Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Watashi no Kare wa Pilot (My Boyfriend is a Pilot) ❯ Boy Meets Girl ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Watashi no Kare wa Pilot (My Boyfriend is a Pilot)
Anime: Macross Frontier
Couple: Alto/Ranka
Summary: Ranka's life was as normal as could be on Frontier, until she met Saotome Alto.  Time passes and she falls in love, but will this be a blessing or the end of Frontier altogether?  AU.
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure/Horror/Drama
Rating: R (does NOT apply to ALL chapters)
Warnings: sexual situations, violence, blood, gore, and language.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Macross Frontier, it belongs to Shôji Kawamori. This is purely fanmade for entertainment purposes only.

Music: All songs inserted with the exception of Aimo, the Nyan-Nyan commercial, and Sheryl's songs are written by me.

~...~ = singing

Chapter One: Boy Meets Girl
(Special “Blu-Ray” release!)
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A screech ran through the Nyan-Nyan café as a green-haired girl stared at her phone in the back.  She had just received front row tickets to a concert at Frontier Dome.  She was wearing a long red dress and a yellow apron.  This girl was Ranka Lee.  "Thank you, Onii-chan!  I love you!"  She squeezed the phone harshly and tossed it in the air, twirling around.  "Ah, deculture!"  She stopped and clapped her hands, unaware of the customers' confusion outside, and caught her phone.  Her hair rose just a bit as she turned to the poster that held her idol: Sheryl Nome.  "Ah, Sheryl-san, will I really get to meet you?"

A purple-haired girl with huge breasts and glasses tapped at her shoulder cautiously.  She turned to her friend Nanase Matsûra.  Said girl whispered, "Ranka-san, it's dangerous."

Both saw that their boss was fuming with anger.  "What are you two doing?"

Immediately, they corrected themselves.

A blue-haired boy shot up from underneath the covers in his apartment.  He was panting with fear, as if he had just seen the most horrible picture in his life.  As his eyes landed upon the time, he noticed that not a moment had passed since midnight.  Yet the time seemed to last forever without an end in sight.  This was a normal night for Saotome Alto since leaving his parents' house.  His dreams were always haunted by pictures of her, a person so special to him that he couldn't forget her face when she left.  Holding his head in his hands, he frowned, "sometimes, I want to forget."

–"Will you listen to my song?" a young girl spoke to him, though the tears in her ruby orbs made her smile seem forced.–

In an instant, is head shot up and he pulled a picture out from underneath his pillow.  In the picture was that same young girl smiling with her mother above her, pushing her forward, it seemed, to take the picture.  A blush was on those beautiful pale cheeks.  Her ruby eyes were wide and full of life.  He smiled, as the girl reminded him of a time when he was younger, that same person had once given him such hope when he'd almost lost himself to misery.  "Where are you now?"  He held the picture to his heart.  Tears bit at his eyes.  "I need you now."

It was two in the morning when Frontier picked up a de-fold signal.  Out of it came a large white shuttle with pink wings.  On the side read 'Galactic Fairy, Sheryl Nome.'  The military of Frontier immediately readied themselves for the arrival of the idol.  All arms saluted to them as they moved through the ship's defenses.  {Welcome, Miss Sheryl Nome, to the long-distance frontier fleet, known mostly as Macross Frontier.  Please enjoy your stay.}  And the docks opened up for them to enter.

Sheryl Nome's eyes opened slowly as her body recovered from the sleep.  The fold, as always, left her body weak.  The shades opened swiftly and she covered her eyes from the light.  But as she looked out at the ship, she found herself admiring it.  "Wow!" she spoke with amazement.  Her head turned towards her manager, Grace O'Connor, with a bright smile.  "This is a colony ship, isn't it?"

Grace nodded with a smile, "the long-distance frontier fleet and Galaxy's sister, that it is."

The idol was in awe of the ship's beauty.  Then her eyes took in the rest of the ship's inhabitants.  "It has an atmosphere, a sky, an ocean, even trees and flowers.  It's simply beautiful."  She'd never seen a place quite like this.  Galaxy had never held this much beauty.  This was a small planet in space.  With a turn of her head, her fold quartz earrings fluttered with light, and a determined expression crossed her face, "I shall perform best here."

Grace smiled warmly and replied, "I'm sure you will, Galactic Fairy."

It was around seven hours later that Sheryl Nome finally met up with the stunt crew for her concert.  Sadly, she had Catherine Glass on her tail the whole time.  The military hadn't left her alone since her arrival.  Her eyes landed upon each individual and she waved to them as she approached.  Then her eyes landed upon a very familiar face with a pair of golden orbs.  Her interest was immediately drawn to Saotome Alto, who showed little interest in her, even as a professional.  Then her eyes found the rest of the group and noticed their uniforms, even Alto's.  She turned to Catherine with distaste, "why are a bunch of school boys doing stunts for a professional show?"

Catherine frowned at the words used to describe their most elite school.  But she kept her temper for her job's sake.  "Our schools are the best in the universe.  Our standards are set very high, Miss Sheryl.  They are anything but a group of ordinary school boys, I assure you."

She was not easily convinced.  The group before her was just staring at her with desire except that one boy standing before her with those golden orbs.  He seemed to have little interest in her looks either.  She found this intriguing.  But the matter at hand drew her attention back to the argument at foot.  "A bunch of amateurs performing with a professional like me?  I think not."  She put her foot down.  "I want a group of pros right now!"

Catherine bit her tongue before kindly replying, "they have lives, Miss Sheryl.  Those professionals you speak of work and live to protect you and me every day.  Or would you like the military to drop their guard against all attacks and put everyone at risk for you to get a perfect ten in your show?"

Sheryl immediately shut her mouth at that.  So a bunch of high school brats was the best they could do, she surmised.  She stepped towards the boy of her interest.  He looked very familiar to her though she couldn't place it.  Whilst she was interested, however, he looked bored.  "What is your stunt?" she asked with a small smirk, poking his chest with a finger.

He breathed in to calm himself at her previous attitude, knowing he would be fired if he spoke out with his manager standing right there.  "A five-turn corkscrew."

"Oh?" she looked devious as she stepped away.  Her eyes looked him up and down.  Somewhat, she was impressed, as his form seemed nimble enough to pull off such a maneuver, but the danger and risks provoked her to state her mind.  "That sounds dangerous."

He puffed, "maybe for you.  But we are pros at our job too."  His eyes held a glare as they lifted to her face.  "If you want someone who's gonna do it the safe way, you might as well pick a crop duster."

The boys around chuckled at his words, breaking the tension in the room.

With a loud crack, Sheryl officially slapped Alto across the face, irritated with his insolence.  Her anger had snapped at his smart remark.  She couldn't believe a student had the gall to talk to her like that.  Her hand lowered and she dared to flick her one strand of hair back over her shoulder.  "Don't talk down to a professional like that, amateur."  The manager nearly moved to speak his mind but she held a hand to halt him.  "You need not scold this brat.  I shall do so myself."  Her eyes turned to Alto with daggers.  "Listen to me, little boy, you may think you're tough, but one wrong move and you can be dead too.  Now, we wouldn't want that, would we?" she winked with a small smile.

At the name used to address him, he lost his temper.  His defenses immediately kicked in.  He could sense his manager still nearby, so his subconscious kicked in and he let out, "do whatever the fuck you want," before he took off without warning.

Sheryl stared as he retreated.  She was amazed he was able to bottle his rage inside so easily.  But a question ate at her mind: 'who is that boy and why is he so familiar to me?'

Once rehearsal had finished for the day, Sheryl decided to kick back and take a breather from the work before tomorrow's concert.  Despite the slap and lessons she taught that intriguing boy, he still defied her.  He still tried to perform his five-turn corkscrew.  But even so, she refused to let his manager scold him or remove him.  A part of her was intrigued by his passionate show of dedication to that single stunt.  But it left her wondering why he still looked so familiar to her, as if they'd met beforehand.  And as her manager entered, she spoke up, "Grace, who is that boy from earlier?"

The purple-haired woman's head shot up with shock.  "You're referring to that dangerous boy with blue hair?" she nodded in understanding.  Using her implant, she showed Sheryl the records in said boy's name.  "That would be Saotome Alto, the seventeen-year-old son of Saotome Ranzou.  He goes to Mihoshi Academy.  Apparently, he was also a famous kabuki actor but quit abruptly for reasons unknown."  The images faded.

Sheryl blinked at the reference to the Japanese term for 'stage performer.'  It sounded familiar though she still couldn't place it.  "Kabuki."  Finally, a piece of that afternoon played back to her.  Now she could understand why the manager was stepping forward to speak.  "He's not an amateur… he's a professional."

Grace smiled sadly, "I tried to tell you as well but you slapped him instead."

With a thick blush, the thoughts of recognizing the boy flew out the window and were inserted with fright.  She had just slapped a professional like herself and degraded him.  And he let her.  Because he knew she was wrong and should learn from her mistakes.  It made her furious but it also made her blush thickly with affection for his lesson.  A smirk crossed her face, "well then, Saotome Alto, look out for the Galactic Fairy to make your day."

Grace merely sighed sadly and turned to leave the room, realizing Sheryl wouldn't hear the schedule anyway.  'That girl never changes.'  She closed the door and walked away as squeals came from the room, signaling Sheryl was searching for outfits.

The next morning, Ranka overslept.  Her brother had left for work without remembering to wake her.  So she stumbled out of bed and into a yellow dress with a green scarf and heavy brown boots for the concert.  Then she was out the door.  She raced out onto the streets of Frontier.  She somehow managed to catch the last subway train to Frontier Dome.  Unfortunately, a lot of people were on it too.  She found herself pressed into the glass most of the trip.  When the train stopped, she fell on her face as they all evacuated without a care to her.

Once she found herself again, she fuddled her way around the large city until she saw the giant stadium with dragons fuming fire at the top.  She smiled, "I bet that's it."  But as she tried to find a way to avoid the crowd, she noticed they would not move.  She settled for trying a back route.  Passing a garbage collector, she rushed into the back alleyways.

With a deep frown, Alto sat back against a bench in Griffith Park and watched as his comrades put on their stunt gear.  He was bored.  There wasn't much to do and he hated the thought of doing his stunt around Sheryl.  At first, he didn't mind.  But that girl had pissed him off by calling him a 'little boy.'  And on top of that, they had no changing rooms.  He wouldn't state his anger or reputation due to the possibility of losing his job.  After all, he had to pay the rent and eat.  "What a bitch."

"Sheryl or the stunt?" a blonde boy asked as he closed in on his comrade in his stunt gear.  This was Michael Blanc.  He was very familiar with his friend's distaste for dominant women.  Or, in Sheryl's case, irritating women.  He got a glare in return.  "Ah, Alto-hime," he spoke with a click in his teeth, "you must be a proper gentleman to the ladies to grab their affection."

"Fuck off," he spat with venom.  He wasn't the type to date.  No, he had issues with relationships.  Many girls would come up to him and ask him out or hand him love letters to gain his affections, but he would respectfully – and politely – turn them down.  He wanted a girl who interested him to death.  He wanted that girl from his visions of his past.  That was the one he would never let go.  He snarled and pulled out a piece of paper, folding it into a strange shape.  "I'm not a playboy like you, Michael."

Said boy just smirked.  "Hm, I wonder if you and Sheryl are the perfect match?" he asked himself as he skated off, not catching the disgusted look from the other.

A brunette boy entered the conversation after Michael left.  This was Luca Angelloni.  He sighed.  This happened so often that it didn't bother him anymore.  It was merely a play fight between them anyway.  He was wearing his stunt gear too.  "Alto-senpai, you should take some of Michael-senpai's advice.  Maybe you should find the girl you want instead of waiting."

He hated to admit that he was bored with the many girls that were interested in him.  But he held his pride intact.  "If a girl wants me, so be it."  He sat back and held up the finished product: a paper airplane.  "I have no use in looking for death."  His eyes were sorrowful now.

Luca frowned.  "Just remember to be at the dome by two."  He skated off after that.

Alto closed his eyes and let loose a deep breath at the silence.  "Alone at last."  He sat up to dress for his job.  As he opened the case and looked at his stunt gear, sadness sunk in.  "If only I could pilot a Valkyrie instead of toys like these."  He began to undress when he heard a rustling sound in the forest behind him and turned towards it.  "A squirrel?" he asked himself.  When the sound faded with no form of cause, he giggled slightly and returned to unbuttoning his school shirt.

After she'd rounded a corner, Ranka found herself utterly lost somewhere in a park.  She sighed to herself as she walked through the nature preserve.  "Note to yourself, Ranka Lee: download a map application for your phone."  She suddenly saw a shadow by a large tree block out the sun.  As she looked up at it, a sprinkler caught her off-guard and she stumbled onto the ground.  She shook her head until the spray receded, "now I'm soaked," and then the shadow – a person – looked at her.  However, her vision filled with sparkles as the person looked at her, that face as beautiful and slim as a woman's, and the sunlight hit those beautiful features in all the right ways with the sweat dripping down that face from the humidity.  "Beautiful," she said to herself, eyes captivated with the person before her.  But it felt nostalgic, as if she'd seen those blue locks and slim features once before, even those golden orbs.

"Who are you?" a male's voice played back to her from those lips.

Her head shot up at the sound.  'Male?'  Then it hit home.  "Male!?" and she backed away a bit.  Then she looked closer, noting the long blue locks that went over his shoulder.  "Am I sure it's a male?"

Said person gave her a scowl and turned to her, revealing his flat chest and broad shoulders that glistened with the humidity.  He felt the temptation to drop his pants as well and prove his sex, but at the look of shock on her face, he threw that thought away.  She seemed too naïve.  He walked over to her and held out a hand to help her up when his eyes landed on her panties.  He shot back with a thick blush.  "Um," he pointed to her ridden-up dress, "miss…"

She looked down and then squeaked, covering her privates quickly.  She was now beet red.  She took his hand anyway and stood, then sneezed.  There was a light breeze cooling her skin.

He frowned and held up his school shirt.  Being a proper gentleman, he rounded her form and placed the dry shirt over her wet shoulders for warmth.

"I'm Ranka Lee.  I got lost while looking for Sheryl-san's concert."  She met his curious gold orbs, "and you are?"

Finding his manners, he spoke out, "Saotome Alto," and then tensed, ready for a fan girl squeal.  However, none came.  He looked at her with shock to find her shivering.  He noticed now the water had drenched her clothes.  Her yellow dress was now glittering in the sunlight.  He could almost see her bra and panties.  Gulping, he pointed to a nearby tree that was off the road from observers.  "Undress and put my shirt on.  I'll dry your wet clothes."

She nodded and walked over to the tree.  She removed her dress, scarf, and bra, then threw his shirt on.  She noticed it was short, so it showed her panties.  With a blush, being subconscious of it, she pushed down the shirt and picked up her clothes, walking back to him, and finally placing them in his arms.  "Thank you."

He nodded lightly and moved towards his stunt supplies.  He placed the clothes on a horizontal pole.  This was when he noticed her bra.  Blushing madly, he attempted to stay quiet.  For a moment, he marveled at how small it was.  He pulled out his jetpack and sat down on the bench, pressing the button, and the machine blew hot air at the clothes.  He heard her join him but didn't look.  He gave her privacy.

She smiled at him.  "Back there, you were so beautiful," she mentioned as she leaned down, trying to make eye contact.  Now that her fairytale had fallen apart, she could see the broad shoulders and muscles to know he was indeed a boy.  Even so, she still liked him.  "I thought you were a woman dressing—"

"Who're you calling a woman!?" he snapped up suddenly with anger.  He froze as he saw her cringe.  He looked away with shame after catching himself.  "Nothing."  He went back to his task.  "I'll escort you there."  That was all he could say.

Ranka just nodded.

Once her clothes were dried and she'd dressed again, he held up his promise, taking her to the concert hall.  During this time, he learned that she was quite the talker.  She spoke a lot about the people she loved but nothing about herself, not even childhood stories.  Then questions popped up about him: his job, interests, and dating life.  He only gave one-word answers.  He was flattered that she was even trying.  As he exited the park and looked up at the concert hall, he felt a small relief in his mind.  "We're here."

She noticed the hall.  The sight of those two dragons above with their fire told her he was correct.  She walked around him and turned to him with a bright smile, "thank you, Alto-kun."

At the sight, his heart skipped a beat.  A blush coated his cheeks.  She'd just given him formality.

"I want to pay you back," she said thoughtfully.  The idea that hit her sounded fun.  "Do you know Nyan-Nyan?"

He looked at her, "Nyan-Nyan?" he repeated in confusion.

"At 312 Serge St. Frontier Midtown," she explained.  But that confusion was still there.  She figured if he didn't recognize it, then perhaps the commercial.  She began the dance moves whilst singing ~nyan nyan nyan nyan nihio nyan gorgeous, delicious deculture,~ and then she spun to him with a bright smile.

He held that baffled face.  He couldn't recall such a dance in his life.

"You haven't seen the commercial?"  And he shook his head.  "Visit there and ask for me.  You can take me on a date.  Anything you want to do!"  Then she blushed and waved her hands, "within limits, of course!"  Then she relaxed, "but anything you want to eat is on my tab!"

He flushed thickly as the words hit home.  "A—A date?"

Her phone beeped suddenly.  Pulling it out of her pocket, she checked the time, then squeaked.  "Holy crap!" she spat her first profanity of the day.  "It's this late already!?"  She squeezed the phone and then began to race away when she turned and waved, "I'll be waiting!"  Then she was off like a bolt of lightning.

He stood there with loss.  He looked at his hand, which had lifted to repeat her movement, and then he dropped it to his side.  "Ranka, huh?"  He stared at her fading form with a slender smile.  "What a weird girl."  When she'd smiled at him, his heart had melted.  He'd never felt it beat so fast before.  That kind of innocence was hard to find these days.  He held that smile but it soon became warm, and he moved towards the private entrance to the hall, a chuckle coming out, "a date with her sounds fun."  He'd finally found it: a girl who interested him.

–"Will you listen to my song?" that familiar voice played out to him.–

His head snapped up at the reminder.  He'd heard that voice countless times in his head since years ago.  A girl had asked him that question and looked at him with teary eyes, though smiling through the obvious pain.  Ranka's voice sounded similar to that girl's, though older.  It left him thinking: 'could it be her?'  He shook his head.  That girl would most likely have left this ship years ago.  "It's not her."  His eyes became sorrowful at that.

Then a weird thought hit him.

"What the hell was with that phone?" he spoke out his mind, eyebrow twitching.

Ranka walked through the rows, looking for her seat.  "Row F, Seat A5… Row F, Seat A5."  She found the seat desired and sat down.  The concert was going to begin soon.  Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.  Two amazing things had happened today: she was going to meet the Sheryl Nome, the Galactic Fairy, and she'd met a really handsome boy who seemed to like her.  She could barely stay contained with the excitement.  She smiled as the band came out to check the instruments one last time.  Her eyes were wide with happiness.  Thanks to her brother, she was able to see her idol, the person she admired most in the universe.

"Hey, Michael," Alto spoke as he entered the hall right on time, "I want to ask you about a certain girl."  The look of shock on both Michael and Luca's faces nearly made him smirk with satisfaction, but his interest drove him forward.  "There's a girl with green hair, red eyes, and the brightest smile.  I just met her on the way here.  She seemed sweet and funny.  She interested me."

Michael read over the description twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  His mouth almost dropped open.  "Are you talking about Ranka-chan?" he asked.

He nearly turned blue at the question.  "Yeah, how'd you know?" he asked nervously.  After all, Michael was a playboy.  He was bound to have slept with her.

"I used to babysit her when her brother was out," he mentioned.  He absorbed the information and gawked.  He wondered mentally for a moment if Alto was considering to date her.  She was innocent and pure, unlike most of the girls on Frontier, plus, to his knowledge, she'd never met the Saotome Alto – the boy who was once a famous actor – before.  "Did she recognize you?" he asked nervously.

Alto watched the crowd, preparing to take-off.  Sheryl was about to come on stage, meaning they didn't have long.  He frowned slightly, a bit disappointed, "no, she didn't.  I said my full name too."  He was then forced down the track and into the crowd.  'She's here.  I know it.  I'll perform my corkscrew.  This is my chance!'  With a smirk, he lifted into the air.

"Everyone, listen to my song!" Sheryl's voice boomed as she entered the stage. ~Can you hear me?  My lovely boys and girls.~

For a moment, Ranka saw that familiar blue hair and the stunt armor of her savior pass by.  She recognized Alto's form in the darkness.  She watched him do his corkscrew successfully, and she clapped.  It didn't occur to her that he was attempting to impress her until he looked at her with a smile.  Then, with a blush, her eyes found Sheryl again, as that was her purpose at the concert anyway.

Alto hovered overhead and looked around at the crowd with his camera, having lost sight of the girl he'd met earlier.  The music that Sheryl sang wasn't interesting to him.  No, finding that girl was.  He'd seen her clapping at his stunt.  He'd seen her.  His camera took in the familiar green hair, then he saw her face, hands reaching out to the star-like mist that fell from above.  Turning the camera off, he smiled.  'She's so childish and cute.'  He chuckled at that.

Both girls sang in sync now. ~I'm here.~

Suddenly, a loud crash came from above the island.  Then a huge rumble followed that shook the entire stadium.  Sheryl lost her balance and began to fall off-stage.  The whole crowd gasped in horror.

Alto, who was the closest, moved quickly, "shit!" and caught her just in time before she hit the crowd.  He skidded along the stage until he halted over the panicking crowd.  He looked above with worry, "what was that?"  He looked at her until he saw a hand waving from the manager.  He noticed the crowd now.  His eyes met those familiar rubies.  "Ranka," his lips spoke her name quietly.

Her head snapped up with shock at the sound of his voice.  "Alto-kun?" she questioned.

He grit his teeth in agitation and finished his duty, carrying the idol back to her manager even as she fought to remain on stage.

Ranka looked up at the ceiling as the red lights and warning signs came on, alerting them to evacuate.  She gasped, "no way."

He dropped off the idol and turned to find his interest but saw the crowd panicking, evacuating towards the city.  He noticed the security lights had clicked on and the island was in full emergency mode.  "Just what the hell is going on?" he screamed in confusion.  He'd lived on this ship his whole life but never saw this level of emergency evacuation.

Ranka soon found herself being pulled along with the crowd into the city.  A part of her reached out for her brother like usual, but as her hand reached out for someone, from her mouth came her savior's name.  "Alto-kun!"  Perhaps it was because he'd helped her earlier that day.

As he exited the concert hall, he sneezed.  It felt like someone had just called for him.  His mind momentarily landed upon Ranka in concern, as he'd lost sight of her.  But he looked around the frightened city with wide eyes.  When had the prison-like ship become so fragile?  He turned as he heard familiar voices leaving the concert hall via the private exit.  He noticed Sheryl right away as she entered a private car, ready to drive off.  He raced to her, pissed, "what the fuck do you think you're doing!?"  The only person who attained his attention was Catherine Glass.  The guards quickly held him back as he steamed at Sheryl Nome, the so-called Galactic Fairy.  "All these people came to see you and you just escape by yourself!?  Is that what a professional does!?"

Sheryl merely sighed at his words.  Despite how familiar he looked or his past profession, he certainly was annoying.  He wanted her to risk her life for such a lost cause?  That was not how she lived to spread hope for so long.  "Leave these matters to adults, child."

He sneered as she once again called him by a name he disliked.  If he was a child then she was merely an infant.  She didn't seem to understand what she had to sacrifice to stay loved by all her fans.  He understood that it would be futile to fight, but he still wanted to anyway.  A single green-haired girl had given him purpose.  She had reminded him of the reason he should exist.  He turned to Catherine with that dark look, "why the hell do you care for such a stuck-up bitch like her?"  He pushed the military soldiers aside and raced into the city.  "I'll show you what a pro does!"

She merely sighed, "foolish kid."

Catherine watched him leave with shock.  He was entering the city without a fear in the world.  A part of her felt his heart being attracted to someone else.  It made her feel nostalgic.  A man had once felt that for a small girl as well, leaving her alone, but part of her couldn't blame him.  Her heart understood the boy's desire to protect that special someone though.  And with that, she got into the car and buckled up.  Her eyes rose to Sheryl, "he is right.  You are being very strict to those attempting to help you and heartless to those who need your help.  Not very much like a professional."

The idol sighed and looked out the window, placing her chin on her hand with disinterest.  "Say what you will, soldier girl.  But death is all around us now."

Deep within the city, Ranka stood by a fire hydrant, finally free from the panicking crowd.  She looked around at the city in panic.  Then she heard a strange sound and soon saw a monster smash its claws into the outer rim of the island's barrier.  Her eyes took in the being's form with fear, "no… way…"

Alto raced through the town and looked out at the damaged city with shock.  The entire island was rattling with fear.  He watched as Sheryl's private car passed him and headed towards the dome's interior.  He scowled with disgust at her retreating form in the car, "a miracle worker who takes off when danger strikes."  He'd lost his respect for her now.  He looked towards the people running and children crying for their parents that were dead.  He saw tanks firing at something he couldn't see.  He was petrified to be standing out in the open.

–"Visit there and ask for me.  You can take me on a date."  Her smile came gently though it lit the entire valley, her green hair bouncing as well.  "Anything you want to do!"–

That caused him to remember the reason he was standing there.  "Ranka!" he shouted in shock.  He returned to searching for her frantically.  He took in the sight of her by a fire hydrant, trembling in fear, eyes locked on the tanks.  "Ranka!" he shouted again as he raced to her.

She didn't seem to hear him, for her eyes squeezed shut and a whimper tore from her throat.

He stood before her and stared down at her vulnerable form.  It was only natural to be scared when out in the open on a battlefield.  He was scared too, but he felt courage seeping into him as he dipped to his knees at her side.  "Ranka," he spoke softly.

Her eyes opened and she took in his form, recognizing his voice.  "Alto-kun."

He nodded, "we have to get out of here."

She reached a hand out to grip his when she heard a strange sound.  The crackling sound hit the entire dome and soon Alto looked towards the source.  She was horrified as the cannons from before were destroyed in one mere shot from a red beast.  She squealed and jumped into his arms, holding him as strongly as she could.

He was stunned but didn't look, too petrified.  "What is that?"  He nearly began to tremble as he noticed those lifeless eyes.  "Is that a… weapon…?"  Then three shots hit the beast from above.  He saw a familiar plane – the same one from his dreams – appear through the clouds.  "VF-25F?  They're regulated for combat now?"  He held his head as feedback played on his earpiece, helmet transmitting a message from the pilot.

{What are you doing, kid?} said soldier yelled at him.  {Get the girl out of here!}  That pilot attacked the beast head-on, his fighter getting damaged in the process.  However, his plea did nothing, as they were too scared to move.  His ship was soon captured and held captive in the beast's grasp.  He shot out and began to fire at it with a machine gun, "you beast!"

Alto watched helplessly as the man was grabbed and squeezed ruthlessly.  He saw bits of the armor begin to crack.  "Stop!" he yelled with panic.  But it held no bearing on the monster's actions.

The man's life ended with a loud crunch and blood seeped onto the ground along with bits and pieces of his armor.  And, like an old rag, he was thrown away.

Alto was now trembling in fear.  "That man…" he quivered, too lost to know what to do.  It all seemed so hopeless.  Closing his eyes, he prepared to run for his life.

Then he heard Ranka's deafening scream.

He looked down at her to find her arms around his left one, screaming in terror, using him as a shield.  Somehow, he didn't mind that.  She wanted him to protect her.  He remembered what that pilot had ordered him to do.  'I have to get her out of here!'  He heard the monster move suddenly.  He turned to see it approaching them.  'No matter what, I have to protect her!'  With resolve in his mind, he picked her up, looking towards the ship in the distance.  If luck prevailed, perhaps it would still fly.  "Hang on."  He took off with her in his arms.

"Alto-kun?" she opened her eyes with shock.

He avoided as attacks came from the sky from multiple little beasts that dared to attack them, nearly killing them too.  He kept his eyes on the road.  He wanted to protect this girl with his very life.  He finally reached the dead pilot's ship.  Jumping into it, his armor became part of his chair, hands now freed, and he gripped the controls.  He saw the 'ready' sign and took in the controls momentarily.  "Okay."

Ranka looked up at him from her place in his lap, confused.  Then she felt the ship move and her eyes shut tightly.

He quickly sped the plane onto the battlefield and turned swiftly.  A few smaller beasts appeared before him.  He froze, "they're more of them!?" then he sped off with them in hot pursuit.

The red monster, the head of the group – it seemed – followed the fleeing ship with its eyes.

Alto could hear Ranka's whimpering even over the noise.  He felt her arms around his neck for support.  He gladly gave her his own fear for her to hold onto, as he needed to be brave right now.  He dodged the attacks, one landing against a car, and it exploded, causing her to yelp.  He felt tears on his jumpsuit now.  "I'll protect you no matter what!  I promise!" he yelled over the commotion.

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him with shock.  She took in his frightened face.  He was scared too.  She kept her head on his chest and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm and help him concentrate.

A blue VF-25G entered the dome and landed behind a large building.  The pilot aimed with his long sniper and found himself following the VF-25F's movements with shock.  "Those moves… it's not Gilliam, so who…?" he prepared himself and began to shoot down the attackers, successfully getting three of the four.  The other avoided his shots and chased after the mysterious pilot.  "Shit!"  He pulled his gun up and prepared to find a new angle.

As Alto paid attention to the shot down beasts, he lost sight of the road.  When he heard Ranka scream, he noticed the large, skyscraper building in their path.  With a burst of power, he shot them upwards, shattering the glass.  The last enemy shot seven powerful shots: one hitting the wing, another four knocked off the arms of the ship, and the final two melded into one and hit the shell surrounding the island hard.  It knocked open a portal to space.

Ranka gasped as the vibration knocked her from his arms and thrust her into the vacuum of space.  She screamed in terror.

Alto noticed it too.  He immediately panicked at the sight, "Ranka!"

–"If you are a man, protect the girl."–

At those words, a part of his mind snapped.  That was the advice his best friend had given him once.  He watched as she rose and immediately gripped the controls.  He no longer cared about his safety but her survival.  He shot into the vacuum and approached her, one hand leaving the controls.  "Grab my hand!" he yelled over the deafening sound.

She listened to his command and reached a hand out, fighting to grab his own.

Their hands fought with the wind and pressure until he finally gripped her wrist in one swift movement.

A smile touched his lips.  But it faded when an explosion hit the side of his ship.  His hand slipped from hers at the shock.  He snarled at the approaching monster but it was shot down by the same fighter from before.  Then he heard her yelp.

She flew into the vortex, covering her mouth and shutting her eyes, ready for death.

His fear flew out the window along with his brain at the sight.  Throwing on his stunt armor, he screamed and jumped towards her with only a small lifeline.  He'd finally done it: the stupidest thing known to man.  His jetpack burst once to help him reach her form.  He wrapped his arms around her form and turned them towards the ship before forcing his jetpack to take them all the way back.

Michael closed in on the scene and was shocked to see his school friend rescuing the frightened girl.  "Alto."

He jumped into the ship and gripped the controls once more, turned the ship towards the open hole, and shot inside the safety of the dome.  The void closed moments after.  He sighed with relief.  He looked down to check on Ranka when he felt a dark presence near them.  Looking up, his eyes widened.

The large red beast came before them, appearing ready to attack.

He braced himself for the attack, arms molding her to his form.  But, as he popped an eye open, he looked up at the beast and noticed it hadn't attacked.  His eyes went wide as he saw those lifeless eyes locked on her.  He gripped the controls with anger, "like hell you will!" and shot at the beast with what little bullets he had left.  It seemed stunned.  He shot down towards the town, using the buildings as an escape path.  When the monster attempted to follow, the real warriors came to their rescue.  He turned the plane until it smashed backward into a building.  He choked from the impact.

A gray VF-25S arrived and landed upon the street before the monster.  It turned into armored mode and immediately locked on its target.  The large beast met with multiple missiles.  In a large explosion, the red monster was knocked down, stunned.  The pilot pulled out his hidden knife and charged at the beast, stabbing it right in the neck, making purple blood fly everywhere, staining the city's walls.  It fell to the ground.  Without a moment's notice, it was dead.  With a sigh, the pilot changed his plane into Gerwalk mode and turned to the amateur he'd spotted.  "Who is that boy, Michael?" he asked his comrade.

Michael landed his VF-25G and turned it into Gerwalk mode to assess the damage.  He turned his attention to the parked VF-25F with concern.  "It's not important," he surmised with a frown, turning his attention towards the dead body behind them.  "Not as important as this, that's for sure."

A RVF-25G changed into Gerwalk mode and landed near them.  "Are those the Vajra, Commander Ozma?" Luca asked with concern.

Ozma looked upon the remains of the beast and nodded to his two comrades.  "Yes."  He frowned deeply at the remembrance of said name.  'They found this ship too.'

In the short amount of time the pilots had taken out the monster, Alto felt fascinated.  They had killed it so easily whilst he had struggled.  But once it was over, he sighed and looked down at the girl still in his arms.

Her form was halfway turned off his body, sitting on his one leg, her form trembling.  Her cheeks were flushed, eyes moving rapidly behind the tightly shut lids.

Concern lit him, "are you okay?" he asked.

She sobbed lightly, "I don't…"  Her arms suddenly held his neck tightly, face buried in his shoulder, and tears landed upon his jumpsuit, soaking the fabric.  "I don't understand!"

His eyes softened with sadness and pain.  She was still frightened; as if not aware the monster was dead.  He lifted a hand and stroked her locks soothingly with one hand, running it through the green hair.  "It's gone now.  The monster's dead.  You're safe."

She pulled away and, without thinking, spoke out, "Onii-chan."  Then her eyes took in his face, form, and recognized him as her savior from earlier.  The name hit home at last.  "Alto-kun?" she questioned as she backed up, "why?" then she hit one of the controls.

The ship immediately fell forward, nose slamming into the concrete.  The force nearly knocked her out if he hadn't wrapped his arm around her slender form.

She froze as he sighed, looking down at the hand that was groping one of her breasts unintentionally.  Her hair rose and her cheeks flushed.

He felt the tension and grunted, pain flooding his system from the fall, and then he noticed his hand.  He flushed thickly and removed it, "um, sorry."

But that did not help, as she still ended up screaming as loud as she could, the sound echoing through the whole island.

After he was done examining the plane for damage, he walked back to her.  His stunt armor sat at his side, merely left in his jumpsuit.  He smiled slightly, "are you really okay?" he asked, concerned.  At a nod, he sighed in relief.  "I'm amazed at how strong you are.  Even being sucked into space, your eardrums didn't burst."

She nodded, "I'm one-fourth Zentrant."

He stared at the explanation.  'That's why her hair rises.'  He trusted her reassurance that she was perfectly fine.  It would be too awkward to search her for injuries.  They were two different genders and practically strangers.  That, coupled with the fact they were standing in the open, would lead to a big misunderstanding.

She pulled out a pen and piece of paper suddenly, writing on it.  Then she handed it to him.  "Here."

He looked at said paper with shock.  "This is your…?" he questioned.

"My phone number and the street address for Nyan-Nyan's," she nodded.  She turned around and blushed slightly.  She held hope that he wanted to spend time with her.  "Just think it over."  She prepared to leave when his hand gripped her shoulder.  "Hm?"

"I would love to," he spoke.  He meant that.  He smiled genuinely.  "You seem sweet and kind… also, you…" he flushed thickly, attempting to find the right words to describe her, "…are quite fascinating, honestly."

She blushed at this.  His praise was nice.  She'd never been told that before.  She flexed an arm in flirtation, "I'm strong too!"

He chuckled.  She was so naïve and cute but also mysterious.  He liked all of her qualities.  As she pulled out her phone, he grabbed it.  He played with the buttons and feet as she watched in shock until he returned it to her.  "My phone number," he mentioned as she looked at it.  "I'll call you soon, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, a thick blush on her cheeks, hair halfway risen.  Then she glanced at the time and squealed.  "Onii-chan will pitch a fit if I don't get home!"  She started to race away when she turned and waved, "I'll be waiting!" she yelled once more.  Then she was off once again like a bullet.

He found his hand had risen once more to return the motion.  He looked at it and felt the memory of that soldier who'd died for them run into his mind.  "Just a hand.  All it took was a hand."  He looked at the ship with sadness.  He had used the man's ship to save the life he'd failed to.  But he didn't feel like he'd done enough.  It was just the start to him.  He closed his eyes and remembered those bright eyes, that lovely smile, and that luminous love that Ranka Lee shared with him; and he knew he wanted to protect it.  Clenching a fist, he resolved, "protect the girl, huh?"  He scanned the burning buildings and readied himself for the walk home, praying his apartment was still there.  He looked one last time to the fighter behind him.  "I swear that I'll protect her.  No matter what."  And then he picked up his stunt armor and walked away, leaving the plane to be picked up by its military.

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