Hey, what's happening guys? Here's another chapter in the tale of Eila and Sanya. I'm not sure how long I can make this story, because I don't really write a lot, and have no idea how to add details and such.

By the way, please check out my deviantArt account ( BookmarkAHead ) if you want to see some Strike Witches art, including the cover image of this story.

Tears in the Snow

507th Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Kauhava, Suomus

The plane landed roughly, bouncing violently and shaking its occupants. Sanya and Mio sat opposite to each other, as they had for the whole flight. Neither of them had spoken for the duration. The silence continued, as Sanya stared at the floor of the aircraft, not even bothering to shift the crate that was now pushing up against her. The pilot announced their arrival through the radio.

Mio shifted on the side bench and cleared her throat, "Well, we're here now, Litvyak. Don't worry about your gear; just take your luggage to your room."

The Witch didn't move, or make any sign that she heard the instructions. She continued to stare at the cold steel beneath her boots.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, and Eila will be fine too, "the Major said as consolingly as she could, "You'll be back in a week or so." She got up and went over to the controls for the bay door, boots clanging against the metal floor.

Part of her wanted to commandeer the plane and fly back this instant, but she knew that she had very important duties that she had to attend to, and so did the pilot of the plane. The last time she had seen Sanya like this was before the tower Neuroi, when she had an argument with Eila. It was one of the worst sights of all, even worse that she knew that only one person could do anything about it, and that person was miles and miles away.

Sighing in defeat, she put on a smile and turned back to Sanya, saying, "Try to enjoy your time here. If not for yourself, for your comrades." The bay doors were grinding open now, giving way to the runway beyond. It was fairly empty; everybody was out for training, save for a trio of 501st witches awaiting their arrival. Upon seeing that their guests had arrived, the brown haired one broke into a happy run, the other two trailing behind.

The night witch finally raised her eyes from the floor, and gave Mio a small sad smile with a soft, "I'll try." She rose from her seat, grabbed her luggage, and stepped down the ramp to meet Perrine, Yoshika, and Lynne.

In normal circumstances, the Major would have considered a response like that as a victory. She stared solemnly at the departing witch. The crushing loneliness in Sanya's eyes was enough to think otherwise.

[Distorted]

The weather in Kauhava wasn't that different from the 502nd's base in Orussia. It might be even colder, being more up north. Sanya couldn't even see the 507th's base up ahead through all of the snow. She instinctively reached for Eila's hand, wanting to find comfort in her warmth, but instead feeling even colder when she realized that her partner wasn't there with her. The icy wind bit into her skin.

Her friends were coming towards her across the runway now. Yoshika was in the lead, waving happily and running. Lynette came at a half run, not wanting to slip, while Perrine walked, which was probably the best idea because of the icy weather. Sanya steeled herself for the encounter, and prepared a smile. "I have to be happy for them. It won't be any use bringing them down with my mood." She thought to herself, raising her hand slightly in greeting as she descended the plane's dark ramp.

The talking and the questions had begun as soon as her boot landed on the frozen concrete of the runway. Initially, Sanya started feeling overwhelmed. Her mental turmoil on the plane had sapped the majority of her usual low energy, and she felt like she would fall over at any time. It didn't help that Yoshika had to give her an obligatory bone crushing hug. The other two were gentler, much to her relief.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Yoshika, after the initial greetings had finished, "How come Eila isn't here? Aren't you two stationed at the same base?" Yoshika took a peek under the plane, as if she expected for Eila to be under there, which she probably did.

"Yes, aren't the two of you always together?" Lynette asked, a worried expression plastered upon her face. "Is she okay?" She shuffled her feet on the icy ground unsteadily.

Perrine said nothing, recognizing that the way Sanya moved and spoke indicated that something was horribly off about her. She instead gave Sanya a comforting smile, and raised her hand in salute as the Major approached.

"I hope you girls are doing well," Mio greeted them, choosing her steps carefully, "I've some news for you, but it'll have to wait for later."

"Ooh! Is it about our new base?" Yoshika asked happily, seemingly already forgetting about the absence of Eila. She seemed to squirm happily in place, not wanting to risk slipping.

"You'll see." Mio laughed, winking. "Now let's get inside! This cold isn't good for our bodies!" They began to walk to the base.

The initial happiness from hearing the news earlier in the day came back to Sanya. New resolve entered her mind; she would make things right with Eila when she saw her again. She would return, fix it, and then make sure it never happens again. Then they would be together, and stay together, maybe for the rest of their lives. The thought cheered her up, and let her smile at the sight of Giuseppina Cenni gliding across the icy runway in her boots. Sanya would be alright, it was just a week.

Perrine smiled at the sight of Sanya's smile and her red cheeks. Those weren't from the cold.

[Distorted]

502nd Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia

"So what happened?" Commander Aleksandra crossed her arms and frowned. This wasn't good.

"Well, Kanno and I followed her for a few miles, and we lost visibility of her because of the snow and her speed," Edytha reported solemnly, "But she had been flying in a set direction for the whole time, so we continued flying that way. And that's when we caught up."

Edytha paused. She and Kanno were sitting in the briefing room of their base, a long high ceilinged room with large windows, revealing the snowy landscape outside. Kanno shifted on the wooden desk she was sitting on, and tapped her boots against it, but didn't uncross her arms. She was still regretting the fact that they hadn't made it in time; the solemn look on her face proved it. Their commander paced before them, blond hair swishing with her motion.

"When the storm finally broke and we regained vision, there was a cloud of Neuroi swarming about the area. We knew that Eila was there, but she wasn't in the sky. "

The instructor witch paused again and sighed. She had seen her fair share of downed witches, it was very rare, but it was never a thing that one could get over. A downed witch reminded her that they weren't invincible, and that the Neuroi could to do real damage, even to mighty witches.

Silence fell over the room, save for the soft sound of snowflakes tapping against the windows. Aleksandra breathed quietly, not wanting to break the silence, but at the same time needing to hear the report. She had learned that more details are remembered if the witch or witches in question have time to gather their thoughts. Folding her hands, she nodded at Edytha.

Edytha took a deep breath and continued, forcing herself to recall the horrible events for the sake of military damage reports.

[Distorted]

Hours earlier

"Kanno! Report! Do you see anything?" Edytha half shouted through her radio. The wind made it hard to hear her wingman otherwise. They had been following Eila for a few minutes, when suddenly the girl had picked up a massive amount of speed and sped off. They followed in pursuit, but were unable to locate Eila after a few miles. Worst of all, sheets of snow had started following, making visibility even poorer. Edytha couldn't shake the sinking feeling inside of her.

"Negative!" crackled Kanno through the radio. She was flying a little farther ahead. "Wait! Neuroi ahead! 11 and 12 o'clock!" Gunfire was heard through the radio as Kanno continued her report, "Type-23 Class D Neuroi, uhh, one mothership and fifty or so units! Eila is nowhere in sight!"

"Drop back to my position and lead them here! We have to make sure debris doesn't hit Eila if she crashed!" Edytha barked into her radio, and radioed a call for help back to the base. She had a weaker body due to an illness, and was slightly tired, but the adrenaline restored her energy, and she steeled herself for conflict. "We go in together!"

She braced herself as she flew through a particularly heavy part of the storm, her Strikers roaring. Snow was hitting her face with the force of bullets.

Edytha finally burst into the clear, frigid air. She beheld the Orussian landscape below. It was a beautiful view, fields blanketed in snow, with small patches of trees dotting the area. The only things disrupting the peaceful scene were the black Neuroi, and their ugly red lasers. Many small Neuroi buzzed about, and in the epicenter was a fairly big mothership. Kanno pulled up beside her to await orders, the Neuroi following in her wake.

"Alright! We're going to clear a path towards that mothership! Take that out, and the rest of the Neuroi go down! Cover me; we're going 'Vanguard formation'!"

"Understood! Guard initiating!" Kanno replied, gunning herself up and around Edytha.

Vanguard formation was one of the techniques that Edytha herself had taught to many witches. It was an offensive formation comprised of two witches, the "Guard", and the "Emissary". Due to her fighting style and weaker frame, Edytha always took the part of the "Emissary". It was a rare technique, as there were very few witches that could generate enough power as the "Guard".

Kanno's speed began to pick up, and she was adjusting her circular flight to match Edytha's path towards the mothership. The winds followed in her wake, snow being whipped into the shape of a cyclone.

The "Guard's" job was to continuously revolve around the "Emissary's" flight path, firing around to drive off enemy units, as well as to provide an extra shield if needed. The circular path of the "Guard" would generate a horizontal twister infused with magic, which would accelerate the "Emissary" towards her target.

Edytha felt the push of Kanno's self made cyclone, and checked her gun. Ammunition loaded and charged, and the safety was off. Good. They were fast approaching the mothership, and the Neuroi had picked up on their presence. Dozens of units swarmed towards them; lasers tearing through the sky.

Kanno let loose a barrage of bullets, the circular motion causing them to spray outwards in front of them, smashing into Neuroi that dared face them. The twister had now reached full power, as Edytha felt a huge power pushing against her Strikers, forcing her to massive speeds. The falling snow no longer stung her face, it was being held back by the wall of wind. Edytha raised her gun as they rapidly neared the mothership.

The "Emissary" had a single job, and that was to destroy the intended target's core. Usually, the "Emissary" would be carrying heavy weaponry, or have destructive magical powers, but they had to make do with what they had.

Adrenaline coursed through Edytha's veins as the cyclone made a violent impact with the side of the mothership and an explosion ripped through the Orussian sky. The air was filled with the ugly sound of metal tearing as the wind tore hungrily through the Neuroi, ripping off chunks of metal and tossing them aside as if they were sheets of paper. Edytha activated her shield, and dove into the maelstrom.

After the Neuroi gets torn apart by the magical winds, the "Emissary" is to dive into the storm of debris and search for the core. It's is the most dangerous part, as the Neuroi is slowly reforming itself, and there's a possibility of being trapped inside. Regeneration rates were always studied, and they only use the technique on known Neuroi models.

"Alright! 40 seconds to full reformation!" Kanno yelled through the radio, "40 ... 39 ... 38 ..." She fired at a swarm of the smaller units that had tried to follow her partner. The Neuroi began to screech, and it fired lasers at Kanno. She swooped and dodged them nimbly, carefully defending Edytha's attack.

Edytha registered her partner's countdown in the back of her mind, but her mind was on the task at hand. She dodged chunks of black Neuroi metal as they swooped to reform themselves.

"30 ... 29 ... 28 ... 27 ..."

Just one sign! She just needed a glimpse of the red core, and all of it would be over. But where was it? She began smashing through some of the larger chunks with her shield.

"20 ... 19 ... 18 ... 17 ..."

Panic began to rise inside of her. Where was it? She whirled around violently, looking for the reflection of the core. Oh, if only Major Sakamoto was here, it would be much, much easier. The screech of the Neuroi had begun rising in volume.

"12 ... 11 ... 10, critical point! Get out of there, Edytha!"

No! Where was it?! The Neuroi's metal reforming had become unbearably loud, and drowned out Kanno's counting. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Edytha broke for a gap in the Neuroi's shell. They would have to find another way ... wait! There it was, nestled in black embrace of Neuroi metal at the far end. Edytha whirled around, and sprayed a burst of bullets into the core.

Bullet after bullet smashed into the red crystal, shattering its pristine surface. The Neuroi let out one last ear-splitting shriek and suddenly burst into white energy, fading harmlessly away. It left an exhausted Edytha in the its midst, wiping the sweat off her brow and breathing heavily as she hovered in the shower of white sparkles. The smaller Neuroi units began to screech and fade away, as they were no longer being supported by a core.

"That was too close, Edytha!" Kanno exclaimed, swooping down to meet the instructor, "You stayed in there until I hit 7! But you did it." She reloaded her gun, wiping the sweat off the handle. Maintaining the twister had taken a lot out of the dark haired witch, and it was reflected in her wobbly flight.

"Yes, good job Kanno." Edytha smiled wearily, her ears still ringing, "but we still have to find Eila. Let's sweep the area."

The two descended to the ground and flew over the area where the Neuroi had originally been hovering over. It had probably been a beautiful area, but nasty gashes of Neuroi lasers crisscrossed the area and made long burnt cuts in the snow. It didn't take them long to find Eila.

Edytha didn't know whether to be thankful, or horrified that the blood is what alerted them to Eila's location, as Eila's uniform, hair, and Strikers were lightly coloured and would've been hard to see in the snow. The sight of an injured comrade caused her already fatigued body to gain some extra energy for Eila's sake.

Both of them went into a steep dive, and ejected themselves out their Strikers once they hit the ground, the snow crunching as their knees hit the ground. They were both dizzy with worry.

It was a horrible sight. Eila had been bleeding, as the snow around her was stained crimson. A quick look over confirmed that she was unconscious, with multiple wounds, and lightly damaged Strikers. Edytha's hands shook from the cold as she checked Eila's breath and pulse.

The faint signal of life and warm breath were both there. Relief washed over her, but there still were things to be done. Kanno had already taken off her coat, and with Edytha's help they wrapped Eila in it. She also temporarily sacrificed her scarf for use as a makeshift bandage.

Kanno got up and got back into her Strikers. The look of determination upon her face was enough to let Edytha know her intentions.

"You're pushing yourself." Edytha said solemnly, raising her hand, "You've done more than enough. And I can't help you carry her. The other witches are on their way." She hugged Eila in an effort to keep her warm.

"The faster she gets back, the faster she'll get better, right?" Kanno demanded, holding out her hands, "I'm not letting her die out here; she still has to confess to Sanya." She then crossed her arms in defiance, refusing to give way.

Edytha looked down and sighed. And then she was looking back up at Kanno with a weak smile. Every witch was family; they couldn't risk waiting any longer. Perhaps she could muster up the last of her energy to carry the Strikers.

Kanno, seeing the instructor's expression, smiled herself, as she knew that she had won. She turned around and held out her arms behind her, readying herself for the weight.

The instructor pulled Eila out her Strikers, and heaved her onto Kanno's back, raising her eyebrows in amusement at the audible "Umph!" from Kanno. "You sure you can do this?" Edytha asked, considering the fact that this wasn't good for anyone.

Kanno took to the air and turned around to face Edytha, Eila on her back. "If it's for a fellow witch, I can do anything!" she proclaimed with a determined smile, "Now get up here! We have to get her home, and fast." Her smile faded as the gravity of the situation returned.

"Yes, yes. Let's get home." said Edytha, worry returning to her features. She got back into her own Strikers. Her limbs were aching from fatigue, but she was determined to help out. She picked up Eila's Strikers, and gritted her teeth at the pain in her arms. She rose into the air, and flew with Kanno in the direction of their base.

The landscape was finally restored to its former calm, with only the burnt gashes in the earth and the blood-stained snow to prove what happened there.

It was going to be a long flight.

[Distorted]

Present

" ... And then we encountered Nipa and Georgette halfway back to base; they were on their way to our location. And I must say, I've never heard Nipa scream in terror like that, whether it was from the sight of Eila drenched in blood, or Kanno drenched in Eila's blood." Edytha finished wearily, trying to end off on a lighter note.

"I see." Aleksandra sighed and looked Kanno, "Anything else to add?"

"Please just make sure she doesn't die or something," said Kanno, rising from her seat on the desk, "She's hasn't confessed to Sanya yet, and the tension is killing me!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"Oh, interesting reasoning."

"You know that I'm not THAT shallow, and that I genuinely care about her health and well being, right?"

Aleksandra laughed wearily, "Of course; you are a witch after all!" She composed herself, "Well done, you two. You did well out there. I think an act like this qualifies for a medal or something." She held up her clipboard and smiled behind it. "But we'll see. Carry on!"

The two witches got up and saluted before leaving the room. Aleksandra stayed behind for a second. She sighed and crossed her arms. It was a relief that Eila had survived, and relief was dizzying her. Besides, she probably couldn't bear to see the look on Sanya's face, or any of the other's faces for that matter, had Eila actually perished.

Picking up her clipboard, she exited the room, and stepped into the hallway. The hallways in the base had a comforting feeling to them, being made of wood and giving a homey sort of feel to a military stronghold. She ran her hand against the cold glass and took note of the storm outside as she traversed the base in the direction of the medical wing.

She didn't know what to expect when she entered the room.

It was one of a few medical rooms that they had, furnished with a single bed flanked by night stands and medical equipment. They always tried to make whichever witch staying there feel comfortable, as they had a nice window view overlooking the landscape, and the bed was a regular one instead of a typical hospital cot, albeit raised. There was a bench and a few chairs for visitors, two of them which were occupied.

Nipa was sleeping in a chair beside the bed, with her hands folded under her head, which was on the mattress beside Eila's form. Aleksandra noticed with relief that Eila seemed rather normal, no blood or frostbites; almost as if she was just napping. Relief washed over her. Eila would be fine.

There was another witch sitting on the opposite of the bed. It was Georgette Lemare, the healer for the squadron. With smooth and delicate movements, the brunette witch passed her hands over Eila, magic flowing out of them into Eila's body. Her hands never wavered nor faltered, and her face held a peaceful expression; the signs of an efficient healer. Aleksandra felt a sense of serenity emanate from Georgette, which always seemed to happen when her healing magic was at work. The Commander felt her body relax, and she set herself down in one of the wooden chairs, careful not to make noise.

It was a few minutes before Georgette cut off the flow of magic from her hands and opened her eyes, but the peaceful expression never left her face. Checking over her work, she nodded to herself with satisfaction. After adjusting the white sheets slightly, she rose from her seat, and not appearing startled by the Commander's presence, beckoned the latter out of the room.

"Well, how is she, Georgette?" Aleksandra asked once the door had closed behind them. The healer didn't answer immediately; she instead crossed to the window on the opposite side of the hall and set her hands on its cool surface. Light was fading from the sky, and the hallway became darker than before.

"Well, she's mostly fine." Georgette said finally, in her soft voice. She turned around to face her Commander. The only light came from outside, and framed the healer in a way that her face was left in shadow.

"Mostly?" Aleksandra asked, "Please explain."

"Her wounds are fully healed. But there's something else ..." Georgette trailed off, thoughtfully. "It could have been her emotions plus her exhaustion ..." She brushed some of her brown hair out of her face and began muttering to herself.

"Georgette? What is it?"

The lights powered to life, as it had reached night time. It revealed Georgette's worried expression, all serenity lost.

"Well, you see, Commander," the healer took a deep breath. "She won't wake up. "

Aleksandra's heart sank.

"She's in a coma."

[Distorted – End of Chapter Two – Tears in the Snow]

Hey guys. Thanks for reading the second chapter of Distorted! Yay! I was originally not going to write about Edytha's and Kanno's flashback and instead go right into the hospital scene, but I ended up doing so, and I'm glad I did.

A few notes now, yo.

The Vanguard formation is just a silly little maneuver I made up on the fly, and I thought it'd look cool to have a Witch being propelled by a twister, and then working with the other Witch to tear open Neuroi.

I'm really enjoying using the lesser known witches so far. Giuseppina will definitely return.

Let me know what you think! And please visit .com for my art please!