"" Dialogue
'' Thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own "Strike Witches", so this is just a fan made.
Chapter 3: The Journey
(Or getting to know oneself)
Helvetia, two days later
Minna and Yoshika had already prepared a route the latter would follow. It was far from Neuroi Nests and Hives, thus the Neuroi sightings were highly uncommon but still possible and it should take her less than a week to arrive to Fuso.
Nevertheless, Minna also considered nearby bases along the path so Yoshika could ask for assistance had she required it or had any kind of issue. Moreover, Minna needed to assure herself that Yoshika did not have any problem that could have been prevented, so as she was not fully convinced regarding the maintenance the Shinden was given here in Helvetia, she called a person who she fully trusted to thoroughly inspect it before Yoshika went back home.
The day of departure had of come, and even though it was still early in the morning, Minna was currently waiting for the mechanic at the hangar, shortly after, a jeep arrived at the hangar, then its driver got out.
"Commander Minna, it's been a while,", Ursula greeted her after she got out of a jeep, carrying a box of tools with her.
"Almost five months, it's good to see you again, Lieutenant Ursula," Minna commented with a polite smile.
"By the way, where is Sergeant Miyafuji?" Ursula asked as she noticed Minna was alone at the hangar, "I thought she would be here."
"I ordered her to rest; she's just had some arduous days and now she has a long journey ahead of her." Minna commented.
"Well, has she had any problem with the Shinden?" Ursula asked as she visually inspected the striker and could notice some scratches here and there but there was no structural damage at all.
"None that I can think of," Minna replied with certainty in her tone.
"Well, be better If I begin inspecting it", Ursula said as she started to disassemble the Shinden and a couple of minutes later, the oil came out.
"Well, it seems it has been given maintenance recently but not appropriately." Ursula stated.
"What do you mean?" Minna asked with some concern in her voice.
"The oil seems to be brand new, but it has just barely enough to properly lubricate the magical engine," Ursula commented.
"I'm sure Mio requested it to be inspected regularly before she went back to Fuso", Minna said, "I would have a serious talk with the maintenance team", she added with a serious tone.
"On the other hand, the spark plugs are slightly worn but I'm still going to replace them," then she took another armor plate, revealing even more parts of the unit, "the rest of the components seem to be in order and there's no debris in the oil, so nothing has been damaged so far."
"Then, I assume Yoshika shouldn't have any problem wearing it to fly back to Fuso," Minna said.
"She shouldn't, but…," Ursula stopped reassembling the Shinden, "are you certain Sergeant Miyafuji has the endurance to travel such long distance?" She continued, "I do know she has great magic power, but she's had many problems controlling it."
"I've been training her myself and I'm confident she got what it takes," Minna made pause "and since Berlin was liberated, her magic problems had basically vanished."
"All right then," Ursula said as she tightened the last bolts, "well, it's completed, now it just needs a test flight, I guess we should wait for her."
"I'll test it for her." Minna commented as she knew Yoshika wanted to begin her journey today, so it would be better if everything was ready by the time she woke up.
"Are you sure commander Minna?" Ursula commented with a bit of surprise in her tone, "I could also test it for her," she added.
"I've seen how Yoshika performs with it, so I know what to expect." Minna stated.
"Understood." Ursula replied as she picked up a clipboard, then Minna jumped into the striker, "it should perform approximately like a standard Striker Unit, just let me know if you feel any abnormality."
"Roger that." then her ears and tail appeared and a magic circle as well, yet the engine did not turn on, which made Minna gaze Ursula with bewilderment in her eyes; but she continued checking the notes without gazing her back. Minna tried again and finally the Shinden started, but it took effort just to keep it running, but she took off, nonetheless.
In Yoshika's room, a few minutes earlier
"Ugh…" Yoshika mumbled as she slowly tried to open her eyes, then she stretched herself.
"What time is it?" Yoshika wondered as she squinted her eyes noticing how clear it was.
"It seems late," she commented, "I better get up", then she gazed Althia's bed and noticed it was empty.
"I almost forgot she left a few days ago." she said to no one as she realized the backpack she prepared yesterday was still opened in her bed. So, she checked it again just in case, and everything she packed was there, even a book, spare clothes as well. Then, she decided to have a breakfast, thus she undressed herself to put on her usual uniform, but as she did so, she heard a particular yet familiar noise.
"A Shinden?" Yoshika said as she peeked through the window, "Commander Minna?", then she finished dressing and rushed to the hangar.
As she got there, she noticed a blonde girl of her same height, "Erika?" Yoshika asked as she approached her from behind.
"Actually not." Ursula replied as she turned around.
"Ursula, good morning, but what are you doing here?" Yoshika made a pause as she looked at the sky, "and what's Commander Minna doing up there?"
"She wanted me to inspect the Shinden before you departed to Fuso", Ursula made a pause as both noticed how quick she flew around the base, "and now she's testing it to check if everything is working as intended."
"Oh, I didn't know that." Yoshika commented, "I should thank her when she comes back."
"Commander Minna, is everything all right?" Ursula asked as she had not heard anything since, she took off.
"Yes, no issues to report," Minna stated though she could feel the Shinden required way more magic energy than her Messerscharf did but it was nothing she could not handle or she believed so; thus she speeded up a little and could easily surpass the speed of her Striker Unit but she could also feel how even much more magic energy was taken from her, and even still she was not flying as fast as Yoshika did a few days ago, thus she decided to land.
"Commander Minna, are you alright?" Yoshika rushed to her as she noticed she was panting and had some sweat on her face.
"Yes, Yoshika, I'm fine" Minna replied breathing harder than normal.
"So, how did the test go?" Ursula asked with a questioning tone noticing how Minna looked.
"Everything is working properly," Minna said as she regained her breath, "but it does use more magic than the Bf109-k4."
"It's not a flaw, it's just how it works, and it's been known since the first prototype was developed." Ursula stated.
"I didn't know that." Yoshika commented.
"The magic transfer efficiency is outstanding but as Commander Minna says, it does require more magic to properly work," Ursula made a pause as she watched proudly the Shinden, "and I am currently working on something new that uses the same Dr. Miyafuji's principle, but I cannot tell you more for now."
"My father's work…" Yoshika thoughtfully murmured but no one heard her.
"Well, this just assures me your magic totally under control," Minna stated with a polite smile.
"I guess it's possible to reach that conclusion," Ursula added.
"Let's go to the kitchen to ready everything before your departure." Minna said.
In the afternoon
The three Witches were in the hangar and Yoshika was already equipping her Striker Unit and carrying her backpack, though she was not carrying any gun besides her M712 Schnellfeuer and even that was after Minna ordered her to.
"Inform me when you arrive at Pas-de-Calais and before you depart." Minna ordered her.
"Yes ma'am," Yoshika replied as firmly as she could, yet some hesitation could be noticed in her tone.
"And if you encounter any problem, just let me know so I could assist you." Minna added also with a hint of worriedness in her tone.
"I really appreciate everything you have done for me Commander Minna," Yoshika said.
"You shouldn't have any problem with the Shinden but if you have, it would be hard to diagnose it, so I suggest you take care of it." Ursula stated.
"Understood." The Fusoan Witch said.
"You better get going, Lynne and Perrine are already waiting for you." Minna added with a soft smile.
"Roger," and then a Magic Circle appeared, the engine roared, and Yoshika took off, "Goodbye and thank you again," she weaved as she ascended.
"There she goes," Ursula commented, "I hope she arrives safely."
"I'm certain of it," Minna added with a soft smile, yet her tone seemed thoughtful, still she could not help but recall what happened the last time Yoshika traveled through Europe, and now she was doing it alone, but she had been training and she was confident she could get to Fuso all by herself, "be well."
"C'mon, we also need to get ready to get back to Berlin," Minna stated.
"You wanted Sergeant Miyafuji to come with you." Ursula added as she noticed how close they had become since she last saw them.
Minna sighed, "indeed, you know, it's kind of funny, when she first came, I could not really understand her," she paused, "I only knew she was just a girl who wanted to do the right thing."
"Not fighting." Ursula softly interrupted.
"That's true, but to do right thing, she needed to fight and that's what she did even if she actively disliked it," she sighed, "that was noble, yes, but most Witches are like that, but after what happened in Berlin and spending these past few months training her, I finally came to understand what Mio saw in her all that time ago," by that time Yoshika had already disappeared into the blue sky, "and now I didn't want her to leave."
"I understand, Erika told me a lot about her," Ursula commented.
"Better get going, there's no time to waste" Minna added, and both walked into the base.
Later that day
Yoshika was flying through the Gallian skies admiring the beautiful scenery, nothing out of the ordinary had happened since she left Lausanne, and she was not in the least tired, though she had to thank Minna for that; because even though she was a morning person, Minna insisted that she slept until late in the morning and she did so and now she was as well-rested as possible.
She could now see Calais but also could see another place further away and started to head there. 'It would be better I informed Minna', she thought, 'but I would not take long,' she said to herself as she flew over the blue ocean. Yet, as she traveled over it, she could not help but remember everything that happened with her and the rest of the 501st when Gallia was liberated.
'Better leave it in the past', she said to her own head as she arrived at Brittania and passed over her former base. As she got closer to her destiny, she could now see the ruins of what used to be a research facility, but that was not the place she was looking for, yet, she could see tulips had started to grow there, thus, she picked up a few and then she continued flying until the land ended abruptly on a cliff.
Afterwards, she landed and left her Striker Unit under a tree and walked to the same cliff which had been the whole reason she came all the way to Europe from Fuso in the first place.
The sun had almost set and while it was beautiful setting, it could not have been more contrasting with what Yoshika was currently feeling. Yoshika was now able to see her father's final resting place; some tears had started to fall as she remembered how she almost let him down him.
"I have protected everyone with the power I have," Yoshika mourned while falling to her knees and caressing tenderly the tombstone as a few tears fell into it, "just like I promised you", she added as she left the tulips she picked up before.
"But I wish you were still here with me, dad, I wish you could see how many lives I have protected thanks to you." And she was no longer able to contain her sorrowness and started to cry.
Calais, later
Perrine and Lynette were currently in the dinner room with two plates of food in front of them but already cold as they were served a long time ago.
"I don't believe Miyafuji would arrive today." Perrine commented.
"It's… strange, Commander Minna told me she will come." Lynette stated with some sadness in her sight.
"Have you tried to contact her?" Perrine asked.
"I have, but I couldn't reach her." Lynette stated with worriedness in her voice, "don't you think something might happen to her?"
"I don't think so, there had not been any Neuroi sights between here and Lausanne." Perrine added with a hint of uneasiness in her tone.
"I better sortie to search for her," Lynette stated as she got up.
"Let me talk with commander Minna first." Perrine added with a reassuring tone as she also got up.
At the same time, over the Pas-de-Calais
Meanwhile, over the ocean, Yoshika was currently flying with only the stars as her company and her mind was almost blank the whole journey, but a few tears still glided through her face from time to time falling into the darkness of the night.
In Perrine's office
"…I guess that explains why she had not contacted me as I ordered her," Minna said with a concerned tone, "I'm not sure where she could be."
"So, should I let Lynette look for her?" Perrine asked as herself was also going to sortie to search for her.
"Indeed, I've already tried to contact her to no avail." Minna added starting to regret letting Yoshika go alone.
"Wait, I can hear something." Perrine said, then she gazed through the window, "it's a Striker Unit Commander, it must be her."
"It sure took her long to arrive, please let me know if something happened to her." Minna added.
"Understood." Perrine hanged up the phone and headed outside.
At the same time, Lynette was in the hangar, waiting to know if Perrine knew something else or if she should search for her, but then, the sound of a particular Striker Unit was heard.
"She finally arrived," Lynette said relieved and not long after, Perrine came, and both were watching how Yoshika landed, though she did it pretty apart from them.
"Yoshika," both exclaimed relieved but when she got out of the striker unit and as she approached the duo, their relief became concern when they saw Yoshika's reddened eyes.
"Yoshika!" Lynette claimed as she rushed to her.
"What on earth occurred?" Perrine asked as she examined her to find out if she was injured but thankfully, she was not.
"I…" Yoshika avoided visual contact, "I was in… Britannia."
"Britannia?" Perrine wondered if what she heard was right.
"Yoshika, if you wanted to go there, we could have come with you." Lynette added realizing the reason why she looked so mournful.
'Of course, she visited her father's grave.' Perrine thought.
"Let's get you something to eat," Lynette added as she held both of her hands.
"I'm fine", Yoshika said, now looking at them, she struggled to fake a smile, "I just need to sleep."
Lynette and Perrine exchanged a glance and while they knew that she was anything but fine, they both nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Jean-Paul had overheard them and prepared the guest room in advance.
"This way, miss." Jean Paul said.
"Thank you, Jean-Paul, but it would not be necessary, she will come with me," Lynette politely added.
"I don't want to be a bother." Yoshika softly said.
"What do you mean? You're not." Lynette grabbed her hand and took her to the room.
"Thank you," Yoshika said as both entered and then she headed straight to the bed and buried her face between the pillows.
"Yoshika…" Lynette quietly said but she did not reply, it seemed she had already fall sleep to her disappointment as she hoped she would open to her, but it did not happen. Afterwards, she put on herself on a nightgown and sat beside Yoshika and she could still hear her sobbing, thus she started to gently caress her hair, hoping to sooth her. It pained her to see Yoshika like that and she wondered if something else had happened to her as she had never seen her so gloomy, she had seen her crying before but never like this time.
She knew firsthand how strong she was and yet today it seemed it was too much for her to bear, and now she was unable to help her like she had done it for her so many times. She had come to admire even yearn for Yoshika since she helped her to become a better Witch by overcoming her insecurities, had not Yoshika come to Europe, who knows what would have happened to her and the rest of the squadron. Yoshika was someone special and she was even more for her, and she wondered if she felt the same.
It seemed she was calming down as now only her breath could now be heard, "that's better" she muttered, then, she lay down next to her and gently hugged her after some time she had fall asleep as well.
Meanwhile, Perrine was on her office, calling Commander Minna.
"So, what happened to Yoshika, is she fine?" Minna asked with a bit of uneasiness in her voice.
"She's uninjured but…" Perrine made a pause.
"What happened to her" Minna questioned her with now worriedness in her voice.
"She said she went to Britannia." Perrine stated.
"I should've known, she wanted to visit her family, after all." Minna added recalling how wistful Yoshika seemed when Althea reunited with her father.
"It seemed she had been crying for the whole evening." Perrine added with some sorrowness in her voice as she remembered how she looked.
Minna sighed, "where's she now?"
"She went to sleep with Lynne." Perrine replied.
"I hope she can comfort her." Minna added with a hopeful tone.
"I hope the same too," Perrine said wondering what was happening now in Lynette's room.
"Please, keep me updated," Minna stated, hoping the rest of Yoshika's journey would be better.
"I will commander," Perrine said as she hung the phone.
The next day
As the sun started to filter through the curtains, Lynette realized she had overslept, panicking she got out of the bed and started to dress up only to notice that Yoshika was not at her side.
She rushed downstairs just to find that both Perrine and Yoshika were making breakfast for themselves and the orphans, Lynette was relieved when she saw that.
"Good morning, Lynne." Yoshika said with a soft smile.
"Good morning, Yoshika." she replied with a bit of surprise in her voice.
"Overslept a bit, huh," said Perrine.
"Yes… yes…. a little", Lynette claimed as she was still a bit stunned to see that Yoshika was as happy as her usual self, but she was not still so sure if she really as she had never seen her crying before like yesterday.
There were pending chores, thus, she helped them to prepare the breakfast. When they finished, Perrine and Jean-Paul went to look for the children and the two were left alone.
"Are you sure you are fine, Yoshika?", Lynette enquired her with a curious tone of voice.
"Why would not I be?" the Fuso girl replied with what seemed a genuine smile while serving the food but before Lynette could enquire her more about it, the children had already started to come to the dinner hall.
Yoshika spent most of the time silent and when she was not, she talked about her studies back in Helvetia and the training she had with Minna.
Lynette could notice that Yoshika tried to avoid the subject of what happened yesterday. Though, it would be better if she did not try to push the topic furthermore as they were a lot of people having breakfast and she did not want to ruin the mood.
After they finished and everything had been cleaned up, Yoshika hung up the apron, grabbed some wrapped food and headed to where her striker unit was left the night before, to the surprise of both European Witches.
"Yoshika, wait." Lynette added but she had already left the room, "did she tell you anything?"
"Nothing really, she just came here, grabbed the apron and began helping us." Perrine stated, "I thought you both spoke yesterday and that was the reason she looked so happy today."
"We… we didn't, she fell asleep as soon as she was in the room." Lynette commented.
"Hmm," both exchanged looks and they rushed to catch her.
By the time they caught on her, she was already equipping her Striker Unit, carrying her back and the wrapped food as well and was ready to depart.
"Yoshika, why are you leaving so soon?" Lynette said as she got close to her.
"It's a…" she hesitated, "it's a long journey."
"Yoshika are you sure you are going to Fuso on your own?" asked Lynette.
"Yeah, I am," Yoshika, I know it would not be easy, but I'm sure I can pull it off," replied Yoshika with now boldness in her voice.
"I better come with you." Lynette added.
"There's no need to," Yoshika softly said, "and besides, Amelie is not here, Perrine needs you more than I do."
"But…" Lynette tried to say, but Yoshika stopped her with a hug.
"Trust me, I can do this." Yoshika boldly added as she let go of her, gazing her directly in the eyes.
"There's no way to make you change your mind, is there?" said Perrine, "just don't do anything reckless."
"Don't worry, I'm gonna be just fine" and shortly after that, a magic circle appeared, the strikers' engines started to rev, and she took off.
"I'll be back, take care." Yoshika called as she waved them, and shortly after, she disappeared into the sky.
"Be careful Yoshika" murmured Lynette before they both went back home to continue with their daily activities.
As Yoshika flew, she started to feel a bit of guiltiness leaving them concerned, she was not naïve about how she looked yesterday, but she did not want to worry them, 'that would be unnecessary', she reassured herself, hoping she was doing the right thing.
"Commander Minna, do you read me," Yoshika asked as she flew over Gallia.
"Yes, Yoshika loud and clear." Minna replied now more soothed realizing that Yoshika had her usual happiness in her voice.
"I already took off and I am currently flying over Gallia." She added.
"Roger that, let me know when you arrive at Greece." Minna said.
"Understood." Yoshika replied full of energy and was still early in the morning and she hoped to cover a lot of distance today. As she flew southeast, she could notice how beautiful Gallia and Europe were, the terrain was untamed with only small village far in between. Sad to think that the Neuroi destroyed everything it encountered. The only noise she could hear was of her striker units, yet it still felt serene and when the land ended again and she continued flying alongside the coastline, until she saw a bridge in the distance.
"I wonder I Miss Anna is still living there," she wondered, and she lowered her altitude, hoping to see someone.
"It seems no one's living here now." Yoshika said wondering if something happened to her, then she began ascending again.
"Am I invisible to you?" Anna asked as she cut in front her, which made her stop abruptly.
"Miss Anna! You scared me." The Fusoan Witch said as she put her hand over her chest.
"I wondered who was flying here, it's good to see you again Miyafuji." She added.
"I'm happy to see you too," Yoshika added happily.
"I hope you've been keeping up with your training," she commented.
"I… I…" Yoshika cheeks became slightly red as she recalled how embarrassing her training was, "I mean, yes I have."
"And what are you doing here?" She asked.
"I'm going home" Yoshika added in a neutral tone voice with a smile in her face.
"But aren't you from Fuso?" Anna asked thinking if she really was going to make such journey.
"I am." Yoshika calmly replied.
"You have quite the journey ahead you, let's get you something to eat." Anna stated.
"Thank you, Miss Anna" and thus, both Witches landed.
Shortly after, as the Venezian Witch prepared the food, Yoshika could notice that Anna was looking at her every now and then, with a rather interrogative look on her face.
"Is something wrong?" Yoshika asked.
"Nothing really, it's just that, I read what happened to you after Venezia was liberated."
"Oh that…" Yoshika's became thoughtful, "I needed to save Sakamoto," she added not hesitating.
"I knew she's always been stubborn, and it seems her stubbornness finally dragged someone alongside her." Anna commented serving the food to her guest.
"She sacrificed all her magic to destroy the Neuroi." Yoshika rising her voice a little.
"And you yours to save her," Anna countered, not noticing her tone.
"I couldn't let her die." Yoshika added drearily, yet she did know she never regretted anything she did back then.
"Why the long face, that's what a real Witch would do, you must be proud of yourself." Anna added as she took as sit in front of her, "and after that, you regained your magic power you helped to destroy the Nest over Berlin."
"How do you know that?" Yoshika asked with a curious tone.
"The radio." Anna said as she pointed the one, she had near the kitchen.
"Oh," Yoshika added, not having seen the radio before, "I didn't notice it before."
"And for the look of it, you have regained the control of your magic pressure." Anna commented.
"Huh?" Yoshika wondered how she knew about that.
"Sakamoto was worried about you, and she called me to know if I could do something for you," Anna made a pause, "I, myself haven't had problems with my magic pressure, whatever that is," she continued, "but what I do know is that your feelings can let you use magic even if you feel you've completely depleted your magic."
"I've realized that." Yoshika commented with a pensive tone.
"But keep in mind that if you overextend, you can harm yourself" Anna stated, "or worse," by that time Yoshika had finished her food.
"My grandma used to tell me the same," she added with a familiar tone of voice, then she gulped the milk, "thank you for the food."
"You're welcome," Anna replied with a smile.
Then, Yoshika stood up, "I better get going."
"All right then," and both Witches headed outside where Yoshika left her Striker Unit before, then she grabbed her backpack, her wrapped food, her tail and ears appeared, jumped into the Shinden, "thank you again, Miss Anna," then a magic circle appeared, and she took off.
"Don't forget to visit me." Anna said as Yoshika ascended.
"I will Miss Anna, when I came back, goodbye," the Fusoan Witch said as she headed southeast again.
Sometime later, Yoshika could see the base she used to call home more than a year ago, "Romagna…" Yoshika said to no one, and some memories had started to come back to her recalling the conversation she just had with Miss Anna. She knew she needed to look forward, and to the next stop, so she continued flying alongside the coastline until land was very close to her on the other side sea.
Then, she got the map out of her jacket, and began checking it, "that must Venezia," Yoshika said to herself, "which means Greece is pretty close", and thus, she began crossing the Adriatic Sea.
"I wonder if Shirley or Francesa are here", Yoshika said to no one, but no Witch appeared and by the evening, she arrived at an island, "this must be Myrina," Yoshika said as she noticed the port as well as several battle ships.
"This is Sergeant Miyafuji from the Fuso Empire, requesting permission to land," Yoshika said through her transponder, hoping not to have any problem.
"Stand by and wait for confirmation," a man with a grave voice replied, and after a couple minutes of no answer, she was starting to give up and began flying slowly to her next possible stop, in the Ostman Empire.
"Sorry for the wait, permission granted," another man replied with a more familiar tone of voice.
"Roger that." Yoshika replied, then she communicated Commander Minna that she had arrived at Greece, and shortly after, she landed. There were a couple of crewmen already waiting for her. As she got out of her striker unit, she could notice they were far more serious that she was used to, yet they were still polite enough as they showed her the place, she would be spending the night on, as well as the bath, and shortly after, they brought her food to the room.
'This looks worse than Britannian food,' Yoshika thought as she noticed that it did not look tasteful at all, yet she recalled what she heard regarding complaining about the food, so she started to swallow without chewing whatever they had served her.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot what I brought from Gallia." Yoshika beamed as she unwrapped and afterwards, she ate it happily. Then, she went to the bath and cleaned herself up, and then back to her room, put herself on a nightgown and after laying on the bed, she fell asleep quickly.
Day two
Yoshika woke up early as soon as the dawn arrived, and as she was changing into her usual clothes, someone knocked the door.
"A moment please." Yoshika said as she hurried to finish dressing up and then she opened the door, but no one was there. "Hmm", she wondered who could have been, but then she noticed a food tray was left on the floor, "strange," she said as she grabbed the tray and headed inside again.
After eating the food which better than yesterday's and folding the blankets, she grabbed her things and opened the door only to notice that a man was already there. "I hope it was of your liking," he said, and he grabbed the tray and disappeared into the hallway, 'now this is weird,' she thought.
Then, she exited the room and headed to the hangar but in her way there, she could notice that the base was almost completely silent.
'Maybe they are sleeping?', she said to herself, then, she noticed the Shinden was just where she left it yesterday, and without no one else there, she jumped into it.
"Miyafuji, preparing to take off," Yoshika said through her transponder.
"Permission granted," a man replied from across the hangar,
'I didn't notice him before' she thought, but it was not that important, so she sortied.
'What a crappy place,' she said to herself, 'better not come again, unless it's necessary,' she made a mental note, and then she left the base and continued with her journey.
"Miyafuji here, I've took off from Larissa," she said through her transponder but there was no answer, "hmm, no response, but the signal doesn't seem to be jammed," and there was nothing she could do, so she continued flying over the Mediterranean Sea until she could see land again and then southeast.
"So many islands" she commented as she wanted to check them out, yet she knew did not have time to waste, thus she continued her journey until the east coastline ended in what seemed a gulf, then she stopped in the air in order to check the map again, "so this must be the Ostman Empire, which means I should go southeast again," and she did so.
It was midday, which meant she should stop to eat something, but she did not feel hungry, so she continued, and shortly after the land became drier and until it was just an arid desert.
"So hot." Yoshika commented, "I wonder how much is left before I arrive to the Ostman golf."
The heat had become unbearable for Yoshika, and she had started to sweat even more, but to her relief she noticed something in the distance, "a tree," she happily said, and thus she landed there, she got one of the Ramune's bottles she had with her and gulped it. Then, she took off her scarf and wrapped around her head and then she also took her jacket off and put it on her backpack, and rebegan flying again over the desert with seemingly no end in sight.
A few minutes later, in the sky, she noticed trails were left behind, "are those Witches?" Yoshika questioned, "I wonder who they are?" she said as she panted a little, "or why they are even here", she added as the only thing she could see was sand with a small tree far in between, sure she could catch them but there was no need to, so she continued flying at her own pace and as calmly as the weather let her.
"Now I understand why Lieutenant Marseille wanted to take a bath so bad." Yoshika said to herself as she wiped the sweat out of her face, then she instinctively put out a shield at her left flank.
"Neuroi", she said as she gulped some saliva, "so that's why there were Witches," she added panting.
'Hit-and-run' Yoshika repeated to herself what Minna taught her, so she maneuvered around its beans and flew towards but when she shrunk her shield to drill it, the Neuroi accelerated in instant passing her in a blink of an eye.
"A Jet Neuroi." Yoshika trembled as she felt a heartbeat skipped on her. "Commander Minna, I need reinforcements," she said through her transponder but there was still no answer, "do you copy?" she asked again with the same results, "I guess, I'm on my own." She gulped thinking in a way to take it down without a gun, as she noticed her hands had begun sweating either of the heat or the nervousness she felt.
Then, the Neuroi readied itself to shot again and Yoshika decided to try to drill it again, thus she accelerated towards it easily dodging its beams. Though, as she got close to it, the Neuroi passed her again instantly, but as it did so, the Neuroi scratched itself with Yoshika's shield, creating a metallic scream of pain.
'It isn't as though as the ones in Hamburg,' the Fusoan said to her own head with a bit more of relief, then she wiped the sweat out of her face, 'maybe that could work,' she thought as she faced the Neuroi one more time.
"I need to end this quickly." She added as she noticed her swimsuit was wet of sweat and she herself had started to feel exhausted due to the heat.
And she flew towards it, it shot her, and Yoshika dodged with no difficulty, then she put out a shield of her size to try to drill it again; but when the Neuroi readied itself to flee again, she expanded her shield in an instant making the Neuroi crash into it at high speed, disintegrating itself into white, glowing shards. Though, she was not expecting such powerful impact as she also bounced back and though she tried to control the fall, she ended crashing into the sand.
"It… worked." Yoshika said before she slipped into unconsciousness under the relentless desert sun.
An hour later, in Berlin
Minna was currently working in the office that had just been reconstructed and though she knew she needed to get the paperwork done so that the 501st could be rejoined to take down the hive in southern Karlsland, she could not get herself to concentrate.
"Minna, can we come in?" Gertrud asked as she knocked the door.
"It's open." Minna said with a neutral voice and both Gertrud and Erika came in.
"Have you spoken with Miyafuji?" Gertrud asked her with some uneasiness in her tone.
"Not since yesterday." Minna added as she stopped her work.
"Do you think something may happened to her?" the captain asked.
"I can't tell for sure; she must be somewhere over the Ostman's desert by now." Minna said as she checked the map that Yoshika and she used to prepare the former's route.
"The heat may have been too much for her." Gertrud added visibly concerned which made Minna realize that Yoshika had never been in such extreme weather before, never mind flying such long distance, alone.
"I guess there's no other option besides asking for a search team." Minna added.
"Guys, I'm sure she's fine, it's Yoshika we're talking about." Erika said nonchalantly as she put her hands behind her head. "If the Neuroi cannot stop her, the heat doesn't stand a chance" which made the Witches gaze at each other.
"I guess you're right, it would be far too hasty to request for aid." Minna added still not sure if it was the right decision.
"If she doesn't communicate by the evening, I'll speak with Marseille personally." Gertrude said still not sure how Minna acceded to let her go all by herself on the first place.
"I'll let you know if I have any news." Minna added still concerned.
A couple of hours later
"Where am I?" Yoshika said as she struggled to open her eyes due to the brightness, then she started to feel dizzy as if she was experiencing an earthquake, thus she forced herself to get up and her hands ended touching some sort of cloth.
"What the!?" she gaped as she realized she was over some sort of animal. "A horse? Wait it's a camel."
"You finally woke up, young lady," said a man in his late sixties or early seventies wearing a white headcloth and walking slowly with the help of a cane.
"I guess, I passed out." Yoshika said wondering how much time she was unconscious, then she noticed the camel was also carrying her Striker Unit, thus she got off the camel to lighten the weight, "thank you for helping me," she said as she started alongside them, wondering where they were going.
"You better cover yourself up," the man said as he handed her a white robe a little bigger than her, then Yoshika blushed slightly realizing that she was still just wearing her swimsuit, "you don't want to get sunburnt," he added.
"Oh that," she embarrassingly said realizing what he meant, so she put on the robe, and a few minutes later, she started to feel a little fresher, "thank you".
Then, at distance, she could notice some black tents and shortly after they made it there. The man tried to get the Striker off the camel but to no avail as it was pretty heavy.
"Let me help you." Yoshika said as she took off the robe and put it on chair nearby and her mameshiba ears and tail appeared on her, then she put the striker down, still she could not help it but wonder how the man was able to put her and the Shinden on the camel in the first place.
"And why is a Witch wandering around here?" the man said as his old eyes focused on her.
"I was going home," Yoshika said with honest tone, "but I passed out." She added with a hint of worriedness in her tone, knowing that it could have ended way worse for her, than just being unconscious.
"And where you happen to be from, young lady?" The man asked as he poured some sort of yellowish-greenish liquid into a glass and, then he got some sort of bread in a plate then handed to Yoshika.
"I'm from Fuso and thank you." Yoshika replied as she started to eat the bread, "this is pretty good," she said as she ate through it.
"I'm happy you like it." The man added as she took a sit in front of her. "You still have quite the long journey ahead of you,"
"I know." Yoshika said as she finished eating but she was still hesitant to drink whatever was on the glass.
"Drink it, it's sweet." the man said, and Yoshika did so, still indecisively.
"It's actually delicious." Yoshika beamed as she also gulped the juice.
"It's sugarcane juice." the man commented, "and what's your division, if I may I ask?"
"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing." she added yet she could not get over how good the juice was.
"The Witches that liberated Berlin." the man commented which made her blush slightly.
"We had a lot of help, and we didn't fight alone," Yoshika sheepishly added, realizing that Minna's speech was actually heard around even here.
"Still, it's nice to see another famous Witch around here, but I didn't expect you to be so young." The man commented which made Yoshika think about her age and about which Witch he referring to, but her thoughts were interrupted as he tried to bend down to open a drawer.
"Let me help you." Yoshika said as she opened the drawer and inside, there were two small bottles of sugarcane juice.
"Take them," the man said as he took a sit again, "it seems you really liked it."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Yoshika said but the man stood up again and tried to grab the bottles again, "this is the least I can do for you after you took care of that dammed machine."
"Thank you", Yoshika said as she grabbed the bottles, 'he must've seen how I crashed', she said to herself realizing that was how he found her, still she also wondered how much time that Neuroi had been hiding around here, disturbing these people.
Then, Yoshika packed the bottles in her backpack, "I should get going, I must report my location to my superiors," she added knowing that Minna must be worried by now.
"it's understandable, young lady" the man tiredly added and then he grabbed his cane, and both headed where the Striker was left.
"Thank you again sir," Yoshika said as she assured herself that the backpack was tightly closed.
"You better drink them today or they will go bad by tomorrow," the man commented.
"Huh? I'll keep it in mind," then her mameshiba ears and tail appeared and she gazed at the man again as he rested his weight over the cane.
"And don't forget the robe," the man added as he tried to point where she left it before.
"You have done enough for me, and I think I would cross over the desert today." Yoshika added but then, she left her backpack near the Shinden.
"Did you forget something, young lady?" the man asked.
"It seems your back hurts, let me try something," Yoshika said as she walked towards him.
"It's an old wound, there's nothing you can do," the elder said not being really sure what she had in mind.
"It wouldn't hurt to try, will it?" Yoshika added with a smile and so the man turned around reluctantly, and Yoshika began using healing magic.
"Ah…" the man said as he felt the pain disappearing, and while Yoshika was happy it worked, she knew it would not be that easy.
"Do you have any bandages?" she asked.
"I don't." the man replied as he moved around feeling more relieved.
'I guess that could work,' Yoshika thought recalling this was not the first time she had done that.
"Would you mind…" Yoshika made a pause, "if I use the robe to bandage you?"
"Why would I? I already gave it to you." The man with a reassuring tone and thus Yoshika grabbed it and began unstitching it as careful as possible to not damage it and then, the man lifted his clothes and Yoshika bandaged him.
"You have to be sure that's as tight as it is now," she said with a smile, "but be careful not to tighten it much, you'll have problems breathing," she added.
"Thank you, young lady," the man said as he began walking without a cane but still slowly.
"I guess, I should get going," Yoshika said as she grabbed her backpack and then jumped into the Striker, "goodbye and thank you," Yoshika she said as she ascended.
"Be careful, out there" the man added in low voice, and he headed inside again after she disappeared into the horizon.
The sun was still shining yet it seemed there were not many hours of light left, so Yoshika speeded up a little, and as she flew over the desert, she wondered who the Witch was the man was talking about, but her thoughts were interrupted as the sand finally met with water.
"This must be the Ostman golf," she said to no one as she wiped the sweat of her face, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to cool off for a little," thus she landed, left her things behind, and rushed into the beach.
A few minutes later and now refreshed, she picked up her things and began flying alongside the coastline to her next stop, Khasab.
"Commander Minna, do you read?" Yoshika said but as the last time there was no answer, 'I better use the radio at the base,' she added wondering if her transponder was broken.
Shortly after, a few smallish buildings could now be seen, yet it seemed almost deserted but there were a few planes stationed near, 'that must be the airport,' she thought.
"This is Sergeant Yoshika Miyafuji, requesting permission land," Yoshika asked wondering if the message would go through.
"Permission granted," a man replied with a cheery tone of voice, and she headed where a man was signaling her to, and shortly after she landed, the same man walked in a fast pace towards her.
"It's a pleasure to have you here, sergeant, Miyafuji." A young man in his early twenties or late teens said as he posed in front of her.
"Thank… you?" Yoshika replied a little confused as she was the one who usually posed, then she got out of her Striker Unit, 'he seems kind enough,' she thought recalling how weird the personnel were at Myrina. "May I ask you for a favor?" she asked as she untied her scarf of her head and then, she put on her jacket, while the man watched her with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Yes of course," the man replied blushing a little, though to his relief, the Witch did not notice anything.
"May I use your radio?" Yoshika asked as she grabbed her backpack again making the bottles rattle, 'oh! the juice, I better drinking later today,' she made a mental note.
"Please follow me." The man said as he walked in front of her, and before entering the comm room, the man stood by the door, "let me know if you need anything else, Sergeant."
"Thank you," and Yoshika tried again to communicate with her superior, "Commander Minna, do you read?" but there was no answer for a few seconds.
"What happened? Why didn't you report me your location as I ordered you?" Minna fumed through the radio.
"I…" Yoshika did not expect her to be that angry, "I did, but the signal didn't go through," she added.
"I was already about to send Lieutenant Marseille to search for you." Minna added with a serious tone, yet it seemed she had calmed a little.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't expect to take me so long to cross the desert over Ostman," Yoshika tried to apologize.
Minna sighed through the radio, "I understand this is your first solo journey, but for that same very reason you must report your location in case you encounter any problem," Minna made a pause, "there's nothing to report, right Sergeant?"
"Ehh," Yoshika stuttered, "no, ma'am, nothing really happened," she said as firmly as she could because who knows what Minna would do if she knew she was unconscious for who knows how long.
"I hope that's true, better get some rest, you still have a few more days of flying ahead of you and that's an order," Minna firmly said.
"I will, and sorry again Commander for worrying you," the Fusoan Witch said as she closed the transmission and then she exited the room only to find the same man outside the room, posing.
"This way, Sergeant, I'll show you the room you'll be staying at," the man as he tried to avoid looking at her, then he walked in front of her again, then both arrived at a room and when the man opened the door, Yoshika realized that it looked a bit more cozy than what she expected, "please make yourself comfortable," the man said as he left the room.
"Thanks," Yoshika said as she put her things on the desk and then she laid on the bed to rest for a little, 'this has been harder than what I expected,' Yoshika thought as she herself did not even know what she would be facing during her journey back home, and shortly after she fell asleep without her realizing it.
A few moments later, the man knocked the door but there was no answer, "Sergeant Miyafuji," he said as he knocked the door again, "sergeant," he loudly said with the same results, 'I hope I don't get punished for this,' the man thought and as he slowly and cautiously opened the door, only to find the Witch sleeping peacefully and profoundly over the blankets, the man sighed in relief and then he left the food tray he brought and exited the room as quietly as possible.
Later that night, Yoshika woke up shivering a little, 'I should have put on something dry,' she thought as she got up and then she took of her jacket and her still wet swimsuit off.
But as she was putting on her nightgown, she noticed there was something different in the room, "what's that smell?", she sniffed until she found the source, "it's food," she beamed noticing a tray with food was left on the desk near the door, thus she finished dressing up quickly and began eating it.
"This is even better", the Fusoan Witch cheered as she relished and gulped through the food as she had not eaten since she was with the elderly man, but ended up chocking, thus she got the bottled cane juice of her backpack and drank the whole bottle in one sip.
"It tastes strange," she said as she swallowed the last bit of juice, and shortly after, she finished eating. Then, she exited the room to search for the bathroom and to her relief, it was not hard to find as it was at the end of the hallway, and after cleaning herself up, she went back to the room and but before she laid on the bed again, she grabbed the last bottle she had with her.
"It actually isn't that bad," she said as she took a sip laying on the bed, and she let out a small hiccup, then she took another one, "it actually tastes funny," she added as she began feeling a little weird. 'Maybe I should have drunk it earlier,' she thought as she recalled what the man told her, then she remembered what he also said about her.
'So… young, but I'm almost 17, do I still look that young?', she wondered, 'I've grown a little since I joined the Witches,' she said to her own head, but then she looked at her feet, 'but not that much I guess', still she did really not care. But one thing was for sure, she was not getting younger, which begged the question about what she wanted to do in the future, she wanted to continue helping people, but the question was how. 'I'd like to continue being a Witch, but what would happen after I turn 20? I should continue studying to be a medic, right? I've promised that and besides I always wanted to run the clinic at home' she said to her own head; 'but there's no way I could stop fighting, that's way more important than my studies,' she added.
Then, she sipped through the whole bottle, which made her even hiccup more, 'I guess I should continue serving until this is over or at least until I can,' she said to herself, 'and then I could continue studying,' she made a mental note, 'that sounds good to me,' then she tried to get up only to end falling over herself.
"What's wrong with me?" Yoshika asked to herself as she hiccupped, then she realized she was feeling very dizzy, she tried to get up again to no avail as the world turned around her, thus after realizing she was not going to be able to get anywhere, she got herself comfortable on the bed, however she could, and shortly after she fell asleep in what was left before it dawned.
Third day
As the heat of desert made its way to the room Yoshika was sleeping in, she struggled to open her eyes and as she rubbed them, she noticed she was sweating a little, "where am I?" She wondered, as she got up.
"Oh yeah, I'm in Khasab," she remembered, "ouch" she added feeling a headache, though she did not know the reason behind the ache.
Then, she exited the room and headed to the bathroom and to her surprise, the base still as silent as possible, the only sound that could be heard at the distance was that of the waves crashing into rocks.
After washing her face up with cold water, she began feeling better and then she went back to the room, put on her usual clothes, folded the blankets, grabbed her things and the food tray as well and exited to the room and went to look for the kitchen.
As she found it, she noticed the same man that received her yesterday was there, cooking to her surprise.
"Good morning, Sergeant, I hope you sleep well." He said with a polite smile.
"Good morning to you, I've sleep well." Yoshika said as it was what happened, more or less, "let me help you," she added as she grabbed an apron nearby.
"There's no need to, sergeant, I've almost finished," the man replied as he began putting the food on trays.
"Wow, this looks as good as yesterday's," Yoshika commented happily as she peeked at it and then began cleaning the dishes she used yesterday.
"I'm glad you liked it, sergeant," the man added as he carried the food to the dining table.
"You made it? It was delicious, but there's no need to call me sergeant, Yoshika's fine," she commented, as the finished with the dishes, "and what's your name?"; she added as grabbed the other food tray,
"My name is Tadeusz Piechowski, sergeant, I mean Yoshika." the man added with his cheeks slightly red, and both took a sit.
"All right Tadeusz," Yoshika said biting her tongue a little, "by the way, where's the rest of the personnel, I haven't seen anyone else here," Yoshika said, "and thank you for the food," she added as she began eating it.
"They left to provide supplies for the 31st Joint Fighter and since I'm the newest recruit and nothing really happens around here, I was left to guard the base", he said, "and to receive you in case you came," he added in a lower tone.
"I saw a few Witches before I came here, I guess it must be Hanna's squad that was heading to pick up the supplies," Yoshika commented.
"You know her, well I supposed you should, after all, she's a famous ace Witch just like you," the man added as he blushed a little and so did Yoshika.
"Yeah, I… do know her, but I'm not even half as good as her," Yoshika added sheepishly, as she continued eating, 'or famous,' she said to herself.
"But you are, you liberated Berlin," the man commented with an approving tone.
"Everyone helped to liberate Berlin, I'm no better than anyone else." Yoshika added with a self-assured tone, "and where are you from?" she asked as she had never heard a name like that before.
"I'm from Ostmark," Tadeusz said as he dropped his smile.
"Oh…" Yoshika began feeling a little of regret asking that, "that's pretty far from here."
"It… is, after my country fell, and I lost my family, I enlisted into the military," he made a pause, "but since I'm still a novice I was sent here."
"I'm sorry," and the silence took over the room afterwards, and both continued eating for a few minutes.
Yoshika was feeling a little of guiltiness after asking him that and after she finished eating and she decided to break the quietness in the room, "I promise you I'll do whatever I can to liberate your country." Yoshika boldly said as she stood up.
"Thanks, but… I don't have anything left there," Tadeusz added with a pensive tone to Yoshika's puzzlement.
"But there must be something you want to do after this is over," Yoshika asked with comforting tone.
"Before my father died, he used to be a famous chef back in Venezia, I guess I can pursue my father's steps," he added with a voice full of thoughtfulness.
"You're pretty a good cook and I hate to say it but you're even better than me," Yoshika added as she tried to cheer him up.
"You, you know how to cook?" he asked wondering why a Witch may know that.
"I do, I usually prepare the food for the whole 501st," Yoshika added.
"I thought you have someone that helped you with that," Tadeusz said.
"We used to take turns but since I'm the better cook, that's become part of my daily duties," Yoshika said.
"I guess you could you show me how to cook some Fusoan dishes," Tadeusz added.
"I wish I had time to, but…" Yoshika made a pause, "I need to depart to my next checkpoint."
"I understand," then, he got a small basket out, "here, take it, I hope this is enough for you until you arrive to your next stop," he said as he handed it to Yoshika.
"Thank you," Yoshika said but she left it on the dining table and picked up the tray they used before instead.
"I take care of this, you better depart soon before it becomes even hotter," the man said as he grabbed the rest of the plates.
"I guess you right", Yoshika said and then, she grabbed the basket and her backpack, and both headed to the hangar, her ears and tail appeared, and she jumped into the Striker Unit.
"I won't rest until Ostmark is Liberated," she added with more boldness in her voice as a magic circle appeared.
"Thank you, Yoshika,", the Ostmarkian soldier added.
"Bye, I hope we meet again," she added as she took off.
"Be careful, Sergeant," Tadeusz added as she watched how the first Witch he had ever met in person disappeared into the horizon.
Yoshika, then began flying alongside the eastern coastline, at the other side of the Khasab port, "Commander Minna, I already departed from Khasab, do you read?"
"I was beginning to think you forgot to report your status again," Minna said with a more tranquil tone, "it seems you overslept," she added.
"I… did," Yoshika hesitated, "it was tougher to fly over the desert than I what I expected," she stated which was more or less the truth, "but I'm full of energy today," she added with an assuring tone, though she was still no sure why she felt so dizzy yesterday or was it today? And her head still hurt a little, but she could continue flying with no issue.
"I hope you are, and by the way, I wish you have a happy birthday today, Trude and Erika wished the same to you," Minna added with a kind yet wistful tone.
"Thanks commander, I really appreciate it, and please give both Hartmann and Captain Barkhorn my thanks," she added in a neutral tone, "Miyafuji, out;" and she continued flying for a while until the ocean became surrounded by land once again, then she got out her map again and began checking it.
"This must be the Gulf of Kutch, which means I should continue east," she said to herself, and she did so, and continue flying for quite a long time, until she saw a small lake and landed, then, she got out the food Tadeusz made for her, and relished herself with it.
After that, she rebegan with her journey, still she could not get over the fact which day was today, a day that would be a happy occasion for most people, but it was not for her.
She started to recall the very reason she went to Europe and how selfish she was when she traveled to Europe just hoping to find whatever happened to her father not caring about anything else, not even the war, just her own problems. But, in that journey she came to understand why her father had left her, and though she still blamed the war, she knew without her father's work, maybe no one could have been able to oppose the neuroi.
And that journey was in vain, as she found out that he really had died as she was informed about it on her tenth birthday, seven years ago now. With her hopes shattered she cried that day nonstop, but Mio was with her and comforted her, and she thought she had finally moved on but deep down she knew it would not be as easy as that as she still miss him.
She was only a child when she came to understand that her father was never going to back and though she was far too young to get to know him deeply but he was her father after all, and even though it had been seven years since that painful day, it still hurt her like the first day, but she also understood that she had to look forward as she had a promise to keep.
"I will protect everyone," she loudly pledged to herself under reddish Indoan sky while she continued flying and without her realizing it, some tears were left behind.
To her surprise, one of her strikers started to stutter, it seemed that it was losing a bit magic power, "not again" Yoshika said while wiping her eyes, recalling what happened in Helvetia.
"I better land," Yoshika said to herself as she became nervous that she could crash in the middle of nowhere as she was not very accustomed to fly with just one striker. But after a few seconds, it had stabilized itself, yet she did not her chances and continued flying more slowly until a rather big river that ended in the ocean could be seen and further away, a lighthouse was illuminating the surrounding area and she headed there.
"Miyafuji from the Fuso Navy, requesting permission to land," she said through her transponder, and then the lighthouse's lamp focused on her, blinding her.
"What's wrong with them?" She loudly said as she covered her eyes.
"Permission granted," a man said, and she landed in a rather smallish runway track which was connected to a smallish hangar.
As she stationed the Shinden, a man in his forties came to her and then, he showed the room she would be staying at, it only had a bed and a small table that served as nightstand. After the man left room, she was now alone with her thoughts, and she laid on the bed with the same clothes.
"Miyafuji here, I already arrived at Chittagong," she said through her transponder with a hint of curtness in her voice as she tried to get comfortable in the hard mattress.
"Copy that," Minna replied, "I hope everything went fine today, Yoshika," she added with a tender tone.
Yoshika sighed, "nothing out of the ordinary happened, today, commander."
"Roger that," Minna also sighed, "sleep well, you still have at least two more days of flying ahead of you."
"Understood," the Fusoan Witch added as she finally found a position which was mostly comfortable and she was about to fall sleep, until someone knocked the door.
"Now what?" She said as she got up again and then she opened the door and found a food tray was left in front it; she grabbed it and headed inside again and then she began eating it, not really caring what was she served.
After she ate it, she laid on the bed again and was able to fall asleep.
In Pas-de-Calais
At the same time, Lynette was currently helping Perrine to do the dishes, but she was not doing a good job, the Gallian Witch of course knew what day it was, "don't worry, I'm sure Yoshika is fine", she said with an optimistic tone.
"I hope the same too", Lynette replied with wistful tone, not sharing her optimism.
"Why don't you go to sleep, you seem tired," Perrine added with soothing tone as she knew Lynette would not be able to concentrate.
"But I'm not" Lynette said raising her voice a little while she dropped a dish accidentally, shattering it in the process.
"Don't worry Jean-Paul would help me to take care of that." Perrine said with calm tone.
"I guess, I do need to rest," Lynette added realizing what just happened, and she headed to her room. Now laying in the bed, wearing her nightgown, she started to think how Yoshika had spent this day, she knew what had happened to her on her tenth birthday, thus it would have not been an easy day for her.
She cared a lot about her, and she hoped that Yoshika had had a good birthday wherever she was now. Still, sometimes when she thought about her, it made her wonder what if she felt the same way about her, but she was not here and neither she had the courage to say anything to her so it would be better if she rested just like Perrine suggested her to. And after a while, she finally fell asleep.
Somewhere between Orussia and Suomus
Another Witch was also having a small birthday made by one of her closest comrades.
"Is something wrong Sanya?" Eila asked as she saw that Sanya looked a bit troubled, but she did not reply to her, thus, she asked again, "do you not like it?".
Eila started to feel worried about not getting an answer, 'did I do something to bother her' she wondered, and she started to recall what she had done these last few days but as hard as she tried, she could not think of anything that could have upset her.
"It's not that, it's just that I've been thinking Yo…" Sanya said while directly looking her in the eyes.
Eila's cheeks were becoming redder and redder, thinking about a million of different things and she was becoming hesitant to ask whom she was thinking about, but she found the courage to do so, "about… who?", she asked with hesitation in her tone.
"I've been thinking about Yoshika," Sanya calmy replied and while Eila's blush stopped and now with a more serious look on her face, "I've been thinking about her too, I hope she found a nice place to stay today because I don't think she'd have arrived at Fuso yet," Eila commented.
"I really hope the same too," Sanya replied, shortly after that they celebrated and ate the birthday cake Eila made for her and continued talking for a while.
Somewhere in Fuso
The Fusoan Witch were also having a small birthday party too, organized by none other than Mio with the help of another Witch. But even though, this would be happy for Shizuka, she had a worried look on her face and she could not bring herself to enjoy the party as she knew who also shared the birthday with her.
"You are thinking about Miyafuji, aren't you?", Mio asked with a gentle tone as she came to her side.
"I… I am," she quietly replied avoiding looking at her.
Mio put her hand over Shizuka's shoulder causing her to shudder a little as she was not expecting it.
"Miyafuji would want you to enjoy the party even if she wasn't here, moreover I just spoke with Minna and she assured me that she's fine and she will arrive soon so I would not worry about her," Mio said in a soothing tone while looking at her eyes.
Shizuka was relieved after hearing that Yoshika would come home soon, "you're right Major", she said with a soft smile on her face and then she started to enjoy what they had done for her. Still, truth to be told Mio was worried about her, but she trusted Yoshika so she herself put her worries aside and did what she advised Shizuka to do.
Fourth day
As it had been a habit for Yoshika, she woke up pretty early in the morning, she folded the blankets which she did not even use, and exited the room and began searching for the bathroom which happened to be next to her room. After cleaning herself up a little, she went back to the room, picked up her things as well as the tray, exited the room and searched for the kitchen. After a few minutes, she found it and there were a few people having lunch there and even though she greeted them, no one replied, and she was served breakfast shortly after.
As she ate it in silent, she could notice that the personnel there was looking at her which made her a little nervous, but she tried to remain as calm as she could and after she finished it, she got up and picked up the tray and left it near the kitchen, and though she thanked the cook, he also did not reply anything, so without anything else to do, she headed to the hangar.
"Miyafuji, preparing to take off," she said through her transponder as the engine was revving.
"Permission granted," a man said, and she sortied.
'Well, there are worse places than Myrina' Yoshika said to herself as she headed east again inland.
"Yoshika here, I already took off from…, from…. where I was again?" she said as she had forgotten where she spent the night.
"Chittagong, in the Commonwealth of Aotearoa, Yoshika, and the base is called Potenga," Minna said with a familiar tone.
"I forgot what it was called, I'm sorry," Yoshika added with a lighthearted tone.
"It's understandable, it's your first time flying around there," Minna added, "though I haven't been there myself."
"I guess you're right," Yoshika said as she realized she had flown through who knows how many places.
"Keep me updated when you arrive to Hainan," Minna said with the same tone.
"Copy that, Yoshika out," she said as she began ascending to pass over the Arakan mountains and as she traversed them flying east, she could notice the terrain was getting greener and fresher to her relief. But, by midday it had started to drizzle, yet it did not bother her, so she continued flying over hills and mountains.
"It's strange, I don't see anything," she said as the only things that could be seen where trees. And later, it was time for lunch, but she was not really hungry, so she did not stop and continued flying at a slower pace to conserve energy and she did so until the evening had arrived.
"Where am I?" Yoshika wondered as even though she had checked the map, the only thing that she had seen throughout the day were trees and the sea was still not in sight, and after flying for a little she found something that looked like small lake with a small river close to it but when she flew over, she could notice that there was a bit steam over it.
"A hot spring!" Yoshika beamed and then, she flew around it for a few minutes to find whether someone was living near it or not. She would not like to have any unexpected guest while she was bathing but thankfully it seemed it was as empty as everything she had seen today, so she landed to rest for a bit.
The hot water seemed to come from underground and the place was surrounded by rocks and small plants in the middle of the forest. She left her striker unit and her backpack on a place she could easily give them a quick glance it from the spring. Then, she bared herself, folded her clothes and put them next to her backpack.
Soon after, she walked carefully to the spring so that she did not slip and then she submerged herself on the hot water, "I really needed this" she gleefully said while stretching herself.
She wondered if the spring was big enough to either swim or float and it was, after swimming for a little while and relieving herself, she decided to rest just floating.
As flow of the water moved her, she remembered the times she spent in places like this with the rest of the girls.
"I wish the rest could be here, I really miss them" she wistfully said. As she thought about them, it made her mind wander to Lynette and to the strange dreams she used to have or rather, she sometimes still had about her. Sure, there were not as common as they used to be but still.
'Why I am thinking about that?', she could not help it but wondered, it sure felt kind of weird but in a good way.
Even though she did not realize it, she was blushing submerged in both her thoughts and the hot water but then, she heard a small noise from the forest.
"Is anyone there?" she asked with a trace of uneasiness in her voice but there was no reply, the noise was still there though, and then she sank down and her feet were now touching the bottom of the spring.
"Hello?" she said concerned but there was still no answer, and she was now a covering herself with her hands. She was getting really worried now but when she saw her stuff, she realized it was just small fox smelling it.
"What a relief." She sighed that it was nothing out of the ordinary, but then she realized the sun had already set, 'how much time did I spend it here?' she wondered.
She had to rush to arrive at Hainan, but she was not really sure how much it would take to arrive, and it was already dark, thus she realized she would not be able to find it. So, she got out of the spring and waited a few seconds so that excess of water fell off of her body, she dried herself up and then she got dressed up, though she noticed that her swimsuit was very worn out and not as comfy. 'I better get a new one when I get home,' she made a mental note.
Then, she headed to the river near the spring she saw before, hoping to catch fish and she successfully did it. It was no surprise as she used to do it back home when she was younger.
After that, she set up a small bonfire just as Major Sakamoto taught her. 'What are you going to do if you get stranded in the forest', she said back then and that was how she learned some basic survival techniques.
Thankfully, she had never had to experience that personally at least not unwillingly, it would have been dreadful like the time Erika was shoot down back then near Hamburg. She still got shivers from when she remembered how everyone so powerless against those Jet Neuroi and not knowing how Erika was or even if she was still alive; and yet she did have to face one alone and thankfully, it ended pretty well, all things considered.
Regardless of what happened in between, Erika was rescued without any major injure. Now, this is different, she was in the forest, alone, but voluntarily. The night had already come, there was no sound other than sticks burning in the fire, and the sound of the fish being fried on it. After it seemed ready, she began eating it and though it had no seasoning, it was better than whatever she was served in Myrina.
'It is fine' she said to herself as she ate it and no long after, she finished it.
"Yoshika here, I was not able to arrive to Hainan, but I've already set up a small camp." Yoshika said through her transponder, though she was not really sure if setting up a small bonfire counted as one.
"Did you encounter any problem?" Minna asked concerned.
"Not really," Yoshika sighed, "I just wasn't so sure how much longer it would take me to arrive."
"I could request someone to pick you up, if you're feeling tired of flying continuously." Minna added with worried tone.
"No, I'm fine, I just need to rest and besides, I will arrive tomorrow." Yoshika positively said.
"Are you certain, Yoshika?" Minna questioned her, hoping not to regret letting her continue flying tiredly after what happened when she was training her.
"I can do this, I'm sure." Yoshika added with a reassuring tone, yet she was getting sleepy.
"Better go to sleep, then." Minna said with still a questioning voice.
"I will Commander Minna," the Fusoan Witch as she yawned, "Yoshika out."
It was already late and though she was tired, she was not very sure if she could sleep in the forest, alone, but after finding a comfy place near the bonfire and using her backpack as a pillow, she fell asleep.
I'm sorry for the late update again, I didn't expect this chapter to be take me that long to complete it but I assure you the next chapter will be ready before the next weekend.
And don't worry about the Ostmarkian soldier, Yoshikas polite with everyone, and if it was not clear enough, he just has admiration for her as she is the first Witch he had ever seen and a pretty famous one :-) and for now I don't have any plans for him so he would not appear again in the future.