disclaimer: I do not own Strike Witches.
* The Fallen *
It was a cold, bleak day. Dreary grey clouds smothered the warm sun as it attempted to shine its light upon the 501st Joint Fighter Wing's base. A cold wind occasionally blew through the area, whipping up and creating tiny vortexes of dust.
A large cargo plane stood in waiting on the stony runway of the base, silently awaiting the fresh cargo which was being wheeled out to it. Major Sakamoto stood by the open cargo bay door, her legs spread and her arms neatly folded and pressed against the small of her back while her steely gaze followed the long, metal box that was slowly being pushed down the runway. The other Witches formed twin rows through which the box slowly passed, four to one row and five to the other, though a spot in the center of the left row was empty. As the slender box reached the midway point of its agonizingly slow journey, Sakamoto's feet snapped together.
"Salute to the fallen!" she called out to the assembled Witches as her own right hand rigidly went to her forehead in a salute.
Every other Witch followed suit in perfect unison, shoes fluidly clapping together and hands rising in dutiful respect; however, one Witch remained still, her gaze not even following the casket but rather staring at the ground. Sakamoto ignored this until the plane's cargo hit the open bay door, the men pushing it exerting themselves to push it up the ramp. Sakamoto then turned on her heel, spinning to face the box as her hand fell to her side. The other Witches followed suit, turning to face the plane as the propellers slowly revved in anticipation of its departure. The same unresponsive Witch still did not respond to Sakamoto's cues and remained unevenly placed among the perfectly rowed Witches, her vacant stare still fixated on the ground.
The black metal casket was rolled into the belly of the plane with an audible thud as it was then securely locked in place for its long journey back home. The cargo bay door began to close, slowly sealing the casket in impenetrable darkness. A final sliver of light illuminated the national colors of the Suomus flag that was draped over the casket before the bay door shut with a resounding clang that sent a shudder through Sanya, though her gaze remained empty. The plane then took off, slowly ascending into the gloomy sky.
The assembled Witches slowly dispersed as the ceremony to honor their fallen comrade drew to a close, yet Sanya remained behind as if unaware of her surroundings. Yoshika cast a glance at the forlorn girl and opened her mouth to call out to her. However, she was stopped when a hand came down on her shoulder. She looked back to see Sakamoto slowly shaking her head, then she removed her hand and looked at Sanya as well, whose gaze had turned towards the sky, seemingly following the plane as it slowly grew into a distant speck on the horizon. Yoshika's shoulders slumped and she nodded in understanding before following Sakamoto back into the base.
Midday came and went, and still, Sanya had not moved from her spot at all. She had stood like a statue the entire day, her eyes fixed on the sky. Sanya bristled lightly when she felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder.
"Sanya-chan..?" Yoshika asked in concern as had she received no response besides the light shudder that had shot through the pale girl.
Sanya's head slowly turned back towards Yoshika and the brunette almost leapt back in shock as her eyes met with Sanya's vacant, hollow stare. Sanya seemed to come out of her daze at the sight of Yoshika, the light returning to her eyes as they became aware once again.
"Yoshika-chan..?" Sanya said quietly, barely a whisper, her voice sounding even more vulnerable and subdued than it normally did. Yoshika recovered her senses quickly and tried to throw on a cheerful facade.
"You've been out here all day. I was worried about you, Sanya-chan," Yoshika said as she tried to give Sanya a comforting smile, her tone tame compared to its normal boisterous joy.
"Ah...yes, I'm fine..." Sanya replied absently as she slowly walked past Yoshika towards the base, Yoshika's concerned gaze following after her.
* Strike Witches *
Dinner was a somber affair even though Yoshika had asked for help with an attempt to prepare some traditional Orussian dishes for that meal in order to try to cheer Sanya up. But despite this, Sanya did not even show up to eat or for her night patrol duty, and Sakamoto was forced to assign it to Charlotte and Lucchini instead.
Sanya sat atop the bunk bed she used to share with Eila, her legs brought up to her chest and nestled against the black pillow Eila had bought for her so long ago. Her arms were locked around her knees while her chin lay propped atop the pillow. She sat in total darkness, the curtains drawn and the light off.
"Eila..." she whispered as she vacantly stared into the darkness. Images and memories of her dead love began to flow through her mind, and more tears spilled from her eyes and soaked into the fabric of the pillow. "Eila..." she repeated, her voice on the verge of cracking.
The memory of the first kiss she had ever shared with Eila flashed into her mind and she could not hold herself together any longer, finally breaking down and burying her face into the pillow as sobs escaped her lips.
Sanya suddenly awoke to find that it was morning; somehow she had cried herself to sleep in the night. Instead of getting up and preparing for the day, she simply remained in the top bunk, silently reveling in the familiarity and comfort that Eila's pillow and sheets brought. She was finally torn from her reverie by her grumbling stomach, as she had not eaten the day prior. However, rather than getting out of bed and heading to breakfast, she wrapped herself up within Eila's sheets and simply lay there.
Hours passed before a timid knock resounded against the door.
"Sanya-chan?" Yoshika quietly called out into the room as she slowly cracked the door open and entered the dark room, a tray of food in her hands. "I thought you might be hungry..." she said to the room since she was not sure where Sanya was. Sanya remained absolutely still on the top bunk, doing her best to keep her presence hidden. "Sanya-chan..?" Yoshika called out for the girl again but still received no reply.
Yoshika's features fell and her shoulders slumped as she slowly walked over to the small table that Eila had once used for fortune telling. She set the tray down on the cramped table and gently ran her fingers across the undisturbed tarot deck before exiting the room. Sanya relaxed once she heard the door gently click shut; she was back to being alone in her dark sanctuary, surrounded only by the familiar scent of Eila and the feel of her bed. Her eyes slowly closed, her emotional pains dampened by the physical pain within her stomach. The replacement of an emotional pain that permeated her every thought with a stabbing physical pain was a welcome relief to the mentally and emotionally drained girl, and she was finally able to drift off into an uneasy sleep.
When Sanya next awoke, the room was completely black; night had long since fallen. Sanya groggily sat up, feeling fatigued despite having slept for nearly a day straight. She stretched her stiff limbs and climbed down from the bunk and, giving the tray of food a passing glance, exited the room.
The entire base was dark, the only light being the silvery cast of the moon glowing through the giant paned windows. Sanya casually strolled down the hallways, her thoughts drifting off into memories.
'We used to always walk around the hallways at night...' she thought as Eila's joyful laugh echoed in her thoughts.
Sanya continued to roam the hallways throughout the night. This became a routine for the Orussian girl and she was rarely, if ever, seen by her fellow Witches outside of meals.
Before long, weeks, then months passed in this fashion. At meals she only ate what was absolutely necessary, but even then she had to force herself. Other than her nights roaming the base, she slept the days away and spent the nights in a stupor of emotional pain, only dulled by her constantly empty stomach.
* Strike Witches *
Three months crept by with Sanya's mental, emotional, and physical state only deteriorating further; she had become a shadow of her former self, thinner and paler than she used to be.
"Sanya-chan, would you like something to eat?" Yoshika asked with forced cheer to the ghostly pale, almost sickly girl as she made her rounds around the breakfast table, serving the other Witches her freshly cooked food.
Sanya sat passively in the same chair she always had, the seat next to her painfully empty. When she made no response, Yoshika simply dished some food onto the girl's plate in hopes that she would eat some of it. She then somberly returned to her seat and sat down next to Lynette and Charlotte, but her worried gaze remained on Sanya.
"I can't take this anymore, we have to do something about Sanya!" Lucchini harshly whispered as she leaned across Charlotte's lap from her seat next to the redhead. "It's been three months already! I can't take it!" Lucchini's words sounded harsh and selfish, but anyone looking at her pained expression knew that she was upset for Sanya's sake.
"I'm worried for Sanya-chan as well. We should do something together to cheer her up..." Lynette whispered back as she cast a concerned glance over at the Orussian girl, who simply sat staring at her food. "Weren't Sanya-chan and Eila-san...lovers?" she asked in an even more hushed tone as her cheeks lit up, her curiosity at the underlying reason for Sanya's devastation boiling over.
Yoshika solemnly nodded in reply. "We should do something for her...I want the old Sanya-chan back!" Yoshika said with conviction as she looked around at Lynette, Charlotte, and Lucchini. Charlotte, her gaze hard, shook her head, her red locks lightly twisting through the air.
"There's nothing we can do," she said resolutely as she observed Sanya take a single bite of her meal then get up and leave. "That Sanya died with Eila."
* Strike Witches *
Night fell and Sanya once again fell into her nightly routine of roaming the dark hallways, her gaze vacant and her mind absent. She continued like this, not really aware of where her feet were taking her, her routine was so firmly grounded in her mind by then. Suddenly she became aware of her surroundings and came to a stop.
'Where am I..?' she absently wondered as she looked around to find that she was standing in the center of an unfamiliar corridor. 'I don't remember a place like this...' she thought as she slowly began to pace down the hallway, curiously scanning her surroundings.
Then, a flicker of light, a figure darted across the hallway. Sanya froze in place and stared at the spot where the figure had disappeared.
"Who's there?" she called out. Silence met her words until the silhouette of a person appeared at the end of the corridor, appearing as a solidly black figure set against the darkness. "Who are you?" Sanya demanded of the figure, her voice still soft despite her volume.
The figure wavered in the darkness for a moment before it slowly moved forward towards the square of moonlight projecting onto the floor. Sanya's eyes went wide in shock as an icy cold feeling washed over her. She took a step back as her heart seemed to stop in her chest.
"E-Eila..?" she squeaked out shakily as she gazed at the grinning visage of her dead love. What appeared to be Eila stood in the moonlight, a hand on her hip and a broad grin on her face. The silvery glow of the moon cast off an almost unearthly glow onto the supposedly dead Witch.
'H-how can..?' Sanya managed to think through her rattled mind as her entire body shook with confusion and her eyes shimmered with emotion. Eila silently lingered in the moonlight for a moment longer before she suddenly turned and disappeared into the darkness.
"Eila! Wait!" Sanya cried after the pale blonde Witch, her voice cracking from the emotional shock.
Sanya quickly took off down the corridor, giving chase to the mischievous Witch, weaving through many dark hallways.
'Eila..! How can...how can you be here?' she thought frantically as she strained to keep up with her former lover, the darkness of the corridors only slightly aided by a few dispersed windows.
Sanya's breathing grew ragged and harsh as the pounding of her feet bounced off the walls of the hallways and corridors, yet somehow Eila always managed to be just at the edge of her vision, always turning a corner or vanishing into the darkness. At last, the chase ended and Sanya found herself breathlessly staring at a large brick wall that ran from the floor to the ceiling, creating a dead end. Sanya went up to the wall and ran her fingers across the brick and mortar, tears filling her eyes.
'Eila...was that really you..?' Sanya thought as she began to question whether she had truly seen the dead girl or not.
Then, the creaking of a door caught Sanya's attention. She turned her gaze towards a door in the side-wall, which was slowly creaking inwards on its hinges until it was partially open, allowing silvery moonlight to spill out into the hallway. Sanya approached the door with caution and gently pushed it open. Dust flew up from the floor as she slowly stepped inside and glanced around the room: Furniture, the frames of paintings, and various other objects were all covered in white cloths; a fine layer of dust lay on everything, particularly the floor which was thickly coated in it. But, the most defining feature of the room was a very large window that spanned from the floor to the ceiling on the far side of the room. Sanya slowly ventured towards the window, her gaze being drawn in by the eerily perfect view it gave of the nighttime sky, and of the full moon. A large pane of moonlight was projected down onto the floor before the window, and Sanya found herself enveloped by the soft glow as she reached the window and stared up into the sky, her gaze wholly filled by the white orb.
'Eila...' Sanya thought mournfully as she suddenly felt herself overwhelmed by emotion.
Memories of the days when she and Eila would fly among the stars of the night and skate atop the clouds, hand-in-hand, played out in her mind's eye; she could almost see it through the window itself, as if the glass were a portal to the past. Tears began to pour down Sanya's face as she yearned for those happy days and collapsed to the floor on her knees. She sobbed heavily, her hands held to her face as Eila's visage tormented her mind, giving way to only more tears.
"Eila...why did you leave me?" she asked the room through her tears. "We were supposed to be together forever..."
Sanya was suddenly startled from her sorrow when she felt a pressure on her shoulder. She froze, her sobs ceasing as she slowly turned her head back, her gaze turning upwards. Her eyes went wide at what she saw, her mouth widening as she took in a startled gasp of air.
"What kind of greeting is that?" a figure asked, her mouth turning up in an amused grin, her hand gently planted on Sanya's shoulder. Sanya's eyes shimmered with shock before they softened as tears rapidly filled them and began to overflow down her face.
"Eila..." she said softly in breathless disbelief.
"In the flesh," Eila replied non-chalantly with a large grin, as if her being there was completely normal. Sanya gazed up at Eila's face, the Suomus girl's expression belying the fact that she was supposed to be dead.
'N-no!' Sanya thought as fear and panic struck her and she suddenly leapt to her feet and backed away from Eila towards the window, her expression displaying her uncertainty and fear. "W-who are you!" she demanded. 'T-this can't be real...'
Eila's smile turned into a mischievous smirk as she slowly walked up to the defensive girl.
"Is this how you treat your girlfriend after so long?" she asked, humorously feigning hurt.
The emotion in Sanya's eyes faltered for a moment. "Y-you can't be Eila! I...I watched her die!" she cried back as tears unconsciously streamed down her face.
"Of course it's me! Don't you recognize me?" Eila replied, her tone humorous and light-hearted despite the tension of the moment. She raised her hand and slowly reached out towards Sanya, the Orussian girl being too stunned to react, and gently held her cheek in her hand.
"Don't you?" Eila repeated, this time softer, more intimately.
Sanya gazed deeply into Eila's violet eyes as she unknowingly brought her own hand up and held it against Eila's, which felt soft, and warm, and real. Sanya's eyes widened then softened in a flash as it became undeniable to her that the Eila standing before her was her long lost love and not a phantom of her distraught mind.
"Eila..!" Sanya cried out as her eyes filled with tears which quickly spilled out down her cheeks and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the Suomus girl. "Eila! Eila!" the pale girl sobbed onto Eila's shoulder as she held her tightly.
Eila was startled by the normally quiet girl's sudden and dramatic reaction, but she smiled all the same and brought her arms up to encircle the younger girl in warmth and comfort as she softly whispered soothing words in her ear. Sanya lost the strength to stand and her legs knuckled beneath her, causing the pair to slowly slide down until they were sitting on the floor, their legs splayed out behind them. After awhile, Sanya began to calm down, her sobs quieting into wet hiccups and sniffles. Once she had calmed down, she pulled back from Eila and looked into her eyes once more, her own puffy and red.
"How...how can you be here?" Sanya asked in hopeful disbelief, still not knowing how Eila could be before her.
"Does it really matter how?" Eila replied with a light laugh.
A small smile broke over Sanya's features for the first time in months. She embraced Eila once more, her mind at peace as she had accepted that Eila was there, she no longer cared why or how impossible it was, all that mattered was that she was there. The two reunited lovers remained in their embrace for what seemed like an eternity, the pair bathed in the ethereal, glowing light of the moon.
* Strike Witches *
Sanya and Eila remained together deep into the night, no words were exchanged between the two after their initial encounter; Sanya was simply content to remain in Eila's arms after so long apart. Several hours passed and now Sanya was peacefully seated beside Eila, her head gently leaning against the older girl's shoulder as the pair wistfully gazed at the full, glowing moon which was low in the sky. Suddenly, Eila seemed to perk up and become more aware.
"Sanya..." she said softly to the contented girl, her voice sounding oddly subdued and distant.
Sanya sat up straight and looked at Eila, worry clear on her face at the older girl's tone. "What's wrong, Eila..?"
Eila looked out the window then back at Sanya, her expression almost pained. "I can't stay, I have to go," she said at last, sadness clear in her voice.
Sanya was immediately alarmed by this; she had only just been reunited with Eila and could not bear the thought of her leaving already.
"E-Eila! D-don't leave me! Not again..!" Sanya cried as her voice cracked and tears swam in her eyes. Eila looked away from Sanya's sorrowful face.
"I have to-" she began but Sanya cut her off as she fell forward and clung tightly to Eila's arm.
"Please don't go! Stay!" Sanya begged as tears dripped from her eyes.
"I can't stay-..." Eila said gently but trailed off oddly as she slowly looked back at the distraught girl. She looked deeply into Sanya's eyes and could see the burning passion and desire within them. Eila looked thoughtful for a moment before she gave a small smile and leaned in close to Sanya.
"Do you want to come with me?" she whispered into Sanya's ear as her lips turned up into one of her mischievous grins.
"Yes! I can't bear the thought of living without you..." Sanya replied desperately, her emotions overflowing into her voice. Eila pulled back, her joyful grin still present on her features.
"Do you mean it?" Eila asked as her expression became more serious, her tone indicating a deeper sense of gravity to Sanya's answer.
"I want to be with you forever, Eila," Sanya replied immediately without a waver of hesitation or a hint of uncertainty, determination and love shining in her eyes. Eila's joyful smile returned in an instant as she suddenly stood, Sanya's now curious gaze following the older girl's movements.
"Let's go," Eila said as she extended her hand down to the Orussian girl. Sanya slowly placed her hand in Eila's and the Suomus girl quickly pulled her to her feet. She then led Sanya over to the window, where the ethereal glow of the moon still shone as a large pane against the floor.
Eila stopped at the foot of the window then turned to face Sanya, who had a quizzical expression on her face as she was not sure what was going to happen. Eila smiled at Sanya's cute confusion before she stepped closer to the younger girl, closing the distance between the two. Sanya's breath grew short and quick and her face flushed as Eila looked into her eyes and brought both of her hands up to gently cup the younger girl's face before she slowly leaned in and pressed her lips gently against the pale girl's, giving her a quick but passionate kiss. Sanya melted into the kiss, but, just as quickly as it had begun, it suddenly ended as Eila pulled back and gave a teasing smirk.
"Are you ready?" Eila asked softly, almost a whisper to which Sanya gave a single, firm nod.
Eila smiled and Sanya gasped as a soft, glowing light enveloped the older girl, a faint and ghostly aura appearing around her. Slowly, Eila began to rise into the air, and Sanya felt as though she were going to be left behind until the stunned girl felt her entire body become light. Sanya threw her gaze around her in confusion as her feet left the floor and she rose into the air as if she were rising through water. She was shocked and yet amazed at the same time, she did not know how she was lifting into the air without the aid of her Strikers. Eila continued to smile as if everything was completely normal as she reached out and clasped Sanya's hand in her own and then began to move, floating through the air towards the window. Sanya thought that she was going to crash through it until Eila simply passed through as if it were not there. Then, Sanya herself quickly approached the pane of glass, being pulled along by their clasped hands, and brought her hand up to shield her face and clenched her eyes shut in anticipation of the inevitable crash through the window. However, the sound of shattering glass never came, nor the feel of cuts or scrapes.
Sanya blinked her eyes open and found herself floating outside the base, far above the ocean, the waves crashing against the rocks below. She looked back and saw the large window, still intact in the base's wall behind her.
"How..?" Sanya asked as she turned back towards Eila, but was surprised to find her voice sounded light and hollow, as if she were speaking in a tunnel. Eila lightly laughed in amusement and smiled at Sanya's confusion.
"C'mon," she said, her voice sounding strange in the same way that Sanya's had, before she began to pull Sanya out towards the ocean by her hand, quickly gaining speed as the pair cut through the air, quickly leaving the base in their wake.
Sanya looked at Eila's face from the side; she did not understand what was going on or how it was possible, but she felt a calm enter her heart that she had not felt for months.
'Eila...All I want is to be with you,' she thought as she gave a small smile.
Eila suddenly turned upwards and led Sanya into an ascent towards the clouds, quickly reaching the clouds and breaking through them to the other side. Atop the clouds, at the top of the world, is where the two came to rest, now hovering just above the clouds as if they were standing on them. Eila turned to Sanya and took hold of her other hand.
"I promise, I'll never leave you again," Eila vowed as she smiled softly and squeezed Sanya's hands gently as the younger girl gazed on in wonderment. "We'll always be together."
* Strike Witches *
"Sanya-chan!" Yoshika called out, her voice echoing down the corridor she was walking. "Sanya-chaaan!" she called again, but received no reply. "Where could she be..?" she wondered to herself worriedly. Yoshika had been sent to awaken the Orussian Witch for that day's duties, but she had unexpectedly found her room to be empty.
"I hope she's alright..." Yoshika worried as she ventured further down the corridor.
"But...where am I?" she wondered aloud as she looked around curiously.
Yoshika had never been this deep into the base before and had not even known there was a part as abandoned as this; she knew the ancient castle they used as their base was large, but she had not realized just how vast and mysterious it was. Yoshika had started off looking in the more frequented areas of the base but soon she had found herself wandering deeper and deeper into the abandoned East Wing with the creeping sensation that she was being led there by a strange force.
After a bit of wandering, Yoshika found herself at a dead end created by a large brick wall that sealed the deeper parts of the East Wing off. Yoshika's spirits fell, as she had wandered so far but not found the illusive Sanya.
"Sanya-chan...where are you-?" she began to lament to herself but stopped suddenly as she heard a creaking to her right. She turned to see a large wooden door creaking inwards slightly, allowing early morning sunlight to shine out into the hallway.
"Sanya-chan?" Yoshika called as she hesitantly made her way to the door and peaked inside: the room was incredibly dusty and filthy with a lot of furniture covered by dust sheets.
"It must be a storage room..." Yoshika said to herself as she pushed the door open and entered. Yoshika's eyes scanned the room and she gasped in surprise at what she saw.
"Sanya-chan!" she cried in relief as she spotted the pale Witch lying on the floor near the large window that dominated the room.
Yoshika hurried over to the motionless Witch. "Sanya-chan, wake up," she urged as she knelt down next to the pale girl and shook her gently. "Sanya-chaaan~," Yoshika repeated Sanya's name lyrically as she shook her again, but the Orussian girl did not stir. "Sanya-chan..?" she said yet again, this time more hesitantly as it began to seem very peculiar that Sanya was not waking up. A cold dread filled Yoshika's stomach as she began to vigorously shake Sanya's body.
"Sanya-chan! Sanya-chan!" she repeated desperately, but to no avail. Yoshika stopped for a moment, her body trembling as she slowly placed her hand against Sanya's chest.
"N-no..." she stammered out as she fell backwards away from the motionless girl, her eyes and entire body shaking from the revelation; Sanya's chest was completely still, her lungs empty and eyes firmly shut. Yoshika's eyes swelled with tears and she began to sob against her palms.
"Sanya-chan..."
* Strike Witches *
"I'm telling you, it's true!" a young Witch proclaimed, her fiery red locks, smiling green eyes, and large, mischievous grin pinning her as someone to tell tall tales.
She and two other young Witches were walking along a corridor within the 501st base. One of the other Witches, her onyx black hair, dark blue eyes and hardened expression rightfully making her appear to not take anything at face value, scoffed at the younger Witch's claim.
"Really? Haunted? This base doesn't have ghosts, Linda," she replied in casual disbelief. A third Witch, her soft brown hair and equally soft blue eyes and expression, meekly looked between the two other Witches.
"I'm not making it up! My sister was here at this base when it happened, Katharine!" Linda replied with conviction as she stopped in the hallway, prompting the others to stop as well.
"That old legend is just a fairy tale," Katharine stated dismissively. "'A girl who died of grief during the Great Neuroi War and now haunts the abandoned East Wing because her lover was killed'? Only you Liberions would believe something that ridiculous," she continued as she waved a bored hand at the redhead.
"Uh...Um..." the meek third Witch interjected awkwardly at an attempt at conflict resolution as Linda grit her teeth in anger.
"Well, you Karlslandians never believe anything!" she replied vehemently. Linda and Katharine glared at each other, the tension palpably manifesting between their heated gazes.
"M-maybe we c-could go look?" the timid girl suggested into the silence, hoping to end the fight.
"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea, Tanya!" Linda praised and quickly turned her gaze back on Katharine, giving her a taunting look. "Don't you think, Katharine?"
Katharine looked conflicted in thought for a moment before throwing her gaze towards the wall in angered defeat, letting out an audible 'tch'.
"Fine, we'll go on your little ghost hunt," she replied in begrudged mockery.
"Let's go, then!" Linda cried as she grinned in smug victory before she raced down the corridor, the other two girls right behind her as she began their expedition towards the East Wing.
* Strike Witches *
"I-it's dark and s-scary," Tanya said meekly as she clung to Linda's arm for comfort.
"Sure is," Linda replied in slight awe as she looked around the corridor they were walking down.
"It's just an old hallway," Katharine piped up dismissively as the expression on her face made it painfully aware that she would rather be anywhere but there at that moment.
"I don't think I've ever been around the East Wing, have you?" Linda asked to the other two girls, who both shook their heads in reply.
The three continued onwards, delving deeper into the East Wing. Suddenly, the three stopped as a soft noise caught their attention.
"Did you hear that?" Linda asked in a mixture of excitement and wonderment.
"Sounded like a voice, a whisper," Katharine replied, her interest now piqued by this turn of events.
"L-let's go back!" Tanya said timidly as she began to shake against Linda's arm.
"We can't go back now! We haven't found any ghosts!" Linda replied boldly as she continued to press onwards, leaving Tanya and Katharine with little choice but to follow.
As the group continued on, they began to hear more noises, the occasional echoing footstep, or a sound like blowing wind, or what they could swear were voices.
"Y'know, it kind of feels like we're being led," Linda said, an audible tremor running through her voice even as she attempted to sound brave. Katharine did not respond at all and Tanya was too scared to.
"Seems our journey ends here," Katharine announced sarcastically as she pointed further down the hallway towards a large wall that sealed off the deeper parts of the East Wing from exploration.
"Aww, man!" Linda cried in frustration as she walked up to the wall and kicked it lightly, though the subtle relief in her voice clearly indicated that she was glad to have an excuse to turn back. As the three stood in front of the wall, they suddenly began to hear hushed, whispered voices.
"D-d-did you hear that..?" Tanya asked in fright, but the other girls did not respond as they were scanning the hallways for any signs of ghosts or otherwise. Then, a loud creaking noise caught all three of their attentions, causing them to jerk their gazes over towards a side-door that was slowly creaking inwards.
"Should we check it out..?" Linda wondered aloud to which Katharine nodded.
"We've come this far..." she replied as she slowly approached the door, the others just behind her.
As they approached, the whispers seemed to grow louder, but were still unintelligible. Linda took the lead once more and gave the door a gentle nudge causing it to loudly creak inwards, allowing the three girls entrance. As soon as they stepped foot into the room, stirring up a large cloud of dust as they did so, the voices stopped, leaving the room in eerie silence. The three girls slowly entered the room and looked around at the cloth-covered furniture, but there was nothing else there.
"I-I guess it was nothing, eh?" Linda said as she let out an awkward laugh to cover up her building fright. All three girls relaxed a little as there were clearly no ghosts or spirits in sight.
"What are you girls-?" A voice behind the girls broke the silence which caused them all to jump into each other's arms and scream in terror.
"Quiet!" A black-haired woman yelled over the screaming which immediately shut the three up. "What are you three girls doing here?" she demanded as she stood in the frame of the door, her hands on her hips and her unforgiving gaze set on the three.
"G-General Sakamoto!" they all cried in unison as they snapped to attention, fearing a berating.
"You three know this wing is off-limits!" Sakamoto lectured as she walked into the room and stood directly in front of the three girls.
"W-we're sorry, Ma'am!" they all responded immediately. Sakamoto massaged her forehead in annoyance for a moment before sternly looking back at the young Witches.
"Back to the mess hall!" she ordered which caused the three young Witches to fall over themselves as they scrambled for the door, quickly disappearing through it and down the hallway. Sakamoto let out an exasperated sigh as she surveyed the room.
"Those cadets are going to be the death of me..." she muttered in irritation. Sakamoto turned back towards the door, but not before she glanced at the spot below the enormous window in the room where Sanya's body had been discovered.
"It's already been fifteen years..." Sakamoto said to herself before she turned back to the door.
Sakamoto stopped fast and spun around when she heard a light voice behind her, her gaze scanning the room; but she saw nothing. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer before she shrugged her shoulders and exited the room, closing the door shut behind her.
All was silent in the room now, the disturbed dust slowly settling back into place on the floor. Then, two glowing forms appeared before the window, shining brightly for a brief moment before the glow faded. Two young girls, one with long blonde hair and the other with short gray, were sitting on the floor, their bodies outlined by an ethereal glow. The gray haired girl had her head gently placed against the blonde's shoulder whilst the blonde had her arm wrapped around the other girl in a loose embrace. Suddenly, both girls turned to face each other and smiled happily before embracing lovingly.
"We'll always be together."
END
Author's Commentary: I sure hope I didn't depress anybody too badly, it had a happy ending after all! In case anybody is wondering, Linda, Katharine, and Tanya are original characters of my own creation, not Witches from some external Strike Witches mythos. I do hope you all enjoyed, and all feedback is happily welcomed!