Blazepanzer here, and yet another new fanfic! Yeah! Well...it's kinda an alternate take on the Hanoashi getting expelled scenario, and it's about fourteen chapters so to speak. However, it's told entirely from Takio's point of view.
Not too much for me to say here except enjoy! Note: Blazepanzer does not own Girls und Panzer!
Takio felt bruised and tired, but excitement flooded through her as she stood in line. As much as I love Volleyball, this turned out to be a lot of fun!
"You all did a very good job today, especially since it's your first time shooting and all, especially you A team!"
Warmth flooded through her body at the praise. This is heaven... she mused happily.
"Wh...wait just a minute!"
The bliss interrupted, Takio turned to stare at one of the first years, a ginger haired girl with dark green eyes. Is she Irish? Takio asked herself. But she doesn't sound Irish despite her looks. Actually, come to think of it she looks a lot like an Irish version of Yolko from Sword Art Online though...
"It's true that we did a good job today, but Miho's actions on the bridge were quite dangerous," the girl continued.
She flinched as she saw Ami's ankles rise in anger. "You think you can just insult the most experienced member of the team?" she growled.
"No...I didn't mean it like that...I...just think we need to fork on safety pro..."
"What's your name young lady?" Ami asked, her blue eyes blazing.
"H...Hanoashi Katoni," the ginger haired girl responded.
"Well miss Katoni, you can consider yourself expelled from this club, Rudeness has no place in Sensado!"
Takio's eyes widened, but if Hanoashi felt any sting, she didn't openly show it. She just grabbed her bag from it's hanger and walked away.
"Such rudeness," Ami muttered, before straightening herself up. "Anyways, you all did a great job today. If there's something you don't get, just send me an e-mail. Dismissed!"
Wait...just send her an email? Takio shuddered. Ignoring her friends, she ran into the room, grabbing her bag and ran out, trying to find the ginger haired girl. I don't know why...I don't know how...but I've got this feeling...like I need to find her, fast, Takio realized, her mind growing slightly cold. No, but seriously, why do I feel like I need to find her, like now? It's like my soul is telling me it's vital...but I don't know why?
After a bit of running, she realized that she was running in circles. I'll never find her like this...
"You look lost," a soft voice whispered, dull with sorrow and grief.
Whipping around, Takio was surprised to see the girl that she was looking for. However, the brave face she had put on when she had been kicked off of the team was long gone, replaced by a face of sorrow.
"Hanoashi...there you are!" Takio gasped in relief. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Why? Hanoashi whispered. "I'm not going back there...I want nothing to do with that recklessness..."
Takio shook her head. "No...I'm not asking for you to come back...I..." Takio paused, realizing that she had no idea what she was supposed to do. All she had known was that she needed to find her, and yet she suspected that simply finding her wasn't enough.
Taking a deep sigh, she decided to play things the adventurous way. "Look...what happened back there was wrong. Ami's an idiot for kicking you off the team like that. And you're absolutely right, Miho was being too reckless back there."
The Irish girl sighed in response. "That gives me some hope...but there's nothing for me back there."
"Hanoashi..." Takio began. "Please...come over to my house...I...don't think you should be alone tonight."
Green eyes gazing at her inquisitively, Hanoashi finally let out a sigh. "Thanks...er..." She paused.
"Takio Kondou," she nodded, realizing that Hanoashi had no idea what her name was.
"Thank you Takio...I...really don't want to be alone tonight." Hanoashi whispered. "I...hope we can be friends," she added with a smile.
"Likewise," Takio smiled in return.
"Could...you call me by my nickname Blaze...Hanoashi as a bit of a mouthful," Hanoashi asked softly.
"Absolutely," Takio nodded. "Though, I'm curious as to why it's your nickname."
"Because of my red...now ginger hair. Used to annoy me, but not it's grown on me over the years," Hanoashi beamed.
"Interesting," Takio smiled. "Anyways, follow me."
Arriving at her apartment, she entered the door. "It's a bit messy, but come in!" she chimed.
"You really are athletic Takio," Hanoashi mused.
"Well, I was going to sign up for the volleyball team, but it was canceled in favor for Sensado, so...yeah," Takio gazed down, clearly sad.
"I was wondering why you girls were wearing something so different during school...kinda would prefer what you're wearing to what I have on now." Hanoashi admitted.
"Really?" Takio asked, surprised.
"Well...technically I'm more of a dress and skirt girl than a pants and shorts kind of girl, but unless its freezing outside I prefer as little sleeves as possible," Hanoashi explained.
"So...what club are we joining?" Takio asked, before gasping, "Oh! But first I should make dinner, you make yourself at home, okay?"
The ginger tipped her head in confusion. "Shouldn't I help out?" she asked.
Takio shook her head. "No, it's fine, you've had a hard day. Though I'm not that good of a cook, so expect something simple, okay?"
Hanoashi smiled. "I prefer simple meals myself...but nothing high in sugar...kinda got a medical condition about that."
"I see..diabetes?" Takio asked.
"It's called that, but it's worse," Hanoashi muttered in a tone dismissing any continuous conversation of the matter.
Shuddering at the though despite not understanding her friend's ailment, Takio rushed into the kitchen, deciding to make mac and cheese.
"So...do you know what club we're joining?" Takio asked as they sat down to eat.
"We? Takio, you don't have to join the same club if you..." Hanoashi asked, but Takio shook her head.
"No Blaze, I want to join the club you decide to join."
Hanoashi sighed, pondering it for a bit. "I...honestly haven't set my mind in stone yet, but I was going to join archery until they announced Sensado."
"Did the presentation draw you in?" Takio asked gently.
She shook her head and smiled quietly. "No, they didn't have to. I was the team commander at the Nishmari Co-ed academy for the previous two years, actually managed to win a championship with a record four wins technically a record for the co-ed leagues."
"That's pretty amazing," Takio breathed, impressed. "So what kind of tanks did you use?"
"Mostly early Soviet tanks, our heaviest tank was the T-50,though we also had a handful of early Panzer III's in the mix. See, the co-ed middle school league has a limit of 50 millimeters for the gun and sixty for the armor and..."
Takio had begun to grow more and more impressed with Hanoashi's stories. "It sounds like you really loved Sensado," she breathed.
Hanoashi nodded slowly. "Yes...although...being kicked off of the team like that really hurt. I...I know I did the right thing...but still..."
"You did the only thing you could," Takio reassured her.
They ate in silence for a while after that before Hanoashi decided to speak up. "Why did you decide to join the Sensado team?"
Takio paused before shrugging. "My friends on the volleyball team were upset and somehow got it into their thick heads that joining the Sensado team would get them some sort of revenge." Flinching when she saw Hanoashi's gaze of alarm, Takio waved her hands frantically. "No no, it's not like that Blaze...it's just that they're total meatheads and don't have that much sense some of the time."
Hanoashi relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Revenge has no place in Sensado," she whispered. "Or...at least the co-ed academy teaches that. Says it's very dangerous and stuff."
"Speaking of which...that stuff Ami said about Miho and her mother. Is it true?" Takio asked gently.
Nodding, Hanoashi let out a quiet sigh of longing. "Miho and I were friends for a year...and teammates believe it or not."
Takio's eyes widened. "You were? What was she like?"
Smiling at the old memories, Hanoashi begun to gush. "Well...Miho was, contrary to how popular convention views Nishisumi, very girly. Almost always wearing dresses unless going on something requiring a more active wear, enjoying wearing jewelry and nail polish, things like that. She was actually a big fan of Boko at the time...a show about a bear who's kinda a bully and never gives up in a fight, despite being a rather poor fighter and getting beat up all the time."
"So basically a girly girl," Takio chuckled.
"Yeah, she could be a bit clumsy at times, but she had a good heart back then, and great skills as a commander..." Hanoashi paused, glancing downward. "Nothing like the recklessness that she showed today."
"At the time I was the commander of one of our T-50's...which is a rather prestigious position in the co-ed academies, especially in the middle school leagues given it was treated more like a heavy tank than the light tank it was supposed to be. Anyways, when Miho came to our school, I dropped back to my old position of driver so that Miho could be out commander."
"Why?" Takio asked.
"Well...when I asked Miho what position she wanted, she asked for loader, given she wasn't a good driver and not familiar with the soviet gun of the T-50. If she was just starting out as a sensado practitioner, I'd have been fine with that. However, this was Miho Nishisumi, I couldn't just let her be a loader, not with her valuable skills. So I took back my old position as driver and Yukaro went back to loading...not that he minded as he has a strange love for repetitive jobs like that."
Takio let out a small giggle. "Was Miho the commander you expected her to be?"
"Until today, even more so," Hanoashi sighed. "Anyways, we didn't stay crew-mates for long, as we placed sixth in the summer tournament out of eight, and I was selected to take over the position of one the the lesser performing commanders. We didn't even get a win, and we only managed to get sixth in points. So...clearly not our best year.
"Points?"
Hanoashi nodded. "You get so many points by doing certain actions, recon, detracking and repairing a track, and knocking out a tank. It's...a complicated process that'd take hours to detail. At any rate, the amount of points determines your final position in the case of a tie in wins at the end of the tournament."
"But what if you get the most wins outright in the tournament?" Takio asked.
"You win. Period. Points only matter in a points match or in the case of a tie. Or qualifying for the Homestead match.
"Homestead match?"
Hanoashi nodded. "You see, the two tournament winners and the two non tournament winners with the most points get to participate in a celebratory free for all. It was actually quite fancy in comparison, being an ten hour limit match which started in late evening and lasted into the night.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Miho was shopping in the tank store, alone, when her gaze turned toward a new selection of tank models. She had seen them before back at Nishmari, but these were obviously a different year's set. What caught her eyes was a logo on the package, a red, orange, white, and blue four square logo with two strands of wheat, one strand bearing grains of orange and white, the other bearing strands of red, white, and blue. Nishmari made it to the Homestead match? She gasped in surprise.
She grabbed one of the Panzer III's, her eyes widening as she read the small cursive names on the side of the tank underneath the Namco Bandai sponsorship logo.
"Hanoashi..." Miho whispered, feeling a mix of pride and shame run down her cheeks. She quietly took the tank and paid for it, staring at the orange and white paint scheme all the way home with tears in her eyes.
"So basically, for a single match, your tanks are painted like the NASCAR vehicles, bright with advertisement decades and you even get die-cast models of your tanks?"
Hanoashi nodded. "Yep! You even get paid...or at least you do if you participate in the match."
"But you said that everyone participates in the match," Takio tipped her head.
"The match takes place in the middle of May, two weeks before the official start of the Co-ed summer league. And since I was in my final year last year when I won is the right to partake in the match and the new school year begins on April first..."
"You graduated middle school and thus can't participate in the match," Takio realized. "That's kinda a bummer Blaze."
"Not really," Hanoashi countered. "Sure, it's a tad disappointing, but that's just the way things go."
"She's not here sir!" An officer barked as he searched the room, gazing around the empty house. "Nothing looks too out of the ordinary, but this girl has some old ass tech, a small collection of VHS tapes mixed in with some DVDS, Music cassettes and CDs books, and a few Playsation one and Famicom games."
"Right, send out a bulletin then, we cannot let someone who'd assaulted a Sensado instructor escape this ship!"
"Riiight..." the officer clicked, gazing around the girl's room. But did Hanoashi really insult the instructor? He asked, taking advantage of the situation, his eye catching on a small tank collection consisting of a baker's dozen. He took one, shocked to find her name engraved on the side. "Sir...I think we might need to investigate Ami's claims..."
"Shes an instructor and a member of the JSDF, Hanoashi's just some no name farm-town girl."
"Sir...she has prior Sensado experience, let's hear her side of the story first, then we'll make a decision."
His superior sighed. "She has until tomorrow afternoon to turn herself in. If she stays on the run past that point, then we'll be forced to believe Ami's side of the story on the spot."
It was morning, and Takio was sitting next to her friend, drinking morning tea and eating morning beagles while watching Boko of all things. Not that neither of them had a particularly strong affinity for the show, rather it was just that Takio had developed a curiosity for the show after hearing about Miho's love for it.
But to her dismay, it had turned into a boring show. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the only thing to cause her dismay, as a special bulletin came on.
"Ooarai carrier police have issued a warrant for a Hanoashi Katoni. Allegedly, she hit an instructor Ami Chono and..."
Takio felt her jaw drooped. "What a bunch of lies!" She hissed. She turned to Hanoashi, about to ask is she was alright, but the ginger haired girl was shakily drinking her tea, and instantly understood that she had unfortunately been eating when the news came on, thus causing her to choke on her bagel in response.
"Why?" Hanoashi whispered. "I left the hangers as soon as I was asked too...I headed straight home...well, until we met...why?" The Irish girl cupped her hands across her head and began sobbing.
At first Takio was at a loss of what to do, but after a while she gently began to massage her friends back. "Blaze...No matter what...I'm going to help you through this...no matter what you decide to do, know that I've got your back."
Hanoashi lowered her hands, and gazed at Takio questioningly. "What else is there to do but turn myself in?" she whispered.
"Well...um..." Takio paused wanting to say go on the run, but knowing she very well couldn't. Especially if they found out that Hanoashi had been with her that night, which would only lead to them both getting arrested. "I'll...go...with...you," she finished lamely.
"Thanks Takio, you're the best friend a girl could ask for," Hanoashi whispered, before standing up. "I'm...going to get changed," she added quietly.
I'm...not sure if I'm doing any good though...Takio sighed bitterly.
To Takio's surprise Hanoashi returned from the bathroom not in her Ooarai uniform, but in a white tee shirt with a pink skirt.
"I keep this in case of emergencies," Hanoashi admitted.
"But why that?" Takio asked, her amber eyes glittering in confusion.
"Because while the instructor has treated me ill, this academy and her students have treated me kindly. I will not sully nor tarnish her name by wearing her uniform while being arrested," Hanoashi declared.
"Blaze..." Takio whispered, surprised and warmed by her friend's speech. But she was also saddened by the situation. She didn't assault the instructor...she should be going to school with me this morning...not going to jail...
Making their way to the carrier station, Takio sighed as Hanoashi made her way inside. Please...help us prove her innocence! Takio prayed fervently, before following her in.
"Can I help you?" the clerk asked.
"Um yes...My name is Hanoashi Katoni, I...believe you have a warrant for my arrest, right?" she whispered.
"Wait a moment though, Hanoashi didn't assault the instructor, I was with her practically the entire time after she left practice!" Takio shouted.
"And you are?" The clerked asked, her eyes wide.
"Ta...Takio Kondou," Takio muttered. "Sorry bout my outburst, but I'm telling you my friend is innocent."
"Right, Takio, you'll have to wait in the lobby, we're going to have to take miss Katoni to a waiting cell." the clerk noted.
"Muah! You're not listing, Hanoashi Katoni didn't assault the instructor, it's a false charge!" Takio screamed in desperation.
"Easy easy!" The clerk shrank, holding her hands up. "I'll let you speak to the chief about her innocence, it's just that we have to take your friend into custody while we set things up is all."
"Takio...I...I'll be fine, I promise," Hanoashi urged.
Takio gazed downward, not able to bear watching as an officer came out, and cuffed Hanoashi's hands behind her back, before leading her into the back of the station. Is...this the end for her? Takio whispered, heartbroken.
It seemed like hours before an officer came out and approached her. "Takio Kondou, you're not in trouble, but could you come to the interrogation room for a bit. We want your side of the story."
Rising up, her legs shaking in fear, she followed him. I've never been in an interrogation room before, she fretted silently.
"Now," he began as she had sat down. "Please tell us everything from the beginning."
And so Takio had begun to recant all of the things that had happened. The match, the confrontation between Ami and Hanoashi, and how Hanoashi had simply got her book bag and left the hangers without a word. How Takio had shot after her once Ami had mentioned just ending her an email, and how Takio had caught up with Hanoashi and invited her to stat the night.
"You did the right thing," the officer noted, a barely noticeable smile on his face. "We'll try and do the best we can for your friend, as we speak, we're trying to see if we can get the principle to agree to an expulsion instead of an arrest."
"But...she did nothing wrong! Why an expulsion?" Takio asked gently.
The officer sighed. "Look, Ami Chono is not only a Sensado instructor, but is also a leading member of the Sensado federation on top of being a high ranking officer in the Japanese Self Defense Force. And while we now firmly believe in Hanoashi's innocence, the headmaster is...highly patriotic...even to a fault. It will be hard enough as it is to convince him to go for an expulsion, impossible to convince him to just let things go altogether."
Some officer you turned out to be! Takio ranted internally, but she sighed outwardly. "Thank you for trying sir," she whispered.
Hours later in the lobby, Takio let out a small yawn. Although it was a school day, the officers had insisted she remain with them in case they had any more questions.
I wonder how Blaze is doing...it must be boring sitting in that room by herself...she must be so scared...she was shaking when the bulletin about her arrest warrant came on the screen...Takio's thoughts were interrupted when she spotted Hanoashi being escorted by one of the officers.
"Takio, come with us, the principle has an offer, but you and Hanoashi have to accept it together." he informed.
Takio nodded and fell in beside Hanoashi. "You okay?" she whispered.
Hanoashi didn't even look at her, though Takio could see that she had been through a lot. The obvious signs of a girl crying could be seen, and her eyes were very dull with grief and shame. "I'm...fine..." she whispered unconvincingly.
Takio wanted to pat her on the back and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but she didn't dare with the officer right behind them.
Arriving in the principle's office, the stern old man gazed at them. "So, you're the girl who assaulted a member of the JSDF?" he asked, glaring at the ginger haired girl.
"But I didn't," Hanoashi began, however the headmaster clearly didn't care what she had to say. "I don't believe you one bit you little piece of shit. However," he turned to Takio, glaring at her. "You seem to speak for her innocence...how far are you willing to go for your little friend?"
"I'm just speaking up for the truth sir, it's not about defending her just because she's my friend," Takio insisted, meeting his glare with a stare of her own.
He then walked over to his desk, indicating two papers. "Takio, Hanoashi, I can either expel you both, and send you to the school over on the mainland, or Hanoashi can go to jail and risk it in the courts. But only Takio gets to decide."
"Expulsion or..." Takio shuddered. I never expected this...she gazed at Hanoashi, who was gazing down in shame. Yeah...about this school not doing you dirty despite the instructor treating you like crap...I think that notion just went down the drain.
But...is it really fair for me to be the one who gets to decide? She asked, gazing at her friend. Hanoashi was gazing at her, conflicted. She doesn't want to go to jail, clearly...but I can tell that she doesn't want me to be expelled at her expense.
She then thought back to Hanoashi's speech about the academy treating her kindly and her expression hardened. I'd rather have that black mark on my record than continue at this abomination of a school!
Takio nodded determinedly, knowing what she had to do. She walked forward, took the pen and signed the paper. Then, she sat the pen down gently, and gazed at the headmaster evenly. "If I may say something..." she paused, waiting for her permission as Hanoashi came over and likewise signed her explosion warrant.
"It won't make a difference now, but go ahead," he allowed.
"Do you see what Hanoashi is dressed in?" Takio asked.
He nodded. "It's a plane woman's white tee shirt and pink skirt. What of it?"
"There's a reason why she wore that," Takio begin. "She said that she refused to turn herself in while in an Ooarai school uniform, as she did not wanted to tarnish this school reputation. Though the instructor had treated her with ill intentions, this academy had not."
"And?" he asked, unimpressed.
"Be it known that she was wrong, that this academy has treated her with the most vile intentions," Takio announced.
He sat there stoically for a bit, surprised, but not angry. "You two may go home and pack up your stuff. A flight will be here to pick you up this evening, and your things will be shipped to your parent's home at a later date. Where you stay from now on is of no consequence to me."
Takio nodded, before exiting the room, Hanoashi following, her head down. "Takio...you...didn't have to do that, but thank you," she whispered.
"It's nothing my friend," Takio smiled weakly, though she was also feeling hurt. How are my parents going to react to my expulsion? She fretted.
"We...I...need to call my father," Hanoashi shuddered.
"Yeah...I need to call my parents as well," Takio nodded, taking her cell phone out and dialing a number. "Hello, Mom?"
"Takio, it's good to hear from you, how are you doing?" A feminine voice chirped on the other end.
"Not good mother...you see." Takio admitted sadly, going into detail about everything that had happened.
"Poor girl," her mother whispered. "I'm glad you did the right thing though, even if it hurt you in the end. However the town of Ooarai is kinda far away, do you have a place to stay?"
"Um..." Takio took a step back.
"If my father is okay with it, she could stay at my house a while," Hanoashi offered.
"Would that be okay mother?" Takio asked.
"Of course! Just let me know if you need anything, okay sweetie?"
"Will do...love you mom, and I'm so sorry about getting expelled..."
"Don't you ever apologize for that dear, be proud of yourself, you did the right thing despite the high cost. Not everyone does something that brave you know."
Drake, Hanoashi's father, turned out fine with that arrangement, and was very grateful to Takio for defending his daughter. He did, however, have some rather unpleasant things to say about the headmaster, not that Takio could blame him.
"So, are we ready to go?" Hanoashi asked as she packed in the last of their stuff.
"Yes, we are," Takio smiled, both girls had on a backpack with the essentials, or at least what Takio would need, spare clothes and such. She had switched to a pair of bluejeans and a brown sleeveless tanktop in solidarity with Hanoashi, while her volleyball uniform might not be the most associated with Ooarai, it was still an Ooarai uniform.
The plan was simple, Takio would live with the Katoni until their living arrangements were settled, and after that they'd enjoy their time in school and with each other to the best of their ability. Their parents were already in talks over the arrangement, and while the particulars were being debated, it was decided that it'd be best for Hanoashi and Takio to live together for the time being, giving what they had to go through today.
Sure, Hanoashi had been the one falsely accused, the one arrested and held in a cell for hours. That being said, it was also quite traumatic for Takio, seeing her friend arrested like that.
"Welp, ready for our new life on the mainland?" Hanoashi smiled weakly.
"Looking forward to it Blaze," Takio beamed back, glad to see her in better spirits.