"*sigh* where to begin" John mumbles to himself as the two sit on a wooden bench in the middle of the cemetery. Rorschach lays by John's feet, tucked away and lightly breathing as its sides move in and out with each breath. Barkhorn sits to his right still coming to grips with what is going on, the two don't look at each other for a while, rather they stair straight ahead at the fields in the distance.
"Why? Why didn't you try to make contact? Why didn't you tell us you were alive?" Barkhorn engaged him, her words were somewhat broken from the emotions she was feeling. She was trying to control her gasps for air as her eyes continue to tear up. John positions himself on the bench so he can look directly at her while he speaks.
Barkhorn takes notice of the wounds to his skin. His face is a bit beaten up, a few small scars along his cheeks and one larger one close to his eye. She looks down at the limp sleeve of his jacket, it sits against the bench with nothing inside.
"I would have, you know I would. It's just… let me start at the beginning." John said.
"Yeah… How did you survive?" She asked.
"It wasn't exactly graceful" He chuckled and began to tell of the events that unfolded around the time of his supposed death.
Rocketing through the sky John began to pitch his armor upwards as he and the General began to gain altitude.
"Well General… If you're gonna win. Might as well make it a big finish" John shouted as he reared up and began to fly towards the sky. Reaching down to his side he is able to grip at a handle, opening the small hatch there is another handle that has yellow and black lines on it. He gives it a pull and the back of the armor begins to move. John makes a quick prayer as the armor opens up from behind and he can really feel the heat. He allows himself to fall out of the back, attempting to lessen the severity of the fall by jumping out before he climbs to high. Dropping back first from the armor at a low altitude he doesn't fall for long. He can hear the faint screams of the General who was now fused to the armor, the screams don't last long as he sees the burning light escape upwards out of his sight. The wind around him is deafening but it doesn't last long as he hits the water. With a loud splash he enters the Straight many miles from the nearest beach.
He feels a great amount of pain in his legs but fights to reach the surface and gasp for precious air. It's harder to swim not that he is missing a hand but he manages to keep his head above the water. When he gets a chance to get a couple of breaths in he then lets out a scream of pain. He wades in the endless water, continuing to catch his breath and begin to scream once again, sometimes when he opened him mouth to yell water would splash in and he would begin to choke. After a few moments of this continued action John tries to get ahold of himself.
"Oh… oh god it hurts… Everything hurts. I'm gonna die out here" He says to himself. As he wades in the water he takes into consideration the fact that he is feeling pain in his legs so he knows he isn't paralyzed. As he looks up trying to catch his breath he sees a splash of light from above him. Then there is another bigger flash. John takes a deep breath and dives below the surface of the water, at first it is very dark below the water but then the explosion finally happens above him. The water lights up from above as pieces of debris start to splash into the water with great speed. John sees the trail of bubbles follow these projectile like objects into the water. The pieces of metal move in a straight line before losing speed and spinning out a few feet below the surface.
The water becomes dark once again and John resurfaces. The water has become much more treacherous from the explosion. The waves are harsh as they push the water levels up and down. John feels himself being lifted while directly next to him the water was much lower. He hears the crash of water begin as the liquid he's resting in begins to swell. He is thrown down under the water and immediately starts flailing to get back to the surface. He coughs and chokes attempting to clear the water from his lungs.
John goes back to floating on his back when he sees it's safe. As he floats in the water he sees something floating towards him in. it is a large piece of what appears to be wood, almost like a raft. Seeing this John doesn't hesitate to swim towards it. Trying to kick his legs doesn't work well so he relies mostly on swimming with his left arm. After some struggle John is able to grip the edge of the wood, he struggles and maneuvers his body until he is able to get most of himself onto the makeshift raft. He just lies there on his chest and breaths hard into the wood. His face is pressed against the hard surface and clenches his eyes shut. He was finally able to rest for a moment and used it to take deep breathes. He could feel himself becoming increasingly tired. Before he could succumb to his fatigue John pulled himself higher onto the wood with his one good arm. Once he felt he was safe his eyes began to slowly open and close until they shut completely and John lost consciousness.
The wooden raft that John's body lays upon rocks harshly in the waves, the water washes against his feet that drag under the water. The sun had begun to set over the horizon as the water begins to shine with purple and orange. Reflecting the clouds from above onto the surface below. As the sun draws closer to the water a line of orange splits down the surface. As he floats the water becomes a bit rockier and john starts to stir. Cracking his eyes open he can feel his lips are extremely dry. He feels extremely cold as he begins to turn himself onto his back. Looking up to the sky John begins to hear a puttering sound, as if something is oscillating. The puttering starts to become louder and John knows it must be some kind of engine. John struggles a bit but is able to prop himself onto his arm to get a look over the waves. He sees a light in the distance that bobs along the water. John starts to yell, falling back on his back he starts to swing his arm in the air attempting to get the attention of whoever is there. There is silence for a bit and john continues to yell trying to get any help.
He stops screaming and waits, He can no longer see any light around him as the sun starts to go below the horizon. It would soon be dark and John could dash any hopes of finding help. He then hears people talking and the engines sound grow louder. From behind the waves a small boat approaches, a man is piloting it while a young woman searches the water with a light. The boat was a wooden runabout boat, a Gar Wood Triple with dark wood sides. The red and green light on the nose is now illuminating the water as the girl scans with the light. John begins to laugh in joy when he sees that they notice him. The vessel pulls up alongside of him and the man reaches out to pull the wood closer.
"Hey, this guy's still alive. Maybe his ship went down after that explosion like the others closer to the mainland" The man said as he starts to help John into the boat. He had somewhat of an accent in his voice.
"I still can't get a radio call out, something in the air must be blocking all transmissions. Probably why they haven't sent any witches or aircraft around here in a rescue effort" The girl said as she tried using the small radio. She also had somewhat of an accent that John was too disoriented to put his finger on.
"We'll worry about that later, give me a hand with him" the man asked and the girl hopped over into the back seat of the boat. Grabbing at Johns other arm she helps pull him into the boat. Carefully the ease him onto the back seat. The girl begins to examine him, she seems to have some experience in these situations as she looks over the boy. John notices that the cushion he is now sitting in is much more comfortable than the wood he had spent hours on, although he was still in a great amount of pain. As she does this john catches in the corner of his eye the Gallian flag hanging from the back of the boat. From the uniforms the two are wearing he guesses that they are part of some kind of coast guard from the Republic.
"How is he?" the man asks as he starts the boats engine and begins to turn them towards the shore.
"His leg left leg is busted and he's badly burnt… he's missing a hand but from the way the damage is healed I'd say that was long before these injuries. Try to keep the boat steady." She said as she reached over to the front of the boat and started looking through a bag. She pulled out a knife and proceeded to cut the wet shirt from John's body. Throwing the tatters to the side she can see there are many more burns on his chest.
"hey, Kid" she said snapping her fingers over his face and John snaps to attention. "Good your awake, I'm going to check your back for a second. I'll be careful but you gotta tell me if anything hurts at any point" She said and John slowly nods to her to show he understands. She starts to turn him over when he begins to buckle due to the pain. She takes a quick look and then places him back down.
"Jeez, must be a broken rib. His back also has some second degree burning across his back" She said taking her cap off and throwing it to the front of the boat. John is close to passing out from the pain he's in. The girl claps her hands together and then presses them gently against John's chest.
"I'm gonna do the best I can to get rid of some of this pain" The girl said as two brown dog ears emerge from under her hair and a tail pushes its way out from under her uniform. A blue glow encapsulates to back of the boat as she begins to use healing magic on the boy. This magic healing was different from Yoshika's, it was a lot more rigid and fast. Quickly setting his bones and repairing them, John feels more pain than relief from this quick fix. He shouts clutching at his wounds until the healing stops. Gasping for air the boy has broken out in a cold sweat from this magic. He is finally able to get some words out.
"What the hell? That hurt!" John shouts still writhing in pain.
"I'm sorry about that, my healing is more cut and dry than others you may have experienced. I was trained to be a field medic so we need to learn how to heal fast" The girl said as the boat continued to cut through the waves, at this point John could now see lights approaching in the darkness. They were approaching a pier that was made out of floating rafts. It stretched out far into the water and had jeeps waiting at different points along it. They throw ropes up to waiting soldiers who assist them in pulling the boat in. Before long John was carted into the town on the back of jeep, the sway and motion of the dock made for an uncomfortable ride. Every time the waves came in the pontoons caused the dock to move up and down, buckling at the points they connected.
When they arrived at a small house on the edge of the beach they pulled john out and moved him inside. Quickly carting him through the doorway john could see this was once a nice civilian household, some of the tables and chairs are that belonged to the former residents are still spread about. There were also people sitting about, they had been patched up and wrapped to cure their injuries. They pull John into a back room where a girl is washing her hands in the sink.
"What do we have now?" She asked. John observed the girl had shoulder length black hair and did not share the Gallian accent that the coastguards had, it was most likely she was a medic from overseas to assist in the war effort. Gallia had only recently been liberated and there was much to be done. A foothold was established and people began pushing in to complete the liberation. There were still signs of the enemy that caused dangers for the people attempting to return to their lives. Operations had begun to not only restore what was destroyed in the war but also push troops into Karlsland. That was why there were so many people in this makeshift hospital. There wasn't enough room to handle them at other hospitals around the country at this time so abandon houses were converted.
"We found him floating out in the Channel, I was able to heal his major injuries. Broken leg, Busted rib, and some of the more severe burns." The red haired Gallian coast guard said walking next to the other witch.
"I'm surprised the kids still conscious after you got your hands on him. I swear your magic does more harm than good." The Black haired girl's words jab at the Gallian. "What about his hand?" She concludes.
"It looks like an old injury, from the scaring I think it was magically healed" The Gallian said as the Black haired girl rubs her hands together.
"Whelp, let's get started. If we work fast I can remove this burnt tissue before any permanent damage takes place" She said as a pair of black cat ears emerge on top of her head. From under her skirt a long black tail swings out and sways back and forth. Holding out her hands a blue light fills the dimly lit room, the soldiers sit back and watch as the medic works her magic. They all seem to be confident in her ability, Johns constant pain slowly slips away. The burning from his back reseeds and the scars start to fade. This healing is another different kind as well, it is kind of like a cold feeling washing up and down his body. Kind of like being rubbed with ice but it isn't exactly uncomfortable. It sends shivers down his spine as he feels slightly at ease being treated by this person.
"How are you feeling today?" The black haired girl asks John as he sits in a chair on the deck overlooking the Channel. The sun is slowly setting and the clouds are once again reflecting in the water, it makes for a more beautiful sight that John can enjoy now that he isn't within an inch of death. She hands him a cup of tea and pulls up a chair and sits down next to him. John had been in this house for about two days now and the witches and soldiers there took good care of their patients. Over the time he had been there he had learned that the black haired girls name was Aiko. She was a medic from Fuso who dedicated her power to helping the war effort. Although she is a witch she never felt committed to fighting the enemy, she felt she would be better suited dedicating her time to studying magic. Through her intense studying she was able to develop more effective magical healing spells that have helped her time and time again.
"Just fine, Thanks for asking" John smiled and took a sip of tea, although she was very open with him John didn't tell her much about himself. He was focused on returning home but it was going to be difficult, most air traffic and shipping crossing over the Strait of Dover was either stopped or rerouted. John would also find a hard time in finding any passage home seeing as he not only had no paperwork to prove his identity but also no money to afford the trip. If he wanted to get back to Britannia fast he would have to think on his feet.
"That's nice, are you enjoying the view" She asked looking out over the water to see what john was fixated on. There were birds sitting out on the rocks that john had been watching. Every so often they would rear up their wings and fly circles over the water, diving in to catch something to eat, then return to the water.
"It's nice, but I think it would be nicer from the other side of the channel" John said putting emphasis on other to make it seem like more of a joke than a desperate attempt at being released from this hospital.
"That may be true but you still haven't recovered yet, It wouldn't be right on my part to send you out into the world, and we have our hands full here so we can't escort you either" She said with a sigh and takes another sip of tea.
"What about communications, any luck on that end" He asked as the girl began to shake her head.
"It seems that whatever was once jamming the Straight has shifted over Gallia, It's almost impossible to pick up any communications, Some units of Witches who have someone with radio communicating magic have been able to send a witch above whatever is jamming the signal to get communications to the outside world but we don't have that luxury. We'll just have to wait for this to pass." She says as the red haired Gallian witch emerges from the doorway. John had learned about this girl as well in the short time he has been around.
Her name is Raina and her background lies here in Gallia. She spent the beginning of the war on the front lines trying to protect her homeland from the Neuroi, after losing the foothold she was relocated to the Kingdom of Hispania where she continued to push towards liberating Gallia. After the Neuroi's had lost their hold on the land she joined some of the first witches and soldiers who deployed on the beaches to retake towns and cities from the stragglers. She didn't make it far when her healing abilities were needed elsewhere, she was quickly taken off the front and put to work in small hospitals. This made her a very bitter and blunt girl who wants nothing more but to get back out there and fight the enemy instead of being stuck behind a stretcher healing the wounded all day.
"Afternoon Raina, How are you today" Aiko said as the girl marches over with a look of anger in her face and points down at John.
"Don't afternoon me! Why are you acting all chummy with him? I thought I told you to get the information we needed" she said angrily at the girl who just closes her eyes and puts the tea to the side, although Raina is under Aiko's orders when it comes to the medical side of this instillation, Raina is an Officer in the Military and Aiko is just a civilian lending a hand. It makes for a strange dynamic where it is unsure who is really in charge at what time due to rank and experience. Clearly Raina was pulling rank at this moment.
"What is she talking about?" John asked the girl.
"I'm sorry about her, John." She said to the boy and then turns her attention to Raina "I was going to allow you to recover from your injuries before I started pressing you for information" She said to the girl even though she was referring to john. She put emphasis on these words and John could see that Raina was not enjoying this insubordination.
"Listen here you, how many times do I have to say it. When I give an order you follow, when I say Jump you say how high" Riana said grabbing at Aiko's shirt and pulling her up from her chair. The two look at each other with anger in their eyes, it was clear this wasn't the first time Aiko had disobeyed an order. At this point John has to intervene, Standing up he puts his arm between the two and then puts his body in the way to move them apart.
"Alright easy you two, if there are questions that need answering then I'll do it right now" John said as the two look at him for a few seconds, Aiko lets out a sigh and her anger slips away. She takes a seat back where she once was and raises her hand to a chair, signaling Raina to take it. Raina reaches her hand out and pulls the chair over the wooden deck until it is close enough to the others, then plants herself in it with her arms crossed. She was still very angry but was calming down now that she had gotten what she wanted. John sinks back in his seat.
"Your bedside manner could use some work" John jokes as Aiko laughs but this just enrages Raina.
"Shut up! I want answers. Let's start with the biggest question first, that thing in your chest. The one I saw when I cut your shirt off. What is it and why do I feel it has something to do with everything that's going on around here with the radio failures" She said pointing at his chest. Even though john was wearing a shirt and jacket you could still see some blue light shining through the cloth.
"It's a magical device used purely for a medical condition" John said.
"What's the condition?" Raina probed further
"I was in an accident that left shards of metal lodged in my body" he said reluctantly with a small smile on his face, Aiko could tell he didn't like being forced to answer this but the boy continued. "Doctors weren't able to remove the metal without killing me and the beating of my heart moves the shrapnel constantly closer. I built this thing to constantly power a magnet so I don't die." He said in a rude manner.
"Were sorry we brought it up, it must be hard for you." Aiko asked.
"Speak for yourself, this thing is a dynamo of magical energy in his chest. Do you know the dangers it could hold" Raina shouted at Aiko.
"Sure it may be dangerous but its medical advancements may be worth the risk" Aiko said, as they speak the sun completely sinks below the horizon. When the darkness begins to creep in lights are switched on around the house and out on the deck. The lanterns hang from the small roof that covers the wooden deck and allows for a yellow glow to illuminate the area. Raina once again sets her sights on John.
"But why use it for medicine when you can use it to fight, isn't that right Kid?" Raina asked and Aiko became confused about where this is going.
"Word may be traveling slowly but I have friends in high places, A couple witches stationed near by running radio communications for the outside world. They told me that before the event in the Channel there was a fight between two unknown assailants. I couldn't make heads or tails of what it meant until they described that both of the people involved had that same light in their chest. If I had to guess, there isn't much separation between your 'medical' device and what they were using." She said feeling smug with herself.
"I think we should let John get some rest" Aiko started but Raina just stood from her chair and put her hands on the arms of John's chair. She got in close and started to speak in a quiet but angry voice towards the boy. John leans back in his chair trying to distance himself from the girl that looks like she is ready to pounce on him and rip his throat out.
"I have a theory, you wanna hear it kid?" She asks.
"uh… sure" John said feeling very uncomfortable.
"I'm thinking it wasn't by chance we found you out there in the ocean after that explosion. I think you were connected to the whole event. This whole thing you played a part in, I don't know what it is but this whole mess is falling on your shoulders." She told the boy
"Come on Raina, I think it's time to give it a break, he's been through a lot. Let him rest" Aiko said grabbing the girl by her shoulder. The girl swings around to face Aiko and grabs her by the arms.
"Don't you see what's going on here, the government is looking for guys like him. With his magic magnet thing we'll be able to fight this enemy with a force like none we have seen before. You've seen what his kind is capable of!" She shouted at Aiko.
"Listen to yourself! He's a human, your speaking like he's some kind of monster!" Aiko shouted back, at this point John could see the position that the world held on his device just through these two girls. One both of their intentions are for the better of humanity but their positions are completely different. He could also see the future of how people would look at him as a person. Some, like Aiko, would respect his humanity but still see him as an asset for humanity. Then others, like Raina, would see him as a tool to use to get to an end, using him for research and development.
"Don't you see? We can take back our world! We can-"Raina was saying when the lights on the deck began to flicker and dim. The flickering becomes more sporadic.
"Some kind of power outage?" Aiko says as the two start to slowly walk towards the lights to inspect them. The lights finally pop with a large flash and sparks fly everywhere, the girls shout and use their arms to cover themselves. The sparks bounce off of their jackets and fade into the twilight as they fall to the ground. There is still a little light from the sun beyond the horizon but other than that all other light has been extinguished and the three sit in the darkness. The three are silent as they see the lights in other houses around them begin to go out. Raina swings around and grabs John by the Jacket, pulling him up from his chair.
"What the hell was that? What did you do?" She interrogated the boy as he struggled to release her grasp with only one hand.
"What are you talking about? I didn't do this" John shouted back. The sound of wood cracking grabbed all of their attention. The noise of something bashing through the front door reaches them all the way in the back of the house.
"Aiko, where are the patients?" Raina asked.
"A few are upstairs sleeping but anyone that we could move have already been taken to better locations." Aiko responds as Raina pulls a gun from a holster at her side. She walks slowly over to the back door.
"Don't move, I'm gonna go check it out" Raina said as she slowly opened the door and walked inside. There was silence for a few moments as John and Aiko waited. They then hear two pops of a firearm going off. They flinch at this loud noise but before they can react in any other way Raina is tossed through the back door. She rolls on the wood deck until hitting a beam that held up the overhanging roof. The loud thump of her gun sliding across the wood follows her.
"Raina!" Aiko yells and runs over to the girl, gun drawn. Kneeling down next to her she makes sure Raina is alright. The girl is a bit beat up and unconscious but other than that she'll live.
"Jeez, what's going on in there?" Aiko said as she headed for the door.
"Wait, let me help you" John demanded but the girl pushed him back.
"You'll only get in the way, and you are in no health to fight protect yourself. Just stay out here" She says before walking inside, gun stretched out in front of herself. Looking at the ground John sees Raina's gun, picks it up but can clearly see the difficulty of his situation. Without two hands he would have no way of loading the gun and he was dominant in his right hand so the gun feels uncomfortable and heavy in his left. Luckily the gun was already loaded so it was ready to be fired. His train of through is broken when he heard a scream come from inside.
John rushes in and turns the corner to see a powerful orange light has filled the room, on the far end a hooded, thin figure stands with his arm in the air. In his grasp Aiko fights for breath as she is forced against the wall. She struggles and claws at his hand but the grip won't release. John raises his arm and points the gun at the man's back.
"Drop the girl now" he says calmly and can see he gained the persons attention. Aiko falls to the ground and begins gasping for breath.
"John… It's been some time" the man said turning around. He was a tall and pale man but that's all john could tell because of the hood. He did see that the jacket had a hole burned through it and a core was revealed.
"Duke…" John said knowing it was the only possible person that it could be. The man pulls the hood back revealing a familiar face to john. His cheeks were thin and his eyes were sunken. He look malnourished and almost corpse like in his paleness.
"In the flesh" He smiled, his teeth yellow.
"God damn it… I didn't think they got to you" John said shaking his head.
"They did 'get to me'. They showed me what you did to the others." Duke said.
"Come on Duke… I've done this a hundred times. You aren't yourself." He said to the man.
"Then you won't have a problem killing me then?" Duke smiled
"You know I would, you were one of my best friends. Now look at you." John said.
"You're not looking to hot yourself. But then again no one will be looking good in a little bit" Duke said as he began to slowly walk towards the broken door that he entered through. While he walks John keeps the gun pointed at him.
"What do you mean by that?" John asked trying to get information out of him.
"The Generals explosive device was one of two that were supposed to go off. I have the other one" he said pointing to his chest. "But instead of wasting so much magic on powers I have been built to be just one thing. A bomb." He said.
"If I am not stopped now I can turn my wrath on any city I want and do twice or even three times the damage that the General did. I can see it now, Maybe New Karlsland or Liberia. Some place with a lot of pe-" Duke was saying when a flash illuminated the room and a loud pop was heard from a gun. Then a cracking sound. Duke went silent and looked down to see John had pulled the trigger and shot him directly in the core. Magical energy starts to slowly flow out of the opening as Duke falls to the ground. He begins to cough up blood and smile to the boy. A mix of orange magic and red fluid drains from his mouth and the opening in his chest as John looks over him.
"Thanks… John… you did… good" Duke smiles as his eyes suddenly lose their pigment and he stares off into the darkness. The glowing color that drains from his body then starts to lose its light until it also grows dark. Aiko begins to pull herself to her feet as John walks over to Duke and puts his hands over the boy's eyes.
"How did you know that would stop the bomb?" Aiko asked.
"I didn't, it was a shot in the dark. Kind of lucky" John said as a chill ran down the girls back when she pictured how close she was to a horrible death. She didn't scold the boy for his arrogance, she was already shaken up.
"So Raina was right, you are part of all of this." She said looking over the body.
"I guess in a way you can say that, I'm not one of them" He said looking down at his gun, then at the body. He sees that Aiko had picked up her gun once again and placed it back in the holster.
"Who are they? What do they want?" Aiko started to ask as she examined the body.
"They aren't anyone anymore. It just ended with him" John said as Aiko walks between him and the broken door to stop him from leaving.
"Then who are you, who are you really?" She asked as John was silent for a few seconds. He shakes his head and holds up the pistol, aiming it at the girl.
"I'm just a guy trying to get home" He said with a smile as the girl reached for her gun. "This can all end here Aiko, This is a dangerous rabbit hole. Most people that follow it end up like him." He jesters to the body on the ground. Aiko pulls her gun from her holster but keeps it aimed at the ground. She is quiet for as she stares into the gun pointing at her. If she raises her hand John knows there isn't much he can do for her. Then he hears a loud noise as something hits the ground, Aiko dropped the gun and kicked it to the side. John walks up close to her, gun still in hand in case she tried anything.
"Thanks for understanding, now I need you to reach into your pockets and pull out any money you have on you." He said and the girl angrily complied not expecting this to be the next step. She digs into a pocket in her jacket and pulls out a bundle of dollars. Putting the gun into her side he gets up close to her, to the point where their bodies are touching.
"Now put it into my pocket" He ordered, not able to take the money and keep the gun trained on her. She reaches down and stuffs the bills into one of his pant pockets. As she does this she looks into his eyes with a very disappointed look.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a bad guy" John said as he forces the gun harder into her to push her back once he feels the hand exit his pocket.
"Then why are you doing this, Why not let us help you get home" She said, concerned for the boys wellbeing. John backs away from her and starts to make his way towards the door.
"I was already someone's tool… If I let you help me then the rest of the world will learn of what I hold and they will never let me be." John said. Foot over foot he still creeps for the doorway.
"Don't be selfish, what you have can save so many lives." Aiko scolded the boy.
"And put those lives in danger! Do you think it all ends with the war, I have seen this power corrupt so many. It is my duty as its creator to keep it out of corruptible hands!" He screamed at her. Now no longer walking towards the door but in a full argument with the person who helped save his life.
"How do you know that will happen? There are good people in this world!" Aiko said.
"Good or Bad! It doesn't matter, that man that lies dead on the ground was the greatest good you would ever get out of a human! He was my friend and look what the power did to him!" John shouted and Aiko put her hands over her mouth in shock, Maybe she wasn't ready to learn everything there was about this power. John was finished talking and ran out the door into the darkness. He had barely made it to the street at the end of the path when he heard Aiko's voice one last time.
"Hey John!" She shouted and he turned back to see her. She then reached into her jacket and pulled out a small Berretta M1934. The compact semi-auto pistol went unrecognized beneath the girls' clothing and could be easily reached for a sneak attack. She holds it up in the moonlight in a gesture to show the gun to John. Not threatening him with it but merely showing the boy it was there at the ready the entire time.
"Maybe you shouldn't give up on the good people who could help you. You'd be surprised." She said and John smiled. He liked the girl's attitude but knew it would be a long shot bringing her along. He had to go on alone, maybe someday they would meet again. John turned around and continued on his way.
"And you better hope our paths cross again before you see Raina again. She seemed pretty focused on getting that power for Gallia" The girl shouted to him in a joking manner. John was already too far into the darkness to hear her.
"I'm gonna find you John, You know I will" The girl sighed and walked back into the house to make sure everyone was alright.
"Then I hitch hiked the next couple days trying to stay close to the coast. Kind of hard when you only have one hand. After what seemed like a week of scavenging and gambling to turn what little money I had into something I could use I had built up the resources to hop a flight. Most pilots still weren't flying after what had over the Straight so I had to keep checking airports along the coast. I finally found a former Witch who was kind enough to lend a hand. She took me to the nearest airport without many questions and then I made my way here. When I had read in the local paper that I missed my funeral I dropped by to see if it was true. I wasn't expecting you to show up." John finished his story and Barkhorn's head was spinning.
"So you robbed that poor girl" Barkhorn said bluntly.
"That's all you got out of it" John chuckled turning to look off into the distance. Barkhorn laughed as well and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad your back" She said closing her eyes. She thinks for a moment and then looks back at the grave.
"But if you are here then who is in the grave?" She asked.
"Most likely the remains of the General, kind of ironic. My worst enemy that tried so hard to destroy me now takes part in preserving my memory." John laughed.
"So… what are you going to do now? Are you going to come back to the base?" Barkhorn asked in a quiet tone, she was afraid of what decisions he had made.
"I came to realize that as long as people think I'm alive there will always be someone trying to take this power for their own use. I think it's better the world think I'm dead." He said to Barkhorn as she took him by the hand.
"You can't do that, when I thought you were dead it destroyed me. Now you want to leave as soon as you come back into my life. Please don't" She says to him as her eyes start to tear up once again.
"What good would I make to you all anyway, without my right arm I can't fight alongside you. I'll only get in the way." He said standing up and putting his hand in his jacket pocket. He looks out at all the graves surrounding him and continues. "Besides… I'm really tired of this war. I have done all I can for the last couple years. I can't keep fighting my entire life, it's not good for me." Barkhorn stands up and slaps the boy across the face. She grabs at his jacket and pulls him face to face with her.
"This isn't about fighting or war or the enemy! Can't you get that through your head, I don't care If we keep fighting this war or not. I just care if we are together… I don't want you to leave me again!" Barkhorn shouts at him and then pulls him in to kiss him John can taste the salt from the tears rolling down her face as the girl embraces him. She pulls back and then lays her head against his chest.
"If you want to run away so badly then take me with you" She said to him as he strokes her back to calm her down.
"You can't just leave, they need you here. We can't forget that there is a war to fight." John said as he begins to cry seeing Barkhorn act this way towards him.
"Then what will we do" She asked as John then pulled her in for another kiss. This time they fall to the ground in each other's embrace. John Strokes his hand through the girls hair as they hold once another in the cool grass.
"I can't stay" John said as he slowly pulled his lips away from hers. "But I will wait for you… When the war is over… or you can no longer use your magic. I'll come back for you, then we can be together" John said. The two were now sitting in the grass, Barkhorn on Johns lap, looking deep into his eyes as he told her this. The two watched as tears rolled down each other's faces and this made them only want to cry more.
"H-how will I know… How will I know you'll come back" Barkhorn asked, every now and then gasping for air.
"Y-y-your just gotta trust me" John said as he began to really cry as he heard these words leave his lips. He put his face into her shoulder as he gasped for air. Barkhorn looked up into the blue sky as she listened to him repeat this. "You just gotta trust me" he said again and raised his head. The two look into one another's eyes one last time and Barkhorn leans in once again.
"I trust you" she whispered and gave him a final kiss, one that would make up for all the pain they felt when they were apart. One that would last them until they met once again either in the near future or distant. Only time would tell. The last kiss would always be one of bitter remorse, for the longest time they will always think how they could have spent their time better, even their last few minutes constantly wishing they had a few more seconds just to hold each other. The goodbye is always the hardest part, having to see the person you love walk away. Having to be alright with the pain in your heart as you hope and pray everything turns out alright. Constantly wishing they were still with you.
Barkhorn knew all these feelings as she watched John disappear from her life into the streets of Britannia. As she watched him walk he would constantly look over his shoulder at her. On the last look they both smiled at one another. It was a final gift from John that really let Barkhorn know not to worry. She did not feel sad because it was over but happy because she knew he would come back some day.
From what she gathered John wasn't going to be a soldier any more, seeing as he could be anyone he wanted now. He told her he had a few good ideas of places he wanted to go a things he wanted to do. He never got out Britannia much and was going to see what the world had to offer. Barkhorn was worried about him and how he would get by. When she returned to the base she had a secret she could tell no soul, soon the memory of John faded from most of the members. Sometimes they would visit his grave and others they would talk fondly about him when they see his photo over the mantel. Things went back to how they normally were on the base after a month or so. The only difference is that Barkhorn would receive letters from different people every now and again. Although whenever Yoshika or Lynne would bring the girl her mail they would never recognize the name as someone she has spoken of. The letters would come from different people from around Europe and even Liberion at one point.
Every time they handed the letters to her she would blush a bit and not open it until she returned to her room. Minna found this suspicious but didn't look into it much. She felt that the girl's private business was her own to do with as she sees fit.
Returning to her room one day Barkhorn throws herself back onto the bed and opens the letter from Hispania, Holding it above her face her eyes scroll though the cursive writing. The letters were normally about the same things, John would write about how much he missed her and inquire about how she is doing. He would respond to what she has written to him and then go on about random things that he has done, asking her questions about herself. These letters would be a couple of pages long and hold almost a conversation between the two of them. Barkhorn loved it when the letters from him came and she would immediately start to write a letter back at her desk after reading it. At the end of his letters he would give her an address to send her response to and how long he would be there so she knew how much time she had to write back. John would stay in places as little as a week to almost two months at one point. Barkhorn remembers a stint he spent in Romagna and even considered going there to see him. But she reconsidered at the last second knowing he would hate her for braking their promise before it was time. He always concluded his letter in the same way, writing the pen name he had around his first name as a little joke. One day it would be Elizabeth "John" Chernoff and another time it would be Steven "John" Hanson. She always rolled her eyes at this as if he thought she would get confused as to who was writing to her but she laughed ever time none the less. Giving the papers a hug she would then write back to him. She would be sure not to use his name in the letters in case he didn't receive it. She would write the fake name and address on the back of the letter and send her loving back to him.
This went on for half a year without any problems of questions. One morning Yoshika had made breakfast and Lynette had run out to get the mail for her friends. Barkhorn sat there with Erica and Shirley enjoying the morning. They ate their breakfast just like any other morning as Lynne entered the room with a few letters. She began handing them out to their respected recipients.
"Did Trude get another letter from the mystery fans that write her from around the world?" Hartmann joked.
"What was it last time? Orussia or Suomus?" Shirley joined in with the joke and the two started to chuckle at the fun they were poking at her friend.
"I think it was Ostmark actually" Eila said as they all start to laugh.
"You're all just jealous that people around the world know a true ace when they see one and inquire about my life" She said crossing her arms, that was the backstory she had come up with and it was holding up pretty well.
"We'll have to put you in the next big war film then, you'll be a star" Shirley said and even Sakamoto chuckled at the thought of Barkhorn being in a movie.
"I think its sweet so many people want to know about the Captains life" Lynne started as she shuffled through the letters until she found one for Barkhorn. Her eyes go wide after she reads the back.
"What's wrong Lynne? Who's it from?" Eila asked as she turned the letter around.
"It's from John…" She said as some of the girls rose up from their chairs in disbelief. Putting both hands down on the table a shiver goes up Barkhorn's spine as her chair falls backwards onto the ground. Barkhorn was overcome with fear, she knew something must have gone horribly wrong for him to contact her this way.
The End
Thank you to everyone who supported me while I wrote this crazy story. It almost took four years but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. With more than 11,000 views to it, that may not seem like much but I appreciate it. It's a nice personal project that was so much fun to write and develop. It changed a lot along the way and I am going to go back into it in the months to come and rework the errors and even add to some scenes, so look forward to that. There are parts that I believe could have been fleshed out better and some characters deserved more time but for now it is finally finished. Let me know what you think, I love reading and responding to reviews.
This is a final farewell from this story for now.
I hope you all enjoyed Strike Witches: An Untold Past.