Alright, now's the moment you've all been waiting for...I'm proud to say this, so here goes: welcome one and all to the last chapter in "Strike Heroes".
Now, to kick things off, I'd thought I change it up a little. This time, I won't be responding to the reviews before the story. Instead, I'll do that after the chapter along with the plans for the future. I thought that this would work out because this means that you, the readers, can jump right into the action of finishing this story.
So without further ado, let's watch as the epilogue rolls onto the page...
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Epilogue: A New Question Forms...
Dear Letter,
Well, it's been close to six long months since I last saw the girls that formed the Strike Witches, but luckily they were still keeping in touch with me. Well, at least when they could.
As far as I knew, the Karlsland Witches decided to take some time off after I left to enjoy themselves for a while. They took some pictures along the way and decided to send them to me. One of them caught my eyes: it was a picture of them outside, I guess while they were camping or something. Minna had gotten the idea of using a small can of food (I couldn't see what the label said or even what it was) like a sort of microphone and was probably singing or something. Erica and Gertrud were sitting on a log as they were watching the commander.
Of course, they hadn't completely forgotten about me: Gertrud and Erica came by the base I was staying at sometimes to say hi and to chat about a few things. Discipline, mostly. It was Gertrud we were talking about here. I guess Minna would have come as well, but with her position it was going to be rather...hard.
I guess Lynette and Perrine were next: they both decided to help out with the effort to re-establish a presence in Gallia. I was not really surprised, though. I mean, Britannia and Gallia were very close to each other, so that meant that the two of them could meet up more often than the rest of us. Anyways, Lynette kept me updated on their progress via letters. It seemed that re-establishment plans were going rather smoothly...well, except for the fact that everyone needed to figure out which government was the right one. Other than that, it wasn't too bad.
As for Charlotte and Francesca...I received a letter from them explaining that they were planning on going into Africa for a while. Apparently the Liberion speedster and her young sidekick had wanted to go there for a while. This was about three months ago, so I wasn't too sure how they were doing nowadays.
Now I could tell you about Eila and Sanya: while they couldn't find the Orussian Witch's family yet, they were comfortable in Suomos. Though I really wished I could meet her father.
...You know, maybe now's not the best time to think about family...
Anyways, Mio and Yoshika were also doing fine: apparently, Mio had been able to send some of her graduating Witch recruits so that I could train them further or something. I wasn't sure...I mean, if they graduated from that academy she was teaching at, why send them to me?
As for Yoshika...the little Fuso Witch had been helping her mother and grandmother around the family clinic according to the letter she had sent me just last month. In it, she had said something about finishing school, and she was also asking how I was. So I fired off a quick letter telling her that I was fine and that I was hard at work with the job I was offered.
Oh right...maybe I should explain that in some more detail...
Inside the dining hall, it felt like it was rather...gloomy. I mean, it was rather...silent. Like someone had died.
"Um..." I said as I sat between Minna and Gertrud, a plate holding scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast, and two strips of bacon sitting in front of me. "Why does it feel so...gloomy? I mean, we should be proud of ourselves: we've liberated Gallia without losing anyone. So why the long faces?"
"We were just thinking, that's all," Charlotte decided top tell me first. "Miyafuji I could understand being dishonorably discharged, but you?"
Yeah...even with everything that happened to us (what with Maloney's plans and all...), Yoshika and I were still dishonorably discharged. At least, I think that's the term they used. I prefer to think of it as "being let go" or something. "At least I didn't have worse happen to me."
"It doesn't feel right. We all should receive congratulations for what we did. None of us should have been punished."
"I understand, but it was what they thought was fit for us. From my understanding, treason would have gotten us killed. Hell, I'm wondering what'll happen to Maloney."
It was silent again for a few more minutes before Perrine decided to say something.
"Lieutenant..." she started. "I mean, Roland...where will you go now?"
"I'm not too sure right now." I replied as I scratched the back of my head. "Maybe I'll find somewhere to live in Liberion..."
"Well, if you want you can stay with my family."
"Perrine?" Why was she saying that I could stay with her family? And where were they anyways? Wait, forget that: who were they?
"I'm not sure if that would repay you, but I wanted to show my gratitude for you helping to free Gallia...and for staying with us to the end."
I gave off a slight smile. "Perrine..."
"Hang on," Lynette said as she looked at the Gallian Witch. "Roland can stay with my uncle. It's rather peaceful there, so maybe he can take a break from all this."
"Lynne?"
"Well, you could go to Fuso with Miyafuji and stay with her," Mio suggested as she looked at the little Fuso Witch.
"I'm not sure if we have enough accommodations for Roland-kun..." Yoshika said as she blushed slightly.
"Hold on," Perrine interrupted as she stood up. "I don't mind you suggesting that, major, but doesn't it make more sense to keep Roland around here?"
"If you were so interested in providing the lieutenant with housing," Erica told her, "why don't you just let him go back with you to Gallia and help out?"
I raised an eyebrow. Is this going to turn into one of those arguments over what happens to the only male in the room?
"What are you talking about?" Perrine retorted.
"Maybe he could help keep an eye on Chris," Gertrud suggested.
I put my head on the table next to my plate and sighed while listening to the conversation that was growing.
"Roland could come with us back home," Sanya suggested.
"Now you're getting involved, Sanya?" Eila asked her friend.
"You could tag along with us, Roland," Charlotte offered.
"Yeah!" Francesca agreed. "You'd fit right in with us."
I sighed again as my eyes glanced at Minna.
Please Minna...can you stop this madness?
"I think Roland can help the refugees around here," the commander told them.
I instantly brought my face down to the table as I groaned.
...Et tu, Minna?
"Commander Minna as well?" Eila added.
Is there anyone who has a clear head right now?
"I see that you girls are busy trying to offer Roland some ideas for his next stop," a familiar voice said.
"That voice...!" I said as I raised my head and turned to look at the doorway.
Standing there was Air Commodore Adolfine Galland.
"Air commodore," Minna said as she saw who it was.
"Ma'am!" we all said quickly as we saluted.
"I came to this base so that I could see if the lieutenant left already," Adolfine said. "I didn't expect him to still be here, but that makes it a little easier to propose something."
"Propose?" I asked. This better not be about marriage! Last I checked, the guy was usually the one to pop the question. Wait, am I blowing this out of proportion before she even said what she was going to say? "Propose what, ma'am?"
"After all that happened, I think that there are a lot of people who might be worried about the state of our grip on what we have left. We wanted someone who can be a sort of model to show them that we Witches are doing fine. I was personally wondering if you'd like to be a part of that."
"Uh, ma'am? I've been..."
"Don't worry. Your discharge will not be revealed publicly. However, I do realize that you and Miyafuji both had been discharged dishonorably, and while I can't correct it I can at least give you a chance to keep close to your friends."
"Keep close to them?" I looked at each of them. Yeah, I was going to miss them all...but there was something I wanted to do before I left. "I do have one request...when the time comes for the Strike Witches to fight together again, I want Miyafuji and myself to be able to join back up and fight alongside them."
Adolfine nodded. "I understand. I can't make any promises, but one cannot see that far. Besides, why are you making that request?"
"It's something I thought I'd do for everyone. I mean, I never expected them to have to go through all the trouble to keep me safe..." Especially Minna..., I said to myself as I glanced at the commander. Since I first met her in this world, she's been one of the people I've grown close to. But...
But how does she feel about me?
"You don't have to worry about it, Roland," Charlotte told me.
"Exactly," Perrine added. "After all, we look out for each other, right?"
"Look...out for each other?" I asked her. Doesn't that sound like something that would come out of my mouth? Hang on, have I even said it before?
"Don't worry about us, Roland," Minna told me. "In fact, I think we owe you a lot more than you do toward us."
I nodded. "Of course, commander...no, Minna...you know I'm going to miss all of you, right?"
"We'll see each other really soon," Yoshika said. "I just know it."
I gave off a smile. "Alright, Yosh...I believe that we'll all come back together too."
Apparently the commodore thought that it was a good idea for me to be wandering through the countries keeping people's morale up. There were good and bad things concerning that idea: the good thing was that I was visiting cities in Britannia, Liberion, and after a month even Gallia...or at least what's left of it. I don't know, and I don't care. The bad news was that with all those stops, I didn't have a lot of time for seeing the others, especially Perrine and Lynette considering that I was around the area when I got to Britannia and Gallia.
Then again, I was still trying to figure out what my grand purpose was around here.
Why was I sent here? Why was I chosen to hold the Neuroi core? What's with these stupid questions I'm writing on this piece of paper? What's with that question?
Maybe what I need is a break.
Yeah, I do need a break. And not a break from the action: just a break...like going to a park or something...
Anyways, I guess this is the last letter you might be seeing for a while. Who knows if I'll make it to the next crazy thing. Knowing these girls, I've got a lot in store, huh?
Signed, Roland Sage
P.S.: Wonder what Kayley's doing? I just thought about that...
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I stretched as I sat up in bed.
It certainly was strange for me to get up and not have to deal with anyone for a change. Maybe I've really grown attached to those eleven girls...
Wait, there were eleven, right?
Minna, Mio, Gertrud, et cetera, et cetera...
I counted off all my fingers before I arrived at the correct count.
Yep, definitely eleven.
I had somehow fallen asleep on my bed after a long day of rallies and who knew what else. I was inside my normal get-up, as usual.
...What? Can't a guy take a nap in the middle of the day without changing his clothes? Besides, it's not like I had a lot to do.
KNOCK KNOCK.
"Hello?" I said as I got up and stretched my arms over my head as I opened the door to find a little boy with a pencil and a piece of paper.
"Hi," the little boy told me. "Are you Mister Roland Sage?"
"Uh, yeah." I looked at the pencil. "Can I ask what you'd like me to do, young sir?"
"If it's not any trouble...can you give me your autograph?"
I blinked. "Uh, sure."
"Thanks so much, Mister Sage."
"Just call me Roland." I watched as the little boy offered me the piece of paper and the pencil. I grabbed them and placed the paper against the wall on the inside as the pencil entered my right hand. "So what can you tell me about myself?"
"Well, you're one of the few powerful male Witches...you've flown with the Strike Witches..."
"Strike Witches, huh?" To...my...number... "Tell me, what do you want to do when you're all grown up?"
"Well, I want to help the Witches by maintaining their Striker units. My pop does automobile assembly for a living, so he doesn't really know much about it...but I want to be able to help out against the Neuroi by doing what I can. Even if I can't fight alongside the Witches themselves."
"You want to try protecting everyone?" ...one...fan...
"I know I can't be there to protect everyone, but I can try protecting those who matter most. Even the weakest Witch deserves to be saved."
...Roland Sage.
There.
"All set, little guy," I told him as I handed him the piece of paper and the pencil back. "Now, don't lose that. And you take care of yourself, okay?"
"Sure thing. Thanks, Roland."
"No problem."
As I watched the little kid run off (probably to show his friends what he just got), I thought back on what he said.
Even the weakest Witch deserves to be saved.
It sounds like something Yoshika would say...but she wants to protect everyone.
Maybe that's what I was here for. To protect those who matter most.
Which is everyone.
I sighed. No matter what, I was going to be circling back to that response. No getting around it.
I turned around and was about to close the door when I heard the strangest thing.
"YAH!"
CRASH!
"What the-?!" I shouted as I turned around and looked at the person who crashed into the bush next to the door.
...Don't ask me how she avoided taking out the place. Just don't.
"Are you alright, miss?" I asked as I noted that it was a Witch. But why did she look familiar? Let's see...it was after the liberation...could it be...?
"Yeah, I'm fine," the Witch said as she looked up at me. She looked like she was of Karlsland descent or something with the clothes she had on: she was wearing a sage-colored (after I gave the color some thought) military jacket, and she had the ears and tail of a fox (how did I know? Last time I checked, Eila's was a fox as well. Not sure if they were the same species, though...Eila's was black while this one's looked more like Fox McCloud's tail and ears.) as she lied there in the bush. She wore a pair of glasses that were now misaligned on her face, which gave me a little better view of her eye color, which I could describe as being steel-colored (or close to it). Her dark gray hair was also rather messed up, probably from the crash landing she performed. Though it didn't help the fact that I had a clear view of white panties...which brought back the blush from all those times. "I just didn't pay attention at all."
A few minutes later, and she was on her feet, her Striker Unit resting on the ground.
"Are you Roland Sage?" the Witch asked me.
"Uh," I decided to say as I shook my head to clear the blush from my face. Hope she wasn't noticing the blush... "Depends. Who's asking?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Amaki Suwa."
Amaki Suwa? Don't tell me...she's the one that gave Yoshika those...those... "Amaki Suwa, huh? What's the occasion?"
"I had a few letters to give to you."
"A few?"
"Two, really. Here you go." Amaki handed me two letters after she grabbed them from who knew where. "Now, can you tell me where to find Yoshika Miyafuji?"
"Well...you're rather far if you're looking for her. She's in Fuso. I guess the family clinic if I had to guess."
"Ah, right. Well, I've got to get going. It was nice meeting you, Mister Sage."
"Uh, you too?" Why was she looking for Yoshika now? Unless...
I glanced at the envelopes as Amaki went to get back in her Striker Unit. They looked rather normal, and they had the same weight.
"Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke..." I read from one of them. Okay, it was a letter from Minna. Most likely telling me about how life was treating her. I was rather thankful that she wrote to me.
I shifted it behind the second letter as I unconsciously opened it up. Inside, I found a few notes, like they were someone's diagnostics.
But whose?
I read the name at the top.
Roland...Sage...
Roland Sage? Okay, who did the second envelope say this came from?
I looked at the open envelope and found myself nearly dropping the envelope, Minna's letter, and the diagnostics.
Doctor IchirÅ Miyafuji.
I soon found myself saying the one thing I never really thought I'd say since I got here.
"Here we go again..." I said to myself.
Whatever Amaki was taking to Yoshika, I realized that I was going to be put back in the middle of something huge...again.
But what?
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There's the conclusion to "Strike Heroes". I hope that it worked for finishing the story while setting up for the next one. I spent quite a while tangling with the epilogue, and hopefully it paid off.
I guess the first thing I need to do is the announcements: there will be a sequel to this, by (at least I think so) popular demand. This marks two projects I am going to undertake: first Project Himebana, and now...for the sequel we'll call it Project Return.
Anyways, let's move on to the reviews:
SoulBreakerxXx8 (Guest): Thanks for the review. As stated above, the sequel is indeed in the works.
GAT-X105VividPanzer (Guest): Indeed. But it's nice that you liked the story since you started reading it. I hope that you'll continue on and read the sequel when it comes time. The same goes for everyone else who's read this story since the beginning.
chimeraguard: It's not too late to give me your ideas for the pairings, and like I said the first time I just asked out of curiosity. Though the possibilities are starting to get narrower and narrower now. But we'll have to wait and see what route I'll finally choose, so be sure to keep reading when the time comes.
New Universe Returns: I like the idea, but I'm working on how I want to begin it. Regardless of how this epilogue did for setting up the sequel to this one, I have to figure out how I'm going to go about this task. But like I said, that's not a bad idea...I'll have to work the idea around in my head for a while. That, and I need to handle Project Himebana as well, so we'll have to wait and see.
Darkspecter141: As far as your question is concerned, I have already answered your question. I hope to see you in the first chapter of Project Return (working title for now), though.
Dragonman75: Thanks for the review. It's been an honor having you and everyone else be able to read this story and enjoy this. I hope this epilogue is good, and I'll see you in the future.
fuji92: Wow. I am honored to say that you've put in reviews for every chapter in this story thus far, including guest reviews you signed. Heck, I think you were the first one to put in a review for this story. It's hard to imagine that when I first started writing this that someone would have actually stuck around to read it. Then others came in and reviewed it as well, but for some reason I always seemed to expect a review from you at least. I don't know if it's odd to say that, but either way I am truly grateful for you taking the time to read the story. Thank you, and I hope to see you in either the next chapter in Roland's story or the side-stories that will be Project Himebana. Whichever one comes first.
So, for those who reach this point after starting from the beginning...welcome to the world of "Strike Heroes", and I hope to see you all in the future.
Please read and review, and let me know how the epilogue went.
Thanks.