Lost Rabbit

This shouldn't be happening!

That was the thought of the young girl as reality set inside her metallic quarters. It seemed as if her friends were facing similar dilemmas. The range of emotions varied from shock to confused for the six students. Yet, all could relate to the common emotion flooding through their bodies.

Fear.

All previous joy and wonderment at taking part in Sensha-Do was gone. It had started with the announcement before the start of the tournament; the inclusion of live ammunition had formed a knot in the long haired girls stomach. Her friends had conversed before the first match. It had to be have been a lie right? Some cruel joke played on the upcoming school amongst the regulars that had dueled in the fields for years prior. Even Nishizumi had smiled at the girls questions, and told the crew that everything would be alright if they were careful. So, the group of first years had climbed into their Lee with some small hope that the days events wouldn't turn tragic.

That had died with the finals wails of Duck Team.

The girls blues eyes bulged as her mind raced with the last call over the radio. The whole tank heard the astonished cry of Akebi when their shell failed to penetrate the enemy tank. An instant later, the sound of machine gun fire and feminine screams filled the airwaves. It was only then that the cold naked truth stared the freshmen in the face.

They could die.

All of the girls shuddered as they looked at one another, eyes filled with morbid dread. Only one thought was present on everyone's minds; they had to get out there. Azusa was first to act as her hands scrambled to pry open the hatch; brown eyes flashed with worry and relief as the metal slab moved. She turned and motioned to her rest of her team as they scrambled of the metal coffin. The commander made her own move before stopping. Brunette hair whipped as her eyes landed on the remaining occupant of the vehicle. The long haired girl stared at her leader, fear eteched on her features as Azusa tugged hard on her arm.

"Ayumi-chan, come on!"

The words seemed to snap the blue eyed gunner from her frozen nature as her limbs found their use. Shakily, Ayumi struggled past the controls of her station and started to make her way outside of the Lee. Her body shook with apprehension with each step. It seemed that every muscle was locked, and it took effort just to make it out of the tank. The ebony haired girl cried out as her body sunk into the grass, refusing to move any farther. Her heart seemed to beat faster with each passing instant as her ears felt like drums were pounding away. To the right, Yuuki's voice could be heard as she cried out to her friends. Ayumi wanted to follow, wanted to rise up and be with her friends, but fear wracked every fiber of her being into submission. The young girls lips mashed together as she tried to say something, anything to her team. It was then however, that the side of the Lee where the rest of the girls were seemed to glow bright orange.

And in an instant, the smell of napalm and cries of anguish assaulted her senses all at once. Ayumi's mouth opened wide as the sight filled her vision. With death surrounding the young gunner, her mind brought her to a single conclusion.

She screamed.

Her lungs burst open as she screamed even louder, her legs finding feeling once again to get moving. Ayumi covered her face with her hands as she bolted away from the tank, away from the horror. Only one thing was on her mind. She had to get away.

There was no plan for escape, no strategy. Whatever critical thinking she had left was gone at the sight by the Lee. All she could do was run and get away from this dream...no...this nightmare. The woods flew by the gunner as her vision blurred with tears. Trees and bushes blurred into one horrific montage as her head was filled with the sounds of her friends cries. Ayumi's heart beat faster with each step deeper into the forest. At last, her foot jammed hard into something protruding from the earth, and with a shriek she tumbled over. The boggy grass slanted downward as the terrified girl slid for only god knows how long. Her journey ended with a crash into a fallen log; blue eyes squeezed shut in pain as she felt a knee slam into a rock. For a few moments, she lay still save for the occasional ragged breath. Eventually, the bruise and battered gunner struggled to rise, only to collapse once more as a sharp pain flared up her right leg. Another attempt to rise only ended in failure, and the injured girl settled on laying against the fallen log that seemed to dwarf her. The girls dark hair, once beautifully kept down to the small of her back was now matted against the cold wood. Chills rang through the gunners body as sunlight barely peaked through the foliage.

This isn't...Azusa...Saki...Yuuki...Karina...Aya...

The thoughts of her friends fates caused another wave of tears to come out. The fear of unknown was great within her. So desperately did she want to go back and see, but her body refused to command as more pain rippled up her leg. Ayumi sobbed once more; she was helpless, unable to do anything in her current state. Time seemed to stand still as the young gunner shuddered. What was to be her fate now? Even she did not know, such was the maelstrom of emotions that ran through her. So caught up in her thoughts that the sounds of the forest merged into a incoherent ambiance. It wasn't until a twig snapped to her side that the young girl's heart froze with terror as she sensed a presence.

Someone was next to her.

Slowly, her eyes turned to the left to look at the interloper. Only a glance confirmed her worst fears. The intruder was male, in an olive drab and green colored uniform. Her school had no boys, and the club had no infantry with their tanks. The sight of the intruders wooden rifle made her realize one thing. He was the enemy...and he was here to kill her.

The gunner let out another soft cry as all thoughts of resistance faded with the dwindling sunlight. She was spent, both in body and spirit. Despondency crept up as thoughts of her own mortality took hold. Ayumi choked another sob out as her head turned away from the interloper. She didn't want to look at him...there was no strength to confront her would be killer anymore. Her eyes closed as her body tensed with fear and anticipation. The torment of her impending demise proved too much for her bladder, and soon she felt her lower half become warm and wet. It would be over soon; maybe she could hear the crack of the rifle before the world turned black. Maybe...she will see her friends on the other side. With each passing second the knot in her stomach grew with intensity. What was he waiting for? Did he enjoy drawing her fate out? The young girl's thought raced into darker territory as time passed. Finally, another cracking sound caused her to tense as she awaited her fate.

A few moments passed...strangely she felt alive and still in this world. The sound of footsteps filled her ears that seemed to draw closer. Finally, they stopped as a foreboding silence seemed to replace the natural sounds of the woods. The girl swallowed hard and opened her eyes one by one. Her breathing ragged as blurry eyes struggled to clear up.

The interloper was staring back at her.

He was foreign, that much was certain. His red hair stood as it poked out from underneath the green helmet that topped off the uniform. The girls blue eyes locked on the figure, and for a moment all was quiet. To Ayumi, the interloper seemed to tower over her as he stood, rifle by his side. Yet...after another pause, the weapon lowered to the ground as he knelt in front of her. With whimpers emanating from her throat, the gunner looked at the man's face. What she saw shocked her to the core. He could not have been much older than her, maybe a year by school standards. The face that stared back at her didn't hold the look of a cold hardened killer, but a fragile young man. Green eyes filled with worry and sadness as he gazed upon her features. The gunner let out a small gasp as one of his hands slowly touched her shoulder. As he called out to her, his voice was shaky and filled with apprehension.

"H..hey.."

The break in silence snapped her back into reality as the days events hit her all at once. Once again, her thoughts drifted to her friends. Once again, the young girls heart opened up to all of her sorrow. The tears started to flow with no end in sight as Ayumi wracked her body with repeated sobs. As she cried, her body soon become enveloped by a pair of arms. It took her tortured mind to realize that the soldier was embracing her. Soon, she heard a second set of crying which only further her own wave of sorrow. A pair of hand strongly yet gently stroked the gunners hair as she wrapped her arms around the soldiers neck. All the while, the young man repeated the same words as his voice cracked with regret.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry."

A small part of the gunners mind wondered why the enemy was apologizing. Her heart though pushed those doubts to the side as she tightened her embrace. For what seemed like an eternity, both tanker and soldier held each as their bottled emotions let out. Time slowed down as the two embraced each other harder. The sunlight that filtered through the canopy of the forest seemed to dim with the setting of the sun. Finally, the soldier began to stir as he pulled away enough to look at the gunner's face. The young girl stared back at him with bloodshot eyes. Her body felt spent as the days exhaustion caught up to her. The pain on her leg flared up as she tried to place pressure onto her ankle. The soldier quickly returned his embrace with one arm while slinging his rifle over the opposite shoulder. With as much gentleness as he could muster, the young man slipped his free arm under the gunners knees. It took Ayumi a second to realize what was happening before she wrapped her arms around the soldier's neck. The young man grunted as he hauled the first year student off the ground, but he managed to keep her level with is chest during the rise. The Oorai girl gave out a small cry as her wounded ankle shifted from the movement; the soldiers reaction was to tighten his hold upon her for safety. After a moment, he started to climb the small hill where she had fallen during the panicked flight. Where he would take her, the young gunner did not know. She only prayed her nightmare would end soon as her eyelids felt heavy. With one last choked sob, Ayumi felt her body still itself into unconsciousness as the world turned dark around her.

For awhile, she vaguely felt her captors journey as the sound of footsteps echoed within the recesses of her mind. Time lost all meaning as her senses were dulled by exhaustion. At a few points, outside voices rose her slightly from the fitful slumber, but they only served to frighten the gunner more. She shivered at the thought of being passed to someone else from Saunders, someone who had no qualms with killing an unarmed opponent. Those fears never materialized into an actual threat thankfully. Soon, the first year moaned as she felt herself being placed onto a soft surface. After a moment's hesitation, she opened her eyes to see a sky of beige. It took a few moments for her to register the surroundings as a tent; another moment of listening to nearby moans was needed to realize it was an aid station. The young gunner looked to her left and right to see other young girls with various injuries laid out on multiple cots. Panic rose within her as the sight of Saunders uniforms were apparent, yet as she began to cry out a soft hand touched her own. Soft words began to flow down to her as she looked to her side at the newcomer.

"Shhh...it's alright. Your safe...no one will harm you."

The figure was an older woman in a nurses outfit of some kind, her face slightly wrinkled yet full of kindness. As Ayumi looked, she noticed the soldier who had found her in the forest off to the side. His face was ashen with worry and dread, yet he managed a small smile before he started to move out of the tent. The gunner softly cried as she reached out from her bed.

"Please...don't leave me!"

The soldier stopped, and turned back at the sound of her quivering voice. There seemed to be an inner conflict brewing with the young man before another figure stepped into the confines. Dressed in a similar uniform, the mans older appearance and stripes indicated to the movie lover that he was the soldiers superior. The older one made a move to bring her savior out into the open, but paused as he watched the young gunner. As he did, his face morphed from a hardened leader to an understanding one. No words were spoken as he gently squeezed the young mans shoulder and nodded slowly. The younger soldier gave a brief moment of thanks before he walked back to Ayumi's cot and knelt beside her. Slowly, he grabbed one of her hands and rubbed it between his own. She gave a faint smile at the gesture before her eyes watered again. She missed her friends, and hadn't a clue as to whether they were alive or dead. She hoped to god that they had lived, but in her state finding out was not an option. The soldier seemed to catch her quivering lip for he leaned down to give the long haired girl a small kiss atop her forehead. Ayumi seemed to shift closer to him like a security blanket, relief and worry overwhelming her body as darkness gathered around her. Soon, her breathing slowed down as her eyelids once again became heavy. As exhaustion and her saviors warmth lulled her into a deep sleep, one thought could not escape.

She had survived this day, but who was to say the next one was guaranteed?

*Authors Note: It has been awhile since I've submitted work under this account. I must admit, my motivation to write varies with my mood and current environment. During the winter, I stumbled across a Doujinshi about Girls Und Panzer created by Takotsuboya. It was very controversial on TV Tropes, justifiably so. I finished reading it angry and upset. This work that I will attempt to create is more my thoughts about what happened than a true original story. While the setting and tone is inspired by this Doujinshi, there will be changes. I will push forward to create more work, and hopefully revitalize Destroyerboys now that I am getting back into anime with Girls Und Panzer. This work will be dark, but I try to shy away from graphic content for the sake of shock value. This work may generate emotions from the reader or not, it will be up to them. Take care everyone.*