Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Watashi no Kare wa Pilot (My Boyfriend is a Pilot) ❯ Career Shot! ( Chapter 5 )

[ 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 Five: Career Shot!
(Special “Blu-Ray” release!)
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A few weeks had passed after their first date.  Alto’s resolve had become final.  He desired to protect his new precious person in his life with all he had.  The S.M.S. was his only chance.  And soon, the days began to fly by where he not only missed school but also failed to see or call Ranka.

As soon as he was brought in for training, Ozma filled him in more about their common enemy: the Vajra.  He learned a lot more about them and theories on their existence near Frontier.  He kept what he’d learned about Ranka’s connection to them a secret.  If they found out, they might lock her up, thinking she was a spy.  He had to help her understand that connection before he mentioned it to others.

Then the gruesome training began.

Alto found himself facing the toughest parts of the training: the body and mind building.  He wasn’t a naturally violent person, so when they pitted him against simulations of the Vajra and made him not only fight them but also kill them; he was too confused and frightened.  He ended up with twenty-five deaths and, to boot, twenty-five laps around the entire base with three hundred-pound armor on.  If that wasn’t enough, there was always the hand-to-hand combat – which reminded him of karate.  And that hurt!  Canaria would roughly slam him into the mat, causing his muscles to ache.  Then came the shooting range.  If he failed, he was booted by either Michael or Ozma, whomever was present.

In the evenings and even during the day, he’d notice the aches in his body.  Sleep became his precious freedom from the hell.

No, scratch that, Ranka’s dear messages were.

She would often e-mail him about all the changes in her life.  He’d told her the basics of his life so far: his training, tiredness, and the ache from the pressure.  He wouldn’t dare mention it felt like hell.  He kept in touch with her by informing her of his accomplishments that day, no matter how small they were.  She would tell him about her debut and all the headshots she had to take for it.  He pretended to show interest in it but he knew a lot about overnight fame.  He gave her encouragements in messages with love.  Then, one day, he saw one very interesting message and opened it.

Dear Alto-kun,

He blushed deeply, ‘dear…’ he repeated longingly.

Guess what?  I’m going to be in a movie!  The director of “Birdman” offered me a part!  I’m so excited!  My role is an extra village girl but I guess you have to start somewhere, right?  Well, I know I bore you with this stuff by now.  You tell me when I can see you again, okay?

Love,
Ranka

Then he flushed like a tomato.  “Love… Ranka…” he repeated.  That would be the third time she sent him a message with that at the bottom.  He laid back on the bed and sighed.  He’d quit the business of acting years ago when his father made him choose between his dream or his heritage.  But, he regressed, if he joined her, perhaps her role would increase.  It would be a great way to kick off her career.  He hated acting but for Ranka’s sake, he would.  He pulled up his phone and immediately wrote a message to her.  “I’ll try to get a role in the movie too.  After all, the famous kabuki actor, Saotome Alto, has a girlfriend.  Don’t worry, I’ll help you skyrocket.”  He sent the message to her.

After training that evening, Michael dragged Alto with him to the showers.  He had avoided the shaky subjects with Alto because he knew the boy would give him simple and controlled answers but what he was aiming for was an admission that Alto had finalized his purpose for being in the S.M.S.  He still hadn’t approved of the boy’s choice.  So as they entered the stalls for the showers, he turned to his comrade, “what is your relationship with Ranka-chan and Sheryl?” he asked.

Alto’s head shot up in shock.  He was confused that Sheryl was even mentioned.  He had stated his feelings for her time and again yet others kept asking about it.  He turned his head away, “Ranka is my girlfriend.  You know that.”  He turned on the shower and let the water run through his blue locks with a sigh.  He let himself relax.  “Sheryl is a pain in the ass.  That’s all.”

Michael was impressed.  He’d been under the impression that the reason he had harmed her that day at school was due to the fact Sheryl had become more precious to him than Ranka.  But now that he looked at the big picture, Alto refused to look at Sheryl in any other light but friendship.  So a chuckle came out, “but you two are so alike.”

He immediately understood that Michael was aiming at how they were alike in popularity and professionalism.  However, he’d never left his fans when they were in need.  And he still didn’t.  He’d rescued Ranka with everything he had.  At the reminder, he found himself smiling warmly.  “Ranka makes me feel differently.  She makes me want to grow up faster and be the man she needs.”  At that admission, Michael’s eyes were wide.  He lifted his head so the spray hit his face.  “We have a connection.  It’s like we’ve met before.  But I can’t remember.”  He opened his eyes sadly, “I want to remember.  It feels like I’ve felt these feelings for her once before.”

Michael dropped his sarcasm at the emotional words and nodded.  There was no way he could discard those words of affection from Alto’s mouth.  He had just admitted his reason for joining the S.M.S. without even meaning to.  He placed a hand on Alto’s shoulder.  “Then keep going.”  He received shocked eyes.  “You have feelings for Ranka-chan, right?”  He received a nod.  With a smile, he pulled away and looked at his friend with confidence.  “Then, for her sake, fight to remember whatever you two had once before.  If you did meet before and you loved her, no one else will ever take her place.  Trust me on that.  It’s hard to find that kind of love, Alto.”

Alto was touched by his advice.  For once, it was inspiring.  He smiled and nodded.  “Thank you, Michael.”  He received a wink which he turned his head away from.

At the set the next morning, Saotome Alto walked in with his girlfriend on his arm.  And he watched the director’s glasses fall off in shock.  He stood before the man with a strong face, hiding his normal mutual composure.  A professional had to act like one.  “I am Saotome Alto.  I would like to take a role in your movie.”  He looked to his side and wrapped his arm around Ranka’s waist to pull her near and prove a point, “I hear my girlfriend already has a role.”

The director suddenly jumped up from his chair and gripped Alto’s free hand, looking at him strongly, then his attention snapped to Ranka, whom was stunned.  Whilst Alto held his composure, Ranka showed confusion.  He looked at his translator and whispered into his ear.

Said man nodded.  “Saotome-san, he has offered you the lead role as Shin.”

He nodded without his composure falling one bit.  The director released his hand.  But, upon thinking about it, concern lit him.  “Who are playing the other two lead roles?” he asked, curious.  He could see Elmo looking with hope towards Ranka.

The director whispered to his translator, whom nodded.  “He says that Ranka-chan may play Mao and Sheryl-san has already been given the role of Sara.”

That composure almost broke at the words.  Sheryl was playing Sara!?  That was the lead role and the romantic interest.  He looked to Ranka with concern, but she didn’t seem worried.  After all, up until now, she hadn’t read more than her character’s line, so she hadn’t read about Mao Nome yet.  He took a breath and stayed under control.  “I’ll play Shin.”  He walked away at this, his arm still around his waist.  When they entered their dressing tents, he freaked out.  He pulled away from her and banged his head against a tree in agitation.  Even now, acting had a way of pissing him off.  “Listen to me,” he calmed down, “acting is difficult to master, especially in such a short time, but I’ll help you through it, okay?”

She nodded.  “I’m not jealous of Sheryl-san,” she mentioned as she looked down, “last night, I downloaded and watched Princess Sakura in order to learn something from your past acts.  You were a totally different person, even just a moment ago.”

He sat her down and knelt before her.  “It’s shocking, isn’t it?  That a man like me could easily portray a woman.”

She nodded silently, looking at the mirror with disregard.

He stared in shock.  She’d still seen his male gender even through the acting.  That brought a smile to his lips.  “Well, first off, a movie is fake.  It’s only based on the original story, if such a story existed.  Whatever is said means nothing to anyone except those who are long dead.”  He gripped her hands with assurance.  “A basic part of acting is becoming one with the character.  Understand the character’s feelings and act upon them.  Think of this: what are Mao’s feelings towards Shin and how does she react to them in the script?”

Her determination rose again at this encouragement.  As usual, he wanted her to soar using his wind.  It gave her strength.  “Okay!”

He was a bit upset by her willingness but as she moved into her dressing tent, he came to understand.  His acting career had been forced upon him by his family via his blood relation, but hers would come as part of her dream.  He swallowed his hatred of the career and moved to dress himself for his first scene.

Ranka watched with fascination as her boyfriend went through each scene with the information experts and gathered info about his character.  It was part of ‘becoming one with the character’ as he’d stated.  She watched him portray Shin’s emotions whilst reading through the script.  But when he got to the part where he’d meet Sara, she laughed at his face.  He found out he had to hold a wooden sword out to her as a weapon but it was Mayan tradition that this was like a proposal of marriage – a date with the chosen girl.  He made a strange face at this knowledge.

Then he acted his first scene out.  His serious and tamed conscious from Princess Sakura came to greet her as she jumped out before him.  It was just like a puppet yet that soulless being held emotion in its voice.  When she first spoke to him in that scene, his voice at her was controlled, yet it seemed calm, as if he liked talking to her on the set.  But as the love scene that once belonged to Sara and Shin played out in the forms of Sheryl and Alto, she began to fully understand Mao’s feelings.  And as he kissed her rival in love in the forest, she understood.

With this knowledge, she readied herself for her own romance scene with him.  She flushed as she touched her lips in front of the mirror.  It wasn’t their first kiss, but this one would be the deepest yet.

Sheryl pulled away a few moments after the cameraman had called ‘cut’ and smiled at her partner.  “My, what tasty lips you have.”  Her eyes narrowed seductively as they looked up at him.  However, his eyes were searching for his girlfriend – as usual.  She grabbed his chin and forced him to meet her eyes.  “I could give you everything you desire.  Romance is but one key to happiness, dear.”

He looked at her with shock.  Then he heard the waves crash against the rocks.  The sound of water made his eyes snap wide before he moved to find Ranka.

Sheryl frowned at this.  No matter what she did, he didn’t seem to acknowledge her.

Once she’d changed into her outfit for the scene, he walked in wearing his white shirt, torn-up blue denim shorts, and oxygen gear – goggles and a breathing tube – all the same as Shin’s from years ago.  His hair was tied into a bun underneath the band.  His eyes were serious, unlike earlier that day.  “Do you understand Mao’s feelings?” he asked, curious.

Her eyes lowered at this, as if upset.  “Yes.”  She turned away and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.  “Mao loved the same man as her sister.  But Shin failed to recognize her feelings, only Sara.  And she felt heartbroken, but she kept it inside and refused to tell him, hoping to at least love him from afar – to tell him that he was not alone.”  Her eyes closed in pain.  “Her kiss was an admission of love to him.  But to carry that love that would forever remain unrequited… it must’ve hurt her so badly.”

He took a step forward, “Mao,” he spoke the name suddenly.  It felt foreign but it caused her head to shoot up.  She turned to him in confusion.  He held a warm smile, almost inviting.  “Don’t say those things.  You are so precious to me.”

She blinked, “Alto-kun?”

“I believe that Shin did love Mao,” he admitted as his eyes lowered slightly, narrowing with the emotions he felt.  “She was precious to him.  But she was too young for him.”  He looked up at her with strong, confident eyes.  “He needed a woman.  He wanted someone he could share his life with.  And so, he fell in love with Sara.  But Mao was precious to him because she was like a sister to him, one he had never had.  She made him laugh and feel alive.  He loved her.”  He approached her and gripped her shoulders with his hands.  “You and Mao have nothing in common at all.  So don’t worry.  I’m not Shin.”

A blush lit her cheeks.  His face right now was so close, as if to kiss her.  And she couldn’t help thinking that it was Shin that was about to kiss her.  But she nodded and ruined the moment, pulling away abruptly.  “I understand.”

As he was about to speak, the cameraman shot in and alerted them that the next scene was about to be filmed.  He sighed, agitated that their intimate moments were always interrupted.  But he put on his best confident smile and moved towards the door.  “It’s time for our romantic scene.”

She nodded with a blush and followed him out to the docks.  They boarded a boat and entered the ocean.  As he jumped into the water, she was helped by two women until she fell in.  She was then helped to the surface by a worried Alto, whom still wound his arms around her to keep her above water.  “I’m ready,” she spoke with confidence as he pulled away.

He stared, hoping that fire in her eyes wasn’t a lie.  He nodded before he took a deep breath and plunged into the water.

A few moments later, she followed, gripping his hand and leading him towards where the alien stone once laid.  She followed the scene just as instructed, pointing to an invisible rock.

And he choked as directed, losing grip of his breathing tube.  He flew towards the surface only to hit hard against the cave’s ceiling.  He found himself gasping for air as that hit knocked the wind out of him.

She joined him and removed the entire mask.  He clenched his mouth shut to maintain his fading oxygen.  She cupped his cheeks and stared at his face with longing eyes.  A memory of his earlier kiss with Sheryl flew into her mind.  ‘Do you love Sheryl-san?’

His eyes flew open.  All worries about death flew out of his mind as he met her curious, desperate eyes.  He could hear her words loud and clear.  That wasn’t the script monologue.

‘Do you love me?’  She moved closer.  Her determined rubies locked with his slightly frightened gold ones.  ‘Look at me.’  Her lips almost spoke the following words, ‘I love you.’  And then her lips met his at last.

His eyes snapped wide.  The kiss was only the icing on the cake.  Her admission through the telepathy had caused him to snap into a state of shock.  He hadn’t noticed such a bond existed.  Then he absorbed her kiss.  It was intoxicating and sweet.  And as the camera switched views, he closed his eyes and sank into her kiss, deepening it without tongue.  He floated there for the longest while, sharing oxygen and feelings with her, then she pulled away.  He was lost as he stared into her eyes.  Finally, he found his lines again and quickly spoke out, “Mao.”

Then her finger touched his lips and they both looked towards where the invisible alien stone would be glowing.  And then the scene ended.

He helped her to the surface and then into the boat, then followed.  He caught his breath quickly.  He smiled warmly as she squeezed the water out of her hair.  “Ranka, that was amazing.”

She looked up with a small blush.  His eyes seemed so content now.  She held a bright smile.  “Thank you so much.”

He nodded, “but of course, my girlfriend.”  He kissed her cheek with affection and she returned that gesture.  With a blush, he sat back in the boat and watched her blink rapidly to explain herself.  He touched his cheek with a smile.  He knew now that he had to be the perfect protector or risk losing her forever.

And when he watched that moment on the big screen, he felt embarrassed just as she did.  A kiss was all it was yet they both felt embarrassed about it.  It had been on the big screen.  But as he watched the movie back, he felt interested by every part of it.  Oddly enough, he liked acting with her.  And as the screen faded to black, he helped her on stage, welcoming her into the spotlight.  A bright smile was on his face as she bowed happily.  He had succeeded with what he set out to do.

She was now a star.

After that one moment of acting, he returned to his normal routine of training.  Since his resolve had strengthened on that boat, so did his efforts.  He got better each day.  He would still follow the same routine as before but he looked forward each day to her messages only, and he responded to each one sweetly.

She didn’t seem to mind the distance.  Her career shot off after the movie’s release.  She had her hands full with song writing, movie production, and performing on or off stage.  It was difficult to her, so she rarely messaged him, as she had little time to do so.  That was fine.  He enjoyed when she did write.  Her messages were slightly long but also included a nice ‘I love you’ at the end.

He always blushed and looked around the room to make sure no one would look over his shoulder at the message, but he would never respond to it.  He hadn’t quite figured out how to answer the ‘love’ question she had thrown at him.  To make up for it, whenever he stopped by a store and saw something she might like, he bought it.  He showered her with flowers, gifts, and even jewelry just to show she was loved.  He’d yet to be free to take her on another date yet, but they seemed to flow together nicely.  He liked how fast they were combining mentally and emotionally.

One evening when Michael entered their dorm room to prepare for sleep, he turned his attention to Alto, whom was spread out on his bunk with exhaust, face in his pillow.  He smirked at the boy and sat down before him.  “You’ve been getting better with every day, Alto-hime.”  He only received a small grunt as a reply.  “You must be getting sweet pornographic photos from Ranka-chan, huh?”  At this, Alto sat up swiftly, knocking his head into the bunk above.  It woke the half-asleep boy and pissed him off.  That’s when Michael’s eyes became serious.  “Tell me: how did it feel to act with her?” he asked with curiosity.

Alto immediately froze.  He sat still and looked at the sheets.  He hadn’t given much thought to the acting but rather the telepathy that had transpired between them.  Now that he was being asked about it, he began to realize that he hadn’t cared about his hatred for the career in that moment they’d shared.  “I liked it.  I guess.”  He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head with a blush.  “I wasn’t forced into it and I didn’t play a woman, so I guess I ended up liking it.”

Michael felt a smile touch his lips.  He stood and patted his friend on the head like he would a dog.  “I figured you’d say that.”  He winked at the pissed off teenager.  “If Ranka-chan were to become your eternal partner, would you act with her?” he asked, once again curious.

He blushed at the question.  “I guess so.”  He blinked, “why?”

But the blonde shook his head, “no reason,” and walked away, leaving Alto stunned.  As he prepared himself for sleep, Michael smirked, ‘she is the perfect medicine for him.’

Finally, a month passed.  When he turned his television on one morning to find something to kill the time, he found an interesting show.  Miss Macross normally didn’t thrill him, but it was who was on this year that had him jumping up with interest: his girlfriend, Ranka.  He smiled as she came out with determination and answered their questions, soaring into the finals.  Of course he knew she would, after all, she was cute.  But he watched with fascination as she showed off her beautiful outfits.  This intrigued him.  Did she know he was watching?  But he felt a blush coat his face as she walked out in a cherry blossom bikini.  As the credits rolled, he noticed the finals would take place on Sunday.

This was important.

Now that she was blossoming, she needed his support.  She had started at the bottom and used his encouragement, his wings, to reach where she was now.  To reach the top, she would need him to support her, to give her ground to push off of.  He had to be there to help her soar.  Looking at how far she’d gotten since they met, he knew his efforts weren’t in vain.

He turned on his side and grabbed his phone from the shelf by his bed.  He found her on his speed dial and he pressed it.  “Ranka,” he spoke when she picked up, “can I get tickets?”

{Eh?} she squeaked with confusion.

He stared at the television with a small laugh, “don’t play coy.  I saw you passed to the final round of Miss Macross 2059.”

She laughed slightly, {yes, Alto-kun taught me that miracles do happen.}

He flushed slightly, not exactly recalling mentioning anything about miracles, but he assumed she meant his words of encouragement.  He smiled lightly.  She kept growing as he pushed her along.  He felt wanted and needed.  “Were you going to send me a ticket?  Or two… I’ll bring Nanase too.”

{Okay!} she sent him the download with that.  {See you then!} and then she hung up.

He hung up and watched the download come.  The seats were fourth row, not bad.  She must’ve planned ahead for him to come and was too embarrassed to ask.  He shut off the television and pulled the curtain over his face, holding a content smile as he stared at her icon on his phone, “Ranka.”  He felt happy right now.  With wide eyes, he searched through his picture folder until it landed upon her face.  He closed his eyes and drifted off with the picture in his mind.

Ranka walked into the joint dressing room and looked around.  So many women had passed to the finals.  When she’d been accepted into the finals, only thirteen had been present.  She was so frightened.  She watched them walk around, breasts bouncing with their movements, butt cheeks too.  With a heavy sigh, she looked at her own build.  They all had so much larger body sizes than she did.  She gripped her pink bikini and rushed into the private bathroom.  “What does he see in my body?  I’m so tiny.”  She gripped her breasts and tried to make them bounce like the other girls’ but they fell flat.  “I’m pitiful.”  A knock on the door scared her.  “Um, I’ll be out soon.”

The door opened against her wishes and revealed a pink-haired woman to her.  Immediately, she recognized the woman as her idol.  Sheryl Nome removed her sunglasses and looked at the younger girl with serious orbs.  “You like to sing, do you not?” she asked with a strong voice.

Holding her precious green phone in hand strongly, Ranka nodded.  “Yes.”

With a warm smile, Sheryl placed a hand on her predecessor’s shoulder.  “Then this is where you start.  Grip hold of your dream here.”  She put her glasses back on and turned to her manager with a smirk.  A microphone passed between them and then she turned back to the young girl before handing it to her.  “Use this.”  Then she left the bathroom.

Ranka felt a bit inspired by Sheryl’s words, but part of her felt upset by it.  That was a complete change of attitude.  It didn’t seem right.  With a sigh, she looked at the microphone in her hands.  “Singing.”  Her phone rang, shocking her, then she picked up the call.  “Yes!?” she squeaked quickly.

{I’m here.}  Her boyfriend sounded encouraging as always.  “Win this thing.”  Then he hung up.  He put his phone away once the message was sent and smiled, ignoring Nanase’s confusion.  That was all he could do now.  He was wearing his usual attire for a day off: purple tank top underneath his thick jacket and baggy pants.  He looked at the stage with hope.  “There’s your boost, Ranka.”

Her eyes widened at the words left by Alto.  He had called her just to give her that boost she’d needed.  That resolve and determination clicked back in.  She stood and shot the bathroom door open with confidence.  She threw a fist to the air.  Then she dared to push her way through the women contestants and approach the curtains.  Then her eyes dropped to her breasts once again.  She prepared her bikini, hoping he would love it anyway, and then she readied herself for the walk.

Sheryl watched from her place at the judging booth as Ranka appeared.  In shock, she looked to Grace, whom was smiling.  ‘Perhaps I have underestimated this girl’s will.’  A warm smile touched her lips.  At last, someone was appearing who could challenge her.

He watched her come out in her little bikini.  The pink color was like her heart: innocent.  Then she turned so he could see her whole body, to which he blushed thickly.  He followed her movements until they locked eyes.  And then she smiled.  He allowed himself to return the sign of affection even if she couldn’t see it in the darkness.

After a brief moment of darkness, she found herself holding that microphone in preparation for the talent competition.  She’d changed into her orange dress.  This was her stronghold, as he had told her time and again.  She was an excellent singer.

Sheryl Nome walked out on stage, the spotlight on her, and she stood before the fans of the show with a smile.  “Ranka Lee has told us that singing is her best talent.”  It was apparent now to everyone that she was the host for this year.  She turned to the nervous girl at her side.  “Is this correct?”

She flushed and looked at the mike with slight fear.  “Y—Yes,” she squeaked out, embarrassed.

A warm smile took Sheryl’s face at the response.  Covering her mike, she looked at Ranka with encouragement.  “Calm down and breathe.  You’ll do just fine.”  At the words, said girl looked at her with shock.  She turned to the crowd, “she has written down an old song that we all know very well from Lynn Minmei’s records.  She has rewritten some of those lyrics.  Please, Ranka, sing that song.”  And she walked off the stage.

He stared in wonder.  “What’d she pick?” he asked himself, looking back in his mind for any songs she had mentioned to him.  He had assumed Ranka only liked Sheryl’s concerts.  Did Ranka like Minmei too?

The lights came on and revealed Ranka standing in the center of the stage with her bright orange outfit on that he had come to adore since she’d shown it off on the television cast.  It glittered with the radiating light from above.  From the fluffy straps that wrapped around her upper arms to the short skirt-like ruffles, and right down to the strapped ruby high heels, it all brought out her adorable features.  Then she took a deep breath as a strangely familiar beat began. ~Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!  My boyfriend is a pilot!~

He flushed thickly at the lyrics.  He hadn’t realized she’d become that comfortable with his choice of career.  He recognized the song without a problem.  At one time, it had been the only song televised on Frontier.  “My Boyfriend is a Pilot by Lynn Minmei.  Why that song all of a sudden?” he asked himself again, not noticing that Nanase was staring in wonder.

~He goes into a nosedive,~ she lowered her hand, ~then roars up swiftly,~ her hand shot towards the sky, ~and he draws a large~ she finished by twirling her hand in the air to make a green glitter heart before gripping her mike ~double heart for me in the blue sky; a large love sign.~  She even dared a wink at Alto upon this lyric.

He immediately knew what she had implied.  A strange fear gripped his heart upon this.  This same fear had started at the beginning of their relationship and it still pestered him.  He was beginning to think it was a fear of commitment.  But he didn’t know why.  Finally, he calmed and let the lyric sink in.  “Ranka wants me to draw a love sign.”  She wanted to physically see his feelings.

~I love you,~ she looked at him, ~you love me?~ she asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

And he stiffened.  His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at her.  He hadn’t expected her to practically be asking him that question on-stage.  “Is that a lyric?” he searched his memory.  “I don’t understand.”  He caught Nanase’s attention.

She placed a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.  “It’s just a lyric in the song.  It’s even in the original.  Don’t freak out.”

He understood this and calmed again.  It wasn’t the question that freaked him out but that it was addressed to him.  Her voice, lyrics, all of it, were directed at him in that moment.  He liked it but also feared it.  The closer he got to her, the more that strange fear ate at him.  Now, the sound of her voice, of her song, ran through him like an arrow and captured his heart.  He was captivated by her.

~But even so, he loves his plane more.~  And with that last lyric, she looked up at him with sad eyes, noting his lack of reply.

Now he was aware that earlier lyric was a question.  She’d been waiting weeks for his admission that they were a couple and he still couldn’t respond.  Now she thought his plane was more important just like Minmei.  “That’s not true.”  He had barely gotten to pilot that Valkyrie for an hour let alone fall in love with it.  That statement was just not true.

It didn’t take long for the competition to end.  When it did, Sheryl was given the results and walked on stage in front of all the contestants.  Unveiling the envelope, she opened it up and looked at the results.  Despite the reply, she still held a beautiful smile.  “I am pleased to announce the winner of the Miss Macross pageant for 2059,” she spoke normally.  Her eyes went wide as they landed upon someone in the crowd.

Alto looked at Ranka with hope.  He hoped her name would be called.  She was cute and talented and deserved the prize.  His eyes caught sight of Sheryl staring at him with shock.  With a frown, he waved silently.  He wasn’t there for her.

And Sheryl understood that as her attention turned to Ranka momentarily with understanding.  A gargled choke attracted her attention back to the television camera.  She found her composure again and looked at the results.  “The winner is Miranda Merin.”  As the applause came, she stepped aside and allowed the winner to come take the prize and ribbons.  She shook the winner’s hand.  “Congratulations.”

Ranka stood there and stared at the winner with a sad look in her eyes.  She had tried her best even on her own but she hadn’t won.  As she looked in the crowd, she found Alto still staring at her, not the winner.  A smile came to her lips and she slightly lifted her hand to wave at him.  A blush lit her cheeks as the curtain prepared to close.  She bowed with the rest of the girls.  Even though she’d lost the challenge, he still cheered her on.  And she’d let him down…

After the competition, Alto sneaked his way into the dressing room to find his girlfriend.  She was the only one left, thankfully.  He remembered that beautiful orange dress she’d worn and blushed.  She wasn’t quite aware how lovely she looked while dancing in it, he was sure.  But after she lost, her eyes had held the same defeat as that day with Sheryl.  “She must feel like she let me down.  But she didn’t have to compete for me.  I need to tell her that.”  He peeked into the dressing room and saw her pulling said outfit off.  He almost blushed and raced out, as she was obviously changing, then she threw it into the trash.  He ignored the awkwardness and pushed forward, “why are you throwing it out?” he asked, making his presence known.

She turned to him swiftly with shock, as if not noticing his presence.  As his eyes went downward and closed stiffly, she remembered her nudity.  She squealed and covered her breasts, racing into the private bathroom.  “I thought you’d see me later.”

“Sorry,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his head.  He lowered his eyes to the ground, trying to think of a way to change the subject.  “It was a tough call, huh?” he asked, attempting to start a conversation.  “Sorry you didn’t win.  Miranda Merin was a real bitch though.  I was rooting for you all the way.  She didn’t deserve it.”  He picked the outfit from the trash bin and cleaned it off.  “Why throw out this outfit?  It looks good on you and makes your beauty shine.”

She pushed the curtain aside a bit.  “Really?” she asked, eyes slightly hopeful.  “You don’t think my breasts are too small?”

He blushed at the question.  She had just given him permission to look at them.  “No.”  He tried to come up with a nice comment without looking but it was hard.  Then a thought hit him.  “They’re perfect for your build.  Trust me, if they were any bigger, they might cause you back pain.”

She pushed the curtain away fully and walked out in her pink bikini.  Her breasts were barely noticeable but he still stared at them.  She frowned, “it’s impossible for someone like me to win this.  Look at how small they are.”  She perked up slightly, “at least you like them.”

His face became a tomato at this.  “Of—Of course!” he stuttered with embarrassment.

She took the outfit from his hands and smiled.  “Thank you, Alto-kun, for the encouragement.”  She sat down in the chair.

He smiled and nodded.  He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and the head of the chair.  “I’m always here when you need me.”  He took in her scent with a warm smile.  “Don’t let this pressure eat you alive, Ranka.  You can vent to me if you need to.  Remember that I’ve been here before.”  He pulled away slightly and met her confused rubies.  “You have people who support you and won’t force you onward like with me.  It’s your dream.”

Her eyes melted at his words.  He was supportive just like her brother and Nanase were.  They all supported her.  She had to fight to grip this dream.  She shot up, standing with a firm hand in the air, and then she met his eyes, a smile on her face.  “Thank you, Alto-kun!”

He smiled, “of course.”  He turned around and blushed, remembering her state of dress.  “About that week I was sick: thank you very much for caring for me.”  He held a warm smile.  “I’m sorry that it was so awkward.”  He neared the door.  “Meet me at Griffith Park when you’re done, okay?”  When she nodded, he left.

She sunk back into the chair and looked at herself in the mirror with sad eyes.  Removing her makeup, she stared at the dried remains of tears from hours of crying.  Even more gathered in her eyes.  ‘If this is my dream,’ she wondered, ‘why does it hurt so much to accomplish it?’  Her mouth trembled, whispering the words to the air, “I want to be with him.”

And this…

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