Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Watashi no Kare wa Pilot (My Boyfriend is a Pilot) ❯ Friends ( Chapter 2 )

[ 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 Two: Friends
(Special “Blu-Ray” release!)
.
.
.
The very next morning, Ranka Lee found herself in a hospital lobby, gazing at the multiple people who’d ‘come in contact with the extraterrestrials,’ as her brother had so nicely put it.  She was depressed that she’d been dragged here.  After telling Michael about her experience in the plane, he’d spread the word to her brother, who had been upset to know a boy unintentionally gripped her breast.  Luckily, she’d ran through the check-ups without any issue.  She smiled at her brother with new confidence, “the boy who rescued me was handsome with blue hair.”

“Ho?” he spoke with little interest.  He’d heard nothing about who her savior was.  “And who was this boy exactly?”

She blushed slightly as she recalled him turning to her in the park.  “He was so beautiful.”  She clasped her hands together with sparkling eyes.  “I thought he was a woman at first.”  She drifted off into space whilst wondering why he went unnoticed by model agencies.  Then she saw a familiar blue strand pass by her and she shot up as it approached a backroom with a mysterious woman dressed in a military uniform.  “Alto-kun!” she called out.

He turned to her and let shock enter his system.  “Ranka.”

Catherine Glass turned at this blurt of names, but her eyes locked on Ozma Lee – the brother of the girl before them now – and hers lowered with sadness.

Meanwhile, Ranka jumped up and down with joy.  She moved and jumped onto him without a second thought.  A look of hatred passed through her and straight to him via her brother.  She pulled away and cupped her hands together with happiness.  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He stared at her, then noticed their location.  “What are you doing here?”  He rounded her and looked for any injuries he’d missed the night before.  “You said you were fine yesterday when I asked.  Are you sure you weren’t hit by debris?”  He ignored any glares by the elder male.

She smiled and nodded, then waved a hand at her brother, “it was Onii-chan who requested I come.  It’s a check-up to make sure I don’t have a disease they carry.”  She received an understanding nod.  Suddenly, she recalled a failed communication, and so she bowed.  “Thank you for saving me.”

He blushed at this.  “It wasn’t just me,” he forced.

“It was you!?” the brother screamed in outrage.  He approached Alto and gripped that shirt tightly, pulling him close so he could look into those terrified gold eyes.  He stared, reading the boy as much as he could, and he sensed no ill intent whatsoever.  If anything, the boy’s desires were pure as gold.  He released the boy.  Then he remembered what Michael had told him.  “Wait.”  He pointed at the boy.  “If you’re the one who saved her… then that means you’re the one who groped my sister’s breasts!”

He gulped thickly and waved his hands in defense.  “It was an accident, I swear!”

Catherine cleared her throat.  This attracted their attention.  “You can all see each other tomorrow.”  She opened the private door and pointed at Alto.  “Let’s go, Saotome-san.  You have your own check-up here.”

Ranka was slightly disappointed but nodded.  She looked at her brother with a small smile.  “I’m off to school.”  Then she approached Alto, leant up, and kissed him on the cheek.  As she pulled away, he looked at her with shock, a hand touching the spot.  “Call me.”  That was her only request.

As he nodded, shocked, she raced off.  He slowly smiled warmly.  “So cute…” he whispered.

But Ozma caught it.  The man held a frown on his face but it was slowly fading.

Catherine turned her attention to Alto and poked at his arm to remind him of her presence.  “This way.”  She entered the room.

He stood there and turned to Ozma with hope but the soldiers around him forced him into the room.  Once the door was closed, he received orders to follow.  He stripped off his shirt and allowed them to take three vials of blood from his right arm.  Then another vial was shown to him briefly before the substance was pushed into his system by a needle.  He noticed this vial held a purple substance.  It was most likely a drug.  “What is that stuff?” he asked as the man pulled away.  Said person did not respond.  He turned to Catherine with confusion.  “Just what am I here for?”

She immediately pulled out a group of pictures she’d captured from the live footage of yesterday’s attack.  She showed them to him.  “These are proof.”  As he gazed upon them, his eyes widened.  Those were pictures of him piloting that Valkyrie from yesterday.  “You came in contact with the extraterrestrials.”

He sneered at the words.  He nearly shot to his feet as he screamed, “just what were those monsters!?”

“That is classified,” she answered simply.  The people finished with his arms and she handed him his shirt back.  “Saotome Alto, the firstborn son of Saotome Ranzou.  Born into a famous kabuki house, your first performance was at age five.  However, you abruptly left the household and chose to enter Mihoshi Academy.  You entered the Performance Arts class and later transferred into the Aerobatics class in the second year.  Despite so much change, your grades are outstanding.”  Her eyes stared at him as he buttoned up his shirt.  “Quite a prodigy, aren’t you?”

He scowled, “I don’t need my back story read to me.”  He stood and flipped his hair over his shoulder with a deep frown.  “Now, if you’re done interviewing me, I’m going to be late for school.”  He grabbed his bag and headed towards the exit.

The guards stood in his line of escape.  He glared to Catherine but she held her ground and crossed her arms.  “Saotome-san, as you know, piloting a Valkyrie of the military is against the law.  Under normal circumstances, you would be facing jail time or a large fine.”

He rose his hands in defense, “but, at that time, the pilot had been killed, so I—“

She cut him off, “but, given the circumstances, we are willing to make you a deal.”  She dropped her hands and stood tall despite her height.  “Tell me: are you interested in joining the military?”

At the question, he tensed.  It sounded like yet another chain that would tie him to this ship.  “The military.”  He looked down with indecision.  He hated the idea of pushing himself to that limit.  But immediately, his mind played back Ranka’s smiling face as she gave him that formality in his name.  She was so innocent and pure.  And last night, he’d nearly lost the chance to know that being.  “I don’t know.  I think so.”  She needed protection.  He wanted to protect her.

The door opened slowly.  Ozma Lee – who’d been eavesdropping – entered the room and stared Catherine Glass in the eyes with a smirk.  The soldiers in the room immediately raised their guns and attempted to push him back out.  “I’m afraid you’re out of line here, Lieutenant Catherine Glass.”  He pushed the pistols aside and approached the woman.  “That Valkyrie he piloted didn’t belong to the military.  It belonged to the S.M.S.”

At the statement, Alto was shocked and intrigued.  “The S.M.S.?” he repeated with confusion.

As Catherine turned to him, Ozma smirked.

A large gray sports car raced through Frontier Midtown swiftly.  Inside, a radio was playing a repeat of Planet Dance from an old band named Fire Bomber.  Even though it was playing loudly through the car, neither person inside seemed to mind.  The car entered a tunnel.  This was when Ozma Lee looked at the boy with a smirk, “so, how was it?”  He received a confused look which made him chuckle.  “The VF-25F Messiah?”  He stared at the road with excited eyes.  “Thrilling, wasn’t it?”

Alto held shock at this.  He nearly agreed but he pushed it away and gazed out the window.  Last night, a man had risked his life so he could escape with the girl at his side.  But he didn’t.  He had failed that man.  Even still, he carried out the man’s last wish and saved her from death.  So perhaps he did deserve a bit of that ‘thank you’ she’d given him.

“That pilot who died,” Ozma drew the conversation to its point, “his name was Henry Gilliam.”

His eyes met the elder’s at the name.  Now he knew who had died to ensure his survival.  “I see.”

The car suddenly jumped from the tunnel into a large square that lowered into the ship’s interior like an elevator.  It stopped before a large door that read S.M.S.  The large yellow symbols told him all he needed to know.  Then the doors opened and a blinding light entered both of their eyes.  He couldn’t even close them even though he felt pain, for he was intrigued.

“Welcome to the S.M.S.”  Then Ozma drove the car into the base and passed the parked planes nearby.

Alto was fascinated.  Each of those planes were ones he’d often dreamt about.  They were either being inspected or prepared for launch.  They were all different colors.  He stared at them with desires to either pilot them or examine them.  And when Ozma parked the car, he jumped out and raced to them.  He walked through each line and examined their weapons with curiosity.  “Super packs and Tornado packs are regulated now.  Those are hard to come by.  And all new style ex-gear as well.  EG-01 is a high-tech model.  But super light!”  He noticed that most of the planes were of the twenty-fifth series.  “All of the twenty-fifth models have been regulated for combat now.”

“We test for the military.  That is our job.”  He received shocked eyes from the boy as he examined a wing of the blue plane.  “It’s all about money and communism.  This is how Frontier makes their money.  Damned if we get killed, the government says.”  Alto seemed to have little interest in this.  He folded his arms and watched the kid looked at the planes, though a small smile formed on his face.  ‘Same as me.’

He walked around one that caught his attention.  The model was very similar to the one he’d piloted last night.  The colors on the wings and body were the same red, blue, and white as the one last night.  In an instant, he noticed that this plane was still damaged.  He looked underneath the body to read the label: “Valkyrie Fighter 25F Messiah.”  He blushed, as he finally realized this was the plane from last night.  He frowned deeply, “this was his Valkyrie.”

Ozma approached and unfolded his arms with a nod, “yes.”

Those golden orbs landed upon his elder with wonder.  There had to be a reason he’d been brought to this base.  He didn’t exactly have clearance.  “Why am I here?” he asked, concerned.

He stood strong as the commander.  He made this obvious as he removed his jacket to reveal his uniform, the badge glittering on his shirt.  “We here at the S.M.S. don’t get graves when we die, therefore, we have to remember our comrades from the ones who witnessed the death.”  Everyone was gathering around as he spoke, some figuring it out, others confused.  And, soon, a crowd formed.  “Tell us of the honorable way Gilliam gave his life to protect Frontier.”

Alto was shocked at the words the man spoke.  He had no beliefs that reenacting the scene for them would help them truly understand how Henry Gilliam had died.  They hadn’t heard his screams or struggles as he fought to preserve their life.  Yet they asked for it.  They wanted to cherish what little bit the man had done.  And as he looked up to speak, his eyes caught sight of his schoolmates among the crowd, “Michael?  Luca?” he whispered lowly.

Michael walked over and stood next to Canaria Berstein with confusion.  He had noticed the gathering crowd and figured that someone had spotted the death of Gilliam last night.  But when his eyes landed on Alto, his orbs went wide, “what is he doing here?”

She folded her arms at the two shocked boys, “he witnessed Gilliam’s death.”

At that, the blonde lost that shock.  He hadn’t told Ozma who rescued Ranka from the attackers, just that it was a boy.  He had hoped that Alto wasn’t seen doing the act and wouldn’t be brought this close to a Valkyrie.  But here he was.  He had only witnessed Alto rescue Ranka by dangerous means that even shocked him, but now he knew the boy witnessed the death of Gilliam as well.  This explained just why Alto was piloting that Valkyrie without permission.  ‘He saw death and yet he’s still sane…’ he thought to himself with amazement.

“Henry Gilliam,” he began, trying to find the right words to express what had happened to the pilot without adding shame to his own actions, “risked his life so I could rescue an innocent bystander nearby.  But I was too petrified to move on my own.”  He looked down with shame.  “And he died.”  He had stood there and watched that man die for them.  He was responsible.  But as his eyes looked to that Valkyrie again, a desire coursed through him, reminding him of the promise he’d made last night.  “Let me pilot it.”

Ozma unfolded his arms with intrigue, “hah?”

He turned to the one in charge with determined eyes.  He wanted to carry out the promise he’d made to that dead pilot.  “Let me pilot his Valkyrie and assist you!” he yelled to make sure all heard him correctly.

Ozma stared at those fiery orbs and admired them.  From what he’d gathered from Michael’s complaints about his school buddy, Alto was not one to just enter a base and request to join the army on a whim.  But those eyes spoke otherwise to him.  He could sense a desire to protect.  This was perhaps sparked by Ranka.  He wanted to become a man for her.  However, that did not come easily.  He slammed a fist into the boy’s jaw, making Alto fall to the floor, and he sneered, “go home, kid.”

Alto sat up with a scowl at the remark.  He was tired of being treated like a child.  He could fight.  “I can pilot a Valkyrie.”  He pointed this out with a look towards Michael.  “You saw it, didn’t you!?” he yelled at the blonde.  But Michael merely stepped back.  He sneered and stood.  “I can fight.  I want to.”

“We don’t need any suicidal men in our group,” he responded with a scowl.  He immediately dismissed any other arguments.  “Someone throw this brat out onto the streets so he can walk home.”  Then he walked away.

He rubbed his abused jaw with a scowl.  As the soldiers approached him to do as ordered, he waved them off.  “You can escort me off this hostile base.  It’s obvious that I’m not welcome as a candidate.”  He received a nod and followed them out.  His eyes traveled to that Valkyrie one more time.  He had to show how serious he was.  That Valkyrie was his one way of protecting her.  He had to have it.  But first, he had to show his worth.  And he was determined to do just that.

The following morning, as class began at Mihoshi Academy, Alto was about to fall into a slumber to pass the time by when Michael tapped at his shoulder.  He sat up and turned to him with temporary anger until the boy pointed to the front of the class.  He immediately assumed the teacher had caught him and was upset, as usual, but his eyes took in the sight of her.  There was Ranka Lee at the front of his class, name on the board, a transfer student, and she was waving at him.  His eyebrow twitched as he felt a strange fear flood his system.  ‘What are the chances of this happening?’

But Michael noticed her upset expression at the lack of reply.  He had to give motivation to their relationship starting.  Cracking the code in Alto’s mind had become his specialty.  He placed signs next to Alto’s seat, ones that pointed to the chair nearest him: ‘Sit here!  Love Hotel!  Your lover is here!  My boyfriend is a pilot!’

Alto blushed as he read the signs.  A lot of them didn’t even apply to him yet.  He watched with fascination as she climbed the stairs, looked at them, and then politely picked them up and dropped them on Michael’s head.  Then she sat down next to him and smiled.

She held out a bag for him.  Inside were almost one hundred airplane-shaped cookies.  Then she looked at him with those lovely ruby eyes, “good morning, Alto-kun,” and began to pull out the books that had been assigned to her by the counselor.

He stared at her, amazed at how brave she was.  He even noticed the glares from the other girls that adored him.  Whilst that fear was still eating him out, he pulled out a cookie and ate it, and he nearly moaned.  Swallowing the cookie, he blushed.  It tasted like heaven!

Nanase was the only one who felt courage to ask the million-dollar question at lunch: “how did this happen?”  She had longed for her friend to transfer to their school, as she felt out of place here, but Ozma – at the time – disagreed with the desire to do such.  Now that she was here, Nanase felt happy.  But, she inwardly admitted, this was the first time she’d seen Alto interact with another girl of free will.  It was endearing.  “I thought you went to that all girls’ school.”

Ranka smiled sweetly and looked at Alto, noticing his distance from them and the lack of interest in the conversation.  “Onii-chan was very impressed with how Alto-kun reacted to me yesterday morning.  He figured that since Alto-kun wanted so badly to protect me, he should.  And so, I’m here.”

Alto blinked and turned to her with wide eyes.  He couldn’t recall telling Ozma anything of his intentions with Ranka.  He hadn’t even mentioned that he had a desire to date her or that he’d already accepted to ask her out.  Though he could figure that punch was mostly payback for the earlier incident.  He wanted to know more about her before he asked her out though.  He was nothing like Michael.  He was a one-woman person.  But to know the man trusted him so easily made him wonder if she’d talked him into it.  ‘Then again, she might be trying to flatter me.’

Michael chuckled at the explanation.  He looked at Alto.  “You survived the wrath of Ozma Lee then?” he asked.  A slight nod was his answer.  His face was faking seriousness as he leaned over the boy.  “You know, most boys never see Ranka-chan again after that.  You’re lucky.”

“R—Really?” he choked out, frightened.  “Why?”

“He doesn’t like boys near her,” he mentioned, looking to Ranka, whom seemed confused at his glance.  “He doesn’t want her heart broken by a playboy like me.”  He moved away from his friend and sat on the steps beside him.  “If you date her, you better be in it for keeps.  Otherwise, more than your manhood is on the line.  Ozma will kill you.”

He gulped slightly but nodded.  He knew that was Michael’s advice.

Standing, Michael approached the women of the group and pulled Ranka to her feet.  Looking at his friend, he wrapped an arm around her neck and smirked at him.  “I’m sure you could use an escort to show you around the school.”  He winked to the blushing boy.  “How about it, Alto-hime?  You man enough to show your girl around the school?”

Alto walked through the school with Ranka in follow.  He glared at any boy who dared to look at her.  He could tell that they wanted her by their watering mouths and desiring eyes.  He was slightly shocked they’d even want her, considering her body structure, not that he minded.  But they were eyeing her like she was a piece of meat.  ‘Carnivores,’ he frowned deeply.  At last, they reached their final destination, “and this is the library.”  He stopped and turned to her with a slightly forced smile, “that’s everything.”

“Alto-kun,” she spoke, as she’d been polite the entire tour and let him speak the whole time, “do you hate my being here?”  She got a shocked and slightly offended look as the result.  “It’s just… you’re acting like I’m a plague.  Ever since I showed up this morning, you’ve been acting odd.”

He paled.  She’d sensed his tenseness.  All of this was new and sudden to him.  He wasn’t a forward person.  He forced that smile and shook his head.  “No, it’s not you.  I’m just not used to hanging around a girl I like so often.”

She nodded, understanding.  “Then this is strange to you.”

“A bit,” he nodded in agreement.  She then held out another airplane cookie with a smile.  “Ranka?”

“I baked two hundred of them yesterday without really knowing why.  I was trying out a recipe that Nana-chan gave me.”  She laughed slightly, embarrassed, “then I remembered when you saved me from that monster.  That plane you flew… and I thought I’d give them all to you.”  She placed the cookie in his mouth and watched him chew it with a smile forming on his face.  He made an odd noise but she took it as a sign that he liked it.  After all, he blushed thickly and asked for more.  She merely placed the bag in his hands.  “You really like them?”

He nodded sheepishly and thought to himself ‘little bits of heaven’ as he consumed another.  He agreed that she would make an excellent housewife.  Then he swallowed thickly.  He found his eyes widening with shock at the thought.  The more time he spent with her, the more he learned about her.  But how much did he know?  She was sweet, kind, and considerate, but what else?  He had to know all about her.  He wanted to learn the mystery behind Ranka Lee.  Clearing his throat, he caught her lost attention, “ah, how about we hang out after school?  Griffith Park is close, right?”

Ranka actually held sparkles in his vision as she smiled, “yes!”

He smiled at that cheerfulness.  ‘She’s so cute.’

In a hotel by the middle of Frontier Midtown, Sheryl Nome – the Galactic Fairy – was bathing in her expensive claw foot tub.  Her legs were spread out and her arms held onto the sides.  She was merely resting.  Her eyes landed on the television as they played a game show.  She picked up the remote and changed the station to a jewelry seller show.  She frowned, as she had only caught a glimpse of the monster that’d attacked yesterday.  She could still feel the minor bruises that came from falling off stage.

As her eyes closed, she remembered that blue-haired boy who’d caught her.  Whose name had he spoken?  Perhaps it was that girl he’d been staring at with those longing eyes.  Who was she?  But what caught her attention were his hands.  The way they’d held her so gently, as if she were a mere fly, and then dropped her into her manager’s arms like she was floating… she’d liked that.  He looked so familiar.  She could tell just by his looks that she’d met Saotome Alto before.  But she didn’t know where.

{And a brand new set of pearl earrings are priced at thirty-six-hundred credits!}

Sheryl’s eyes opened at this, the thoughts of that boy flying from her mind at the word.  Her attention was drawn to the television.  The sight of those beautiful pearl earrings caught her eyes, then she shook her head, thinking it was silly to desire new ones when she had hers.  Then her eyes snapped wide, a hand lifting to stroke a bare lobe.  She shot to her feet in the tub instantly.  “Don’t tell me…” she gasped, her thoughts landing upon Saotome Alto once more.

After school was over, Alto waited for Ranka at the entrance and then escorted her to Griffith Park without complaint.  When they arrived, he sat down by the statue and waited for her to join him.  He looked up at the fake sky, then opened the bag of delicious cookies and dug into it, chewing one without a care.  “Tell me something about yourself.  It’s better to get to know each other, right?”

Ranka nodded but looked up at the sky with sad eyes.  “I don’t have any memories of my childhood.”  She didn’t see him choke on the cookie in his mouth, nor the look of pity he shot her when he swallowed.  “Just a song.”  Her eyes were slightly sorrowful as she looked at the grass.  “Sometimes, I see bits and pieces of it.  Like the other day, when that monster attacked us, I could see the same being destroying a ship.  And I was frightened.  I couldn’t understand.  All I could understand from it was screaming for help and Onii-chan coming to my rescue.  Then I blacked out.”

He stared, ‘that’s why she referred to me as her brother.’  He looked down sadly.  He’d obviously started a very uncomfortable conversation.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t know.”  He stared at the paper bag with downcast eyes.  “It’s sad… that you can’t remember.  Your personal identity has been erased.  It must be hard to recreate that.”

She popped up with confusion, face lost and she cocked her head to the side, “ke?”

He choked out a laugh, as a cookie was in his mouth.  Now that they were alone, that uncomfortable feeling was gone.  He didn’t quite know why.  “My family was different.  I was born with the ‘cursed blood of an actor’ – as they put it.  My father constantly pestered me to continue the bloodline but I grew sick of it.”  He looked down at her with serious eyes.  “You’re lucky, you know, to not have memories of your most horrible moments.  I had to keep mine.”

“I think of my amnesia as a curse,” she mentioned whilst looking away.  She failed to see him choke up at that.  “But if I can’t remember, how do I know what I did wrong and how to fix it?  I always ask myself that.”  She met his confused and worried eyes, “do you have any memories of that weird monster?”

He shook his head.  “No, that’s the first time I’ve seen it.”  That was true.  “But, when I was younger, Frontier held a war with the rebel Zentradi.  My father had me put with the other children aboard Macross Quarter and wouldn’t let my mother come.”  He squeezed the bag in his hands tightly, shocking her.  “She was ill.  I remember being frightened by all the noise and blasts I saw out the window.  Just when a blast was about to hit me, a pilot rescued me.  I can still remember wanting to fly that plane back to my mother.”  He clenched his eyes shut and trembled slightly.  “When the war was over, I went to see my mother… but she’d already passed away.”

She frowned slightly and looked down.  “It must be nice to have memories of your parents.”  She didn’t see him look up in anger.  “I wish I’d met my mother… or knew if she was alive or dead.  Or even my father… or if I have brothers and sisters… but I don’t know anything.”

He had to admit that she was right.  For his entire life, he held memories of his mother and had his father around, even if the man resented his choices; and he’d taken it all for granted.  Meanwhile, Ranka felt utterly closed off from life, unable to make a connection due to lack of knowledge of herself.  He placed the bag down behind him and, in one motion, pulled her into his arms.  “Even if you never remember, I am always here for you.  Never forget that.  You are not alone.”

She nodded against his shoulder.  “You like the sky, Alto-kun?” she asked as he pulled away, recognizing a bit of the information about the plane.  When he looked confused, she picked up one of the cookies as a representation.

A smile came to his lips.  Such a brave and exciting girl, wearing him out just by asking him a million questions, but unlike when he met her, this interested him.  She adored and needed him.  But not for his actor blood, just him.  He looked up at the replica sky and a frown lit his face.  “My mother had a weak body.  When I was young, she used to sit and comb my hair, telling me tales of her dream to see a real sky with high clouds, the deep blue color, and the endless freedom… it was like a fairytale to me,” he closed his eyes with a bittersweet smile, picturing it.

“That’s beautiful,” she spoke, accepting his endearing story.

He looked at her with glowing eyes.  This new energy that filled him was addictive.  They both desired to be with one another.  “Ranka, have you flown?”

Her eyes looked out at the city with sadness.  “No.”  She clenched her hands over her heart bitterly.  “Someone like me could never do that.”

He stared with confusion.  She had so little self-confidence.  She didn’t believe she could fly.  He’d seen her bravery earlier today and knew if she gave effort, she could fly.  He flattened the empty paper bag and folded it.  When he was done, he revealed a paper airplane to her, “I love to make these.”  He stood and let the wind flow through his long locks before he smiled lightly.  “If you keep saying those things, believing you can’t do anything,” he spoke as he stood, looking out at the world, “then you won’t!” he yelled as he threw the plane into the air, giving it strength to fly on the current.

She watched it take flight, the sunlight bouncing off its wings, then she smiled and gazed into his sparkling eyes.  Pulling out a piece of paper, she held it out to him.  “Could you make me one?” she asked politely.

“Sure.”  He took the paper and sat down, folding it as she watched.  He checked it before he handed it to her.  “Here.”

She giggled and took it from his hands, standing, and then twirled until her eyes met the world around them.  With one throw, her plane flew into the air to join his.  Hers was lower than his, for her arms didn’t have as much strength as his, but to her, it was a symbol of fate.  “I’m the wind beneath your wings, huh?” she joked lightly.

He watched the planes flutter around one another and smiled.  Both were flying beautifully.  To him, it meant they shared a common dream.  “Yeah,” he gazed at her, meeting those ruby eyes.

“Say, Alto-kun,” she spoke, face flushed slightly, hair rising a bit, “would you listen to my song?”

For a moment, this didn’t hit home.  Then he recalled her talking about a song from her childhood.  He nodded, as the request was simple.  “Sure.”

At the reply, she danced with joy, spinning until she met his eyes, taking a breath in by the rail.  Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, but it only pushed her forward. ~Aimo aimo nedel luuche noina miria en del plotea.~

His eyes went wide at the sound of her voice and then the lyrics.  He’d heard this song before.  For eleven years, he’d walked up here, listening to that endearing song – the comforting, sweet sound – and had always felt courage in his being afterwards.  Now he knew who sang it.  He absorbed the beautiful and intoxicating voice of the owner.  He closed his eyes and let the wind blow through his hair, taking in the parts of the scenery he could not see – like the air, the scent of the grass, even the sound of the leaves rustling: all to make a permanent memory.

~Lulei luleia, the dancing larks in the sky are waves,~ she closed her eyes as she took in his content smile, the relaxed expression on his face, and knew he could hear her clearly. ~Lulei luleia, you are a young and gentle child.~

As he listened to her voice, her song, his resolve became complete.  When he’d talked with her two days ago, he’d been unsure about his promise to protect this girl; now he was certain.  ‘Yes,’ he thought, looking up at the planes that seemed to kiss each other as they sailed through the wind, ‘I will protect her and these precious memories.’  He watched her plane rise beside his.  ‘With wind beneath my wings… I will have the strength to fly.’

~Aimo aimo nedel luuche noina miria en del plotea fotomi we are in a warm ocean.~  She perked up as she heard footsteps approaching.  Her eyes took in a familiar woman approaching them.  ‘Is it possible…?’ she questioned her own eyes.

He looked at Ranka when he heard the song stop abruptly, “Ranka?”

“There you are,” the woman spoke, pulling off her sunglasses.  Her pink hair flowed at the movement.  Those blue eyes rose to the people before her.  There was Sheryl Nome, the Galactic Fairy, in the flesh, standing before them.  Her eyes were slightly wide at the sight of the green-haired girl from before.  That was the girl he’d called to.  And her voice seemed quite beautiful too. She moved towards the dazed boy and disregarded the girl, a glare in her eyes.  She pointed at him with her microphone, and he backed up slightly.  “Return my earring at once, Saotome Alto!”

He looked confused, “earring?”

She pulled her hair away, revealing the bare lobe.  “It disappeared after the concert.  It had to be you.”  She looked at him, noticing how the girl had joined him as his arm was now wrapped around her, hand holding her waist, as if for protection.  She stared in confusion.  “Are you two dating?” she asked, curious.

He flushed and looked at Ranka, finally noticing that her face was red as a tomato, hair risen.  He noticed his hand and pulled away quickly.  “S—Sorry!” he apologized quickly.  He looked at Sheryl with confusion as said girl scaled him, sizing him up – it seemed.  “What are you doing?”

“Hm,” she smirked, “did you want a memento of me?” she asked, showing him where her cleavage dipped into her shirt.

For a moment, he blushed thickly, but then looked away.  She obviously assumed he was interested in romance with her just based on her looks.  “No.”  That blush faded and he folded his arms, looking away.  “And certainly not after that shit you said before the concert.”

She blinked, trying to remember what she’d said to him.  At the reminder, she blushed thickly.  “Oh, that,” she waved it off without much care, flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, “you are a child compared to an adult like me.”  She winked at him deviously, placing a hand over her concealed breasts to insinuate her thoughts.  “Besides, I’m sure whatever you might see now or in the future will serve you well in private.”

He didn’t even blush at the remark, merely stared at her with disinterest.  “You show enough of that stuff on stage.”  He shook his head with a sigh.  “Don’t even bother flattering yourself.  I’ve seen better looking women on stage… and they all had very endearing personalities compared to you.”

Sheryl pulled back and smirked.  She folded her glasses and placed them on the hem of her shirt.  “Ah, I thought you’d be man enough to admit you find me attractive.”  She faked sadness, looking away, playing the ‘hard to get’ card on him.  “Looks like it was just a pussy down there after all.”

This broke both his temper and patience with her.  “Fuck you!” he screamed suddenly, making Ranka jump and Sheryl look up with shock.  He held angered eyes.  “Who the hell cares what some stuck up idol like you thinks!?”  He rarely used profanity to girls, but this was an exception.  If she was firing shots at him, he would retaliate.  He turned away from the stunned singer and gripped Ranka’s things, along with his, and then walked off, “come on, Ranka.”

She looked at Sheryl and bowed, “goodbye, Sheryl-san.”  Then she followed him.

Sheryl was truly shocked.  A boy – whom obviously found her attractive but would not admit it – just regarded her in a rude manner without a care in the world.  And walked away with a completely flabbergasted girl too.  She fisted her hand and growled, “you haven’t seen the last of me, Saotome Alto.”

The walk home, for the most part, was quiet.  He didn’t really want to tell Ranka what was on his mind.  Meanwhile, she continued to think it was her fault.  But then again, she didn’t quite know what had been said to piss him off.  She hadn’t seen him angered like that except when they’d first met and she’d referred to him as a female momentarily.  This caused her mind to settle on the possible problem.  “Um, Alto-kun,” she started, attempting to ask of it.

He froze, “I’m sorry about that.”  He turned to her with serious eyes.  He had decided to tell her what was bugging him.  After all, that’s what today’s evening was about.  “Remember when I told you about my father and acting?”  He got a nod in return.  He refused to meet her eyes now.  “Well, my father used my beauty as an advantage and dressed me as a woman.  For most of my life, I’ve been confused as such.  I hate it when people throw it in my face too.”

She lowered her eyes, “I had a feeling that was what pissed you off.”

He snapped his eyes to her face.  Shaking his head, he smiled slightly, “at that time, we didn’t even know each other.  I thought you were another fan girl like all the others.  But Sheryl,” he spoke, gritting his teeth in agitation, “she should know better!”

She nodded slightly.

“You see,” he lifted his hands, attracting her attention, then he looked off into space with a fearful expression, “when you take up a role, you commit yourself to that character.  For me, it got to the point where I became one with the character in daily life.  I wasn’t aware if I was a woman or a man anymore.”  He trembled with terror as his eyes lost sight of the world around him.  “I became scared that the existence known as Saotome Alto would vanish altogether.  So I ran away.”  He was now lost in that darkness, hands cupped in prayer for help.

Then a hand touched his.

He shot out of that darkness and into the light of reality again.  He saw a slender hand over his own.  He noticed it was hers.  Both hands held his with reassurance.  He gazed at her with shock, “Ranka?”

“No matter what gender you are, I like you,” she responded with a warm smile.  “If you just remember being with me, then I’m sure you’ll remember that you are a strong, caring man.  It doesn’t matter what others think.  You are Saotome Alto and just Alto.  To me, that’s all that matters and it’s all I’ll ever see.”  She looked up at him with a smile.

He stared at her with shock.  The reassurance bit deep into his system and clicked the switches on in his brain.  Those wounds that had begun to fester from years of being torn open were now healing.  He smiled and nodded, “thank you, Ranka.”

She nodded with a bright smile to lighten his mood, which worked.

In a matter of minutes, they reached her house.  As he stood at the steps to the city house, he held shock.  “This is where you live?”  At her nod, he felt a nostalgic feeling cross his mind.  It was as if they’d met before once again.  Perhaps crossing paths whilst heading to school or work.  But, to think, they were so close this whole time.  He pointed to his apartment down the road, “I live in that apartment complex over there.”  He chuckled and looked at her.  “We lived close all this time, huh?”

She was excited at this.  “We can walk to school together!” she exclaimed.

He nodded with a warm smile, “yeah.”  He watched her twirl before she gave him slightly sad eyes.  He knew this was where they broke off for the night.  Even though the day started awkwardly, he already felt lonely as she walked away.  His heart was clenching.  As she turned to leave, courage flew into his being again, recalling the reason he’d asked her to the park today.  “Ranka!”

Her foot halted and she looked at him on the stairs with shock, “yes?”

He flushed, stuttering suddenly, “go… o—out—out wit—with m—me—me!”

A blush coated her face at this.  She nodded, “I’d love to.”  She turned and quickly climbed the final steps before opening the front door.  Halfway inside, she waved to him, “call me when you’re ready, k?”  Then she shut the door, ending their awkward, or embarrassing, moment.

Alto stood there for the longest time, staring at the door with shock.  Had he just asked her out?  Had she just said ‘yes’ to the request?  He began to walk away, putting distance between them, and then he shot up with happiness.  With a fist raised to the air, he jumped up and laughed.  “Yes!  Stab that, Michael, I asked a girl out!”  Then, with a thick blush, he noticed the people around that were staring at him and lowered his hand, slumping his shoulders and walking home without another verbal word.  ‘I guess I’m her boyfriend now.’  That brought a smile to his lips.

Around six in the evening, Ozma Lee was shocked when the blue-haired boy he’d met yesterday walked into his office.  He stared at the teenager with a scowl.  The boy didn’t seem to get his earlier message.  “What can I help you with?” he asked.

Alto stared at him with those determined gold eyes.  “Ranka said you transferred her to my school so I could protect her if I wish to.”  He received a nod.  He narrowed his eyes at the man.  “I want to protect her.  But how can I if you won’t let me at least try out that Valkyrie again?  I’m sure I could handle it.”

The man shook his head, “the service is for adults, not suicidal teens.”

“That pilot.”  At the mention of this, the elder seemed to tense, realizing the conversation had altered once more.  “He was crushed to death by a single hand.”

Ozma immediately stiffened at this.  “Gilliam.”  He smiled slightly at the credit he gave the pilot.  “I figured that was what came about.”  He prepared to boot the kid out when he saw no lack of determination in those gold orbs.  No, the fire had only gotten brighter.  “Is there more?”

And he snapped.  “What were those beasts?  What did they want with Ranka?  Can they be killed?  How?” he blurted out without thinking.

The elder man stared at those passionate eyes and saw the fire there, the desire to protect, and immediately knew that his intuition from yesterday held true: the boy was trustworthy.  He obviously desired to be closer to Ranka than a mere friend, lover, or even a boyfriend.  He held no ill intentions whatsoever, nor discarded her feelings or fears, but embraced them.  He looked out the window at the space moving by.  “If you know, there will be no going back.  If you die, there will be no gravestone, nor will your family be informed of your passing.”

“I don’t care,” he pushed, taking a step towards the man.  That part of his mind was already made up.  “I don’t care if it kills me.  I will fight and die alone.”

Ozma smiled at the words that left the boy’s mouth.  It was nostalgic.  “You sound just like me when I was younger.”  He walked over to his desk and sat on it.  “Eleven years ago, Ranka lost her whole family – all of her siblings – because of a being, that same being you saw before, the Vajra.”  Silently, memories of when he’d adopted her entered his mind.  “Sadly, she’s forgotten all about that horrid incident.  She was the daughter of Ranshe Mei, one of the researchers of the 117th fleet.  They were studying the Vajra when they were attacked and destroyed on Galia 4.”

He was stunned.  ‘That beast and her home held a connection… no wonder she was scared.’  He suddenly remembered that this was her brother.  “If she lost all of her siblings, then what about—“

“I am not her real brother,” he shook his head.  “I am merely the pilot who failed to save her family from the destruction.”

For a moment, he understood her fears.  His voice when he’d promised to protect her and the plane he’d used, it brought back the memories of Ozma in that exact position.  He felt sorrow in his heart.  Their loneliness seemed to overlap.

“If you are serious about being near her,” Ozma pushed, turning to him, “then you better be serious.”  He walked towards the boy and gripped his shirt, pulling him until their noses nearly touched.  “Don’t run away.  Duty comes first.  Don’t get caught up in your demons.  Be there for her because you care about her.  And if you make her cry,” he scowled deeply just at the thought, “I will snap your neck like a twig.”

With a deep gulp of fear, he nodded.  Then he was released.  He left the room with new resolve.  His hatred for these Vajra was now confirmed.  It was justified.  And his worth for that plane was proved as well.  He didn’t know much about Ranka yet, but from what he had witnessed and learned, he had reason to hate those vermin.  He shoved his hands into his pockets and soon found a piece of paper in his right one.  He pulled it out and looked at it.

–S.M.S. (Strategic Military Services): +48-5-4649-3847–

He stared at it.  “Strategic Military Services… the S.M.S., huh?”  He now knew the number to contact the service.  This was where he would get the training to protect her.  He smiled and pocketed it, determined once more to protect her at all costs.

A brown-haired man was exiting out of a meeting when he saw the blue-haired teen leave Ozma Lee’s office.  His chocolate brown eyes narrowed at the boy.  “Don’t interfere.”

Converting /tmp/phpSqeNZh to /dev/stdout