Always Advancing
A Girls und Panzer fanfic
Part XLVIII: Then Victory Follows
by Civilis
"We won, stop looking so nervous!" Kay chided Yukari as the Sherman known as Eagle leisurely returned to the base area for the match.
"Did we?" Yukari responded in a timid voice. "I know we won the match, but that wasn't what I was worried about."
Kay grabbed her shoulders. "Everything has to work out," the blonde commander softly replied. "Stop worrying. You'll see… and even if it didn't, we'll have an excuse for another rematch," she attempted to reasurre Yukari.
"Congratulations, you two… what's up with Yukari?" came a call from alongside the tank.
Kay looked over to see the low green shape of the T-34/57 designated Shark had pulled alongside. Mako had opened the driver's hatch and was calmly holding position alongside the Sherman. The call had come from the top hatch, where Anzu was lounging, bag of dried sweet potatoes in her hands.
"She's still a bit worried about Miho and the whole 'saving Sensha-Do from Renta and the Education Ministry' thing," Kay replied, concern evident in her voice. "Honestly, I'm a bit worried as well."
"Don't worry about the Ministry idiot," Anzu remarked, with a knowing grin. "If they still give us grief, we have a guaranteed way to shut him up." She grinned before pulling another potato slice out of her bag and scarfing it down.
Before Kay could ask, the Sherman lurched, with the T-34 following suit a moment later.
"Watch where you're going!" called Mako from the front.
"Sorry!" yelled Saori from the top hatch of the CV-33 tankette designated Chicken as it swerved wildly across the front of the pair of tanks. "Pepperoni's a bit more cheerful than usual!"
Rather than join up with the pair of larger tanks, the little tankette swerved off towards a side street.
"Where are you two going?" Kay called before the tank could get out of sight. "The base area's this way!"
"We're off to the main Anzio kitchen area!" Saori's voice came back, this time on the radio. "Given the feast Anchovy's plans called for, we need all hands on deck!"
"Oooh… do we need to get back as well?" came Rosehip's excited voice over the radio. "Step on it, Yuzu!"
Kay looked over their shoulder. The two beige St. Gloriana recovery trucks towing the wrecked Churchill VII designated Bulldog and the immobilized A34 Comet designated Beagle noticably didn't speed up, though she could make out the rosette in the passenger seat of the lead truck excitedly bouncing up and down.
The reply was faint but audible over the radio. "Technically, my license is only for tanks, not trucks," Yuzu replied calmly, as she kept the truck at a steady pace.
"Rosehip, as much as possible, please calm down," Darjeeling radioed from the other truck. "Hana, do you still have your thermos? Try giving her some tea to get the coffee out of her system."
Hana took the radio and replied back. "I think it can wait a few minutes until we get her back to the base area and park. Besides, everyone there is as likely to be as exuberant as she is."
"True," Darjeeling radioed. "I just hope our people have maintained some level of proper decorum. Have you heard this saying? 'The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat…' "
Hana interupted her commander's pause. " '…but they are no less difficult. Is that one of Churchill's?"
There was a noticable silence on the radio. Kay could just make out Orange Pekoe's head of similarly colored hair shaking in laughter from the cab of the second St. Gloriana truck.
Anzu broke the silence. "Saori, Pepperoni, the cooking can wait a few minutes. Get yourselves back with us. I want us all to get to the HQ area at about the same time. Kay, have your driver slow up a little until the trucks catch up."
Kay did as directed, and unsurprisingly the T-34 alongside immediately matched speed perfectly. It took a minute for the trucks to approach, and when they did, the two tanks sped up slightly to match their pace. A few moments later, the CV-33 emerged from a side street and more or less matched speed alongside.
"When we get back to the base area, let's park in a line and have the crews all stand next to or on the tanks. I think we want to give the spectators a chance to photograph us," Anzu directed. "Does that make sense, Kay and Darjeeling?"
Darjeeling radioed back. "Almost. Since I was knocked out before the end, I'll have my truck break off and head to the maintenance area. It should be you four that get the credit, since you somehow pulled that last kill off without us. To the victors, the spoils. Kay?"
"Works for me. Yukari?"
Yukari nodded.
Kay grinned. "Saori, now that the match is over, you should be clear to use the all teams channel. Get on the radio to Kuromorimine, and have them bring the two Tigers to the base area as well when they are finished loading them up."
Yukari looked at her commander.
"This was an awesome match, in fact, I don't think anything I can say can do it justice. And it's not a match with out both teams. Their presence should be a reminder to everyone that whatever happens on the field, we're all on the same side off the field. Besides, we want an excuse to get you four back together again with Miho," Kay's grin grew wider.
The four tanks, one carried on a transporter, pulled into the base area for the Ōarai Sensha-Do match, where they parked in a line in front of the three railroad-mounted screens. A crowd of students waited for their crews, who emerged one by one.
From the Sherman, turret scarred by the glancing hits it had taken in the fight, Kay emerged from the turret and leaped down, followed shortly thereafter by Yukari and her gunner, while her driver dismounted from her hatch. As the Saunders students moved forward to embrace them, Kay waved them back.
From the T-34, gun out of alignment and with badly dented side armor, Anzu climbed out of the turret hatch, then helped Sodoko out. Sodoko, for her part, helped pull Mako from the front driver's hatch, and the pair stood in front of the tank, Mako supported by the Discipline Committee member.
From the battered and completely mud spattered CV-33, Saori and Pepperoni emerged to stand in front of the Tankette. Pepperoni removed her own helmet, and then Saori's, and threw them both into the Tankette's open hatch.
From the cab of the truck transporting the immobilized Comet, Yuzu climbed down, then helped Hana and their loader bring out Rosehip. Yuzu straightened up her commander's clothes while the other two kept her from wandering off.
Almost as if coordinated, the crowd of students surrounding them reorganized itself. Noriko and her volleyball crew that had once been Duck team escorted Chi-Ha-Tan's Nishi Kinuyo and her bewildered crew through the throng towards the front. Following them, the six freshmen that had once been Rabbit team emerged, most clutching cameras and filming the crowd. With them, Naomi prodded a reluctant Arisa as their crews followed along.
Nearby Anchovy guided a still-dazed Momo down from the stands. They met up with Carpaccio and her crew, Casesar and Erwin, all clad in cooking aprons, along with Saemonza and Ooryu, both carrying the trays they had been using to wait tables.
On the other side, the crowd parted in front Nonna and Klara as they escorted Alexandra, Gomoyo, Pazomi, and the rest of the Pravda crews through the crowd. "I can't see anything," came Katyusha's voice from the middle of the pack. Nonna turned and gestured to Nina, who boosted the little girl up onto the tall girl's shoulders as the blonde Russian looked on in envy.
Rukuriri and her crew stepped out of the crowd as she threw off the towel she had been using to dry her hair, which was now back in its usual brown color. A few moments later, Darjeeling followed carrying a proper teapot and a cup of tea. Next to her, Pekoe, Assam and her driver escorted the four mechanics that had once been Leopon team as they threw their red St. Gloriana uniform coats on over their mechanics overalls, or in Hoshino's case, tied it around her waist.
Nonna stepped from the crowd towards the four surviving crews. "I think that's everyone that's going to show up."
"Not quite yet," Anzu quietly replied.
Over the din of conversations, there was the sound of another motor. A Kuromorimine recovery halftrack approached the stands, pulling Tiger 217. In the back, Miho and her crew could be seen. Yuzu directed the vehicle to park next to the St. Gloriana recovery truck.
Once the recovery halftrack had stopped, its crew dismounted from the cab. One headed to Yuzu, while the others helped the tank's crew down.
"Where's the other tank?" Yuzu asked the Kuromorimine mechanic.
"The commande… ah, Maho said that it was best if it was just the five tanks," the mechanic replied. "She went off to the recovery area, following the Churchill."
Miho stood in front of her tank, pale and uneasily, with her crew. Yuzu could see that the two next to her were visibly propping her up.
"Is she okay?" Yuzu asked, gesturing to Miho.
"I… I don't know. Maho told her that, as commander, it was her duty to end the match properly," the mechanic replied. "I should go…"
Yuzu nodded and the Kuromorimine recovery mechanics backed off into the crowd.
From the milling Kuromorimine students, a soft voice called out. "Well, don't just stand there, end the match properly."
It took a couple of moments, but the Kuromorimine students started to shift. Eventually, the black-clad tank crews moved to the front of the crowd, facing their commander, as the other schools had done.
"Saori, can you get them to patch our radio into the loudspeakers here?" Anzu called down.
Saori spoke into her radio for a moment. She gave an ok handsignal back just as there was a brief second of feedback from the loudspeaker.
"Ah," came Anzu's amplified voice. "Participants and spectators, thank you for joining us for this match today. I'd like to officially end this match properly, with a bow of respect to the other participants in the match."
Atop the T-34, Anzu bowed towards Miho. Moments later, the rest of the Alliance players turned towards the Kuromorimine players and repeated the gesture. Ritually, the black-uniformed crews returned the bow.
Yukari straightened up just in time to catch the Sensha-Do Federation head and Captain Chouno at the front of the VIP section stand up and begin a round of applause, shortly amplified to a volume that might have been deafening if not for her hearing protection when the rest of the crowd joined in. Even Shiho Nishizumi joined in, if somewhat less enthusiastically and accompanied by some unheard nudging by Chiyo Shimada.
Anzu nodded to Kay, who activated her microphone. "We will be shortly offering dinner to the members of all teams here, including the transport and maintenance sections, as well as the Federation staff who helped with this match. We will be closing up the food stands soon, however, the local Chamber of Commerce has provided maps of the local restaurants for those wanting to eat here."
From the stand, Cpt. Chouno emerged from the crowd and approached the group, her own official staff microphone in hand.
Kay turned off her microphone. "Is there anything you want to say, Captain?"
"Thank you very much for handling that," Ami answered, before turning her own microphone on and turning to the audience. "As we are still cleaning things up, please mind the officials, police, and SDF members directing traffic. On behalf of the officials and the Sensha-Do Federation, I want to thank all participants for a good game."
She turned back to Kay and held her hand over the microphone. "Do you need anything else?"
Kay gestured to Miho's crew. "Perhaps they'd like to say some final words as well…"
Miho hesitantly stepped forward towards Ami's extended microphone. Her pace was uneven. "I.. I…" she stammered.
Then she collapsed.
"It looks like it's just exhaustion," said the doctor in the first aid tent in words that Yukari, huddled outside with Hana, Saori, and Mako, could only barely make out. "She's had a difficult day out there."
"That's good," Maho replied from elsewhere in the tent. "She could probably use a bit of rest."
"Sis?" came Miho's raspy voice. "Is that you?"
"I'm here, Miho. How are you feeling?"
"I… I don't know. What happened?" Miho questioned the people in the tent.
"You had a long match, and probably it just wore you out. Take it easy for a bit and you should be back to normal in a bit," the doctor patientlly replied. "Come get me if you get dizzy again or if anything hurts."
"I will. Thank you."
As the doctor left, a couple of the Kuromorimine tankers, including Miho's crew, barged their way into the tent. "Is she… Miho!" one of them exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just exhausted," Miho answered as she sat up.
"We're… we're sorry we let you down," one of them apologized profusely to their commander.
"Don't worry about it," Miho replied apologetically. "I was the commander; it's my loss."
"But…" the girl stammered.
Miho looked like she was going to answer, but was interrupted by another pair entering the tent. "Miho," Shiho Nishizumi said, cooly, "how are you feeling?"
"Mother!" Miho exclaimed, as the Nishizumi head approached her cot. Aside from Maho, the other Kuromorimine students quickly exited the tent, almost bowling over Yukari huddled outside.
Shiho looked over her daughter. "You seem fine, aside from a little exhaustion."
Chiyo Shimada nudged her rival from behind.
"Your performance today was… up to my expectations," Shiho continued, levelly.
The Shimada head sighed. "Shiho," she whisprered.
"It was not perfect," Shiho continued, "but that can be attributed to the unusual nature of the fight."
"Shiho."
"When you've had a chance to review, I'd like to go over…" Shiho continued.
"Shiporin!" Chiyo Shimada whispered harshly.
Shiho turned to her rival, annoyed that the woman had resorted to her old nickname. "Can I have a moment with my daughter?" she asked.
Chiyo Shimada rolled her eyes up into her head and sighed. "Sorry about this, you two, but that Russian diplomat offered to buy everyone drinks, and we're not passing that up." She grabbed Shiho by the arm and dragged her out of the tent.
Maho turned to her sister. "Are you up for some visitors? It looks like you have some well-wishers from some of the other teams hiding outside."
Miho nodded. "Uh… sure."
Maho stepped out of the tent and held the flap. "Please, come in," she gestured to the four. As they entered, she took the opportunity to step outside.
In the tent, Miho lay on the cot, eyes half open, staring at the ceiling.
The four stood inside the tent. Mako prodded Yukari forwards.
"Hi… uh, we're fans of yours," Yukari managed to get out. "We wanted to congratulate you on a well fought battle."
"Thank you," Miho said quietly, still staring up at the ceiling. "It was."
"We… brought you a get well gift," Saori said as she walked up to the cot, taking care to move as softly as possible. Through it, Miho's gaze remained fixed on the roof of the tent.
From a bag, Saori produced a stuffed Boko bear. The day before the match, the four had taken a trip to the Boko Museum to buy it. Mako thought it was the rare one that Miho and Alice Shimada had bonded over in the other timeline; the others couldn't tell the difference. Saori set the bear next to Miho.
The tent was silent for a long moment.
Hana broke the silence as she bowed towards the cot. "Please get well soon." The other three repeated the gesture, then turned to leave.
As they were about to exit, Yukari heard it.
"Thank you… Yukari."
Their eyes went wide, and then wider as they all stumbled over each other in an attempt to turn around.
As they managed to help each other up, Miho sat up on the cot. "Thank you, Hana. Thank you, Saori. And thank you, Mako."
"You… you remember?" Yukari stammered out.
Miho nodded weakly as she started to cry. She grabbed the bear.
"I've… ever since the battle began, my mind has been telling me I've been here before… even before it began, when you did that dance, something told me that I've seen that before, that I did that. That I know you, know you all. That you're my… my friends." Tears streamed down Miho's cheeks as she clutched the bear tighter. "Since that last shot, I have had two sets of memories. The me at Kuromorimine, and the me at Ōarai. I remember fighting Alice and the University team, the Saunders LAPES drop, teaming up with Chi-Ha-Tan. I remember fighting… defeating my sister in the finals, dancing that dance… your dance… in the snow against Pravda, eating Saori's pasta in the dorm room, seeing Hana's flowers, waking Mako up, Yukari's videos, and those amazingly colorful paint jobs we used against St. Gloriana. I remember eating Sweet Potato ice cream with you after they forced me onto the team, and the way you two stood up for me. I remember leaving Kuromorimine. I… remember…"
Miho pitched backwards as she fought to contain a scream of sadness and frustration. Yukari and Hana caught her and eased her backwards. After a few moments of internal grief, lying on her back, she managed to regain enough control to talk. "I…. I remember the Panzer III sliding into the water, and being frozen, unable to do anything, and I don't know why."
"It's a long, unbelievable story," Yukari calmly told her. "I don't know if I can explain it, but your freezing up wasn't your fault."
"Something tells me… tells me you're right, but…" Miho stammered out as the tears dried up.
"It's going to take a while to adjust," Mako added.
Saori handed over a handkerchief. "Blow," she commanded.
Miho blew, for a good, long time. As she did, she calmed down.
"Excuse me, Miho?" came Maho's voice from outside. "There's another student that wants to see you. Mind if I send them in?"
"Uh…" said Miho, looking at the other four.
Yukari nodded, and Hana calmly reassured the girl on the cot. "Go ahead, Miho, we're not going anywhere this time. We'll be outside."
"Um, sis, you can send them in," Miho called out.
As the four made their way to the tent entrance, a girl in the gray Kuromorimine student uniform timidly ducked inside the tent. "Miho, I heard you collapsed. Are you okay?" asked the girl with short brown hair.
Yukari's eyes widened in recognition, and she stopped the other three. "This might be bad," she whispered.
"Koume?!" Miho exclaimed on catching sight of the newcomer, startled. "I… I…," she stammered, as she started to tear up.
Koume Akaboshi jumped back to the other four girls for protection. "Miho! It's okay! It wasn't your fault!" She turned to the other girls and bowed apologetically. "I don't know if you remember last year's tournament, but I was in the tank that slid into the water in the semi-finals. Miho's been blaming herself ever since then, since she was there and couldn't do anything. We nearly died by the time someone came to rescue us. I can't do Sensha-Do anymore, because I still have claustrophobia."
Koume turned back to Miho. "I wanted to find a chance to talk to you, but I know you've been busy with all the responsibility. Anyways, I came out to watch the match… I was able to find a spot in the stands with nobody crowding around me. Afterwards, I bumped into Ma… I thought that since the tournament was over and you just had this tough match, it might be a good time to talk with you."
Miho relaxed a bit, releasing the Boko bear, and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I was just thinking about you, too."
Koume slowly and deliberately reached forward and grabbed Miho's free hand. "The reason I wanted to talk to you is that I know ever since the accident, you've been depressed because of what happened, and you've been pushing forward only because of the pressure everyone's put on you. You can't keep doing that. Don't worry about what happened in the past. Do Sensha-Do because it's what you want to do."
Miho's jaw opened, although she said nothing for a long moment.
And then, slowly, she smiled, a glorious, genuine smile. While it seemed to be directed at Koume, Yukari could tell that it took in her and Hana and Saori and Mako as well. "From now on, Koume, I'll do Sensha-Do because I want to, because it's fun, and because it's a good way to make friends. This I promise you."
Next: Chapter 49: The spoils of battle.
Author's Note: I hope this was worthy of the build-up.
Thanks to ShinHyuga90 for pointing out that I wasn't quite clear with what happened with the Panzer III. I'd mentioned to someone in a Private Message last year that this isn't supposed to be a dark story and I wasn't killing anyone, so the Panzer III crew didn't die, but they did end up severely injured by the time someone else came and rescued them from the submerged tank, since Miho didn't immediately dive in and rescue them. I've modified the story slightly.