A/N: Ok so I've been mean for long enough finally this chapter you guys get the resolution you've been waiting for.

So here it is about 5,856 words of (mostly) UmiMaki goodness with some new character introductions near the end.

Enjoy.

Warning parts of this get oddly sexual

Muse Section Chapter 8

6th June 1944 near Manneils Normandy

The sunlight streamed through the open windows, falling on Maki's sleeping face, gently stirring her from her slumber. Blearily the redhead blinked open her eyes. She groaned, her gaze falling on the door that had been kicked in on its hinges still open, swinging in the breeze. It brought back memories of the night before.

6 Hours earlier.

The pistol cracked in the night air, the sound echoing. Maki watched the bullet hit Umi in the stomach becoming aware of a screaming noise, but she wasn't sure where it was coming from, there was nobody else around.

Her Sten barked finishing off the officer lying on the ground, his luger hitting the ground with a dull thud. Umi stared at Maki blankly; blood blossoming through the dark fabric of her smock.

"M-Maki?" the blue haired girl touched the wound on her front, looking at her bloodied hand her face a quizzical picture. A look of realisation flashed across her eyes as her knees gave out, she slumped to the ground.

Her lover scrambled across the bloodstained grass, desperately trying to reach the prone form of Umi, Maki knelt down beside her. Purple eyes gazed at the corporal, fear etched nearly permanently into them.

As the horror in the redhead's eyes intensified the initial hit of adrenaline wore off and Umi started breathing rapidly as the full spectrum of pain hit her. Cries of agony rocked her body, tearing the medic's emotions apart watching the person she cared about most in the world writhing on the ground.

"Maki! Maki!" The words came out of her mouth tortured, broken.

The sudden cries of her name snapped Maki back into her senses. Her hands fumbled in the medical kit slung across her body, searching for the tools she needed to help. The medic ripped open Umi's clothes exposing the wound while she tore open a packet of coagulant with her teeth.

Applying pressure to stem the flow of blood; Maki briefly studied the gaping hole torn in Umi glistening with blood, pulsing with almost a life-like quality with each guttering breath. She tipped the white powder into the wound stemming the bleeding.

"It's going to be fine, Ok Umi? Hang in there" Umi gritted her teeth and nodded, sweat pouring down her face.

Maki caressed her cheek softly with one hand, grabbing a series of bandages with the other. Ripping open the containers she wrapped them around Umi's waist as fast as she could, her hands slick with the blood of her patient staining the soft white cotton gauze a gory red.

"Nearly there, keep pressure on it, can you do that for me Umi?" the redhead requested, pressing both of her lover's hands on the wound receiving a swift nod in reply.

"We've got to go, that was only a temporary fix, and you'll need stiches…" The medic looked around anxiously, grabbing Umi's gun that lay discarded on the ground. "…I saw a farmhouse a couple hundred metres back. We'll hole up there while I patch you up properly. Ok?" she noted the blood already seeping through Umi's bandage her eyes widening with anxiety.

Maki put Umi's arm around her shoulder, they both limped their way across the field. Supporting the injured corporal Maki made painfully slow progress

The farmhouse was locked, but it looked like it had been abandoned for some time. Umi leaned against a wall for support, her breathing still heavy due to the shock of the pain. Maki checked the possible entrances to see if she could work her way in with the injured Corporal before giving up and kicking down the door.

She laid Umi on the large table in the kitchen after sweeping its contents to the floor. Lighting the few candles and a lantern she could find to produce a source of light Maki got her patient to lie down on the hard, cold wood of the table. She wildly slung her first aid kit onto the table and propped it open on the table near Umi's head, alongside a bowl of warm water and a towel.

Maki saw her patient's torso causing a hitch in her breath. The maroon stain on the bandages had grown from the few streaks left by her fingers, indicating that she had failed to stop the blood loss, the redhead's finger tips lightly grazed the skin of the blue haired woman hovering over the wound as though under a spell, being in such close contact to Umi. Maki shook her head, fighting the blush rising to her cheeks, grabbing a pair of scissors from her bag.

The cries of pain made it clear that she urgently needed some form of pain relief. Fumbling in her bag for the vital painkiller Maki's blood ran cold, her hands found only broken glass and soggy fabric where there should've been doses of morphine.

"Shit!" The medic slammed her hand on the table, the sudden noise and exclamation causing her patient to look weakly in her direction.

Maki cast her mind back a couple hours when she had cut loose her kit-bag in the forest, she hadn't bothered to check whether the fall had damaged her medical supplies now she had no immediate painkiller to comfort Umi.

Fuck how could I be so stupid?! The frantic girl allowed herself only a brief moment of self-hatred before she quickly looked around the kitchen for an alternative.

Hands shaking with the adrenaline coursing through her, Maki dashed around the kitchen tearing open cupboards searching for the only possible alternative chaotically; just emptying their contents onto the ground.

"Where is it? Come on! There has to be some!" the medic muttered desperately under her breath, the moans of the girl on the table providing a constant reminder to her that she wasn't searching fast enough. Finally she threw open one cupboard to find her goal. A bottle of brandy stood half full right at the back behind a set of glass tumblers glinting in the candle light.

"Gotcha!" Maki wrenched the bottle and one of the glasses out of dark cabinet. She opened the bottle pouring the majority of the ochre coloured liquid into the glass.

Holding the pungent liquor to her patient's lips she gently urged the face contorted in pain to drink. Cupping the back of Umi's head Maki raised the glass to her lips; she watched Umi gulped down the brownish liquid, ebbing and flowing in the glass, the injured girl stopping occasionally to shudder at the taste of alcohol that was entering her system.

Maki waited a few minutes for the brandy to take effect keeping pressure on Umi's wound. Thankfully Umi was a lightweight, and she hadn't eaten in hours so Maki didn't have to wait long before her cries of pain subsided and the corporal was slurring her words and muttering barely coherent sentences.

"Y-Y-You're so pretty, you know that?" Umi's glazed eyes rolled around the room; the rest of her sentence incoherent. Her hand limply caressed the redhead's face, a small hiccup escaping her mouth.

It was at this point, while blushing furiously, that Maki decided that Umi was drunk enough.

The medic checked Umi's eyes once more to see if the Alcohol was having the desired effect. Satisfied she cut away the bandage peeling it off of the wound revealing a mess of dried and congealed blood, with fresh liquid trickling out of the wound all the time.

Maki looked at the injury, a dark realisation dawning on. There is no exit wound. Which means the bullet is still inside her. If it stays in there, then is a higher chance of infection.

"Umi…I'm going to try and remove the bullet, and then I'll have to stich you up. It will hurt, even with the alcohol and it will get worse as it wears off."

The sudden seriousness in the Maki's face appeared to bring a moment of sobriety to the drunken mess of a patient. "I trust you Maki…make it quick, please."

The medic nodded before passing Umi a wooden spoon to bite on. Clutching the forceps she took from her kit in her teeth, she had one last look into the wound. From the looks of things Umi had been lucky. There was no visible damage to any vital organs, and the lack of severe blood loss implied that no major arteries or veins had been punctured, yet she couldn't see the bullet.

Cursing she explored the wound with her fingers; eliciting a cry from Umi, her body jerking upwards at the sudden entrance into her. Maki slowly probed inside Umi using her body weight to keep her pinned down, checking for any damage she might've missed.

Where are you? Maki thought frantically, another hiss of pain escaping her patient's lips. The medic searched her face wearing a mask of pure concentration. Where are you?

She felt a metallic bump lodged in the slippery warmth of Umi's body, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Using her fingers to keep open the opening Maki took her forceps and plunged them into the bluenette clamping them around the lump of metal inside of her.

Umi clenched her hands into fists, sweat drenching her body; the medic slowly, gently removed the bullet, trying to avoid rupturing any blood vessels along the way. The next few seconds were tense Maki easing the forceps free of the injury. The small piece of bloodstained lead shined dully in the candlelight, before Maki deposited it with a small 'clink' on the side of the table.

The room was silent fleetingly, except for the deep breaths of Umi who lay there panting from the exertion, her hair plastered to her face by sweat.

Maki sewed up the hole quickly to avoid further blood-loss threading the needle in and out of Umi's flesh. Maki closed up her gunshot wound bit by bit after what she had just endured Umi barely even registered the prick of the needle into her skin, the needle sometimes slipped in Maki's hands due to the gore coating them.

After washing and redressing the wound the redhead collapsed back exhausted, her hands and covered in blood, admiring her work. Her patient had by now fallen asleep probably from the combined effects of the alcohol and blood loss.

"Hey Umi" Maki whispered to her slumbering face "I'll take a look around this place, you just try to rest" she wiped away some of the sweat plastering her friend's cheeks caressing the bluenette's forehead at the same time. The redhead smiled slightly her gaze softening from the petrified worry it had held, she tucked a stray hair behind her lover's ear, the smile sticking on her face with her even as she went to wash her hands and wandered out of the kitchen.

Maki discovered that there wasn't much else to the farm house except a living room and a single bedroom upstairs. The majority of it covered in dust, the kitchen appeared to be the only well used room in the house, with clean surfaces and what used to be well stocked cupboards. At least until I emptied most of it onto the floor, Maki thought guiltily.

Maki surveyed the dark living room moonlight streaming in through the open windows and what was left of the door, sighing. The majority of the furniture was covered in white sheets acting as dust covers, and for the most part it appeared to be nothing more than a few chairs and a bookcase or two. However also in the living room was a shape that didn't fit with the others, if Maki was right it would be the previous occupants' most prized possession. A shape that looked similar to a grand piano sat there concealed under a sheet.

Maki pulled off the dust cover with a flourish revealing a shiny sleek form underneath the gentle rustle of fabric breaking the silence. The redhead held her breath.

I was right.

She hadn't been able to play the piano in over three years, and this might be her last opportunity for the remainder of the war. She didn't question how it had got there; all she knew was that she had to play it.

Despite it being scratched and scuffed all over the redhead could feel that the piano had been loved by its previous inhabitants. Maki slowly opened the lid, an act that would enable the sound to travel faster longer freeing it from its wooden prison.

She could barely keep a grin off of her face, her hands lifting the keyboard cover savouring every creek and sound that she made. Her fingers brushed against the smooth ivory of the keys bringing back memories of those years before the war.

She hummed slightly, pressing on one of the keys savouring the sound as it resonated through the room: reverberating through her soul, reminding her of her love of music. Few would understand her love of playing not just, but of bringing to life the composers emotions.

The redhead felt like she was 17 again she inhaled deeply the dust tickling her nose slightly. She placed both hands on the keyboard, lavender eyes danced with delight.

She paused slightly checking over her shoulder nervously like a naughty child worried that she might get caught. Maki threw herself into the music. Her hands operating by muscle memory losing herself in the melodies of the strings, she ran through countless pieces by every composer she could remember: Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, when she ran out she started playing on her own, her voice joining in in an angelic harmony the echoed through the dark night.

For once Maki was no longer a medic, she was no longer a Paratrooper, a soldier who had seen and experienced the horrors of war. She was simply a girl, a woman with a passion for music, whose life knew no hardship or pain. She played pouring her feelings into the instrument, all the pain she had witnessed, all the hardship, all the awful things that humanity was capable of, all of the scars upon her heart erupted in an outburst of melodic chords all the frustration she felt at her feelings for the girl in the next room. Such was the privilege of musicians to lose themselves in this magical world.

Yet her hands grew tired, and her voice hoarse, Maki slowed down gradually. The music finally stopping after a final few chords, the redhead sighed cautching her breath, wallowing in the aftermath of her musical outburst, the outpouring of her pent-up emotions and frustration.

The floorboards behind her gave a small 'creak', causing Maki to jump at the noise indicating a person behind her.

"Beautiful…absolutely beautiful" Maki span around glaring at her secret observer's voice.

"Oh…it's you Umi." The blue haired girl was standing behind Maki, dishevelled, her shirt still half open showing the fresh bandages on her stomach and more. Eyes clouded with a mix of some unknown emotion and the effects of the alcohol still coursing through her system. Head tilted slightly to one side.

"I didn't know you played so exquisitely…I heard that you played but I had no idea you were this talented." Her voiced slightly slurred, Umi crossed the room closing the distance between her and Maki, like it was the most natural thing in the world wrapping her arms around the medic's neck.

"Oh…i-it's nothing really" Maki blushed at the closeness of a half-naked Umi, twirling her hair around her finger, she gulped realising that Umi was still very drunk. "I-I mean there are loads of people who play better than me" she murmured averting the piercing gaze of the intoxicated Umi.

"Perhaps…" Umi caressed Maki's face tilting it upwards with a finger under her chin so it faced her own. "…but you're the best one I'll ever know."

Maki's heart raced as she stared into the eyes that she had fallen for.

She has to be drunk. She'd never be this cool otherwise.

Maki's mind was agitated. Her breath mingling with that of her lover due to her closeness of Umi's lips, almost brushing against her own, adding to her apprehension. The sheen on the midnight blue hair from the moonlight, her lips still pale from her blood loss, gifting Umi resemblance to a creature of the night oozing charm, and seduction; the atmosphere was electric, all combining with her new found courage and almost predatory gaze to give Umi an aura of effortless class.

The tension between the two increased until Maki felt Umi's lips crash against hers, the softness becoming intoxicating. Amethyst orbs widened in shock at the audacity of move, but she embraced the kiss all the same, accepting the full flavour of her partner brushing her hand against Umi's cheek, moving up to bury her hand in Umi's hair

Like a lake given form.

Umi broke away, causing Maki to whimper needily. It ended with both exhaling unsteadily.

Maki moved away, beginning to register what she had just done, she turned crimson quickly, opening her mouth to protest.

But Umi captured her lips briefly for a few seconds rendering her unable to speak as Umi began trailing kisses along the redhead's cheek and jawline, each soft embrace from her lips making Maki burn and shiver simultaneously. Fear and confusion gripped Maki. What's going on? Umi isn't normally like this. What is she doing?

"U-Umi…wha-what are you doing?" Maki squeaked. The blue haired girl responded with a mischievous smile flashed at her.

"Something I should've done a long time ago." The normally shy girl turned seductress whispered, throatily, into the redhead's ear.

Umi smiled once more before placing more kisses on Maki's collarbone, while unzipping her smock and undoing the buttons on her shirt.

Maki moaned slightly, before catching herself, she felt the same fear that she always felt around Umi, that she would let go of the façade she put up, the conscious side of her mind thinking of ways to try and stop.

Yet as much as Maki wanted to try and stop Umi, another side of her, a primal animal side begged her to reciprocate, to expose herself to Umi body and soul.

"Umi…we should stop…I mean you're injured, you might tear the stitching."

"I don't care." The stark response was accompanied by a sharp kiss on her shoulder. Amber eyes pierced the night with a fiery resolve that was very un-Umi –like. "I want you Maki…I need you." She punctuated the last few husky words with an open-mouthed kiss placed on the redhead's neck; the hot breath and soft lips nipping at her skin teasing out another deeper moan from her lips. It was like Maki's entire body was extra sensitive to her touch.

The medic's inhibitions, the ones that had kept her from reciprocating fully were wavering under Umi's assault. The older girl's words articulating Maki's inner thoughts making her want to throw herself at her lover, but she still tried to keep a level head.

"N-No, you need rest. D-Doctor's Orders!" Maki tried to sound firm but it came out simply sounding weak, merely emphasising the fact that Umi was so very close to having complete control over the redhead's entire being.

Maki felt Umi smile against her skin, causing her to shiver with an animalistic pleasure. "Well then. We'll just have to make the doctor change her mind. Won't we?" The controlling force Umi exuded was unstoppable as she peeled away the last of the clothing separating her from her from the redhead in front of her.

The last of Maki's inhibitions melted away, she was paralysed by Umi; by her touch, by her gaze, by her warmth, by her very existence itself. All Maki could do was hold on tightly, clutching at her Midnight blue hair as Umi claimed her very existence.

0500hrs 6th June 1944

Maki blushed furiously as she remembered all of what happened last night. She looked down to see a woollen blanket semi-covering her naked form, memories of the night before running through her mind.

Did that really happen?

Maki pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking at the state of the farmhouse, the discarded articles of clothing and the aches in her muscles showing how 'hectic' things had gotten last night. It wasn't as though it was their first time together or anything, but last time they had both been on leave in London and they both had gotten very drunk in their hotel. Maki could barely remember anything about the night, only a few minor details had slipped through the cracks: the memory of Umi's voice huskily calling her name, her body heat, the feeling of her soft silky skin. Using those memories she had pieced together what had happened from circumstance. Even if they weren't able to remember it, it had made things awkward between the two of them as each girl fought to maintain their façade in front of the other.

But now even if Umi might not Maki remembered every detail, every feeling, every touch every sound sight and smell. It so embarrassing to think about she felt like she might die from shame. But at the same time she liked it, replaying the night's events in her head, a small smile on her face, had a certain forbidden pleasure to it.

The slumbering figure of Umi stirred beside her. Maki jumped, seeing the person whose name had been on her lips so much last night. If she could see Maki now her face would be the shade of her now crumpled beret for a long time she just knew it.

Slapping her face bringing herself back to reality, Maki quickly found her clothing and quickly put it on, although her beret was still missing. Umi was still slumbering on the floor by the piano when Maki got back, despite everything the redhead couldn't help but gaze at her partner's sleeping face. Regardless of what she's like when she's awake, she's pretty cute when she sleeps, huh?... Not that I should care about that sort of thing. Maki almost laughed at her pathetic attempt to deny her own feelings

"Umi, time to get up sleepy head." Maki gently shook Umi's shoulder trying to rouse the older girl from her sleep.

The amber orbs blearily opened the whites of her eyes criss-crossed with blood vessels, scanning the room tiredly as Umi processed her surroundings. As the after effects of the alcohol hit her, Umi's hand pressed against her forehead, a gasp of pain passing her lips, as her hand touched her stomach as well. The pallor of her skin paler than usual.

"Ugh, Maki? What happened last night?" Umi's voice was hoarse. Maki placed her hand on her shoulder rubbing it slightly like she did whenever Umi was hungover, which to be brutally honest wasn't often.

The blush that had faded from Maki's face returned with the reminder of last night. "N-Nothing, I mean what do you remember?" keeping her voice low so as to not aggravate the Corporal's hangover.

"I remember the attack, and then I was shot?" Umi looked to Maki for confirmation. The redhead nodded. "We came to the farmhouse" Umi looked away shyly gathering up the blanket pooled around her. "Then you got me drunk, as a painkiller. After that though it's a little hazy, I can remember panting and someone saying my name a lot though. Were we running away from someone?"

Maki spluttered at the question. "N-No!" the volume of her voice making Umi wince and clutch her forehead again.

The medic passed the corporal her shirt which she grabbed along with a few other items. "Here you should get changed." Maki said desperately trying to change the subject motioning for Umi to put her clothes on.

If Umi was unconvinced by her answer but she didn't say it but the penetrating stare and the narrowing of eyebrows she got implied that that was the case, instead the blue haired girl shooed her out of the room.

Turning her back on the naked girl sat on the living room floor, Maki wandered to the small hallway. Her emotions were a mess, relief, sadness, embarrassment all mingled fighting for supremacy in her brain. The redhead put her hands to her head and exhaled slowly before banging her head against the wall lightly arms limp by her sides next to the slung sub-machine gun she was wearing. She felt like screaming.

Maki was stirred out of her reverie by the distinct metallic click of a bolt-action being worked behind her.

"Haut les mains!" the female voice spat out the last word with venom.

Maki slowly raised her hands placing them behind her head interlocking her fingers so as not to provoke the new intruders. She heard different tones of whispering behind her. More than one person huh? They might be resistance…or if we're unlucky Milice

"Alors, vous pensez que vous pouvez forcer l'entrée à notre maison?" the question was accompanied by a rough shove to Maki's shoulder forcing her to the ground facing the wall.

"We didn't mean to break in-" Maki was cut off by a muffled scream emanating from the kitchen that was most certainly not Umi. Heavy footsteps joined by the creaking of floorboards reverberated throughout the house, stopping a few metres behind Maki. Another set echoed in the lounge, accompanied by groans from the still hungover bluenette.

The medic's gaze became fogged with anger that they might have hurt Umi her mind narrowed in on ensuring her lover's safety. Her mind raced trying to think of all the possible situations, but she kept thinking only that she should try to enable Umi to escape, ignoring the staccato fire of conversation that was hissing about behind her. These people could be dangerous, all she could do as much as it angered her was cooperate until Umi could escape, and after that she didn't care.

"Stop speaking so loud you bastards! And let us go!" Umi's words cut across their captors conversation

"Quoi..? Anglais..? Mais Tusbasa!... Compris." Maki heard the light rattle of a rifle being put down, it sounded like her guard had gotten orders from someone else.

"I'm sorry about all this, you can get up now" Maki felt herself pulled up by a gentle tug. She turned around to see three very different girls standing there. Umi struggled to her feet clutching her stomach and head as she did so. The one who had helped her up was a short-ish girl who wore a black beret over her brown hair, her large forehead emphasising her green eyes and porcelain skin. She was attractive, Maki thought; her image was completed by a white woollen sweatshirt and a simple black skirt, she could've been any farm worker in Europe. Yet the old Sten gun slung across shoulder and an armband with the Cross of Lorraine emblazoned on it marked her out as a member of the French resistance.

"I'm Kira Tsubasa, leader of A-RISE." the one who had helped her up also appeared to be the one in charge. Maki analysed the groups while moving defensively in front of a fully dressed Umi. "This here is Toudou Erena…" Tsubasa continued

Tsubasa gestured at a girl with purple hair falling around her shoulders like a veil. Verdant eyes which were sulking glumly as the group walked into the living room. Erena's petite nose wrinkled at the musky scent that hung in the air as she leaned against one of the chairs that dotted the room, chucking the rifle she was holding onto the dusty sheet. She was similarly dressed to Tsubasa in French peasant clothing with a simple blue shirt and canvas trousers that were speckled with mud.

"…and this is Yuuki Anju" Tsubasa waved her hand at the last of her companions as she finished her sentence

An orange haired girl who was leaning on a light machine gun waved nonchalantly, boredom visible in her mauve eyes. Unlike the other two she was dressed more like she belonged on the Champs Èlysées than the fields of Normandy with a fashionable blazer and bonnet that Maki usually only saw in fashion magazines coupled with boots and a bandolier, that somehow just worked, despite the bizarreness.

Maki cast her eye over Erena's weapon. That's a MAS 36…so they must be ex-military then. What's more, she must be the one who first 'introduced' herself to me.

A groan drew Maki's attention away from the three resistance fighters. She spun around to see Umi wobbling dangerously, her eyes slightly more bloodshot than before.

"M-Maki?"

"Umi? Are you Ok?" Maki steadied her partner from collapsing holding her hand and gently sitting her down.

"Yes, No. I really don't feel well; please don't break the morphine again…" Umi sank down against the wall curling up into a ball with her forehead resting on her knees

"Is she hungover?" Tsubasa asked politely, obviously wanting to clear the air after having pointed guns at them earlier.

"Yeah, I gave her brandy last night as a painkiller while I sewed up her wound…sorry about the state of your kitchen." Maki meekly apologised.

"Anju can you go and make a glass of La Bombard for our guest please." The Ginger slung up her Machine Gun and muttered something in French about 'rude guests' before she stalked her way into the kitchen

The girls sat in silence as sounds of preparation of whatever a La Bombard was made from echoed out of the ruined room. Some were just plain bizarre, like Maki could swear that she heard a sheep bleating. Soon however the girl called Anju came out of the kitchen with a glass full of a foul smelling grey liquid which she handed to Umi.

Umi cocked her head confused, as her vision came into focus she let out a small scream as she inhaled the smell, a look of disgust on her face. The Resistance fighters were fidgeting awkwardly as Tsubasa motioned for her to drink it. Umi put the glass to her lips, gulping down the liquid that shared the same colour as a three day old corpse, along with the same smell. Umi finished the concoction with a gasp as the colour returned to her face.

"Tastes like melons." she commented, obviously feeling better.

"So who are you." Tsubasa asked nonchalantly. Catching Umi off guard.

"N-N-Nice to meet you I'm Corporal Sonoda Umi of the British 6th airborne division." Umi stared at the floor holding out her hand, ashamed at the lapse in etiquette. Tusbasa took it and shook it warmly before kissing Umi on both cheeks before the corporal could react.

"Oh and I didn't introduce myself, sorry." Maki didn't hold out her hand for Tsubasa to shake, not wanting to make the same mistake as her girlfriend who was now nearly a babbling mess. "Private Nishikino Maki RAMC also of the 6th airborne."

"It's about time you English got here; we've been waiting since 1940. I'm Kira Tsubasa, but just Tsubasa is fine Corporal." She said addressing a slightly more coherent Umi than before "ex-sergeant in the French army and now leader of A-RISE"

"You mentioned that earlier…" Maki noted "…but what is A-RISE?"

"It's a resistance group." Anju leant her weapon against the wall "A-RISE stands for La 2e Arrondissement Resistance pour Raser les Soldats des Envahisseurs, but we decided that it wasn't snappy enough, so we shortened it to A-RISE."

"Arrondissement…?" Maki thought back to her days before the war when she would sometimes visit France "shouldn't that make you Parisian?"

"You'd think but after one incident we had to flee Paris, and we ended up here, we just never changed our name though." Erena answered

"Ugh and the clothing out here is a mess as well I mean this is all I've got left from my collection of Chanelle." Anju pouted, looking at her blazer.

"Well if you didn't always wear your designer gear then maybe it wouldn't get wrecked? I mean whosever heard of a partisan fighter wearing high heels?" Erena scoffed.

"I'm not wearing them now am I?"

"Only because me and Tsubasa said we kick you out if you did it again!"

Umi and Maki looked at each other giggling at the scene before them, as Tsubasa waded in trying to break up the argument.

"What are you two doing here anyway? And why was she hungover?" she asked pointing at Umi having finally restored order

"Yeah! And what happened to our kitchen? There's blood everywhere!" Anju added

"Well you see we got separated from our section." Maki began her explanation "then Umi got shot during a battle with some Germans we ran into." I patched her up in the field but I knew we had to find somewhere to treat her or else it could get really serious. I was scared." Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes. "We had to find somewhere to do it though and we couldn't find anywhere but here. My morphine was broken and she was in so much pain, so I got her drunk on brandy." Maki wiped the tears from her eyes; looking proudly at her companion for all that she had endured. "I managed to sew her up though and by the looks of things she'll be fine now. Hell she could probably take on the entire German army."

"We're sorry about your house." Umi summarised

"Well I guess it can't be helped then. I mean you were shot after all." Tsubasa placed a hand on Umi's shoulder. A glare silenced the protests of her subordinates. "So we should probably hep you two out then we'll give you some food and even a little alcohol for the pain if you want it."

"Thanks but that won't be necessary. Oh. One other thing." Umi bowed her head slightly pleading with the brunette in front of her "Can you help us find our way back to our friends?"

"Of course I'd be glad to help!" Umi smiled at Tsubasa's answer and the murmurs of agreement that came from her compatriots. "But do you even know where they are?"

Umi's grin fell, her face darkening, "No no we don't."

"Well that's not much of a problem." Maki spoke up "If I know Honoka…" The redhead put a reassuring arm around Umi's shoulders "…and the rest of that sorry lot they'll look for us. Probably while fulfilling their objective" she flashed a reassuring smile at her companion "So we should just head there they'll probably be standing over the wreckage of it by the time we get there."

"Maki…" Umi returned the smile before turning her head to look at Tsubasa once more. "So if we head for the bridge over the river Dives near the village of Manneils, our friends should be there."

"Looks like we'll be teaming up with you guys for a while." The members of A-RISE smiled and Tsubasa cocked her gun gesturing to the still broken door.

Maki picked up her crumpled beret from inside the piano case as she looked around the room once more the resistance fighters eager to leave. "Well then" Maki started "Shall we go?"

A/N: So I apologise for my terrible french it should all be grammatically correct but knowing my French A-Level result it probably isn't. so yeah A-RISE are in town and next time we reach the climax the assault on the bridge over the Dives. It should be fun.

Glossary:

Milice: A fascist paramilitary organisation set up by the french Vichy regime to aid in the buissness of occupation, and clamp down on resistance activity.

Maquis,: Resistance members usually applied to those in mountainous areas. Also applicable FFI (French forces of the Interior)

Smock: coat like outer jacket, often semi-waterproof used by the Paras and modern military units.

For those weapons enthusiasts the full kit out of A-RISE is...
Tsubasa: Sten Mk II, assorted grenades, mostly two fragmentation.
Erena: MAS 36 Standard issue Bolt-action rifle of the French army in 1940.
Anju: FM-29: Light machine gun used in the French army pre-war and in certain Free French units.

On another note It would really help if you guys responded to the poll on my profile, you've got until the 08/07/16 (July).