A/N- Well here it is, chapter 2.

I hope nothing feels too forced or disorganized.

Don't expect perfection from me, as I am far from being capable of it. I'll do my best to live up to the standards of the Strike Witches series.

That being said, be sure to leave a review.

Probably forgetting to address a few things here, but I'm tired and I just want to get this chapter out.

Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!

(-)

Pain.

That was the first thing his mind registered as he regained consciousness. His body ached something fierce and he felt distinctly tired and weak.

'I'm getting a serious sense of deja vu here.'

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a pristine white ceiling overhead. Several lights hung from up top but none of them were on. No, the light that illuminated the room was coming from somewhere else. A breeze wafted across his face and he turned his head slightly to see the large open window which let the suns light filter through. He took a deep breath and licked his lips. His mouth was unusually dry. The scent of antiseptic entered his nasal cavity and gave him a clue as to where he was. Shifting his gaze around the room, he realized that he was in an infirmary of some sort.

Slowly, agonizingly, he lifted his arm up and removed the blanket that was covering him. Bandages were wrapped around his bare torso and across his left shoulder. Pressing his elbows on the bed, he did his best to push himself in order to sit up. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen which caused him to momentarily halt his actions and grip at the source.

'Ah, that's right. I was wounded.' he thought, remembering what had happened before he lost consciousness. "Never thought I would have wood in my body. I'm straight as an arrow." he weakly joked aloud. However his voice was raspy from disuse.

Finally managing to grow accustomed to the pain in his side, he shifted his body to hang his legs off the side of the bed. Taking another breath through his nose, he was rewarded this time with the scent of perspiration. 'Damn. I smell like shit.'

Looking up, he noticed his shirt and hoodie were hanging on a rack next to his bed. Both were damaged and torn in places along with the hole from where the wood pierced. Dried blood stains spattered the clothes, effectively ruining them. "Fuck..." William groaned. "That was my favorite shirt too."

Forcing himself to his feet, he gazed about the room to look for a sink so he could get a drink of water. Eventually his eyes landed on it in the corner. Trudging over to it ever so slowly, he glanced out the window and instantly recognized where he was. The airstrip was a dead giveaway. This was the 501st airbase on the coast of Britannia. A smile formed on his lips as he realized he was exactly where he wanted to be. Arriving at the sink, he turned on the faucet and ran his hands under the water. Scooping up a modest amount, he bent over and took a gulp from it, clearing his throat with the cool liquid. His thirst quenched, he gathered some more water in his hands and splashed it on his face. Returning his gaze forward, he rubbed the water across his face and felt his vitality return to him.

Putting his hands down and gazing into the mirror, he was greeted by a curious sight. He didn't really know what to expect when he finally had a chance to see what his anime look would be like, but he was happy with the result. It was just what he would expect from it. His eyes looked larger, his nose looked smaller, his face was more angular. However there was one thing off about it.

"Venatrix, you there?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why the hell is my hair white?"

True to his question, William's hair was white as snow. Not the extremely pale-blonde that Eila has, nor the silver that Sanya has, but honest to god white. It was quite odd considering the last time he checked his hair was ash-blonde.

"I am... unsure. It changed after we formed the familiar pact and has been like this ever since."

"And you didn't think it would be prudent to inform me of this development?"

"My general assumption was that you'd overreact."

Letting out a sigh, William gazed back at the reflection of his visage. His hair was still short like he remembered and it still sported the tousled look he had grown found off. The only difference was that now it was white. It didn't exactly go well with his emerald green eyes, but he would just deal with it.

"Whatever... I have bigger things to worry about right now." he said as he turned back towards his bed. It was then that he noticed his backpack had been placed on the other side of it. Heading over and lifting the bag onto the bed, ho opened it up to see if everything was still as he left it. "Well, I at least think no one rummaged through it. Then again, it would be hard to tell after I was tossed about like a rag-doll."

The sound of the door opening behind him alerted William to his guest. Turning, he was greeted by the sight of a twenty-something year old nurse who was dressed in the standard attire of the time period. She was looking over something on the clipboard she held, before lifting her gaze upwards and spotting William.

"Y-you're awake!" she exclaimed in surprise.

William scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I am."

"Sir, you need to remain in bed. You are still not fully healed yet." the nurse said sternly as she forced William back onto the bed.

"Okay, okay! I get the picture. Just wanted to get a drink of water." he grumbled as he lay back down.

"Now, I'm going to go get the doctor so he can check up on you. So stay put."

"Would it be possible for me to get some food anytime soon? I'm pretty hungry." William asked as he heard his stomach rumble.

"I shall see to it after I get the doctor." she said as she turned and left.

With that, William was alone once more. Not counting Venatrix of course. While he waited for the doctor to arrive, he spent his time trying to put together a believable backstory for himself. There were several different directions in which he could see things play out. The honest truth would likely get him locked up in the loony bin, and he vaguely remembered that during this time period insane asylums were considerably worse compared to modern facilities. Seriously, you think a cure for schizophrenia is electrocuting someones brain?

William suppressed a shiver at the thought of such a fate.

Feigning amnesia would do him no good. Everyone would see him as a liability and he would be instantly shipped away from the front-lines. And that would be detrimental to his plans. He was right where he wanted to be, and he planned to keep it that way.

So that left him with the option that would test his acting skills. Half-truths and omission of details were his best bet. However his biggest obstacle to being able to join the 501st will be Minna herself. Being that he is at the Britannia air base, William was able to assume he has arrived at some point during the first season.

'Hope I didn't miss episode 7.' he thought with a lecherous grin.

So, being that he was in season 1, that meant that Minna had yet to get over the loss of Kurt Flachfeld. And this meant that she was still against having men interact with her squadron.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought..." William muttered as he lay back and stare at the ceiling. Just because he was a Witch, it didn't guarantee that he would be enlisted with the 501st. Minna might just send him somewhere else. Hell, if he was unlucky enough, he might wind up being strapped to a table while scientists cut him open to see why he was a male Witch.

"Guess I'll just need to make a good impression on her."

William was shaken from his musings when the door opened once more and the doctor walked in. He was just what William would expect if you were to stereotype 'doctor'. Fifty-something year old man with a receding hairline and circle-rim glasses.

"Ah, it seems our guest has finally awoken." the man said rather jovially, obviously trying to make William feel at ease.

"So it would seem doc." replied William.

"You are a very lucky man, do you know that?" the doctor said as he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a pair of gloves. "The multitude of scrapes and bruises you received were nothing to worry about. But I'm sure you know what the real troublesome injury was." he explained as he snapped on the gloves.

"I'm willing to wager it was the foot and a half of wood that decided to hitch a ride in my torso." William said jokingly.

The doctor chuckled mirthfully at William's attitude. "I must say, for someone who was practically dead when he came in here, you are taking this all in stride. Most people would be at least somewhat shaken." the doctor said as he sat on the bed. "Sit up and raise your arms."

William did as instructed and allowed the doctor to examine his injuries.

"I'm not sure if you were aware, but that piece of wood was about half an inch from puncturing your liver. If that had happened, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to patch you up in time." the doctor said as he felt up William's stomach. "Take a deep breath."

"It seems to be a running theme for me." William spoke.

"What?" the doctor asked as he began performing other tests.

"I only get lucky when it matters the most. But I suppose that's the best time to get lucky."

"You would be correct sir. However it would seem that very few share such a condition. Too many have held out for so long, only to die just within arms reach of the finish line." the doctor said as he finished his examination. "Hmm, you seem to be progressing rather well. The stitches are holding up, no sign of continued internal bleeding, breathing is clear..." he listed off as he wrote on his clipboard. "Any complaints? Sharp pains that won't go away?"

"Don't worry doc, I feel fine. Hungry, but fine."

"That's good. The nurse said she was going to fetch you some food. We will keep you here a few more days until we are sure you are fully healed, and then we will send you inland." the doctor informed him as he headed to the door. "You can ring the bell by your bed if you need anything."

"W-wait doc...!"

"Hmm? Is something the matter?" the doctor asked as he turned back to face William.

"The Witches who saved me, would it be possible for me to see them?" he asked pleadingly.

The doctor pursed his lips. "I believe that can be arranged. I'm sure they would also like to meet with you as well. It's not quite often that we find survivors in Neuroi controlled territory. I'm sure you have quite the story to tell." he said as he left.

William chuckled weakly. "You have no idea."

Shortly after, the nurse returned with a tray of food for William. It was a simple meal that mostly consisted of soft foods such as mashed potatoes. While by far not the best thing he'd ever eaten, William was happy to have his first proper meal since arriving. Even if it did taste like cardboard. He looked forward to joining the Witches and being able to eat the variety of food that they had access to.

Seeing as how it would be awhile until Minna would come to visit him, William decided to pull out his sketchbook and do some work.

(-)

After being informed earlier on in the day that the wounded man that they had rescued from Neuroi controlled territory had regained consciousness, Minna was glad to hear that he was okay. She had honestly been curious as to what he was doing in that town. Was he a refugee from further inland? Either way, she looked forward to her planned meeting with him. All she had to do was pull herself away from the paperwork in front of her. A series of post-battle reports, supply requests, maintenance schedules, and various other things.

When she was finally finished it was nearly sundown. She briefly entertained the possibility that he might be too tired to speak with her since he was still recovering, but figured it wouldn't hurt to check.

Making her way through the base, she eventually arrived at the infirmary. Opening the door to the room the teen was in, she was greeted by the sight of him drawing something on a sketchpad. Whatever it was he was very engrossed in his work as he hadn't even noticed Minna's entrance.

Clearing her throat, she managed to gain his attention.

"Oh! My apologies. It seems I was a bit too focused on my work." he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Minna took stock of the teen in front of her. While not in the best of shape, he is still what you would call 'above-average'. His Emerald green eyes held a certain steel determination to them. Like he would persist through whatever endeavor he encountered. Perhaps it was that which allowed him to survive long enough to get treatment for his wounds. The ability to fight until the bitter end and then some, refusing to back down.

What she found odd however, was the bright-white hair atop his head. Premature white hair is an extremely rare condition, normally only seen in albinos. And yet he lacked the telltale red eyes and pale skin that accompanied the condition. As she already noted, his eyes were green, and his skin was somewhat tanned. The mystery behind his hair color was not one that she needed to dwell on though, so she decided to push that tangent aside.

It took a moment before Minna realized that she had been standing in silence and observing the teen in front of her for more than a few moments. He seemed to be a little intimidated by her, probably thinking he had done something wrong and was about to be scolded. She opened her mouth to relieve the tension, only to be beaten to the punch.

"Ah! You're one of the Witches who saved me, aren't you?" he asked as he snapped his fingers.

Minna smiled in response and nodded her head. "Yes. I was there with you right before you passed out."

"Well then, allow me to express my gratitude for your timely rescue. I had all but resigned myself to death."

"You are very lucky that we were en route to intercept the airborne Neuroi when we noticed you. Had it not appeared, I fear we would not have even known you were there." Minna explained as she approached the teen and held out her hand.

"Ah! My apologies for my rudeness." he said as he took her hand and shook it. "The name's Wilhelm Jaeger. But everyone outside my family just calls me William."

"Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, Commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, more commonly known as the Strike Witches." Minna replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone with such high standing. So, Commander Wilcke, to what do I owe the honors?" William asked as he sat up more.

"I simply came by to check on your progress. It's good to see that you are making an excellent recovery despite the severity of your injuries."

"Oh yeah, the doc told me about that." he said as he rubbed his stomach where he was pierced. "Good thing I got abs of steel." he joked.

Minna let loose a small chuckle. "Nice to see that your spirits are up." she said as she glanced down at his sketchbook. "What are you drawing?"

A glint of pride appeared in William's eyes as he turned the book around to show Minna. "I call it 'Final Stand'. What do you think?"

Minna looked over the detailed sketch that William had presented her. It depicted a man on the ground with his back leaning against a wall. He was covered in injuries, the most notable of which was the chunk of wood in his side. It only took a moment for Minna to realize that the drawing was of himself, or at least, what he envisioned. The William in the picture was pointing his pistol towards something off-page, presumably the Neuroi.

"Some think it's narcissistic to make art of yourself," William started as he gazed at the picture in content. "But I think that it's not about who the picture portrays, rather what it means."

Minna looked up at him curiously.

"Only the person who experiences such a moment can accurately represent it. In that moment, I had resigned myself to death. Yet I was determined to fight till my last breath. Even if I was out of bullets, I would throw rocks at the Neuroi if I had too." William explained as he gazed out the window at the setting sun. "This picture represents humanities tenacity to continue fighting, regardless of how much the odds are stacked against them."

A smirk tugged at Minna's lips. William was quite the individual. "That's a very commendable attitude."

"I'm glad you think so."

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly were you doing in that town? Are you a survivor from further inland who tried to escape Neuroi controlled territory?" Minna asked.

William scratched at his chin as he smiled sheepishly. "I guess you could say that."

"Well seeing as how you managed such a feat, I can assure you that we will move you further inland as soon as you are recovered. There are plenty of refugee centers that can take you in."

It was at this point that William held his hand up to interrupt Minna. "With all due respect Commander, I don't wish to be a refugee." he said, surprising Minna. "Like I said before, I will fight the enemy until my last breath. I want to enlist."

"Oh... In that case, I'm sure that we can find a military base that would be willing to take you in. We can never have too many able-bodied men. And seeing how you were able to survive for so long against the Neuroi, your skills will certainly be put to use."

"That's not what I mean Commander." William said with a determined expression. "I want to join the Strike Witches." he spoke with conviction.

Minna raised a brow at this. At first she thought she misheard him or that he was joking, but upon further observation she noticed that he was being earnest in his request. This in and of itself confused Minna. Perhaps the doctors would need to examine his head some more. He may have received a head injury that they failed to notice. Then it clicked in Minna's head. He must mean he wants to be apart of the maintenance crew or something. Although they already had enough staff as it is. That, and she didn't want to risk anyone to get attached to the 'new guy'.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline that request. We already have enough staff on hand and it would take too much time to train you on how to properly maintain the Strike Units." Minna said kindly, trying to let the teen down as gently as possible.

To Minna's surprise however, William just shook his head and chuckled lightly. "You seem to be misunderstanding me Commander." he said as he looked her in the eyes once more. "I don't want to be a mechanic," it was then that Minna noticed a pair of wolf ears spout from the top of his head. "I want to be a Witch."

Minna's eyes widened considerably. A male Witch was completely unheard of! How did the boy manage to obtain something that up until this point only girls were able to? Needless to say, she was rather intrigued. William had effectively turned himself into a wild-card. His potential was unknown, his abilities unknown, his very self unknown. For him to have developed magic, at the very least that made him different than every other man on Earth. But despite her fascination with him, she still refused to let him into her squadron.

"I... see..." she said after a few moments of internal debate. "Unfortunately we cannot accommodate you here. While your possession of magic is certainly groundbreaking, it would be better if we sent you to another squadron."

William's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And why is that?"

"It is much more rational to send you to a front that could benefit from your presence more than ours." Minna answered without missing a beat.

"Oh? So you are saying that the front-lines of the Britannia front is not in need of extra firepower? Even though the Neuroi are right across the lake?" he asked, jabbing his thumb out the window towards Gallia.

Minna nodded firmly. "We have more than enough Witches to defend this front."

For the briefest of moments, Minna noticed a weak smile cross William's lips. It was a smile of sadness, disappointment... pity. He then turned to gaze out the window at the setting sun once more. And what he said next was not something that Minna expected.

"How about you knock it off with the bullshit?" he asked plainly. Like it wasn't that big a deal.

"I'm... sorry?" Minna uttered in bewilderment.

"You heard me." he said, returning his steel gaze to Minna. "I'm a good judge of character, so I know when someone's trying to pull a fast one. And right now that person is you. So tell me, what's the reason you don't want me here?"

Minna stumbled for a moment, trying to recover her steam. Never had anyone ever talked back to her like William was right now. She was a Commander. People were obligated to show her respect and follow her orders. "Like I said, we have enough Witches as it-"

"Don't give me that poor excuse for an excuse. We both know that you can never have too many soldiers to fight."

Minna's teeth clenched in annoyance ever so slightly. "Training you here would take too long. So-"

"I would have to go through training regardless of where I go." William interrupted again.

"We don't have the resource's to-"

"You are literally on the country supplying you."

"You would mess up the squadron dynamic-"

"Is that what you said to every new recruit before they seamlessly got accustomed to their squad mates?"

Let it be said that Minna is not what one would call an angry individual. She is able to be stern like a leader should be when needed to. But seeing her actually angry was something that very few people can attest to having witnessed. And at the rate things were going, William would be added to those few.

"You are unable to give me a legitimate reason for why I can't join. So that means that this is personal. A reason why you personally don't want me to join." William said as he shifted his body and climbed out of bed, standing up and towering over Minna. "The fact that you've been polite to me means it isn't sexism." he said as he took a step forward, forcing Minna to take a step back. "My looks are too rare for me to bare a resemblance to someone you hate." another step forward, another step back. "The fact that you are in the same room as me means it isn't a phobia."

As Minna took another step back, she felt the hard surface of the wall halt her escape. For all his intimidation, William didn't look angry in the slightest. If anything, Minna would say he looked... apathetic.

"So that leaves me with only one logical explanation." he stated as his eyes gazed into Minna's. "What was his name?" he asked simply.

Minna was momentarily breathless. "W-what?"

"The person you lost. What was their name?"

A stinging sensation hit the left side of William's face. Having lost her composure, Minna lashed out and struck William across the cheek. Tears were forming in her eyes, her hand trembling, her teeth bared in anger.

William, for his part, slowly turned his head back in Minna's direction, his eyes cold. "Did that make you feel better?" he asked, seemingly unaffected by the slap. "Did it make the pain go away? Did it bring him back? Tell me... did it change anything?"

"SHUT UP!" Minna snarled. "Don't act like you know what it's like to lose someone precious to you! Don't you dare patronize me!" she screamed as she grabbed at William's shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh.

William ignored the pain he was experiencing. After all, it was nothing compared to what Minna was feeling right now.

"He was there because of me! He followed me into the danger, despite how much I told him not to! If I hadn't joined the Witches... he'd still be alive!" Minna yelled as she buried her face into William's chest.

He could feel the wetness of her tears soak into his bandages. The doc wouldn't be happy.

Moments later the anger was replaced by sadness. The faint sound of sobbing muffled by William's chest. "... I killed him... It's my fault he's dead..." Minna whispered between sobs.

"... Tell me... do you think he regretted it?"

Minna paused for a moment to let William's words sink in. "W-what?"

"Do you think he regretted following you into battle? Despite knowing what awaited him, he did so anyway. That was his resolve. Even if he died, he wanted to spend every moment he could by your side." William explained. "He didn't want you to go out on your own, because he knew it would tear you up to leave him behind. So he chased after you, always there to be your pillar of support, even in the bleakest of nights... He wanted to make you happy, to see you smile."

Minna glanced up at William and noticed he was smiling at her. Like a parent trying to cheer up their child.

"So tell me Minna, are you smiling now?" he asked as he brought his hand up and placed it on her head.

"I...I..." she choked out between sobs.

"I remember a saying I heard once. 'We say not in sorrow that he is no more. Rather, we live in thankfulness that he was'. Don't be sad that he is gone. Be happy that you met him in the first place." William said with a smile.

Minna wiped the tears from her eyes and backed away from William. "I... should probably go now. I need some space to think."

"If you ever need to talk, I'll be here." William responded as he headed back to his bed.

The Commander exited the room and closed the door behind her.

After a few moments of silence, William let out a long sigh of relief. "Haaaaaaaahhhh... That was stressful." he said as he flopped back down on the bed. "I haven't had to act that well since that time I pretended to be sick to get out of jury duty."

"What's jury duty?"

William waved his hand dismissively. "Something boring and unimportant."

"So does this mean you were lying to her?"

"No." William answered as he looked out the window. "I meant everything I said. I may have embellished a few things and borrowed some concepts, but that was my honest response to her."

"Than what do you mean by your acting?"

The male Witch sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm not really big on formalities or being overly polite. I view everyone as being on the same playing field. Had I been my normal self in that situation, I might've been more aggressive in my confrontation with Minna. So for now I have to play the part of the good little soldier."

"Not the type of person to bend to the whims of the higher ups?"

"Something like that. Plus there's that habit of mine."

"That being?"

"I swear like a sailor. I curse so much that I no longer notice when I do. It's as natural to me as breathing. So until I officially join the 501st, that's a habit I need to kick." 'That, and tone down on my perversion for the time being. It was Damn hard to keep my eyes above the neck for the duration of Minna's visit. Though, once I join it shouldn't be as big of a problem. They put up with Lucchini's constant groping, Shirley pretty much flaunts her body whenever possible, and if the manga is anything to go by, Hartmann either forgets, can't find, or is too lazy to wear panties more often then not.'

"And what makes you so sure that Minna will let you join? She seemed quite adamant in her refusal."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. At the very least she is curious about my abilities as a male Witch. Then I make myself sympathetic to her. By showing her that drawing and giving my personal opinion, she was able to realize that I've seen the horrors of war firsthand. Meaning that I already know what we're facing and what must be done. Then, after I was able to determine that she faced a tragedy in the past that made her want to refuse me, I confronted her about it and offered comfort." William explained with a smirk. "Right now she doesn't know quite what to think of me. In order to make a more decisive choice regarding my request, she needs to learn more about me. This guarantees me another meeting with her. And more than likely she will bring along one of her subordinates for a second opinion."

"Hmm, you really thought this out, didn't you?"

"While I'm not what you would call a genius, I've picked up my fair share of tactics and mind games over the years." 'Mostly from anime.' he thought guiltily."Now we play the waiting game."

(-)

Commander Minna was sprawled out across her bed, her eyes boring a hole into the ceiling above as she was deep in thought. That William fellow had shaken her more than she thought possible. And now here she was, memories from her time with Kurt filled her mind, refusing to let her think about anything else.

"Tell me Minna, are you smiling now?"

The words William spoke echoed in her mind. Deep inside she knew he was right. She was letting her loss cloud her judgement and completely control her. And so long as she allowed it to do so, she would never be able to take a step forward.