Erina

Ryukyus Islands Sea, USS Essex CVN-88, Japan
July 29th
8:00 PM

Almost all of us were gathered in a quite comfortable room, it was the area of the Captain's Cabin, a place that looked more like a hotel room than a room of a huge warship, but everything in this ship has a function and this one is mainly as a meeting area with people that matter or special guest room, besides being the place where the captain of the ship usually sleeps, Admiral Mark was kind enough to lend it to us for the moment. But apart from Lisa who was perfectly unconscious on a couch, no one else could sleep, either because of nerves or other reasons. My mother was still working with the twins trying to figure out what to do with the units trapped on the main island, Momo was studying mathematics trying to find the area of effect of the Shockwave weapon. Maria was talking to Tifa to pass the time, they were both quite nervous and all the constant noise outside was not relaxing them, Tamamo was making tea and coffee for the people with insomnia.  

"I can't believe people are able to sleep in here"
"Outside there are people screaming and running all over the place"
"It's like trying to sleep in the middle of a construction site" Said my sister in irritation.

"Well, you get used to everything"
"The people on this ship are mostly people who were there during the Continental War, so some of them have even slept in a war zone"
"I also did it a lot too" I replied as I finished my tea.

"This brings back memories of the past"
"I was sleeping here for a while during the war as well"
"During the preparation and realization of the final assault on Vienna, this was basically my home" My mother added,

"Interesting, it is usually Cesar who talks that way"
"That of remembering the past in a melancholic way"

"Well if you don't want to lose the custom I have also been on this ship before."
"Although I slept in the lower section with the rest of the crew in the bookcases they call dormitories"

"Right, you were a pilot on this carrier, weren't you?"
"I didn't get on board until after your funeral so we never saw each other"
"......"
"You know, it's strange but now that I think about it"
"But doesn't this ship seem to follow you around?"

"Well, now that you mention it, you are right"

"Okay, it's ready!"
"Here it is, a special tea to relax the nerves and have a good sleep for the tired ones"
"And strong coffee for the workers who need energy" Tamamo appeared, serving drinks for everyone.

After that some of them tried to find a way to get some sleep, Maria and Kasumi did it, the others were trying. I on the other hand couldn't completely, my mind wouldn't let me, I had something lurking in my head that I couldn't forget. I left the room and went to the dining room where I was looking for something quite particular. It was one of the walls that were quite decorated, full of photos and personal mementos. It was a very important place for the whole crew, it was the Wall of the Fallen, a place where all the crew members who lost their lives in combat were remembered.

An image of days that will never come back.

"You are paying a lot of attention to that image"
"Is there something special about it?"

I was surprised to hear a voice next to me so suddenly, it was Tamamo who was standing next to me wagging his tail, she seemed to be quite curious.

"Oh!"
"Well...."
"I just didn't think I'd have something like this here...."
"Yes, it does...."

"Is it?"
"And what is it?" She said with a playful tone.

"....."
"Well then..."
"I am in this picture"
"That one there"

"The handsome guy with the helmet and mask?"
"He looks so manly"

"Yes, that's right"
"This picture is probably from when I was still in vue training"
"At that time I used to have quite a lot of hair and skin on my face yet"

"Interesting..."
"...."
"But you still haven't answered my question, what are you really looking at in this picture?"

"!!!!!"
"Wha...what do you mean?"

"You've got that look on your face again"
"The one of  "I used to be happy without knowing it"
"Almost always put a similar one every time you talk about Nanami or Luna"
"....."
"So, who is she?"

"Well, maybe...."
"...."
"Although I don't know for sure in this case"
"...."
"You really are perspicacious"

"Ho, ho, ho"
"Well what kind of wife would I be if I wasn't able to recognize how my dear Darling feels"
"...."
"So, who is it this time?"
"Someone else from your collection?"

"What? No, nothing like that"
"....."
"Her name was Erina"
"She was my partner"

"Partner"

"Fighter pilots always fly in pairs"
"Someone they always fly together with"
"Many maneuvers are based on dancing with your partner in the air"
"...."
"And my partner was her, Erina"
"...."
"She was always watching my back every time we took off"

"What about this picture here?"
"You two are on the same plane in this one"

"!!!!!"
"I can't believe it!"
"They have this one here too!"
"....."
"This is the last picture I took of me before the accident and ....well.... ended up with a tail and ears"
"...."
"In this one, we were coming back from attacking a couple of Empire transports"
"The plane was a two-seater and she came with me"

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"There is not one without the helmet?"

"....."
"....."
"Agh, this is all so stupid"
"....."
"It wasn't until much later that another pilot told me that she actually loved me"
"...."
"I didn't know it at the time, I was too busy looking for this stupid crystal"
"...."
"But now that I think about it, it was so obvious that I even hated myself for not realizing it"

"You don't have to think so badly of yourself"
"We all make some mistake or negligence"
"I'm sure if she really loved you she would still be waiting for you, wouldn't she?"
"The important part is whether you wanted to respond to those feelings in the same way"

"It's not that easy"
"...."
"A lot of things happened you know"
"...."
"It was all shit, after shit after shit"
"Only to end in shit"
"....."
"Maybe if I had told her a clear NO, things would have been different"

"What happened?"

"Well, how about you take a look at that picture over there"

"That's her riding a plane, isn't it?"
"Is she getting ready to leave?"

"She asked me to take that picture before takeoff"
"...."
"That same day, she died just three hours after taking this photo"
"...."
"It was the same day I lost my face"
"....."
"We were both on patrol in Italy when out of nowhere came a squadron of enemy fighters"
"...."
"They were much better than me and damaged my plane, shooting me down and crashing my plane on the ground where I burned up"
"She stayed in the air protecting me from enemy  but was cornered by the enemy squadron"
"...."
"Her plane exploded in mid-air"
"...."
"There was nothing left ......."

"Oh, I'm so sorry"
"I didn't know"

"I am sorry even more"
"...."
"At the time I just saw it as something natural"
"Something that happened all the time"
"One victim of war more"
"....."
"I was so deep in my own shit over Atlantis that I didn't even notice that there were people who cared about me"
"...."
"I didn't realize she was watching over me at a pretty dark time for me until it was too late"
"...."
"I really screwed up and I'll never be able to fix it"

Everything happened so fast that day. Less than 10 minutes was all the fight lasted. I have engraved in my mind the horror of the fall, trying to maintain control of the plane somehow, the alarms on the dashboard ringing non-stop, the pulling of the attacked ejector lever over and over in a panic, Erina flying next to me trying to get rid of my pursuer who was trying to finish me off, her screams of panic and desperation, her last word was an "I'm sorry" that I will never know if it was for her parents or for me. And then the ground coming closer, the painful thud against the earth, the building coming closer against me, and especially the heat of the brutal flames consuming my body.

And best of all, I still remember the planes that made it. Their black and red colors. The shield symbol on their tails, a white eagle and a red lightning bolt, they were one of the best squadrons in the Empire, a group of aces with a long history of victories. The same one he had sighted today, they were flying alongside the Airborne Fortress Dandelion, they were protecting it.

A spark ignited inside me. A thirst for revenge surged inside me, I wanted to destroy them, each and every one of the HellFire squadron pilots, to make them pay for what they did to me. And even if it wouldn't bring the girl back or forgive my mistakes, at least maybe it would give me an excuse to save the debt I owed her.

Without further thought, I turned around and went back to the captain's cabin.

"Darling? Where are you going?"

I went to the others to ask for a favor. I was about to do something stupid and I needed the help of several people to make it happen. I needed my mother's help and especially Momo's help. When I arrived I found them exactly the same as before, they were just killing time. I told them my idea out loud and they all looked at me with doubt and surprise.

"Do you want me to let you fly one of the jets?"

"Yes, that's right!"
"They lost a lot of people to the Shockwave attack"
"They have a lot of planes but no pilots"
"I know how to fly"

"To you?"
"That you need a ladder to get to the top of the refrigerator"
"The one that burns from being in the sun on a cloudy day"
"And the person that I raised with so much love and care"

"Also, the same one who saved the world once already"
"Killed a God and destroyed a planet in a single day"
"And that he is doing this because he wants to protect all of you"

"Are you sure Darling?"
"Is it because of us? Is it Erina?"
"...."
"Or is it revenge for the burns on your face?" Tamamo said worried and annoyed.

I didn't respond, instead, I just stared and waited for an answer.

"....."
"All right, fine."
"I'd rather see you ride a plane than have to deal with you running away and more people wondering why a Dragon is in the middle of the battle"

"Thank you!"

Hearing these words Momo jumped up from her place, she went running to her suitcase and grabbed a bag full of tools before returning, although due to the mask her face could not be seen, the happiness was noticeable in the way she moved.

"If you're going to fly a plane tomorrow, I'd better get started as soon as possible to get it up to speed!"
"There is too much to do and too little time"
"Go to the hangar and choose which one you want to use"
"I'll take care of tuning the whole plane to its maximum potential"
"I will prepare the configuration you want within the time limit"

Of all the things Momo loved to repair, her favorites were airplanes and spaceships. For no reason was she sent as a mechanic when I need help in Italy. I had no doubt that she was the best mechanic on this ship, I knew that if she touched one of the planes, the failures on it would be zero. And so we both went out to the hangar to work all night preparing the plane for tomorrow's battle, after all, it was a lie to say that we would sleep that night anyway.

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