Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back with the second installment of Cold Steel! I don't know how long this one will be, but I hope you enjoy it just as much if not more!

Also, I have plans to release some 'one-shots' that could have been made chapters in Cold Steel. Whether or not I'll follow through on those plans, I have yet to determine.

And, without further ado, I present to you: Heart of the Reich.

Prologue

"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier that must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."

-Douglas MacArthur

Hauptmann Gerhard Köln

German 12th Army, XX Corps

2nd Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment

Potsdam, Berlin, Germany

3,6 kilometers from the River Elbe, 2nd IB Camp

26 April 1945

0138 hours

"Incoming!"

Gerhard dove into the nearest trench as Soviet heavy artillery began pounding their positions, wrecking the final line of defence of Seelöwe Heights. Gerhard looked to the commander, who nodded his head.

"All units! Prepare-"

The commander was cut short as a burst of machine-gun fire tore through him, spraying Gerhard with blood. On a nearby ridge, a three Soviet T-34/85s sat in wait as infantry gathered around them. He blinked, momentarily paralysed, before another soldier pulled him down, cursing.

"What do we do, sir?!"

Gerhard looked up in surprise as multiple heads turned to him. If they fought here, no one would survive. However, there was a good chance at least half of the remaining men, no more than a platoon, would survive if they broke from the trenches to escape.

Looking again at the mostly young, frightened young men before him, Gerhard made up his mind. "How many of you have smoke grenades?"

A few men raised their hands, while some others retrieved said grenades from their belts. Gerhard nodded. "On my count, we run for the trucks...do not stop for anything." In the momentary silence that followed, Gerhard looked up, suddenly remembering his promise...

"I'll take that as a yes."

Maho grinned as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again. Gerhard sat there, stupefied for a few moments, before his brain connected the dots and he reciprocated. The couple stood in the snow, the wind buffeting them as they kissed. Finally, the two broke off, and Gerhard remembered Nicole was still there, watching with an amused grin on her face. "Right."

Gerhard watched as the men began to get to work, scavenging supplies from the dead forms of both Soviet and German troops. The cold air blew into his face as he looked up at the moon and stars, lighting up the night sky. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, allowing himself to think he was back in the future, and Maho would appear any moment. When he opened his eyes, though, everything was the same.

'I plan to keep my promise, Maho. One way or another, I will find you again and tell you everything I should have. With God as my witness, I will be reunited with you once more.'

Gerhard snapped awake, instinctively grabbing his knife from under his pack. Seeing and hearing no immediate threat, he relaxed slightly, setting the knife aside. Reaching into his backpack, he dug out a small bracelet with numerous charms on it. On the inside, the slightly worn metal read 'N. Maho'; the only memory he had of the Kuromorimine commander with whom he'd fallen in love with.

He sighed as he listened to the sounds of distant combat; from the sounds of it, he'd slept through another bombing raid; air raid sirens were sounding from the direction of the centre of Berlin, and the occasional burst of anti-aircraft fire could be heard.

Turning his attention back to the bracelet, he observed all the charms Maho had put on it. As he went, he became more engaged in his thoughts, thinking back to those few days he had been in Japan. 'I miss you Maho. If only things were different…'

"Hauptmann Köln!"

Gerhard immediately came out of his thoughts, closing his hand on the bracelet as he identified the voice. "What is it, Bernard?"

"I was instructed to inform you there will be a meeting at noon tomorrow in the command tent. General Wenck is to be present and he requests that all officers are there." There were a few moments of silence as Gerhard waited for the boy to go on. "That's all sir."

Gerhard sighed. "Very well, Bernard. Carry on."

"Yes sir!"

The former Lüftwaffe pilot listened to the footsteps of the young soldier fade before laying back down, returning to observing Maho's bracelet. After a moment's hesitation, he opened it and put it around his left wrist, where it barely fit. 'Either I have a small wrist or she has a large one.' he thought to himself with a small grin.

With thoughts of the future on his mind, Gerhard turned over and closed his eyes again, swiftly falling asleep. Just outside the canvas walls of his tent, however, the sounds of battle echoed in the night as Berlin burned with the fury of the Red Army.

Here we go again...tell me what you think, and don't forget to follow to keep updated!