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After the match was over Alisa went up the hill to find George, she was so overjoyed that a plan that George made on the spot has worked effortlessly while the first plan didn't get the chance to play out on the battlefield. But while navigating through the hill filled with Saunders and Kuromorimine alike as each tank crew awaited for the recovery team to come and tow away their vehicles however Alisa was unable to find George. She did however found Maho and Erika storming off without saying a word and found Naomi staring off to distance by herself.
"Hey, Naomi!" she called out her friend's name catching up to her, "What are you doing? where's George?"
"... " She didn't say a word instead lifted her right arm to point down the hill, there Alisa found George's tiny silhouette walking away all alone, she wanted to join him, but felt herself being pulled back by Naomi's firm hand, "Not now Alisa," she told him in a quiet tone, "He's not feeling right."
"Shouldn't we... "
"He just needs to think. That's all, he'll be back."
There standing on the hill top the two girls watched as George shrank in the distance with the sun at his back.
\Later On/
George managed to walk all the way back into town with the sun disappearing over the horizon, with the sky orange and the mountains purple, the people were now just mingling around on the streets. Lights from both the street lamps and the stores flooded out onto the sidewalks showering everyone walking by, no one seems to know that George was a tanker.
How can you? it's a girls sport.
Head hung low, hands tucked away in his jacket, George now felt conflicted as he walked on by, but then came to a stop when hearing a wall of flat-screens up for sale at a local electronic store. They were playing the same channel, the news, it was now the sports section of the program bringing up highlights of this day's Sensha-Do match managing to pull George's attention away from the floor.
"On today's Sensha-Do highlights tankery fans witness an unexpected speedy victory with today's match with Kuromormine's swift defeat against Saunders," the female announcer started off with shots of the game playing out, "As soon as the game started it was already over as Saunders has much to thank its victory to its newest member, George Stuart. And yes the person in question is a boy which makes this young man the first official male tankery player ever, let's watch some of his plays in action."
They replayed all the notable things to happen a few hours ago showing George's first shots of the match, doing the math on the gun he was using and the distance between him and the Panzer III they say he broke the previous record for longest shot in the league putting him number one. It also moved on to the surprising turn of events when he baited Erika to attack Saunders' weaken flank, luring them in so his forces can swallow up Kuromorimine's. Rewinding every shot made in the hell fire between the two schools, all that destruction he caused with the flames flickering, there his picture showed up on screen and his own reflection started to appear along side it on the store window.
The reflection looking a confused and lost, while his photo on the tv screen showed a more unkind side of him, marveling at the acts he created.
"Is that how I really am?" he asked himself finally seeing what he looks like on the field.
\Years Ago/
Back on a home stead in rural Virginia George's uncle was hanging by his front porch, all the chores were done leaving him a fine time of tv with a small portable television sitting on top of the old wooden railing as it played Sunday football. It was a peaceful day for a man, but a peaceful time that will be put on hold as he soon spotted his nephew walking down the leaf covered road. Turning down the volume he stood up took a clearer view of the boy approaching noticing the look of disappointment on his face, so he slowly sits back down, and let's George approach his porch on his own.
"Hey... how was school?" his uncle asked calmly seeing that George was growing distressed, "Learn anything... uh... good."
"... I just had my tenth piano recital," George stated.
"Tenth! wow, that's something you don't hear a kid do everyday," his uncle tried to congratulate him, but the expression on George's face has not changed, "What's wrong?"
"This was my TENTH recital and my family still hasn't seen me perform. Not once!" George exclaimed taking out his music sheets from his school bag, then started to tear them up in a fit of rage before throwing his bag down to the dirt. The shreds of paper drifting about on the ground leaving George feeling spent as he drops down on the steps breathing heavily, bending down George's uncle reaches down to pick up a single piece of the sheet. Looking over to his distraught nephew George's uncle didn't bother collecting the rest of the torn pieces instead going up to sit down next to his nephew letting him lament on his disappointment before speaking.
"I just want someone to be proud of me," that was all he asked.
His uncle looked around his yard spotting the tarp covering a car for so long that it was building up dirt and leaves for years, the parts on that car is practically falling off.
"Wait right here," his uncle simply requested walking off to pull the tarp up and rip the side-view mirror before coming back to rejoin George, "I know it can feel lonesome just look where I'm at," he started taking the mirror out from its home and tossing the rest over his shoulder, "Look here. When you go out there on a stage or wandering the woods, it doesn't matter who comes to pat you on the back, your... dad, your sister, or your mother, not even me," He brought up the mirror where George can only see his own reflection, "This guy. This guy right here looking back you. He's the only person that matters. This is the only person you should make proud, don't you ever let him down, don't you ever give up on him, and don't ever EVER cheat him. Because he'll know."
\Present/
That was what he told him, the man looking back at him from the glass was the only person to please, no one else mattered then, but now he's not sure if he is looking at the same person anymore. Is it really his own reflection on the store window? Or was he looking at someone he fails to recognize. Everything around seem to fade in the distance of George's mind, the lights were just blurs, the people were nonexistent in his mind, and the sounds...
"george... george... ? GEORGE!"
George snaps out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of Alisa's voice, looking down to find her standing by his side even holding his hand in both of hers, her eyes glistening from the store lights with an expression of worry.
"Hey, what's with the face?" he calmly asked feeling her grip tightening around his hand. George curls his fingers as well feeling tempted to smile, but a conflicting emotion prevented him from doing so.
"You just left without saying anything. I was worried," she told him so concerningly.
"I was... I was here... " George answered brokenly, then Alisa felt George's grip tightening in return as he stared back in the wall of televisions, screens filled with images of the fire, and that's when he asked her, "Alisa... am I... a good person... ?"
He asked his eyes still glued to the screens before them, Alisa stared along with him re-watching the unforgiving side of George replay over and over again, but failing to answer his first question the next one he asked was too much for her.
"What's going to happen to me if I lose... ? what's going to happen to me... if I win... ?" he asked so frighten.
Will he be sent back. Back to the States in his cell alone if he lost. And if he lead his team to victory would that really change the outcome?
Alisa could not answer, she did not want to know the answer, the time she spent with him was too precious to her to lose, Alisa let go of his hand so she can wrap her arms around him fearing that she might lose him too. George can hear Alisa whimper even when she smothered her face into his chest so he held her in his own embrace.
"George!" Kay called out in her search, it was getting late.
"Alisa!" Naomi shouted out by her side.
The two were gone for so long and was time for their carrier to depart, the two girls walked along the empty sidewalks without encountering another soul, their friends seems to up and vanish, until they finally found them. There Kay and Naomi found both Geroge and Alisa sitting together on a lone bench, George sitting upright with his jacket off and Alisa leaning against him covering herself with the jacket George lent her seemingly sleeping.
\Later/
Back on school grounds the four finally made it back onto the ship to depart from port to their next destination, Naomi was walking down the halls before coming to George's door with the light flooding out. Peeking through Naomi spots George holding up the box from earlier not even noticing she was there until he slipped down to the ground with the box sitting on his lap before looking up to see her standing by the doorway.
"How long were you standing there?" George asked as he continues to flip the lid open not bothered by the fact Naomi was silently watching him.
"I was just checking up on you," Naomi answered entering the room, "What's you doing?"
"Sit down and join me," he said as he taps a spot beside him.
Naomi joins him squatting down next to him both dressed comfortingly in their pyjamas, Naomi in a blue tank-top with matching shorts, and George wearing a plain white t-shirt and lose olive green sweat pants. Sitting down the two were basically rubbing shoulders against each other, but before George can carry on Alias popped in.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked hugging a pillow in her arms in cute white pyjama set with pink and green flower designs all over.
"We're having story time," George put it.
"Can I join?" Alisa asked.
"I don't see why not," George remarked leaving Alisa to take the empty spot on his opposite side, "Is everybody comfy?" he then asked aloud as Alisa sat next to him and Kay just walked right in without saying a single word in a red, white striped patterned with blue accents pyjamas, walking over to drop right on George's bed laying behind his head along with Naomi and Alisa.
"Alright, George, what's in that box that we haven't seen before?" Naomi asked leaning over to see the boar's tooth inside.
"Well there was a reason why I wasn't worried about you opening this box," George stated.
He picks up the tusk then hooks the tip right into a corner of the box and then prys the bottom open to the girls' surprise that there was a false bottom revealing a tiny pile of old photos of a much younger George leaving the girls in awe to see his youthful face.
"I bet your mom really thought you were so cute right there," Kay cued poking a finger into his cheeks.
The photo was of a much more childish George, a smile spreading across cheek to cheek in a dapper tux and his head full of lush dark brown hair, standing in clear view with the piano off to the side.
"My mom didn't take the picture," George corrected leaving the girls confused, "This was the day that I quit piano."
\Years Ago/
There was brief bright flash of light as a younger George stood before the camera, after the flash George rubbed his eyes to regain his focus before going up to the camera that stood on its tripod. Located in a backstage George stood by himself as the stage hands were too busy making sure all the set was in order for this night's show leaving George to take the picture himself putting the camera on a stand and setting up the timer.
"Why do you keep on bothering to show up to these recitals?" a voice spoke up in a condescending tone.
Walking in George spotted his older sister standing taller than him, her hair reaching to her shoulders wearing a white hair band to keep her hair from draping over her cold eyes. White dress with a black belt wrapped around her waist and black polished shoes she was more than ready for the recital.
"I just wanna show that I'm good too," George simply answered.
"It doesn't matter how hard you think you're trying, you don't belong on that stage," she stated harshly, "So beat it before embarrass us."
"How can I, mom's proud ," George brings up, but his sister scoffs.
"If she so proud of you how come she only came to see me?" she told him.
Not saying anything else the stage hands scattered about as the performance was about to begin with George's older sister taking a seat at the piano, in all honesty she wasn't wrong, his mother always tried to avoid being seen in public, she hardly ever comes out of the house only coming out when it's important. Like the recitals. While the red velvet curtains were drawn back, lights spotting down onto the piano with George's sister at attendance to a live and patient crowd waiting for the recital to begin.
As the first notes echo through the auditorium George took his chance to peek at the crowd as they watched and listen to the performance George scanned the crowd to spot his father sitting up in the first row with other distinguished member of the musical community. And his mother sitting next to him silently and still as if a t-rex was watching over her (I know they have great eye sight, but you get what I mean), they both watched their daughter perform so effortlessly. At the end George's sister was met with praise clapping and cheering as she walked off the stage, his father was seen whispering among his peers probably talking of her future..
After his sister's performance George watched and waited as several others of his fellow classmates go up on that stage gave it their best, there were good from great who were confident in their ability, but there were some who stumbled and failed humiliatingly, George even seen a girl ran off stage crying, and it was his turn.
He heard the speaker called out his name George swallowed his fear and walked out on that stage where all eyes were on him, all eyes except his family. They had left right after the last student before him finished his performance leaving two visibly empty seats and this wasn't even the first time they done this to him to face the audience alone, he would be sad, but this was the finally straw so he took the stage and he gave his most passionate performance yet.
His hands danced across the keys left to right the piano singing the notes without a single misstep as the music flowed as smoothly as water throught an open drain, the crowd love him roaring louder than any of the other before him, especially his sister, and it was time to announce who earned the prize. A scholarship. All the students who participated gathered on stage, they were all lined up to face the judges who all discussed in whispers amongst each other before finally coming to a winner.
"Alright," The voice boomed and all the students stood even straighter than before, "After much discussion it's made very obvious who should be this night's winner," they didn't waste anymore time they announced that George's sister was the winner without hesitation and was only met with calm applause. Many of the other students sadly walked off stage in defeat while George can already tell that they made that call a little too quickly.
After the recital George finally made it home as he and his family don't travel together, in fact he was told to never use the front door, and so only enters and exits through the back, but this time George had enough of HIS rules, and stomped straight through the front to the sounds of notes being played in the background.
"You're not suppose to come through the front door-"
"Shut up!" George told his sister storming right passed her, finding his mother sitting by herself in the dining room with a full glass of wine, but he was looking for his father who was playing in the living area, "I know you rigged that recital!"
"Who are you to talk to your elder that way?" the man countered not even turning to face him as he tapped the keys, "And what if I did, not like those other students had a chance."
"They didn't have a chance becuase of you, you always have the finally word, and she always gets to win because you're the judge," George berated.
"I don't have to answer you and you have no place on that stage to begin with. Now crawl into your room and don't bother showing your face for supper."
That was all the man George called, father, said to him, dismissing him as if he were an unwelcome stray dog, continuing to play, but George was so enrage that he grabbed the fall board, and slams it down on his father's hands filling the house with an agonizing screech.
\Present/
"I broke all of his fingers so badly that the doctors said he will never play again," George finished up to the girls' bewildered expressions, "Best day of my life, so that's the story."
"I can't believe you would have to deal with people like that," Kay spoke up disgusted by the family's treatment.
"Well after that they sent me to a different school down town... the new school has a "checkered" reputation... a lot kids get mugged there."
"How'd you deal with them everyday?" Alisa asked.
"Like this," then George pulled up the bird explaining that he used to flip them off everytime he saw them, "Besides, I rather go to that school than go back to that house."
"I hope you know It doesn't matter how they think of you," Kay noted happily.
"I don't need you tell me that," George retort already knowing that advise long before.
"Would you just pretend to give a crap for a second," Naomi requested form him.
"What's in it for me?" George josh and the most unexpected happened.
Kay hung over and kissed George right on the lips surprising everyone and George was left blushing confusingly.
"How's that for an incentive," she said with a innocent smile as she giggled.
However Alisa on the other hand was flustered and jealous, so she reached out to grasp George's face pulling him closer to give him a kiss of her own, leaving Naomi dumbfounded and George bewildered. But not wanting to be left out Naomi joined in pulling George away turning his head to face hers pausing for moment to look into each other's eyes before she leaned in connecting lips, this time George felt his nerves calming as they parted lips. There was a moment of silence as the girls and he took in the peace, Naomi and Alisa leaning on George from both sides, and Kay wrapping her arms around him from behind all three girls snuggling their heads closer to him.
"You're not a bad person, George, you're just misunderstood," Kay told him so softly.
As they all embraced each other Naomi peeked down into the box of the pile of photos, but under all the pictures she noticed a corner of an envelope hiding beneath, but before she can press on about it Alisa had other ideas. She continued pulling George in kissing him restlessly. Soon Kay joined in as she pulled George up onto his bed then began pulling off his clothes. Naomi glanced between the box and her friends ripping off their own night wear which in turn was starting to arouse her too as a thick, warm scent filled the air, and clouded all judgement.
Guess the box will have to wait for another day.
Before Naomi joined her friends she went to close the door and turned off the lights, next thing everyone knew all four participants laid sharing the bed with one another as the room filled a warm, strong smell, and quiet, pleasured-filled moans that the window began to fog up blocking all and any who were trying to peek in.
"Blast!" a girl from the trees exclaimed as he view was obscured by the four's love making and the lights turned off.
"What's wrong?" the second girl asked.
"They turned off the lights and the window fogged up," the first girl reported
The two girls are Pravda students who was sent to spy on their competitor by their commander.
"Did at least see something?"
"Yes, the boy had a box, it might be hiding all of his tactics there."
"Then let's get back to our carriers."
After that the two spys ran off into the night.
\Ooarai/
Closing up the hanger door the Ooarai team pondered about Yukari's state of grief.
"Yukari please don't cry," Saori tried to ease her sadness.
"I'm sure Daulton will return soon, now that we've reached the finals," Hana helped.
"Then where is he?" she asked as she sobbed,
"I'm right here, baby!" a familiar voice shouted.
Looking back to the gate the girls looked see the pilot boy back standing on their school grounds much to Yukari's relief as and everyone's pleasant surprise to Daulton's return. The two ran towards each other with open arms, Yukari jumping up to catch her in his arms, and the two greeted one another back with a heartfelt kiss.
"I missed you so much," Daulton told her between breaths.
"I missed you more," Yukari said otherwise as she held him tighter.
"It nice to have you back Daulton," Miho welcomed back.
"Yeah now we can have the happy go lucky Yukari back," Saori noted, but they received no response as the two continued.
"Sheesh, get a room you two," Mako retorted.
"Man they're really going at it," Erwin noted as she and the rest of the team watched on.
"And... now they're doing it in the bushes," Reira said as Daulton and Yukari hid behind the shrubs rustling the leaves as articles of clothening began to fly.
"Hey, no mingling on school grounds!" Midoriko tried and failed to forbade them from their love making.
"Man, I wish I brought my camera," Anzu complained wishing to record the moment for later viewing.
Love was defiantly in the air tonight.
