Chapter 3 – Reunited in battle
Toshiro woke up with a strange taste in his mouth, a lascivious smell in his nose, which he somehow remembered from somewhere, and the feeling of his skull being squeezed. After opening his eyes, he realized that his mouth and nose were presses against Shirley's panties, and her thighs were wrapped around his head.
"What the fuck… Can't she sleep in a normal position with me around?!"
"How could I know…? But you should be grateful to her; this is as far as you will get in her proverbial pants for the rest of your life. And stop sniffing her crotch, damn you!"
"Okay, okay… What's the time?"
"0530, you are improving…"
He pushed her gently to the side, and found that Francesca was clutching his feet just as yesterday.
One wants me to die of erotic asphyxiation; the other has a hidden foot fetish…
Toshiro slowly crawled out of the bed, dressed himself in the short-sleeved Luftwaffe uniform, and went for his morning jog. This time, he picked to do laps on the runway, for old times' sake.
Today, he managed to run even more than yesterday.
"You were right, Yuki, I do regain my stamina slowly…"
"Told you…"
He returned to the girls, and tried to think up a way he could wake them up without causing unnecessary collateral damage, so he simply walked up to Shirley and started shaking her.
"Waaa… Hrrrrrr… Waaaah…" She mumbled and opened her eyes slowly. "Oh, hi… Is it morning already?"
"Yup. Wake up the sleeping cat princess and come on for a breakfast…"
"You look a tad grumpy today, Toshiro… Is it because of the girls coming? I suppose it was a bit better with just the three of us here…"
"Nah… It's just that you assume REALLY weird positions when you sleep in one bed with me…"
"W-what do you mean by weird?" She asked slightly frightened.
"Well, yesterday you gave me a compress of boobs, applied straight to my face…"
"Oh, heh…"
"But today you topped yourself… When I woke up, I was between your thighs, with my nose in your crotch…"
Shirley's face reddened with unbelievable speed and intensity, and her jaw dropped wide open.
"I… Did… What?"
"You heard me… Not that I blame you, but… you know, if someone somehow came in… Thankfully we'll be in separate rooms from tomorrow."
"Heh… Heheh… Yeah… Separate rooms…" She put on a gloom look. "I'll miss sleeping with you, Toshiro…"
"Sorry, Shirley, Yoshika is more important to me… But we are still best friends, right?" He said giving her a nudge in her arm.
"Hah, yeah, we will be friends until the end of days." She said while returning the nudge. "Time to wake up Lucchini… Any ideas on how to do it?"
"Try groping her non-existent boobs, I have a feeling it will work…"
"Worth a try…"
She placed her hands on Francesca's chest, and started 'massaging' it. At first, the sleeping cat would purr, but then suddenly she opened her eyes, started running around like mad and ended up on the top of the closet.
"What the hell was that?!" She asked angrily.
"A good way to wake you up, hahahah!" Shirley cheered aloud.
"Oh pfffff!" Francesca puffed her cheeks. "I'm not leaving this closet!"
"Meh, stay there…" Shirley shrugged. "All alone… In a big, decrepit castle… Where nobody will hear your cries for help… Who knows if there aren't zombies or ghosts here… Right, Toshiro?" Shirley asked with a serious voice.
"Yeah… These castles can have these things… But as you wish… We'll come to you in the evening, when it's dark and creepy…"
"Waaaaaah! Okay, I'm coming down, I'm coming! Just please don't leave me!" She jumped down on Toshiro.
"Good girl." He patted her on the head. "Now let's eat something."
After eating breakfast, Shirley had an idea "Let's go to the beach!"
"Ooooh! I want to swim in the sea with the fishies!"
"Good idea. But we'll take the radio just in case."
They went into Toshiro's room, where the girls had their duffle bags.
"Uhhh… I know we did bathe yesterday and all… But could you leave us now, Toshiro?" Shirley said shyly.
"If you wish… But wait a second."
Toshiro pulled out his gray trunks out of the chest, and changed into them in a blink of an eye.
"I'll be waiting for you two at the southeast exit."
"Okay! Now shoo!" Shirley said.
He went to the war room, where he left the radio, and down the stairs and too the southeast exit of the castle. Toshiro didn't have to wait too long, because it took the girls only five minutes to get down.
Shirley had a dark blue bikini with yellow cords and a small bow in the front and a white bunny decal on the left. Francesca had a light green bikini with a white stripe on the top of the panties, and both the upper and lower part of the bra, which was hanging down on a single strap down from the neck.
"Hmmm, even better beachwear than last time… You have good taste you two!"
"But you have the same trunks as back then…"
"Hey, I had other things to do then to think about what I should wear to the beach… Besides, these are functional and practical! Made in Karlsland!"
"Heheh… You are really getting into the role of a Karlslander… Just don't start emulating Barkhorn, or I'll flip a lid…"
"A true soldier of Karlsland never bitches on what equipment he gets, he just gets the job done!"
"Please no!" Shirley shouted.
"A true soldier of Karlsland never stops until told so by his superiors!" Toshiro continued mocking Shirley.
"Oh can it…"
"Yeah, okay… We'll have enough Trude for gods know how much more time…"
As they were wandering through the small bridge connecting the main island, on which the castle was and the small island on which the beach was situated, Shirley asked a question.
"Actually, we won't be able to bathe in the sea today, right, Toshiro?"
"Well, I think so… The air itself is a bit stingy, so the water must be freezing…"
"Awwwww… I won't be able to see the fishies underwater…" Francesca sighed.
"Don't worry, I can remedy that… Follow me!" He accelerated to a jog speed. "Anyways, are you anticipating Yoshika, Francesca?"
"Well… She might bring some food… Oh right! Yoshika's cooking! I miss it!" She started singing. "Food! Food! Supplies! Supplies! Fuso rice! Steamy fresh rice! Carpaccio! Made with octopus!"
"Urgh… Not octopus…" Shirley said with visible disgust.
"But octopus is delicious!" Francesca cheered.
"I don't know how you can eat it… It's so squirmy…" Shirley continued with her face getting greener.
"Squirmy, sticky, stretchy! So fun and tasty!"
"Yuh… I'll take your word for it…"
"Don't worry, Shirley. I'll make you takoyaki… Or Yoshika will, maybe that will be better…" Toshiro said.
"Wuzzat?" Shirley asked.
"Diced octopus fried with some other stuff and formed into ball shape. Really delicious, Mio treated me to some, heheh…"
"Fried octopus doesn't seem that bad…"
They arrived at the small beach, which also had a small cliff, ideal for diving. The sand was nice and dry, resembling that which the three felt under their feet for over a month under Tobruk.
"Nice beach we have here…" Shirley said. "So, Toshiro, how do you want to make Lucchini survive in that cold water?"
"The same way I dried her clothes."
"Well, never thought of that… Have you tried that before?"
"How?"
"Oh, right…"
"I wanna try!" Francesca cheered.
"Sure, but first some rules. You have to always maintain physical contact with me, even one finger is enough. When I pull your hand once, you look at me, and when I do it twice, we surface immediately. You pull my hand once and point the direction at which you want to swim, but if you pull it twice rapidly, we surface."
"Okay, now come on already!"
"One more thing… Your lung capacity?"
"Hmmm… I think I can go at least for two minutes."
"Okay, two minutes it is."
They went on to the cliff. Toshiro grabbed Francesca's right hand, pulled it up and started counting "Okay, one… two… three!"
They jumped into the water heads down. Just before they hit the surface, Toshiro enabled the Heat Aura over both of them.
The view underwater was spectacular, with various fish species swimming around either single or in swarms. He felt a tug on his arm, and looked to Francesca. She pointed out to one of the fish swarms. They swam up to it, and the fish dispersed immediately. From what Toshiro could tell those were anchovies.
Suddenly Toshiro heard some static in his transponder.
What's happening? The transponders are waterproof…
He pulled Francesca's arm once. She looked at him, and he made a swirling gesture near his left ear. She shook her head 'negative'. Toshiro pulled her arm twice and they started surfacing. He looked around and saw Shirley listening to the radio with a gloom face.
"It's Sakamoto's plane, it's under attack a hundred kilometers south of the coast!"
"Yoshika! Fuck, Shirley, Francesca, let's go!"
"Roger that!" Shirley shouted.
"Weee, action!"
They ran like the wind into the hangar, not bothering about their clothing. Shirley took her BAR, Francesca took her SAFAT MG, and Toshiro took nothing besides the FFG.
"Toshiro, going barehanded?" Shirley asked.
"I got a sword, remember?"
"Oh, right… Then let's go!"
They jumped into their Strikers, and with the sound like a rolling thunder, they started.
Toshiro didn't pull any punches, he pushed his Striker to the limit. Then he heard Shirley's voice in the transponder.
"Go slower, we can't keep up!"
"No time!"
After a few minutes, they saw a small armada of battleships going in their direction, and an airboat fending off a trilobite shaped Neuroi.
It's them! That's a Kawanishi H8K airboat!
Toshiro summoned his sword, and rushed to help. Or so he thought.
"Huh... What gives? Aganaimaru? Where's my sword when I need it?! Yuki, what the fuck is going on?!"
"I don't know… I really don't… I'll ask the goddess, hold tight!"
He saw a figure buzzing around the Neuroi and firing an MG.
That must be Yoshika, but why is she doing this alone?!
Then a figure appeared on the top of the airboat. An aura of blue magic enveloped it.
That magic signature… Mio! And she's only in a white tank top and panties…
"MIO!" Toshiro shouted from the top of his lungs.
Mio turned her head to him, waved and also shouted "TOSHIRO! Don't you dare interfere now! This is my moment!"
What does she… Is that a sword on her back? She's unsheathing it… That amount of magic she's pouring into it… Did she learn…
"But what can you do against that Neuroi?!"
"There's nothing a witch can't do!"
The Neuroi before her started to charge up, and then Mio lunged forward from the plane, right before the attack.
"MIO!"
The Neuroi fired, but the beam stopped on Mio's blade, and what was surprising, it spilt, and Mio started cutting down right through it.
"Sudden Death!" She shouted, as she was getting closer to the Neuroi itself. "REPPUZAN!"
The beam was finally split completely, and Mio rammed through the Neuroi with full speed. She came out on its bottom, just as it started to decompose into white flakes.
Amazing… She learned the Reppuzan! Atta girl! Whoa shit, she's falling down!
Toshiro rushed to the falling Mio, but she was caught by the brown haired girl that was destined to be his lover, Yoshika Miyafuji.
He flew up to them, barely containing himself.
"Oh, hey, Toshiro. So you saw my new sword, Reppumaru, do you think it's a good…"
"Sorry, Mio, but shut up for a second."
He took her from Yoshika's arms, threw her under his right arm and embrace Yoshika with one hand.
"Toshiro…"
"Yoshika… I missed you…"
He shot his lips forward to Yoshika's lips. He felt their intense warmth as they connected. At first, Yoshika got tense, but she eased up, and embraced him in return, digging her fingernails in his back.
"Uhm, I don't want to interrupt you two love birds but… Miyafuji, attention!"
"Yes ma'am!" She immediately separated from Toshiro and attained a straight position.
"That's better… So, Toshiro, how did you get here?"
"I was housewarming the base in Pescara with Shirley and Francesca."
"Well, that would explain it…" She activated her transponder. "Land the airboat, we need a breather."
After a minute, the airboat landed on the water, and the three landed on top of it.
"Thanks for the lift, Toshiro." Mio said and approached to the opened loading bay on the roof. "Can anyone throw me my uniform?"
"Yes, Major!"
Mio's uniform showed up in the air, and she nabbed it.
"Miyafuji, take my sword."
"Yes ma'am!"
While Mio was putting on the uniform, she said, "I have an uneasy feeling about this…"
"Huh?" Yoshika said.
"It was way too easy, even given the fact that I used my Reppuzan…"
"You are just feel that way because you're so strong now." Yoshika said cheerfully.
"I hope that that's the case…" Mio responded.
Something is not right… The flakes are slowing down…
"Mio!" Toshiro shouted.
"I see! Something's not right!"
The flakes suddenly started flying back up into the air.
"M-Miss Sakamoto!" Yoshika gasped.
Mio's face showed true surprise mixed with fear.
"The Neuroi is regenerating!" She said.
The flakes flew up and gathered into one point of violet colored energy. The Neuroi started slowly rebuilding itself, starting from the top.
Mio flipped her eye patch and studied the rebuilding Neuroi.
"This can't be… The core is still alive! Toshiro, summon that sword of yours and fling a Rending Gale at the top of the Neuroi."
Toshiro opened his palm and focused, but he only saw a charge of static electricity.
"I can't… I somehow can't…"
"What do you mean you can't?!"
"I… I don't know…"
"Ugh… Miyafuji, you take it on."
"Yes ma'am!"
"Mio…"
"Don't give me that look, Toshiro… You are the one that didn't bring any guns with you…"
"Fine…"
Yoshika flew up and started shooting wildly, but the Neuroi was still regenerating. Mio flipped her eye patch once again and gasped.
"Aha! So that's how it works!"
"What do you see, Mio?" Toshiro asked.
"Miyafuji! The core is moving!"
Nice way to ignore me…
"It's moving to he left! And to the right! It's in the center again!"
The poor Yoshika veered over the Neuroi clueless, shooting all over it, as the Neuroi was regenerating even further. Mio was looking at the battle with a tense face.
"Miyafuji! The core is moving right before the bullets hit. We need to launch multiple rounds at once!"
And how can she do that, huh?
"Multiple rounds at once?" Yoshika asked over the transponder.
"You can't do it by yourself! Hold on, I'll join you!" Mio shouted and turned her attention to the inside of the plane. "How's the Shiden-Kai coming?"
"I need five more minutes." A male voice was heard.
"All I need it to do is fly. You have three minutes!"
A beam was suddenly shot at them, but Yoshika flew before it and deployed a shield. The beam hit her shield hard, but she managed to withhold the force of the impact.
"Miyafuji is at her limit… She'll pass out soon… Toshiro, help her."
"At least I can do that…"
He started his engines and flew up to Yoshika, who was breathing heavily.
"Milady calethst?
"Huh?"
"I'll just do what I can do best, amp your magic that is."
He placed flied behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, and the shield doubled its circumference.
"Toshiro, help me overpower this beam! Full speed ahead!"
"Whatever…" Toshiro said with an indifferent voice.
Toshiro revved up his Striker's engines with a deafening roar and they started pushing back the beam. When they were only a few meters apart from the Neuroi, Yoshika shouted, "Okay, let me go!"
He let her go, and she flew over the Neuroi, which still fired the continuous beam at her. He flew after her, and saw as she fired continuously, and she eventually exposed the core.
"I see it!" She shouted and fired another barrage of bullets, but the core hid itself again.
Then, out of nowhere, a large beam was formed and was shot at Yoshika. She barely put up her shield, and she was slung back with great force.
"YOSHIKA!" Toshiro shouted in rage. "YOU MOTHERFUCKING NEUROI!"
Blinded by pure and uncontrolled rage, he flew down on the Neuroi. Enabling the Sacred Flame, he gathered all his magic in his right fist.
SEKAI BUNRETSU!
He shouted and rammed his fist against the Neuroi. The massive energy of the punch split the Neuroi in half.
Toshiro was breathing heavily over the split Neuroi.
What am I doing…? Why am I attacking the Neuroi instead of helping… Yoshika!
He enabled the Hebigan, and found Yoshika falling down with a slight rotation. He immediately dived down and caught her midair.
"Toshiro… I'm tired…"
"I know… But look, I split that bastard in… fuck…"
He looked up and the Neuroi was whole again. But suddenly, he heard a familiar gunshot sound from afar, and the Neuroi was pierced with great force.
"Yoo-hoo!" Shirley shouted from behind and flew past them.
"Shirley!" Yoshika suddenly livened up.
As Shirley shot of her BAR at the Neuroi, Lucchini slowly floated by.
"Ciao, Yoshika!"
"Oh, Lucchini!"
"See, Yoshika? We've scored only direct hits!"
A Neuroi beam was fired at them, but they dodged it.
"Toshiro, you can let me go, I can fight on my own."
"So the sight of your friends was enough to give you a boost, huh?"
"Heheh… Yes…"
"Fine by me. I'll retreat to Mio."
Toshiro flew back to the airboat, and stood by Mio.
"You think what I'm thinking, Toshiro?"
"Oh yes… The 501st is reunited yet again!"
"Hah! By the way… What the hell was that punch of yours?"
"Oh, that? I also learned melee techniques and martial arts back there. Didn't I tell you?"
"No!"
"Heh, sorry…"
He saw as Shirley was shooting at the Neuroi, but to no avail. And yet another time, he heard the distinct sound of a Boys AT rifle being fired from long distance, and yet again the Neuroi was hit hard. After that, Lynne suddenly showed up and flew up to Yoshika. Even from this distance, Toshiro could see that the both were simply overjoyed. Shortly afterwards, Miss Fussy AKA Perrine Clostermann came in. Only a few seconds afterwards, a barrage of rockets slugged the Neuroi, and Eila with Sanya could be seen approaching the fray. Sanya fired another barrage, and Eila dived in between them with and shot a burst from her MG 42 with deadly precision.
"How much more?!" Mio yelled at the mechanic working at a Striker.
"One minute!"
Then, he saw them. The Karlsland Trio was approaching in formation from the northwest.
"It's them!" Mio shouted.
With a precise fly over they started peppering the Neuroi with bullets from their MG's.
"Everyone, formation Caesar!" Minna shouted through the transponder.
"Roger!" Every witch in the air responded, and soon they joined into a formation triangular formation of three Schwarme and Yoshika in the back.
"Major, Shiden-Kai ready for flight!" The engineer shouted.
"Finally!" Mio said and jumped in into her Striker.
"Engine output normal!" The engineer said.
"Mio Sakamoto, heading into battle!" She shouted, and the lift started raising.
"Give 'em hell, Mio, for both of us!" Toshiro shouted excited.
"Oh I will!"
She flew up, and started with a bang.
Toshiro saw as the battle unfolded. The girls, commanded by Minna, were attacking the Neuroi with their special attacks. The first one to do so was Lucchini, scratching the side of the Neuroi in a ramming attack. Then, Perrine was surrounded by lightning, flew up with a blinding speed to the Neuroi and discharged an immense lightning attack on the whole Neuroi. After Lynne fired another shot from her rifle, the enemy veered off to the right, but it was struck by a full side load of Fliegerhammer rockets. To add insult to injury, Erica cut a big hole in the Neuroi with her Sturm attack. After a wild akimbo barrage, Trude flipped her MG's and pounded the Neuroi as if they were clubs.
Then, Mio rushed in, dodging beam by beam, getting ever so closer to the Neuroi. The Neuroi probably got pissed, and charged an immense beam. Mio obviously didn't give a single fuck, since she just cut through the beam. Her sword shimmered and fully powered Reppuzan magic flame appeared.
REPPUZAN!
Toshiro could hear Mio's shout clearly, although he was about a kilometer away from the battle. She ripped through the Neuroi, and it exploded the second time today, this time for good.
Well, I'll be damned… Good job, Mio. Time to show myself.
Toshiro started, and rushed to the girls with supersonic speed. He stopped a good hundred meters before the cheering girls.
"Hey, sup girls?" Toshiro said.
All their eyes fixed on him.
Yoshika, Perinne and Lynne were the first to fly to him.
"Toshiro, did you see that?!" Yoshika shouted excited.
"Yup. I can also do something like that… Or at least I could…"
"Hey, have some manners and greet me properly!" Perrine pouted.
"Good morning, your Grace." Toshiro's words seeped with sarcasm.
"Ah, good morning, Graf von Edelweiss." Perrine wasn't pulling punches either.
"Heheheh…" Toshiro laughed.
"Hi, Toshiro… Nice to see you again."
"Likewise, Lynne."
The next to approach were the ephemeral Sanya and self-confident Eila.
"I knew it! My cards never lie! You are alive you son of a bitch! And that hair…. Mmmmmhmhhhmm… I like!" Eila shouted on about.
"Good to see you alive too, Eila."
"Hi, Toshiro… Nice to see you alive… I was worried…"
"I appreciate it, Sanya."
The three from Karlsland flew close to Toshiro. From this distance, he could see that they had tears in their eyes. Instead of a usual greeting, they did something unexpected.
Minna flew in first, slapped him on the right cheek and shouted "Stupid!"
Erica flew in second, slapped him on the left cheek and shouted "Moron!"
Lastly, Trude flew in, sent him a haymaker in the stomach, and shouted "IDIOT!"
"Nice… too… see… you…too…you…three…" Toshiro managed to say through the pain.
The three suddenly hugged him.
"Don't you EVER do anything like that!" Minna shouted.
"Never, ever, niemals (never)! Hörst du mich, Bruder (Do you hear me, brother)?!" Erica added.
"Or I will personally gut you!" Trude finished.
I knew that they were soft on the inside, but such a contrast… They must have cried a river because of me…
"So, Toshiro, what's your story now?" Minna asked.
"Later, Minna. I believe we have to escort that bird, right?"
"Toshiro is right; we have to escort the airboat to the dock at our new base. I'll fly back and radio for some help."
Shirley gave slight gestures to Shirley and Francesca, so they should approach him, which they did.
"Don't tell anything about what happened in Africa and in the past days, okay?"
"Want to make a bigger bang?" Shirley asked with a wry smile.
"Heh, yeah. And I just want to explain everything in peace and at one time."
"Okay, will do. Right, Lucchini?"
"Yup!"
"Hey, what are you three whispering about?" Erica suddenly appeared amongst them.
"We're plotting on how put an embargo on the acquiring of sweets in the base." Toshiro answered.
Erica made big eyes, and slowly backing out she said "Forget I asked…"
Toshiro flew up to Yoshika.
"So, how was the past month and a half, you little rebel?"
"I was lonely without you… Well, Micchan and Miss Sakamoto cheered me up frequently, but it wasn't the same… I'm so happy you're back with me!"
"Likewise, Yoshika. Come, let's go back to our new home."
The whole squadron flew to the base, escorting the airboat. They saw the Romagnan soldiers waiting for them already at the dock, ready to unload the airboat.
"Quick…" Toshiro muttered to himself.
"There's a garrison just nearby." Minna said. "But you don't have to know that…"
"But I know the nearby town already, they make delicious pizza there!"
"So you have been here some time?"
"Only two nights. But I'll leave the details for another conversation."
"I hope you'll explain that hairdo of yours… And those red eyes…"
"That too."
He heard the shout of Mio "Hey, Toshiro!" She flew up to him and started talking.
"So, I named my sword Reppumaru."
"And?"
"Nice name, huh? It took me half a day to think up!"
"Perfect Gale?"
"I actually never thought of it that way… Anyway, I made it myself!"
"Commendable effort, Mio. Can I have a look?"
"Later. Besides, you have a sword already… Or do you?"
"Yuki told me she'll ask the goddess, but she didn't give me info yet…"
"Well, maybe it's for the better? You flinging Reppuzans and Rending Gale's like mad would be deteriorating for the morale of the more combat savvy witches, don't you think?"
"A different point of view than mine, but intriguing… But I hope you won't have to take back those words…"
If you want an alternate beginning for TSoR, go and find The Star of Romagna – Yoshika's Resolve in my profile!
And if you want to praise/rant about my story, please leave a signed review, so we can continue via PM's. Seriously, I don't bite. Unless provoked :]