New friends, new horizons

Chapter 12, Hospital jailbreak! Ball! Once more into the breach!

Sensha-dō arena hospital

12:40am

Miho walked into the Hospital at the Sensha-dō arena, the rest of Anglerfish in tow. She walked up to the reception and said to the receptionist.

"Were here to see Nicholas White." The reception looked at the teenager and asked,

"And you are?"

"His girlfriend." She deadpanned. The reception typed a few commands into her computer.

"He's in room 12, ruby ward. Follow the signs." The receptionist said, motioning down the hallway. The 5 teenage girls all made their way down the hallways to Ruby ward and found the right room. Inside the room was a typical hospital room with table, bed and a chair. Nicholas lay still on the bed, no longer in his flight gear but hospital gown, a bandage wrapped around his head. Sitting next to him was Orange, holding onto his hand. She looked up and saw Nicholas' gathered friends.

"How is he?" asked Miho.

"All things considered, he's bloody lucky." Said Orange, "He took a piece of shrapnel to the head, an inch lower and it would have killed him. He'll have a scar from that but that's the worst of it. He also broke 2 ribs and cracked 3 others in the crash as well as assorted bruises and cuts."

"When will he wake up?" asked Saori. Orange looked down sadly and said,

"They don't know. He wacked his head pretty bad in the crash."

"Where's Darjeeling?" asked Hana,

"Sis went to call mum and dad, they should be on their way here. I'll go find her." Said Orange. She got up and left the room. Miho took Hannah's seat next to Nicholas. Saori, seeing that Miho wanted to be alone with her boyfriend turned to the rest of the team and said,

"Let's go get some coffee." She ushered the rest of the group out of the room. Miho mouthed thank you to Saori who winked before disappearing around the corner. Leaving Miho alone with her boyfriend. She sighed deeply and looked him over. He looked peaceful, she then noticed that he was missing something, his dog tags. She looked around and found them in a small tray of personal effects. She picked up the dog tags, lifted Nicholas' head and put the dog tags round his neck. She then carefully replaced his head and sighed. Wanting him to say something.

"Thank you." Miho looked at Nicholas for a second. His eyes were open and he was looking at her, his deep blue eyes smiling at her.

"Thank you." He repeated. She then lunged at him, embracing him in a hug.

"I'm so happy you're alright!" said Miho happily.

"Miho, my chest..." said Nicholas in pain. Miho immediately released her grip and looked ashamed. Nicholas then smiled and embraced her into a passionate kiss. They were so focused on each other that they didn't notice the doctor standing in the doorway and giggle to herself as she left. Leaving the couple to themselves.


Darjeeling hung up her phone and put it back into her pocket. She sighed, she had just been told that Ōarai had taken the championship flag and were on their way here. Assam was taking care of getting the panzers back to St. Gloriana and Headmistress Lady grey had granted her and Hannah an indefinite leave of absence.

"Hey Darjeeling!" said A voice. Darjeeling spun around to see Nishizumi's crew. "How's Nicholas?" asked Saori,

"He's going to be fine." Said Darjeeling. It was nice to see that Nicholas had made some friends at Ōarai.

"Elizabeth." Said Hannah . Darjeeling turned towards her sisters voice to see with her was her mother, father and grandfather.

"Mother, father, grandpa." Said Darjeeling.

"How is he?" asked her mother. Her voice and face were on the verge of tears. Darjeeling was about to answer when a voice said.

"I can answer that." Everyone turned toward a tall slim doctor with dark ginger curly hair in a lab coat. "I'm Doctor Wilde." She said, "I've been taking care of Nicholas."

"How is he?" asked Darjeeling's father.

"He's going to be fine. 2 broken ribs, 3 fractured and a scar above his right eye, he's going to be fine. I want him to stay for a few days just to be sure that his ribs have set."

"But he's going to be alright?" asked His mother. Doctor Wilde cracked an evil smile and said,

"Well I just checked on him and he's well enough to be making out with his girlfriend." Hannah and Elizabeth looked at each other then took off down the halls with the Ōarai girls in close pursuit.


Elizabeth and Hannah burst into Nicholas' room, the Ōarai girls close behind. Inside Miho and Nicholas were kissing on the bed. Not having noticed their presence, they continued. Saori cleared her throat, and Nicholas looked up and Miho looked and blushed heavily. Nicholas just said,

"Guys, knock next time?" Orange and Darjeeling immediately rushed straight into Nicholas in a rugby tackle hug. Nicholas howled in pain as his 2 sisters jumped on him.

"Nice to see you guys too" he said in a strained voice, "Now please Get. Off. Of. Me." Darjeeling and Orange released their brother and backed off. Then Nicholas mother, father and grandfather walked in accompanied by Dr. Wilde. Nicholas sighed deeply and muttered,

"And here come the smoother hens." Nicholas mother immediately rushed forward and embraced Nicholas in yet another pain inflicting hug. Nicholas yowled in pain yet again as his mother released him.

"I'm so glad to see your safe." Said his mother, at the verge of tears. "We were so worried."

"This is exactly why I don't like you flying that wretched aircraft!" snapped His father. Nicholas snapped a scowl at his father before he continued. "However, it was destroyed in the crash, and you won't be getting a replacement!" Nicholas then snapped back,

"Dad, it was an accident! It happens all the time in sport! And don't you dare use that event as an excuse again, that was down to your own designers engineering failings!"

"And your own damn stubbornness and refusal to bail out!" shouted His father back. Nicholas was about to respond when his mother stepped in.

"Ok that's enough you two!" She turned toward her husband, "Your being unfair in saying Nicolas can't keep flying because of one accident!" then she turned to Nicholas, "And you shouldn't have bought that incident back up! Now both of you calm down and apologize!"

"For what?!" exclaimed Nicholas' father. "Trying to save my son's life?" He then stormed out of the room, followed by Nicholas' mother. Mako then said,

"What was that all about?"

"Old family disagreement." Said Nicholas. He sighed heavily. He then turned to Dr. Wilde who was standing in the corner and said,

"So doc, when can I get out of here?" Dr. Wilde then said,

"I want to keep you here for a few days. Then We'll see how you go." Nicholas gasped and then started to get out of bed,

"Come on Doc, I'm fine." Just as he stood up he winced in pain, his balance wavering a bit. Miho rushed forward to help support her Boyfriend and guide him back into the bed.

"Nicholas you survived a plane crash and you're ribs haven't fully set yet, It'll be at least a day before we can have you on your feat." Said Dr. Wilde. Nicholas muttered,

"We'll just see about that."Dr. Wilde sighed and left. As soon as she was gone. The Ōarai girls closed the door and took positions around the room.

"So, who won?" asked Nicholas, sitting up in bed.

"We did." Said Saori, with a smile.

"Thanks to you." Said Hana. Miho nodded in agreement.

"No, I just provided air cover and a little motivation." Said Nicholas, "You were the guys slogging it down in the mud."

"But you gave us the motivation to finish the attack, and you took down some of their heaviest panzers." Said Miho.

"Which all meant nothing if you couldn't take out the flag tank." Argued Nicholas. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Said Nicholas. The door opened and in walked Maho, Erika, Jorge, Kay and Alisa. Kay was holding a bunch of flowers and Jorge had Nicholas bag from the hotel.

"How you doing mate?" asked Jorge.

"Great, thanks to you." Said Nicholas,

"You're lucky we were able to get you out in time," said Maho, "Your spit was in pretty bad shape."

"I've heard." He then looked up and said, "Thanks for pulling my ass out of there."

"You're welcome." Said Erika, "I thought you were a goner."

"You should know I'm tougher than that Erika." Said Nicholas, "I survived teaching you."

"I guess you won't be able to come to the ball then?" said Kay. Miho looked down in sadness. As the commander of the champion team she was obligated to be there but wouldn't enjoy it if Nicholas weren't there.

"Of course I will." Said Nicholas. Everybody looked at him in surprise.

"But Nicholas, the doctor said..." said Miho,

"That my bones will need time to set, I know." Said Nicholas, "They also said that Elizabeth wouldn't be able to lead with her stammer."

"What stammer?" asked Hana,

"Exactly." Said Nicholas. "My family has a track record of proving doctors wrong. I'll be there, count on it." Miho smiled, it was just like Nicholas to defy the odds. Then Dr. Wilde came in and said,

"Ok, visiting hours are over. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave." Everyone reluctantly bade the goodbyes to Nicholas and then filed out of the room. Miho was the last out of the room, she paused then rushed back to Nicholas and kissed him.

"See you at the ball." Whispered Nicholas into Miho's ear. She then smiled and left the room. Nicholas was left in the room with Dr. Wilde,

"Ok Doc," said Nicholas, "Let the torture begin." Dr. Wilde laughed,

"Its treatment, not torture." Said Dr. Wilde, Then laughed hysterically when Nicholas muttered,

"Same thing."


Nicholas replaced the pin and racked the slide of his Colt .45. The slide made a satisfying clack as it chambered a round. Nicholas replaced the safety and placed the weapon down. That was the 12th time he had stripped, cleaned and reassembled his colt in the last hour. The night before he had been made to stay in hospital and rest while his bones set. While they were still fragile, they were good enough that he could walk around without being in searing pain, and for him that was good enough. He looked at the clock, he had 4 hours till the start of the ball and he intended to be there, regardless of Dr. Wilde's expectations. He looked out the window, the view was beautiful. It stretched out across the bay to the harbour, anchored in which were the carrier ships of the schools. He looked over each of the ships, knowing each by the class of ship they were modeled after.

St. Gloriana: Ark royal class

Kuromoromine: Graf Zeppelin class

Leoville- Barton:Béarn class

Pravda: Kiev class,

Ōarai: Akagi class

Saunders: Nimitz class...

Wait, Saunders. Nicholas immediately formulated an escape plan, he grabbed his phone from his bedside and dialled the number. The phone rang for a moment but then was answered,

"Jorge here."

"Jorge, I need a favour." Said Nicholas,

"I think I paid you back by pulling your unconscious ass out of a burning aircraft but l'm listening." said Jorge.

"I need you to come to the hospital and drive me back to Ōarai." Said Nicholas. Jorge sighed,

"Alright" said Jorge, "Be there in 20." Nicholas was surprised, He didn't expect it to be that easy.

"What? Just like that?" asked Nicholas in a questioning voice. Jorge laughed and said,

"I may have had a bet going with Alisa that you would turn up to the ball." Nichols laughed,

"What was the bet?" asked Nicholas curiously.

"Who's on top next time." Said Jorge. Nicholas just sat there in stunned silence as the line went dead. He shook the thoughts from his head and started changing from his hospital gown to his normal clothes. About 20 minutes later there was a knock at the door and Jorge walked in.

"My lady, your carriage awaits." Said Jorge with a smile. Nicholas then put his middle finger up at him and grabbed his bag. Jorge then took the bag from him, Nicholas was going to complain but Jorge interrupted him,

"Your still injured, I'm carrying it." Nicholas, not wanting to get caught by the nurses just agreed and kept walking. They made it to Nicholas' car and pulled into the stream of traffic without incident. Jorge turned to Nicholas form the driver's seat and said,

"Hey aren't they going to come after you when they realize you're gone?"

"Nope," said Nicholas, "I hacked the hospital's computer system and made it so that I had been permitted for release, and sent Dr. Wilde a box of chocolates and a letter of apology." Jorge looked at Nicholas surprised. Nicholas just shrugged,

"A laptop is a wonderful thing."


Sensha-dō arena ball hall.

19:55

Miho, Saori, Hana, Yukarai and Mako walked into the large dance hall that was part of the Sensha-dō arena complex. It was used for the ball that was open to all participants in the tournament, along with team coaches and teachers. The 5 Ōarai girls were each wearing the dresses that they had had tailored thanks to Nicholas generosity. Mako was wearing A stunning short dress in dark blue blush featuring a pleated empire waist with a bow in the back and floral accents on its single strap. Yukari's was, rather predictably modeled after a US navy blue dinner dress uniform, complete with patches and the Ōarai logo as the unit insignia's. Hana was wearing a traditional komono where as Saori was wearing a beautiful red, long one shoulder prom dress with a small train with a key hole cut out and open back. They all looked stunning but Miho was the one who stole the show. She was wearing an amazing silver, one shoulder gown complete with sparkling beaded accents on the single strap and waist and a unique back that stretched all the way down to the floor. As the 5 friends walked in, the floor practically stopped in admiration for the returning champions. From the crowd, Maho, Erika and Tae moved toward the them. Each dressed in the identical dress uniform for Kuromormine.

"Good to see you sis." Said Maho,

"Likewise." Said Miho.

"Is Nicholas coming?" asked Erika,

"Try and stop him." Said Saori,

"He said that he'll be here." Said Miho, "So he'll be here." Maho nodded in recognition. She had only met Nicholas once, but from what she had seen, it was clear that they loved each other deeply. However, she could see that her sister was missing him. Soon everyone was mingling and enjoying the ball, accept for Miho, it had been over an hour since they had arrived and there was still no sign of Nicholas, or Jorge for that matter. On the large stage that stretched from one end to another, a man walked onto the stage and tapped the microphone, the feed back rolling across the room, drawing everyone's attention to the front. The Man began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to the concluding ball of the 62nd annual National Sensha-dō championships. This year's games have been eventful to say the least. And the Sensha-dō federation has had a very hard decision to make in light of yesterdays accident. I am however pleased to report that the Federation has made the decision to continue the use of aircraft within Sensha-dō. It also gives me great pleasure to congratulate the returning champion's Ōarai high school. I now invite the commander of the Ōarai team and their pilot to the dance floor to have the first dance." Miho froze in place. The crowd around her parting a way to the dance floor. Miho slowly walked forward. She slowly walked forward, reaching the centre of the dance floor. She cleared her throat.

"I'm afraid that Nicholas is still recovering in hospital and is not here." She said in a saddened, disappointed voice.

"I wouldn't say that." Said a voice. Miho looked up, happiness lighting up her face. She recognised her boyfriend's voice anywhere. Everybody turned to the new comer, standing in the doorway of the ball room was Nicholas, Jorge standing behind him like a body guard. The crowd parted like the red sea for Nicholas, creating a clear path between the two lovers. Nicholas walked toward Miho, he embraced his girlfriend. In a warm hug.

"Sorry I'm late dear." Said Nicholas,

"Well your here now." Said Miho. Some slow music started to play over the speakers. Nicholas smiled and asked,

"May I have this dance?" Miho smiled.

"You may." The 2 slowly began to dance together. Swaying with the music. Soon more couples joined the pair. Jorge and Alisa, Nara and Yuzu, rather weirdly Principle Hiroyosho and headmistress Lady Grey. Soon, almost everyone was dancing, but Nicholas had one thing on his mind, and was waiting.


The dance had been going for about 2 hours and everyone was having a good time. But Nicolas was waiting in the corner for 2 texts to arrive. The first was coming from his Lawyer uncle in Tokyo, the second, from his parents. He had been accumulating brownie points for a long time now and he had cashed them all in and then some with this request, he just hoped that he would get the answer he wanted. In his suit pocket, his phone vibrated. He immediately checked it and it was sure enough from his uncle. It read,

"You were right Nicholas; Miho Nishizumi was legally divorced by her mother Shiho Nishizumi from her family just over a year ago and has since being living off inheritance from a maternal grandfather who left her a sizeable inheritance.

She is her own legal guardian and is allowed to make her own legal decisions.

Your mother rang me by the way; she told me what you're planning. I've checked and legally as long as you get permission from your parents then you're good.

Good luck

John."

Nicholas smiled, that was the crucial bit, even if his parents said no then he would still go along with it and defy his parents, waiting until he didn't need their permission, but that said, he still wanted their approval. Then a second text arrived, it was from his mother, and it contained the 4 words that Nicholas was waiting to hear. An age old family code for approval,

"Green light to engage."

Nicholas then put his phone away and took a deep breath; he knew what he was doing; now he just needed to do it. He started walking, moving off in search of Miho. No turning back now, he was committed. He found Miho talking with Nonna and Katyusha .

"Hey Miho, could I talk to for a moment, outside." Miho nodded and excused herself from her conversation. She followed Nicholas out the front doors. Without either of them noticing, Saori, Hana, Mako and Yukari started to shadow them.


Nicholas lead Miho down the steps out in front of the hall, they were alone with just each other. Nicholas lent in and passionately kissed Miho, the 2 lovers kissed and then Nicholas broke the kiss.

"I love you, and I want to ask you something." He then sunk down onto one leg and produced a small velvet box from his pocket. Miho gasped, not sure if she was dreaming or If her boyfriend was actually doing what she thought he was doing.

"Miho Nishizumi, you are the best thing that has happened to my life since I held my little sister for the first time. I cannot imagine life without you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Miho Nishizumi, will you marry me?" He opened the box and inside was a simple gold band with a single medium sized diamond protruding from the metal ring. Miho just gasped and then simply whispered,

"Yes." She then grew more excited and yelled jumping into Nicholas in a happy hug. "YES! YES I'LL MARRY YOU!" Nicholas swung her round and then put her on the ground, placing the ring on her finger. A thought then crossed Miho's mind and she then said sadly,

"But, I'm underage. You need my mothers and your family's permission and my mother will never give it." Nicholas smiled and said,

"I rang my lawyer uncle in Tokyo. If you remember your mother legally divorced you from her family and thus, you are free to make any and all legal decisions, including who you marry. And I asked permission from my parents, they said yes." Miho immediately brightened up embracing Nicholas in an even tighter hug. Nicholas flinched in pain but did his best to hide it, he was happier than he had ever been. They were both surprised when there was a round of applaud and they turned to find Mako, Yukari, Hana and Saori applauding. They then rushed forward toward the pair all with messages of congratulation. While they were preoccupied, a black van that was parked across the street suddenly started its engine and rushed over. 3 men, both clad in black ski masks, one holding a baseball bat, leapt from the vans side door.

"Get in the van!" one yelled. Nicholas instinctively pushed the girls behind him and went for his colt, pulling it from its holster and flicking the safety off. The one with a baseball bat saw this and swung it at Nicholas, hitting him in the stomach and dropping him to the floor. His partner grabbed Miho and Saori, throwing them into the van while his final colleague struggled with Hana and Yukarai, Yukari managed to struggle herself free and ran into the ballroom. The 3 ski mask clad abductors retreated into the van, one only pausing to grab Nicholas' colt from it's resting place on the floor. The van sped away from the scene, leaving a barley conscious Nicholas lying in a puddle. Yukari then emerged from the ballroom, the Senior Sensha-dō commanders and assorted headmistress with her. Darjeeling and Orange rushed to their stricken brothers side, picking him up, Darjeeling saw there was only one thing in his eyes,

Revenge.