Disclaimer: I do not own the Strike Witches franchise or any of the concepts and characters of said franchise. I do own all of the OCs and concepts created by me for this story. This disclaimer covers every chapter that has been or will be released for this story.

Hello! Welcome to Strike Witches: Return! This story is the rewrite of Strike Witches: The Neuroi Rebellion and is a direct sequel to Strike Witches: Worldwide Liberation. This time around, I am taking the story much more carefully. I may have said it will take awhile to rewrite it, but inspiration struck. In the short time span of a few nights, I was able to come up with a very large portion of the plot for this story as well as a new twist. I could tell you what that is... but you'll find out below. Enjoy!

Strike Witches: Return

Fuso Arc

Chapter 1: Reunion

April 5th, 1952

"Lynne!" Yoshika said as she ran up to her best friend. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Lynne and Yoshika hugged each other. "How have you all been?"

"Things have been good." Yoshika said. "We've been seeing fewer patients at the clinic, but I suppose that's a good thing."

"What about me?" Rei said in a slightly jealous and poutful tone.

"Hi, Rei!" Lynne said as she turned to Rei for a hug. "Your belly is small! You had your baby!"

"Guilty as charged!" Rei said. "Yoshika, where's mom at?"

"Right here." Kye said as she walked up behind the girls. She was holding Rei's baby, and her granddaughter.

"Is that yours?" Lynne asked, directing her question to Rei.

"Yep!" Rei said. "Meet Kamiko Miyafuji. She was born February the 17th."

One young girl ran up to the group, followed by Mio Sakamoto and another young girl.

"Momma, momma, I brought Miss Mio here!" one of the young girls said as she started clinging to Yoshika.

"Oh?" Yoshika said as she turned to find Mio.

"Your daughter has a lot of energy." Mio said in between breaths. "She made us run all the way here from the clinic."

"I'm sorry!" Yoshika said. "But thanks for going to pick her up for me."

"No problem." Mio said after she caught her breath. "Any word on when everyone will get here?"

"Other than the few of us right here, Minna, Erica, Trude, Sanya, and Eila are on base." Kye said. "I believe they are unloading their gear right now. We are still waiting on Perrine, Shirley, and Lucchini to arrive."

As soon as Kye had finished her statement, they heard a plane flying in.

"That must be them." Kye said. "Shall we go meet them?"

"I wanna meet them!" Nori said excitedly.

"Let's go then." Mio said.

"Hey, everyone!" Shirley said as she jumped out of the plane, soon followed by Lucchini and Perrine. "How's it going?"

"Good!" Yoshika said. "And you?"

"Great!" Shirley said. "I just broke the flying speed record last week!"

"I heard about that." Mio said. "You used the... what was it."

"Lockheed A-12." Shirley said. "It's an experimental jet striker geared toward reconnaissance.

"Hey, everyone!" Minna said as she, Trude, and Erica walked up to the group. "It's good to see everyone. I trust you've all been doing good?"

"All the time." Kye said. "And you?"

"Same old." Minna said.

"BIG SIS TRUDY!" Ayame said as she ran up to Trude and effectively tackled her.

"Hi, squirt." Trude said. "How are you?"

"I'm a big girl now!" Ayame said. "Momma showed me how to heal!"

"Is that so?" Trude said. "I'm proud of you, squirt."

Ayame grinned happily after hearing praise from Trude.

"She sure does like Trude." Mio said.

"Trude always play with her while she is here." Yoshika said. "Ayame sees her as a sister."

"She likes Chris, too." Minna said. "It's too bad we couldn't bring Chris with us this time. She's in school studying."

"That's a bummer." Rei said.

Kye clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "I have a surprise for everyone. The third generation strikers are ready. Ichiro just finished them last month."

"I can't wait to test them out." Trude said.

"How about it then?" Mio said. "Let's have a mock battle with them."

"To the hangar!" Kye said. "Ichiro should be waiting for us there."

Trude bent down in front of Ayame. "Hop up!"

"Piggyback!" Ayame said excitedly as she jump onto Trude's back.

Ichiro greeted the witches and showed the new strikers to them as soon as they entered the hangar.

"Shiden Kai 3." Mio said quietly as she looked upon the striker meant for her.

"Shinden 3." Yoshika said. She placed her hand on the striker meant for her and closed her eye.

"What's she doing?" Nori asked.

"She's saying hello to the striker." Mio said.

"But strikers don't talk!" Nori said.

"They don't have to, sweetie." Kye said. "For Yoshika, a striker is part of herself."

Yoshika's ears and tail popped out as she got ready to jump into the striker.

"Yoshika." Ichiro said. "She wants to fly."

"And so we shall." Yoshika said.

Everyone equipped their strikers and grabbed their weapons. Yoshika had Jouten and Tenshimaru strapped to her back. Kye, Mio, and Rei each had their swords as well. Kye and Yoshika originally were the only two who wielded two swords, but Kye has since crafted a twin for Mio's Reppumaru and a twin Rei's Tenraimaru. Not just Yoshika, Kye, Mio, and Rei had their weapons, but the other witches also took up various weapons, which Kye helped them craft. Minna and Erica took to wielding enchanted glaives. Trude now wore enchanted gauntlets and had become skilled in hand to hand combat. Perrine carried an enchanted rapier. Lynne carried a bow. She carried no quiver, but used magic as her arrows, which coupled with her Ballistic Stabilization were very powerful. Sanya had taken a liking to a large enchanted mace, feeling similar to her Fliegerhammer in power. Eila wielded an enchanted staff, simple but versatile. Shirley carried only her favorite rifle, which had been enchanted by Kye. She can now shoot magic infused bullets for greater damage. Lucchini, like Trude, took to unarmed combat. She had a pair of fingerless enchanted gloves instead of gauntlets.

Ichiro held little Kamiko, and to his side was Ayame and Nori, each waving at the witches as they took to the sky.

A thick cloud bank covered a several kilometer radius around Yokosuka, so everyone flew above them to have their mock battle.

Thirty minutes later...

"Dr. Miyafuji, have you heard from the witches?" A high ranking soldier asked.

"They haven't come back yet, General Hashimoto." Ichiro said.

The general had an uneasy look on his face. "The witches dropped off the radar."

"What do you mean?" Ichiro asked.

"I happened to have been looking over at the radar." Hashimoto said. "Their radar signatures were directly above the base when they vanished, so I figured they came in to land, but I did not hear their strikers, which is why I came here to look for them."

"Odd." Ichiro said.

"I double checked and triple checked." Hashimoto said. "I had the closest bases around and the few carriers we have out in the nearby seas check their radars for hits on them, but all of them drew blanks. It's like they just vanished. They aren't on radar within five hundred kilometers of here."

"This is not good." Ichiro said. "Can you contact bases further away and check with them?"

"I'm having my radio man do that as we speak." Hashimoto said. As he said that, a soldier ran up to Ichiro and Hashimoto.

"Sir, I have a report from the bases across Fuso." The young soldier said.

"Go ahead." Hashimoto said.

"No bases across the country have any hits for the witches on their radars." The soldier reported.

"I'm worried." Ichiro said.

"I am, too." Hashimoto said. "I'm going to dispatch a search and rescue team."

"I'll contact Xala." Ichiro said. "She and her allied neuroi may be able to help find them."

"Good." Hashimoto said.

In the sky...

"This is General Sakamoto reporting in." Mio said. "We just finished up our mock battle and are ready to land, please keep any outbound planes grounded until we land."

She had no response.

"Hello?" Mio said. She turned to Minna and Kye. "I'm getting nothing but static."

"Same here." Kye said.

Sixty years later...

"General Yamanashi, we have bogeys on the radar." A soldier reported.

"How many?" Yamanashi asked.

"Thirteen." The soldier said. "They just appeared out of nowhere above the base."

"Odd." Yamanashi said. "Send the Miyafuji twins and the Akiyama twins up to investigate. They are cleared to engage, weapons free at their discretion."

"Yes, sir." The soldier said as he relayed the order to the four in question.

"I'll go, too." A girl, roughly twenty, said. "Somebody has to look out for those girls.

"As you wish, Colonel Yusu Miyafuji." Yamanashi said.

Yusu arrived at the hangar and found her cousins, the Miyafuji twins, and the Akiyama twins waiting for her. Each of them had a sword strapped to their backs.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Yusu asked.

"Roger." One of the Miyafuji twins said.

"Activating Air Bands." Yusu said. She wore armbands on each wrist, similar bands on her lower leg just above the ankle, and a special belt. All four bands and the belt glowed for a brief moment, signifying their activation. The other four girls followed suit. "Let's go!"

The five girls ran out of the hangar and jumped in the air, taking off using their Air Bands.

"The bogeys are probably above the cloud bank, so just follow me up there." Yusu said. "Get ready for possible anti neuroi combat."

In the sky...

Sanya's Magic Antenna flickered from green to blue. "Somebody is coming. There." She pointed down at the clouds.

Five figures emerged from the clouds. Yoshika and Kye both had their hands on their sword's hilts, ready for anything.

"They are human!" One of the five girls said.

"I read that!" Mio said. "Can you hear us?"

"I heard that." Their leader said. "Who are you?"

That question struck Mio as odd. "I am General Sakamoto, and we are the Strike Witches. Surely you know that." Mio noticed the five girls were flying without strikers and immediately became suspicious. "How are you flying?"

"They have no strikers!" Yoshika said.

"One moment please." Their leader said. "General Yamanashi, do you come in?"

"Yes, Colonel Yusu, report!" Yamanashi said.

"Miyafuji?" Rei said quietly before glancing over to Kye and Yoshika. Both of them returned confused glances to her.

"The thirteen bogeys are witches." Yusu said. "One of them claims to be General Sakamoto and also claims they are collectively the Strike Witches."

"Impossible." Yamanashi said. "The Strike Witches disappeared sixty years ago!"

"I don't believe it either, but they are witches either way." Yusu said. "Should I bring them down to the base?"

"Yes." Yamanashi said.

"Will do, General." Yusu said. She turned back to the witches. "I assume you heard that?"

"Yes." Kye said. She flew closer to Yusu. "We were just about to return to base, but who are you? And how are you flying without a striker?"

Yusu placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and held her free hand out. "Stop. Keep your distance."

"Who are you?" Kye asked again.

"I am Colonel Yusu Miyafuji." Yusu said. "My four subordinates are Captain Kaylie Miyafuji, Captain Layla Miyafuji, Captain Kiyoko Akiyama, and Captain Mei Akiyama. Kiyoko goes by Yoko for short. Would you mind stating all of your names?"

"I am Lieutenant General Kye Miyafuji." Kye said. "These are..." She was cut off by Yusu.

"What?" Yusu said. "I don't know what game you are playing, but you are not Kye Miyafuji. She died sixty years ago."

Kye was confused, as were the rest of the witches. "How could I have died sixty years ago? I'm only thirty four years old."

"That's how old she was when she died." Yusu said.

"Yusu, we don't know if they actually died." Kaylie said.

"Yeah, I know." Yusu said. "Grandma Ayame said they just vanished."

Yoshika's ears perked when she heard Ayame's name. "What are you talking about?" Kye asked.

"You claim to be the Strike Witches, correct?" Yusu said.

"That's right." Kye said. "I say that because we are the Strike Witches. Formally, we are the World's Allied Forces 501st Joint Fighter Wing. We just finished our mock battle up here and were about to head back to base."

"That's just not possible." Yusu said. "The entire 501st disappeared in these skies sixty years ago. There's no way you can be them."

"I could say the same for you." Kye said. "Yusu left us in 1945, seven years ago."

"Seven years ago?" Yusu said. "1945 was SIXTY seven years ago."

"Your math is a bit off." Kye said. "1945 to 1952 is only seven years."

"1952?" Yusu said. "This is 2012."

"What?" Kye said. "This is 1952. You need to stop playing games with us."

"Just follow me to the base." Yusu said. "We'll get this worked out on the ground."

"So be it." Kye said.

Yusu turned and flew down toward the cloud, followed the the two sets of twins and the thirteen confused witches.

"General Yamanashi, these are the 'bogeys' we found above the base." Yusu said after landing in the hangar where Yamanashi was waiting. "I don't recognize them, but they claim to be the Strike Witches."

"Impossible." Yamanashi said. He turned to the witches. "How dare you call yourselves that. Do you not realize that you are tarnishing the reputation of the thirteen legendary witches? I could have you all court martialed for pulling that stunt."

Kye noticed the rank insignia on Yamanashi's uniform. "Sir, you don't have the authority to do that."

"I don't?" Yamanashi said. "I am the head of this base. I have absolute authority here."

"Not over us you don't." Kye said. "You are a Major General. I am a Lieutenant General. I out rank you."

"There are no witches in any military around the world with a rank so high." Yamanashi said. He snapped his fingers, and immediately several assault rifle wielding soldiers surrounded them. "I don't know who you really are, but it is clear you are impersonating and tarnishing the greatest witches to have ever walked the earth."

"Impersonating?" Kye said. "Where is General Hashimoto? He'll clear this up."

"He died in 1995." Yamanashi said.

"1995?" Kye said. "That's forty three years from now."

"That was seventeen years ago, actually." Yamanashi said. "Now tell me who you really are."

"I am Lieutenant General Kye Miyafuji and Supreme Command of the Joint Fighter Wings." Kye said. "Formally General of the Allied Forces."

"If you insist on keeping up your imposter charade, I have no choice but to treat you as enemies." Yamanashi said. "It's a shame, too. We could use every witch we can get with the war going on." He glanced over to one of the soldiers with a rifle. "Kill the leader first, you are cleared to fire."

The soldier immediately opened fire at Kye, but his bullets were stopped in their tracks by Kye's aura.

"That aura..." Yusu said. "Impossible. The only witches capable of auras are dead, or missing as is the 501st's case."

"But we are not missing!" Yoshika said. "We are right here! I'm Yoshika Miyafuji!"

Yusu's eyes instantly had the look of a killer. She had her sword drawn and was in mid attack in less than a second. "How dare you call yourself by my great grandmother's name!"

Yoshika blocked Yusu's attack with ease.

"Your great grandmother?" Yoshika said. "I'm not old enough to be a great grandmother! My daughter, Ayame, is only four years old!"

"Grandma Ayame is sixty four years old!" Yusu said.

"What can I do to prove that I'm Yoshika Miyafuji?" Yoshika asked.

"Can you use auras, too?" Yusu asked.

"Yes." Yoshika said.

"Then activate the sixth aura." Yusu said.

"Okay." Yoshika said. "But we may want to go outside first. I might accidentally tear up the hangar if I activate it in here." She turned and headed out of the hangar, followed by her several onlookers.

"Show us." Yusu said.

"I'll go through each aura progressively." Yoshika said as she activated the basic golden aura. "Here goes." She activated the green aura next, then the blue aura, then the dark red aura and the white aura.

"White..." Yusu said, astonished. "Impossible."

After a few more seconds, Yoshika pushed her aura up and beyond to the True Golden Aura. The concrete under her feet cracked from the extreme pressure of her aura.

"Impossible." Yusu said as she fell to her knees. "Then that sword?"

"Yes, young Yusu." Jouten spoke. "I am the sword known as Jouten."

"It spoke..." Yusu said. "Only the sword enchanted by the Ancient Yoshika Miyafuji and the Goddess Kye Akari is capable of that. There's no doubt, that sword is Jouten." Yusu turned to one of the soldiers nearby. "Go call my Grandma Ayame. Now. Get her down here immediately."

"Get Grandma Kamiko, too." Kaylie said, shocking Kye and Rei.

"And Grandma Nori." Yoko said, giving Mio a shock as well.

"Ayame must be so old now." Yoshika said. She turned to the other witches. "I don't know how, but I think we just skipped sixty years."

"That would begin to explain how they fly without a striker." Kye said.

"We use Air Bands." Yusu said. She pointed to the four bands and belt she was wearing. "They are basically advanced striker unit technology. Using magic we can fly with only these on."

"Interesting." Trude said. "That would give one hell of an edge in battle. Imagine the maneuverability with one of those."

"I'll believe what you say after my grandmother gets here and confirms your identity." Yusu said. "Until then, I'm going to wait."

"Do you really think we just time traveled?" Mio asked, directing her question at Yoshika.

"I-I don't know." Yoshika said.

"It's the only explanation." Kye said. "We say it's 1952, they say it's 2012. At every step of our conversation, they say this is 2012 and we disappeared sixty years ago."

"We did get cut off from the base, but time travel?" Minna said. "This is hard to believe."

"I don't get it." Erica said.

"How can they not believe us?" Shirley said. "Do they not know what we look like?"

"They may not have seen photos of us." Mio said.

"I don't see how not." Shirley said. "I'm on a magazine cover in Liberion."

"Shirley, this is weird!" Lucchini said in her usual pouty tone.

"I don't get it either." Shirley said.

A few minutes later, three older women approached the group, escorted by soldiers. One of them set her eyes on Yoshika and immediately went wide-eyed.

"Ayame?" Yoshika said. "I recognize you anywhere. We really must have time traveled..."

"Mom!" Ayame said as she ran up to Yoshika. "You're alive... but you're so young? You look exactly how you did all those years ago." She glanced over into the hangar and noticed the striker units. "Those strikers... they are the strikers Grandpa Ichiro made... but how is this possible?"

"Is dad still alive?" Yoshika asked. "What about mom? And grandma?"

"Grandpa Ichiro and Grandma Sayaka are still alive." Ayame said. "They are both over a hundred years old, but they refuse to die. Great Grandma Yoshiko died a few years after you went missing. Your disappearance hurt her a lot. She couldn't handle it. You should come see Grandma and Grandpa. They still live at the clinic."

"Of course." Yoshika said.

"Miss Yoshika." Yamanashi said. "You aren't cleared to leave the base. I'm afraid we have to go through an investigation to prove your identities first."

Yoshika had her sword drawn and pointed at Yamanashi, and had an extremely angry look about her face. "You will not keep me from seeing my parents."

"Yamanashi, stand down." Ayame said. "I have the authority to take her with me, seeing how I outrank you."

"Pulling rank on me are you, Lieutenant General Miyafuji?" Yamanashi said.

"That's right." Ayame said. "I'll vouch for everyone else as well. They are none other than the Legendary Strike Witches. I remember all of them very clearly."

"So be it." Yamanashi said.

"Grandma, I'm coming, too." Yusu said.

"Of course, Yusu dear." Ayame said. She turned back to the witches. "All of you are welcome to come, but I only require Kye, Rie, and Mio." She turned back and headed toward the truck which she arrived in. "Kamiko, Nori, let's go."

"I want to go, too." Kaylie said.

"Well, you five fly there." Ayame said. "There's limited space in the truck."

"Okay." Yusu said. "We'll see you at home."

She and the other four Air Band using girls took off in the direction of the Miyafuji Clinic. Ayame and the others jumped in the truck and headed that way as well.

Characters Introduced

Ayame Miyafuji - Born October 7, 1947 - Daughter of Yoshika Miyafuji
Kamiko Miyafuji - Born February 17, 1952 - Daughter of Rei Miyafuji
Nori Sakamoto - Born July 26, 1946 - Daughter of Mio Sakamoto
General Hashimoto - Major General of the Imperial Fuso Navy as of 1952.
Yusu Miyafuji - Born February 20, 1992 - Great Granddaughter of Yoshika Miyafuji, Granddaughter of Ayame Miyafuji
Kaylie Miyafuji - Born June 4th, 1995 - Great Granddaughter of Rei Miyafuji, Granddaughter of Kamiko Miyafuji
Layla Miyafuji - Born June 4th, 1995 - Great Granddaughter of Rei Miyafuji, Granddaughter of Kamiko Miyafuji
Kiyoko Akiyama - Born October 8, 1994 - Great Granddaughter of Mio Sakamoto, Granddaughter of Nori Sakamoto
Mei Akiyama - Born October 8, 1994 - Great Granddaughter of Mio Sakamoto, Granddaughter of Nori Sakamoto
General Yamanashi - Brigadier General of the Imperial Fuso Navy as of 2012.

Characters Not Mentioned

Alina Wilcke - Born June 11, 1946 - Daughter of Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke
Sieglinde "Linda" Barkhorn - Born May 20, 1946 - Daughter of Gertrude Barkhorn
Isabel "Bell" Hartmann - Born September 19, 1946 - Daughter of Erica Hartmann
Allison "Ally" Yeager - Born October 26, 1946 - Daughter of Charlotte "Shirley" Yeager
Luciana Lucchini - Born November 18, 1949 - Daughter of Francesca Lucchini
Louise H. Clostermann (Henriette) - Born February 16, 1947 - Daughter of Perrine H. Clostermann
Diana Bishop - Born May 5, 1947 - Daughter of Lynette Bishop
Anna V. Litvyak (Anastasiya Viktoriya Litvyak) - Born December 16, 1947 - Daughter of Sanya V. Litvyak
Aina Illmatar Juutilainen - Born November 21, 1946 - Daughter of Eila Illmatar Juutilainen
Unnamed Daughter of Ayame Miyafuji - Born in the year 1970
Unnamed Daughter of Kamiko Miyafuji - Born in the year 1973 - Married a Liberion man, but kept Miyafuji name.
Unnamed Daughter of Nori Sakamoto - Born in the year 1971 - Took husbands last name (Akiyama)

Abilities Introduced

None

Equipment Introduced

Twin Sword of Reppumaru

Twin Sword of Tenraimaru

Third Generation Jet Strikers - Included are the Shinden 3 and Shiden Kai 3.

Air Band - Wristband, Anklet, and Belt that in unison provide flight ability superior to a striker unit.

Well there we have it. Chapter 1 of Strike Witches: Return. I have a good feeling about this story! Hope you enjoy it! The A/N of the next chapter will feature full profiles of Yusu, Kaylie, Layla, Kiyoko, and Mei, as they will be main characters that will participate in battles with the Strike Witches. The twelve daughters of the Strike Witches are in their sixties in this rewrite, so they will not be participating in any battles. Also, before anyone points out that Kaylie and Layla Miyafuji have Liberion/American first names and Fuso/Japan last names, their father is from Liberion and thier mother is a Miyafuji.

Edits

4/18/2013: During the release of Chapter 22, two characters had a name change. Miekori Akiyama and Kiyori Akiyama are now known as Mei Akiyama and Kiyoko Akiyama (Yoko for short). This chapter has been edited (names only) to account for this change.

If you see any errors, please let me know so they I may fix them. If you wish to contact me about the story, feel free to send a private message or leave a signed review (so that I may reply to you personally).