Yo! I'm Back!
I'm sorry if it took a while (No, more than a while) for me to update the story.

Should I blame school for keeping me busy? Or my waning interest for the series?
Whatever the reason is, I still updated this as promised. It's not even a long story but I kept you guys waiting. I'm sorry.

For those who waited for the update, I hope you didn't stop following this two-shot.

Here goes... One More Kiss Part 2

Resolution

Major Sakamoto rushed through the halls she tried to look for Minna. She tried looking for her in the Wing Commander's office, but she wasn't there. She also tried searching in her bedroom but she didn't have any luck in finding the redhead there.

"Where could she be?" The Major thought to herself as she walked along the halls.

Sakamoto thought of the possibility that she could have gone to the bath but she struck out that likelihood since she wasn't too fond of going there, especially with what happened last time. She would rather wash herself in the showers than take a dip on the bath with everyone.

"She could be in the hangar! Maybe she's there to check on her striker unit but that would be impossible…" she thought inwardly to herself. "Why should she think about her striker unit right now when something is bothering her?" Sakamoto's inner monologue played on as she walked. She mentally smacked herself for thinking about the obvious.

The thought of apologizing to Minna also crossed the Major's mind. What will she say to her? And what did Hartmann mean by Minna's true feelings?

Her mind was preoccupied with a lot of things.

She arrived at the balcony where she would often see Minna every night looking at the night sky.

"I wonder what Minna thinks about when she's up here…" the Major thought as she was side-tracked from her objective which was to look for the Wing Commander.

"Maybe she thinks about her dead lover or her job as Wing Commander… Or maybe… her hometown…"

Sakamoto placed her hand on the railing of the balcony as she thought of her friend. She couldn't make out the expression of the Wing Commander each time she stood there and looked at the moon. Was she happy or sad? Or both?

"Minna… I wonder what's bothering her?"

The Major's train of thoughts stopped abruptly as she realized that she was spacing out.

"I must find her…"

Minna let out a heavy sigh.

She was sitting in fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees. She's back in the beach where she was sulking just a while ago before dinner. Staring at the faint radiance of the moon, she regretted walking out on Mio while they were still in the dining area.

"I didn't have to storm out like that. I wonder what Mio will think of me now…"

She lowered her head and squeezed herself tighter.

"I'm so stupid… It was just a kiss… It was a drunken kiss to be exact. But it's still a kiss. And it was Mio who did it. But she was drunk when she kissed me. I shouldn't be mad at her for kissing me forcefully since she wasn't aware while doing it."

Minna raised her head as she continued thinking to herself.

"It was just a drunken kiss. It didn't mean anything…"

But then she suddenly thought: what if she was sober when she kissed her? It would have been different. What if the meaning behind that kiss was the Major's latent feelings for her? Maybe Mio can't express her feelings for the Wing Commander because she has to act professionally and she couldn't allow her own feelings to take over her job. Who knows?

Minna shook her head.

"There's no way that the Major will ever have feelings for me."

Sakamoto finally found Minna sitting on the shore.

"Minna… I finally found you. So this is where you were…"

Minna was surprised to see Mio. She didn't expect the Major to look for her. She felt giddy inside but she didn't let it show. Although a bit happy on the inside, she still chose to maintain her agitated façade.

"Why are you here? I need to be alone for tonight. Please leave." She kept her gaze away from the Major as she turned her head in a different direction.

Despite the cold reply, the Major sat down beside the Wing Commander.

The Major searched for the right words to start her apology.

"About what happened in the cave, I- um… well… Shirley and the others told me the rest of the story." She started hesitantly.

Minna clenched her fists as every word Mio was saying were like hammers pounding on her every being.

"Look, I didn't really know what happened. All I can remember was that I was trying to save you from that falling urn then everything turned black. Next thing I know, I woke up in a garden then I saw Perrine crying for some reason."

The murkiness and dim moonlight concealed the red that was gradually rushing to her cheeks. She was blushing so hard because of what she was about to say.

"I'm so sorry if I did something terrible. I'm sorry for ki-ki-kissing you forcefully. You already saw it and as much as I hate to admit it, I can't handle my alcohol."

Still facing the opposite direction, Minna let out a smile. It was the first time she heard Mio stutter. She didn't know that even the proud warrior of Fuso can be flustered. Still smiling, and eventually, grinning to herself, she turned to Mio, showing her kind and motherly smile just in time.

"It's okay. I also treated you coldly during dinner because of such petty reasons. I should apologize too. I'm sorry Mio."

Mio felt relief as she heard Minna's words of acceptance. Her cheeks were still red.

"You know Minna; this isn't the first time I acted wildly because of alcohol…" The Major was trying to start a new topic for their conversation.

"Really? When was it then?" Minna replied, clearly interested.

"Back in Fuso, during the Fuso Sea Incident, there was a time when I was strolling around the town with Junko and Wakamoto Tetsuko, one of my closest friends there…"

Minna listened eagerly as the Major recounted her first memory of drinking alcohol.

"We were making the best out of that stroll during that day since we didn't really have enough time for breaks because we were training so hard. We were out there shopping and eating. Then Tetsu, the most ecstatic of us three, was called by a merchant with a funny moustache. He saw us pass by and asked us if we would be interested in buying his product…"

The Major took a break from telling the story by letting out a deep breath. Minna was still looking at her enthusiastically then the Major continued her story.

"He was holding a bottle with either Britannian or Liberian inscriptions on it. He said it was an imported beverage made in Karlsland. Tetsuko was the first one who tried the strange drink. After seeing Tetsu chugged down the bottle, I tried to drink the beverage myself. It had a strong bitter taste, I didn't like it. After drinking it, my head began to hurt and my stomach started to plummet. A surge of hyperactivity hit with a jolt as I started to feel funny then everything started to seem hazy. That was all I can remember of that incident."

Minna chuckled. She knew that Mio did something "wild" after downing alcohol. She was also laughing because of the fact that the Major has low tolerance the stuff. As a true Karlslander, Minna could take her alcohol. She had been invited numerous times by some of her comrades in the Lutwaffe to drink with them. Being the modest woman she is, she tried to decline their offer but they were being persistent about inviting her for drinks so she reluctantly accepted their invitation. After drinking 10 mugs, she was still okay while her comrades were sprawled on the floor drunk as hell. The woman had a liver of steel.

"Why are you laughing? It's not even funny." The black-haired witch protested as she saw the redhead chuckle.

"I'm sorry; I was just thinking how you can't really take your alcohol."

"Well, sorry about that. Ever since the incident, I'm not even allowed to drink sake during gatherings in the navy." The major retorted.

"What happened after that?" The redhead was curious of the events that followed.

"Well… When I woke up, the first I saw was the wooden roof of the dojo. Then Major Kitagou Fumika, our commanding officer during that time, was the first person who greeted me after I woke up. After that, I saw Tetsu smiling worriedly and Junko crying. They were so worried about me. They all told me about what I did while I was drunk."

The Major scratched her head and grinned nervously. "…and apparently, I did something embarrassing while I was drunk."

Minna's smile began to wane a bit as she thought of the possibility that Takei Junko was the Major's first kiss. She was a bit jealous of their friendship.

"So… What was this embarrassing thing that you have done?"

"I was running around the town while laughing hysterically. They even told me about how I stood up at the top of building while laughing and yelling like a madman. A lot of people saw me while doing that. I didn't know that I did something so…so…humiliating!"

Minna laughed. Surprised at the redhead's reaction at first, Mio smiled then she laughed heartily along with the redhead. They were having so much fun, just the two of them.

"You laugh beautifully. I have never noticed that before."

Minna blushed at the Major's statement. She was certain that she had heard that before when the Major praised Perrine's cute laughing manner. The Major can be such a flatterer sometimes without her even noticing it but those words never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

"Really? T-Thank you…"

The Major smiled at her.

Minna wanted this moment to last as long as possible. It was one of those rare moments when they talk about things which weren't related to their job as commanding officers. They had the chance to do this last time when the 501st was stationed at Britannia. It was just the two of them reminiscing the past. If only Perrine hadn't interrupted, it would have been a perfect moment.

But it was just the two of them in a scene which was poorly lit even by the faint moonlight. No one was there to interrupt. Perfect. Just. Absolutely. Perfect.

"It's getting late. I think we should get back to the base." The Major suggested.

"You're right, Mio."

They stood up and walked back to the direction of the base.

Sakamoto walked ahead of Minna. As she looked at Mio's walking figure, Minna thought about what happened in the cave. She still couldn't fathom the fact that Mio kissed her even after the Major apologized. She still thought of the possibility that the Major might have some hidden feelings for her.

When they were already nearing the entrance of the base, the Major broke the silence.

"Now that we're at it, Hartmann said something about your true feelings for me. I wonder what she meant by that?"

Minna had a mini heart attack. She frantically had to say something about it. "Frau, she didn't have to say that!" She thought

"Whatever was it she told you, don't take it seriously. You know how much of a jokester she is…

Minna was flustered. Her face was red as was humanly possible. The Major at first was baffled but then shrugged Minna's reaction off and took everything she said.

"Okay, whatever you say…" The Major said.

As they entered the base, they began to head to their respective rooms since they were placed opposite of each other.

"Mio…" Minna called the Major's attention as she turned toward her.

"What is it, Minna?"

Minna approached the Major then stopped when she was already a few inches away from her.

"Minna? What are you-?"

Minna inched her face closer to Sakamoto's until they were millimeters apart. Half expecting a kiss, Sakamoto nervously closed her exposed eye, waiting for the eventual to happen. The Major moistened her lips in anticipation and after what seemed like eternity, Mio felt a warm wet spot in her cheek.

Surprised at the Wing Commander's actions, the Major touched the spot where the kiss landed. A bit disappointed, the Major didn't get what she expected but the peck on the cheek was enough to make her red as a beet.

Leaving the Major speechless, Minna skipped to the direction of her room. She stopped for a while then she faced the Major again.

"That's just half of the payment… I'll pay you back someday~" The Wing Commander said in a hushed, sultry tone. Then she gave the Major her signature wink.

Sakamoto's expression was unreadable. Although flustered, she raised an eyebrow out of puzzlement. She was wondering what the kiss was for, as oblivious as ever.

"Goodnight, Sa-ka-mo-to-shou-sa~"

Minna left Sakamoto who was still speechless.

-FIN-

Whew!~ It's finally done. Thank you for all those who have read and reviewed the last chapter. As for the details of the story, I added some things related to the canon:

-Chapter 5 of the Strike Witches Manga (The first time Sakamoto drank alcohol)- The chapter is still RAW so that means it doesn't have any translations yet. I only typed what I could remember. and...

-The Mio/Perrine/Minna moment from the Himebana CD1 Drama CD- The Mionna moment which Perrine interrupted.

And about Minna's alcohol tolerance, I assumed that it's high since she's German and Germans love drinking beer.

I hope you enjoyed reading this two-shot. Please leave some reviews. You can also leave some constructive criticisms.